Yankees Potential Trade Partners: The Tampa Bay Rays

How convenient that I wait until this morning to talk about the Yankees potential trade partners, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees and the Rays begin a three-game series tonight in Tampa that ultimately will have to set the tone for the Yankees before the trading deadline. Many thought the Bronx Bombers were dead in the water heading into that big four-game series with Cleveland right before the All-Star break and ever since then all the team has done was win (with a small hiccup against Boston thrown in the middle there). Now many wonder and believe the Yankees should be buyers and not sellers before the August 1^st trading deadline and if they are buying I believe Tampa has a few pieces worth buying this weekend.

While I will preface this article with the fact that I find it unlikely that the Tampa Bay Rays would trade within the division nor do I feel like the team will especially help the Yankees in any way let’s ignore that and have a little fun here on our Friday morning. I will say that while it’s unlikely that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The Yankees and the Rays could potentially hook up in a trade but the Yankees will have to VASTLY overpay for their services, something I’m not quite sure I am comfortable doing personally.

The Rays have made both Matt Moore and Chris Archer available via trade and both could help the Yankees both this year if they are serious about making a push towards that second Wild Card spot and beyond the 2016 season as well. Moore is signed through the 2016 season with team options for the 2017-2019 seasons worth $7 million, $9 million and $10 million respectively while Archer is signed through the 2019 season with a pair of team options for 2020 and 2021 worth $9 million and $11 million respectively. The way the market is today you are seeing #4 and #5 pitchers earning that kind of money annually making the Rays pair of potential aces, one present and one working his way back to being one, an absolute steal and bargain going forward.

For those reasons alone Moore and Archer will not come cheap, especially to the Yankees. Attached to Gleyber Torres already? Don’t be, if a deal is made he’s headed to Tampa. Him or Jorge Mateo, one or the other, and plus some other top prospects as well. Now obviously Moore would come cheaper than Archer for obvious reasons, Moore hasn’t been “great” in about four seasons now, but either would be great additions to the Yankees. Just likely and just really, really expensive.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Twitter Poll: My Take on Buying or Selling

The Twitter Poll went live this morning and in it I asked Yankees fans and readers of The Greedy Pinstripes if they thought the team should buy or sell and I asked why. You guys had your say and now I feel like it’s my turn to have mine and respond a bit. I touched on this a bit in the actual article as I put little responses under some of the comments but I wanted to put all my thoughts down on paper here in one nice and tidy place. Should the Yankees buy or sell at the August 1st trade deadline? Why? Here is my take on the matter for whatever it is worth.


To be completely honest before conducting that Twitter Poll I was one of the fans jumping up and down for a fire sale. I wanted a laundry list of players moved including, but not limited to, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Chase Headley. Out with the old and in with the new but after conducting the poll I may be teetering towards another edge. An edge more towards the middle if that makes any sense. I want the Yankees to not only sell but I want them to buy as well. Confused? Good, keep reading.


This is a terrible comparison and analogy but it is the first one that came to mind. The Texas Rangers bought Cole Hamels at the trading deadline last season not with the hopes of making a run at the World Series in 2015, although they did make the postseason, but with the dreams of pairing him with Yu Darvish in 2017 as well. The Yankees can buy in a similar fashion but not with their eyes on 2016 or even 2017 but with their goals set towards building for 2018 and beyond.


So the Yankees sell some or all of the list above, and FYI I did not include Alex Rodriguez on it because even after his comeback tour in 2015 his contract is still unmovable, and stock up for the future but they could also buy. Again I bring you a bad comparison but this gives you an idea of what I am talking about. In no way, shape or form can I see the Rays trading a player like Matt Moore to the Yankees but he is the kind of the player the Yankees could target in any trade. A cheap, young player they can buy low on due to injuries or whatever that has a real shot at bouncing back. It also doesn’t hurt that Moore is signed pretty cheap through the 2019 season which fits the mold and goes with the plan.



So conceivably, and yes it is easier said than done, the Yankees could both buy and sell at this year’s trading deadline. It won’t be easy and it will have to be all hands on deck to make it worth but it could happen. But will it? Stay tuned.

Twitter Poll: My Take on Buying or Selling

The Twitter Poll went live this morning and in it I asked Yankees fans and readers of The Greedy Pinstripes if they thought the team should buy or sell and I asked why. You guys had your say and now I feel like it’s my turn to have mine and respond a bit. I touched on this a bit in the actual article as I put little responses under some of the comments but I wanted to put all my thoughts down on paper here in one nice and tidy place. Should the Yankees buy or sell at the August 1^st trade deadline? Why? Here is my take on the matter for whatever it is worth.

To be completely honest before conducting that Twitter Poll I was one of the fans jumping up and down for a fire sale. I wanted a laundry list of players moved including, but not limited to, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Chase Headley. Out with the old and in with the new but after conducting the poll I may be teetering towards another edge. An edge more towards the middle if that makes any sense. I want the Yankees to not only sell but I want them to buy as well. Confused? Good, keep reading.

This is a terrible comparison and analogy but it is the first one that came to mind. The Texas Rangers bought Cole Hamels at the trading deadline last season not with the hopes of making a run at the World Series in 2015, although they did make the postseason, but with the dreams of pairing him with Yu Darvish in 2017 as well. The Yankees can buy in a similar fashion but not with their eyes on 2016 or even 2017 but with their goals set towards building for 2018 and beyond.

So the Yankees sell some or all of the list above, and FYI I did not include Alex Rodriguez on it because even after his comeback tour in 2015 his contract is still unmovable, and stock up for the future but they could also buy. Again I bring you a bad comparison but this gives you an idea of what I am talking about. In no way, shape or form can I see the Rays trading a player like Matt Moore to the Yankees but he is the kind of the player the Yankees could target in any trade. A cheap, young player they can buy low on due to injuries or whatever that has a real shot at bouncing back. It also doesn’t hurt that Moore is signed pretty cheap through the 2019 season which fits the mold and goes with the plan.

So conceivably, and yes it is easier said than done, the Yankees could both buy and sell at this year’s trading deadline. It won’t be easy and it will have to be all hands on deck to make it worth but it could happen. But will it? Stay tuned. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/28

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to kick off the second game of their three game weekend set here at Tropicana Field with another very intriguing pitching matchup. On paper both teams thought they had their #2 starter positions on lockdown heading into the season yet both Michael Pineda of the Yankees and Matt Moore of the Rays have struggled for large stretches this season respectively. Both will look to turn it around this afternoon and lead their team to a victory in a contest that begins at 4:10 pm ET. The game will be played inside of Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.

Give us a follow on twitter and follow along with us and the Yankees during each and every game this season. Our twitter handle is @GreedyStripes and we have been on a mission since Day One to put the social aspect back into social media. Won’t you join us on our mission?

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/28

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three game set this Memorial Day weekend at Tropicana Field with the second of a three game set today. In the first game we were all entertained as Masahiro Tanaka and Chris Archer took the mound for their respective teams which gives today’s pitching matchup a lot to live up to. In today’s middle game of the three game set the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking for more consistency this season against teams other than the Oakland Athletics while the Rays counter with their #2 pitcher Matt Moore.

Pineda has not pitched well outside of his two starts against the Oakland Athletics this season and has especially not pitched well in May during his career. Pineda had posted a 7.02 ERA in the month of May in 2016 before his last start where he earned a quality start and victory over the A’s.

Moore is giving up too many damn home runs this season, nine in just 51 innings, which usually tends to play right into the Yankees hands. In his last start Moore allowed five runs in five innings of work against the Miami Marlins and has only gone longer than five innings just three times this season in nine starts.

The game will be played at 4:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. It is a shame that more people don’t head out to Tropicana Field down in St. Pete it really is a cool experience. It’s not the greatest stadium I’ve ever seen cosmetically and boy was it a pain to get to but I think if you have a good set of teams playing inside the dome it’s worth it. More people need to go to Tropicana Field, even if they are all Yankees fans! I have spoken, now make it true. Go Yankees!

Jacoby Ellsbury Steals Home Open Thread

I saw something live, well I was watching it on television but I was watching it on TV live so that's close enough, that I have never seen live in my time as a baseball fan. Jacoby Ellsbury stole home on a 3-2 count Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays and lefty Matt Moore. This excited the hell out of me and when I threw my arms up in celebration I almost hit my six-year old in the face. It was an exciting and a rare feat and it was my first, something I didn't think I could say after watching baseball for some 25 years now.

So let's relive it again and talk about it, or anything really, in this open thread for the evening. The Yankees game is done for the day and the team is likely already on a plane flying to Texas for a set against the Texas Rangers. Have a good evening Yankees family!

Its not very often that you see a straight steal of home, @JacobyEllsbury showed us how it is done tonight #Yankees pic.twitter.com/aMglAgOXVX

— Cla22y Baseball (@cla22ybaseball) April 23, 2016

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/22

The New York Yankees will look for better success this series than they had in their previous two series. The Yankees should have won both series with the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics and the team lost both in a very frustrating, and at times ugly, fashion. This should have some Yankees fans a little worried as, at least on paper, the team should be able to squeak out a series victory against the Tampa Bay Rays as well. Is another series loss on the horizon for the Yankees or will the “If George was still alive” comments on Twitter only intensify? The good news is we no longer have to wait and wonder because it’s game time. Tonight the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Rays starter Matt Moore. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend but you don’t have a lot of cash you’re in luck. Our friends at Ticket Monster, who can be reached by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog, don’t tack on annoying fees or bulky shipping prices to their already low ticket prices leaving you with enough money for the subway, food and beer at the stadium. If you can’t make it live or you just want to stay and watch the game in the comfort of your own home you can follow along and interact with us on Twitter if you give @GreedyStripes a follow. We live tweet each and every game and I may be a little bias but I do damn good at it too.

I’m entertaining, what can I say? Well besides Go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 4/22

I don’t think I’ve ever found myself saying this but boy am I glad to see the Oakland Athletics leave the Bronx. What a tough, and at times agonizing, series that was but this is Major League Baseball and every day is a new game and in this case a new series as the New York Yankees welcome their division rivals the Tampa Bay Rays to the Bronx. New York will look to snap this series losing streak they have going while they pull out a couple, or three, wins this weekend inside Yankee Stadium. The way you do that is you take one game at a time and that first game comes tonight with CC Sabathia on the mound for the Yankees and Matt Moore on the mound for the Rays.

Sabathia has given the Yankees some innings in each of his first two starts but not much else in the way of effectiveness unfortunately. Sabathia always seems to pitch well in the first three or four innings of a contest before seemingly falling off around the fifth inning every single time leaving many to wonder if he wouldn’t be better suited as a long man in the bullpen. Sabathia looks like a new pitcher, reinvented, at the beginning of games only to fall back into old patterns late. Sabathia needs to turn this around today and needs to show some improvement because even Yankees GM Brian Cashman has said his starting job is not guaranteed all season long.

Moore struggled towards the end of last season after coming back from Tommy John surgery but it seems like the lefty is getting better and better with every start he makes. Moore’s biggest issues was his control and he has seemingly gotten that under control and will look to harness that control inside of Yankee Stadium tonight where he owns a career 3-1 record and 4.66 ERA.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. It’s Friday and the only way you can ruin a Friday night is if you have to work on Saturday morning or if the Yankees lose. I don’t have to work tomorrow so don’t let me down boys. Let’s pull out this victory and another and another. Go Yankees!!

Yankees ST: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 3/12

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will face off this afternoon as a part of their spring training and Grapefruit League schedules. The Yankees haven't had the best time in the win/loss column this season but you know what they say about spring training stats and how meaningless they are in the grand scheme of things. With that in mind the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound looking to turn things around while the Rays will counter with Matt Moore.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on MLB TV and heard on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. Go Yankees!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Tampa Bay Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays are a team in transition and a team that is constantly rebuilding. The team is absolutely stacked on the pitching side of things with Chris Archer leading the way but injuries set the team back in a major way in 2015. The team will now look to have a healthier and more productive 2016 after adding a couple new faces and after getting a couple old faces back from the disabled list with their eyes on the prize that is the American League East division. While the Rays have their eyes set on October in real life those same Tampa Bay Rays can help you reach the same October playoff goal, just in your fantasy baseball league of course. 

The first new face in Tampa is former Colorado Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson who leaves the friendly confides of Coors Field to come to a more pitching friendly ballpark in Tropicana Field. For that reason alone he may not be worth where he is going to be ranked or taken but he will still likely give you 20-25 home run power at an outfield position and that’s never bad. He’s one that will likely be taken before I feel comfortable taking him but if he’s there and in your comfort level then go for it, he’s a good ball player with a lot to like. 

Another new face is Brad Miller who is not going to put up ungodly numbers at the dish but at an anemic position offensively like shortstop his .258 average, 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases is near the top of the second tier player list at the position. Miller is only 26-years old and is technically entering his prime so you may see those numbers tick a bit higher in 2016. 

A stalwart in the Rays lineup lately is outfielder Kevin Kiermaier who had a solid 2015 campaign that not too many outside of the AL East really knew about. Kiermaier can get you 15 home runs and steal you 20-30 bases in a season while adding Gold Glove caliber defense to the squad. 

Finally you have to look at the prospects currently coming out of the Tampa Bay system. They always seem to have one or two that burst onto the scene in a big way and besides, it’s Prospects Month so we’re almost obligated to talk about them here today. The Rays best pitching prospect in the system is Blake Snell and he just may break camp with the club this season. The Rays will try to piece together a solid rotation behind Archer and Matt Moore until Alex Cobb returns from Tommy John surgery and a combination of Drew Smyly and Snell are likely going to do it for Tampa. Meanwhile the best and closest positional prospect is first baseman Richie Schaffer who is also eligible at third base. Schaffer would likely have to be a DH in Tampa or replace an injured first baseman but in 74 at bats with the club last year he belted four home runs showing off his raw power. If Shaffer gets a shot he could deliver some big home run and RBI numbers for the Rays and your club, just don’t expect a high average or a terribly high runs scored stat to go along with it. 

There you have it, the young guns and the prospects that are likely going to make or break the Tampa Bay Rays season and that can also make or break your fantasy draft this season. I hope the information helped and if it did pass it along to someone else in need. If it didn’t help then I apologize, but I have a feeling that it will. Enjoy and thanks for reading. 

If the Cubs Start Selling...

We have done quite a few of these "if the (fill in the team name) start selling) posts here on the blog and today we throw you readers a little bit of a curveball. Instead of showcasing teams that are preparing for rebuilding processes and instead of showcasing teams that are selling off any and every arbitration eligible player or beyond player they have on the team I figured we could also look at a team that now has a bit of a surplus at one position. The Chicago Cubs grabbed the best free agent on the market in Jason Heyward and may not start selling off an outfielder or two, specifically Javier Baez or Jorge Soler. Should the Yankees be interested?

Of course they should. Once the outfield position and their best free agents start to fall the second tier guys will begin to come off the board. That's when you will get optimal value out of a 32-year old Brett Gardner in a trade. Essentially cornering the market and making a trade for either Baez or Soler only to trade Gardner for a substantial haul later makes sense on paper but do the Yankees have the pieces to get it done, and are they willing to give them up?

If you're looking at Baez I think the Yankees are a bit of a stretch in the running for him. The Tampa Bay Rays have been discussing a trade for either Matt Moore or Alex Cobb to get Baez back and unless the Yankees are willing to part with one of their better starting pitchers in an already weak and question mark ridden rotation they are not going to get Baez. What about Soler?

Jorge Soler is right-handed, something the Yankees are looking for, he's young, another check in the box for the Yankees, and he's cost-controlled for the next five seasons. Soler signed a nine year deal with the Cubs worth $30 million that will keep him under team control through the 2020 season. Soler is just 23-years old and projects to be a 15-20 home run guy, or more, at the peak of his MLB career. Truth be told he may not be a huge offensive or defensive upgrade over Gardner but he is nine years younger and much cheaper. Soler fits the mold of what the Yankees are trying to do, rebuild on the fly but still compete in 2016.

I don't pretend to be an expert on the Chicago Cubs needs or farm system but you would have to think they would want pitching back for Soler. Either in the starting rotation or in the bullpen. The Yankees match up decently here with one of Ivan Nova, Bryan Mitchell, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda available with a plethora of bullpen arms that are MLB ready and that could be included. I'm not saying a deal will be made but this would be the perfect deal for the New York Yankees, Brian Cashman... are you listening?

If the Rays Keep Selling…

The Tampa Bay Rays started the offseason off by sending right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns and CJ Riefenhauser to the Seattle Mariners for a package revolving around Brad Miller but the Tampa Bay GM may not be done there. According to Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com the Rays may not be done there and they may be in the market to sell off another starting pitcher or more, well a starting pitcher not named Chris Archer anyway. I know this is extremely unlikely, a team trading to a division rival they are in direct competition with inside the American League East Division, but if the Rays keep selling hopefully Brian Cashman is calling and hopefully Brian Cashman is buying.

Money is the ultimate motivating factor for Tampa Bay so having pitchers with question marks and health concerns surrounding them may move to the top of the trade list for the Rays. Players like LHP Drew Smyly who battled shoulder issues for much of the 2015 season and comes attached to around $4 million in salary through arbitration. Players like LHP Matt Moore who will make $5 million in salary in the final season of his deal before three team options kick in. Moore missed a significant chunk of the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and struggled with his command upon his return. Speaking of Tommy John surgery Alex Cobb should be back on the mound from the UCL ligament replacement surgery around August if there aren’t any setbacks.

Outside of the rotation the team could trade first baseman James Loney to one of the many teams that will miss out on Chris Davis on the free agency market. The team could also look at trading Brad Boxberger, although the team would have to be blown away since he is still relatively effective and on the cheaper side. Tampa has plenty of moveable contracts and attractive pieces that they could literally do as they pleased this winter. Any and all of these moves could open the door for a short-term deal with a veteran such as Rich Hill and could also open the door for top prospects LHP Blake Snell and RHP’s Taylor Guerrieri and Jacob Faria.

The Yankees would obviously have little interest in Boxberger, Loney or Cobb (unless it was essentially a salary dump which Tampa won’t do) but you have to think that either Moore or Smyly would at least interest Brian Cashman somewhat. I’m not saying a deal is going to get made, and I’m especially not saying it’s going to involve the New York Yankees, but what I am saying is that if the conversations are happening I hope Cashman is at least on the conference call list. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 9/5

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays face off for the second time this afternoon as a part of their three game set this weekend in the Bronx. The Rays are struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Yankees are in the driver’s seat in the American League Wild Card chase. The Yankees want that division crown though and would like to skip a one game playoff if at all possible so every game is being played and managed like a must win in the Bronx right now which is not a great sign for the Rays. New York will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound looking for his 15^th win of the season while the Rays counter with Matt Moore. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on Fox Sports One and MLB TV.

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming to town and so are the Baltimore Orioles after tomorrow afternoon’s finale in this series so be sure to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to see any of these uber-important games left this season. Also be sure to give @GreedyStripes a follow on Twitter to interact with us during each and every game and to root on your favorite Yankees on their march towards the playoffs.

Eovaldi hasn’t taken a loss since the middle of June and the Yankees don’t tend to lose with him on the mound so this has all the makings of being a very interesting contest for New York and their fans. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays 9/5

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three game set head-to-head inside Yankee Stadium this afternoon with a day game in the Bronx. Day games after night games in New York usually mean two things, the ball will be flying out of the stadium all afternoon long and you can expect to see quite a few of your key veteran players sitting on the bench for this one. The Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound this afternoon to face off against an old face and familiar foe in Matt Moore for the Rays. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the Fox Sports One Network and MLB TV.

• Eovaldi has not taken the loss in any of his last 13 starts thanks to great pitching and a ton of run support from the Yankees offense. Last time out Eovaldi was limited to just five innings after giving up five runs on eight hits but the Yankees were able to win the game 20-6 over the Atlanta Braves. Eovaldi is 9-0 with a very respectable 3.32 ERA since June 20^th.

• Moore returned off the disabled list from Tommy John surgery on July 2^nd this season and made just six starts before being demoted to the minor leagues. Moore dominated pitchers in the minor leagues after finally finding his command, showcased by recording 16 of 18 outs in a single game by strikeout, which earned him a September call up. Moore is now making his first start since returning looking to improve on his 1-3 record and 8.78 ERA this season.

The Yankees face off against Chris Archer and these same Rays tomorrow afternoon in the finale of the three game series making this game almost a must win for the club. Facing off against Archer is always a tough task for the Yankees it seems like whether it is day or night so getting a win today would be huge for the team’s confidence and their standings in the American League East Division. The Yankees have the right man on the bump to do that today with their leader in wins taking the mound. I’m confident, what about you? Go Yankees!

Matt Moore & the Cautionary Tale of Tommy John Surgery

The New York Yankees went against the grain a bit last season when they learned that their 25 year old ace Masahiro Tanaka had a less than 10% tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. Instead of putting Tanaka under the knife to get the UCL replaced while having the right-hander miss not only the remainder of the 2014 season but much of the 2015 season the Yankees took the road less traveled. Tanaka and the Yankees, under the advice and supervision of not one but five doctors including the team doctor and Dr. James Andrews, the Tommy John surgery specialist, decided to try and rest and rehab program hoping that the ligament would heal on its own avoiding the surgery. The Yankees were killed for this decision by the media and the fans and every hanging curve ball or every loss for Tanaka leads to outrage about not getting the surgery, even though it was the right decision not to.

There have been more than a few pitchers who have tried to rest and rehab the UCL rather than going under the knife but only a couple have actually had any success with it. Ervin Santana followed the same path and has never needed the surgery to date while Adam Wainwright went years without needing the surgery. Tanaka has been so far so good on the elbow since the rehab, despite what you read on Twitter after a bad outing, making the Yankees and that team of doctors look better and better every single start. The main reason behind the decision, at least in my opinion, was because while the TJS success rate is as high as it has ever been the surgery is far from 100%. Look at Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Moore was demoted back to the minor leagues and Triple-A over the weekend after continuing to struggle on the mound this season. Moore is in his first season removed from the Tommy John surgery and will head to the minors looking to sort out his issues. Moore has posted a 1-3 record in six starts since returning from the DL and has failed to go past five innings in any of the starts. Moore is just the most recent example, Ryan Madson has been trying to work his way back from Tommy John surgery for parts of four seasons now with limited success. The surgery is not 100% and even if it was 99% effective you want to avoid the knife if you can, the Yankees did that and I commend them for it. 

Injuries, Suspension and Fantasy Baseball

The push is on in Major League Baseball for the playoffs and the same can be said for fantasy baseball as well. While MLB teams are lining up to add players or sell players at the July 31^st trading deadline fantasy owners are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what is going to happen and how it is going to affect their fantasy teams, for better or worse. One thing I found interesting is the slew of either injured or suspended players that are set to come off the disabled and suspension lists in the coming weeks that could alter the way your league unfolds.

Jose Fernandez is set to make his 2015 season debut tomorrow for the Miami Marlins when the team faces off with the San Francisco Giants. The Marlins had a budding ace on their hands before the surgery but have not seen encouraging results from him in his rehab assignment. The last thing to come back is command and we saw Ivan Nova struggle with his command in his final tune-up before dominating the Phillies in his season debut so you never really know what to expect. Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays is also set to come off the disabled list after missing most of the 2014 season with Tommy John surgery and will also make his season debut tomorrow against the Cleveland Indians. Moore is another ace that has struggled a bit with his command in his rehab and is another question mark moving forward. Frankly if I had to choose between the two I would go with Fernandez because it seems like the Rays are rushing Moore back for a potential division race and pennant chase.

Ervin Santana was suspended for the first 80 games of the MLB season after failing a steroid test with the Minnesota Twins. Santana’s suspension ends this Sunday but the team has not announced when and where his season debut will happen but for a team that is struggling and chasing a division title it will come sooner rather than later. The same can be said for Mets relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia who will also have his suspension lifted after 80 games. Mejia will return to a struggling Mets team that needs all the pitching help they can get. If I had to choose one or the other I would go with Santana who has had great results in his career and is a potential ace in Minnesota while Mejia isn’t likely to exceed 30 or 40 IP for the remainder of the season.

Yankees Need to Manage CC like Rays Manage Pitching

I found an interesting article this week on the USA Today that revealed the secrets to the Tampa Bay Rays success this season despite losing half their team, their GM Andrew Friedman and their manager Joe Maddon all in the same offseason. The key to the Rays success in a nutshell in how they manage their pitching staff and bullpen which got me thinking, could the Yankees learn a thing or two from the Rays when it comes to the way they manage CC Sabathia?

The Rays have had success this season despite losing ace Matt Moore to Tommy John surgery, Alex Cobb to Tommy John surgery and Drew Smyly to a shoulder injury because the team is using common sense. The third time an offense see’s an opposing pitcher they are likely to do better against that pitcher. The pitcher is dealing with fatigue the third time around through the order and the batter has seen anywhere from five to twenty pitches off this pitcher already on the night. So what do the Rays do to combat this? They don’t let their pitchers see the opposing team’s offense three times in a night. Sounds simply enough, right?

In 2015 MLB hitters have a .696 OPS in their first at bats in a game, a .728 OPS in their second at bats and a .760 OPS in their third at bat of the game showing a no so surprising trend. These numbers are up from the 2014 marks of .681 in the first at bat, .708 in the second and .749 in the third at bat respectively. The Rays are on pace to let opposing offense’s see their pitchers three times in a game less than 1,000 plate appearances this season, by far the lowest in Major League Baseball this season. 

If the Tampa Bay Rays have an offense that sports just a .700 OPS at the time of this writing, 11^th best in the American League out of 15 teams, and are still in first place over the mighty Yankees then they must be doing something right. Buster Olney tweeted out the stats from CC when he faces an order a third time in a night and the stats were atrocious, and so is his record. Is it time to take notice and simply allow CC two times through the order before turning it over to the bullpen? If you’re asking me I have to say yes after seeing these Tampa Bay Rays stats. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/11

The New York Yankees have left the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and are back down in Tampa taking on the Tampa Bay Rays for the next four nights. The Yankees have already swept a three game series this season inside Tropicana Field and will look to do the same this week in a four game series back in The Trop. Tonight the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound still looking for his first victory of the season as he faces off with Alex Colome for the Rays. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia was dealt his fifth loss of the season already last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays marking the first time in CC's career that he started a season 0-5. Sabathia has pitched well enough to win more than once or twice but has fallen victim to low run support from his teammates as he has received just one run in a game four times this season already. 

• Colome is fresh off his second victory of the season last time out when he beat up on the shorthanded Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were without Hanley Ramirez in the contest and Colome took advantage allowing just two runs on four hits while pitching into the sixth inning. Colome only has 10 innings pitched this season but also has 10 strikeouts to go along with them.

New York owns a 6-1 record over Tampa Bay already this season explaining much of the gap between the Yankees and the rest of the American League East right now. If the Yankees can keep winning against the Rays now when they don't have Alex Cobb, Matt Moore and others it will make a huge difference in September if the team plans on going to October for the first time in three season.

Best Rotation in the AL East?

Leading the charge in 2012

I read an article from Yahoo! Sports stating that, going into the 2012 season, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best rotation in the AL East. At first I wasn't really surprised to see that, but after reading the article and seeing that they only went over the top 3 in the Rays rotation, and then saw the rest of it almost as an afterthought, I decided to see how the Rays rotation stacked up against the Yankees rotation.

I chose Baseball Reference's version of WAR to compare all the pitchers. I'll admit that I don't quite understand how either B-R or Fangraphs do their WAR calculations, but I know they're different. So I took a shot and choose B-R. Hey, I had a 50/50 shot at which is better.

Here is the proposed 2012 rotation for the Rays, with their 2011 bWAR as well as some notes afterwards on whether we can expect an increase or decrease in that stat -

James Shields - 6.1 His career average bWAR in a season is 2.95, and being 30 years old I really don't think he can keep up that career high bWAR from last season. So I expect to see a drop.

Jeremy Hellickson - 4.2 Hellickson had a pretty low strikeout rate of 5.6, and coming into his 3rd season in MLB, I fully expect is bWAR to drop. I really think a bWAR of around 3.0 sounds about right.

David Price - 3.7 David's bWAR in 2010 was a 5.3, and generally a rookie pitcher does very well due to the "surprise factor". I mean, it's hard to prepare for a pitcher you've never seen before. But even though I don't see him being a 5.3 pitcher again, I think getting up to around 4.5 is reasonable.

Jeff Niemann - 1.1 After 3+ seasons in MLB I believe we've seen him strikeout as many as he ever will, even though his strikeout rate has gone up in each of the last three years. Coupling that with the fact he had the same bWAR in 2011, I don't see any change happening here.

Wade Davis - .2 Wade had a bWAR of 1.8 in 2010, and in 2011 his strikeout rate dropped for the 3rd straight season. Although I'm not totally convinced he'll have a higher bWAR in 2012, I'll go ahead and assume he will to be on the safe side.

Let me point out that there's a good chance that Matt Moore could be in the rotation for the majority of the season for the Rays. He did throw 164.1 innings last year (combined majors + minors), so theoretically he could throw around 200. However, I read the chat transcript over at MLBTR where Tim Dierkes implied that Matt wouldn't have a full workload for Tampa Bay. Seeing his innings go up from 123 in 2009 to 144 in 2010, I can see where the Rays may limit him a bit.

So what about the New York Yankees projected rotation in 2012?

CC Sabathia - 6.9 CC has had an average bWAR of 5.4 with the Yankees, and that 6.9 is his career high. So a reduction is to be expected. Although judging by his three-year average I don't see it going down by much.

Hiroki Kuroda - 3.7 Hiro's bWAR in 2010 was 2.5, and coupled with the fact he's moving to a much tougher league/division, I don't think I'm alone in expecting his bWAR to go down a bit in 2012.

Ivan Nova - 3.6 So far in MLB Ivan's strikeout rate has been 5.4, and that bothers me a bit. Not to the point that I'd like to see the Yankees shop him in a trade or something, but I don't see how he continues where he left off from last season.

Michael Pineda - 2.8 Although Robinson Cano's friend is moving to a tougher division, he was still in the American League, his strikeout rate is pretty high, and it's hard not to see a 23 year-old improving.

Phil Hughes/Freddy Garcia - 0.0/3.4 I'm going to go ahead and use their average bWAR as a guess as to what either one will do in 2012, because I see Freddy's going down while Phil's would go up. So a 1.7 sounds about right.

Notice that I'm assuming AJ Burnett is not going to be on the team, and therefore would not affect things. Call it wishful thinking or what-have-you, but I'm leaving AJ out of it.

Above I lined up the pitchers based on their 2011 bWARs, and I'm going to keep it that way in the head-to-head part here. The winner of each battle is in bold.

CC Sabathia vs. James Shields

Hiroki Kuroda vs. James Hellickson

Ivan Nova vs. David Price

Michael Pineda vs. Jeff Niemann

Phil Hughes/Freddy Garcia vs. Wade Davis

The second match-up was no mistake, as I can see both men being equal to one another. So at this point it looks like the New York Yankees have the better rotation going into 2012. However, we have to remember that Matt Moore could be around for 175 or so innings, and if we use him instead of Wade Davis I'd have to give the edge to the Rays pitcher.

So in conclusion, I believe that the Rays and Yankees 2012 projected pitching rotations are even. Perhaps that's not the conclusion Yankee fans were looking for but keep this in mind... the Bombers scored 160 more runs than the Rays last season, and I don't see that changing.

Patience is not a bad word

Listen to Axl. All we need is just a little patience.

Some Yankee fans have expressed their displeasure with the Yankees not improving. It's not necessarily because they believe the Yanks have to improve, but it's because others around them are. Which is a reasonable stance to take.

For one, the Red Sox were in a great position in 2011 to win the AL East before taking a major nose-dive, and it would be down-right insane to expect something like that to happen again. And you have to believe Carl Crawford will improve after putting up the worst batting average and on-base percentage of his career, second-worst slugging percentage since 2003 (his 1st full season in MLB), his lowest SB output since 2002 when he only played in 63 games, etc. And it's not like he was putting up better numbers in a different division, as he's spent his entire 10 year career in the AL East. Then there's the fact that Kevin Youkilis (a guy that I don't like, but will admit is good) and JD Drew each missed a large portion of the season. The Sox still have work to do on their rotation, which is even more questionable than the Yankees current crop of starters, but they too are in on guys such as Hiroki Kuroda.

The Rays were 6 games worse than the Bombers last season, yet they still won 91 games. But remember that Matt Moore only started 1 game for them last season, and his presence in the starting rotation all season will have a nice impact for sure. I'm not sure about Jeff Niemenn's back, but a full year out of him, holding down the back-end of the rotation with Jeremy Hellickson, will round out a very nice starting rotation. I do question the Rays offense though, as they scored the least amount of runs in the division in 2011 (707), and bringing in Luke Scott doesn't exactly make it any better.

The Toronto Blue Jays aren't going away quietly either. If they can find a way to better their run prevention, then I could definitely see them finishing 3rd in the division, and battle it out for the 2nd Wild Card berth next season. The Jays major concern when it came to giving up runs was their bullpen, which owner Alex Anthopoulos has done a good job of improving after bringing in Darren Oliver and Sergio Santos, as well as bringing back Jason Frasor. Not that their starters are all set, as they could use an improvement at the bottom where Jo-Jo Reyes and Kyle Drabek put up ERAs of 5.40 and 6.06 respectively. If Dustin McGowan, who is finally coming back after 3+ years with major shoulder issues, can be more like what we saw in 2007 and 2008, that would certainly help. And the Jays were in rumor talks regarding Matt Garza. Although that's cooled off quite a bit, it shows that Anthopoulos may not be finished.

And then there are the Yankees.... what have they done this off-season? Well, first and foremost, they brought back CC Sabathia, who was only days away from being a free agent. The Yanks also picked up the team option on Nick Swisher, which wasn't as much a no-brainer as bringing back CC was, but the idea of Beltran replacing Swish was not a great one anyway. That was followed by bringing back Freddy Garcia and Andruw Jones. There have been little things like signing Don Mattingly's son, Preston, to a minor league deal too. But I think the biggest change is going to be Jesus Montero being the full-time DH, in place of Jorge Posada. Bill James is predicting a triple-slash of .289/.351/.505 for Jesus, which is a slight upgrade from the triple-slash of 235/.315/.398 that Posada put up last year. Of course things would get better if Alex Rodriguez can give the team at least 130 games too (he only played in 99 in 2011). But nothing has really changed on the team from the end of last season. 8 of the 9 spots in the lineup are going to be the same, 4 of the 5 rotation spots will be filled by the same guys (Hughes will likely take Colon's spot), the bullpen is pretty much exactly the same (even moreso now that Corey Wade will be back), and even the bench has changed very little.

Whlie I believe the Yankees don't have to do anything more in order to compete for another division title, and to make a run at a 28th World Series victory, it would make things much simpler if they did (not that it would actually be simple no matter what). I'd sure has hell feel better if they were able to get a pitcher that could easily slot into the #2 or #3 spot. All in all though this comes down to the impatience of New Yorkers, and New York Yankees fans. We're certainly not used to seeing a team that's used the term "budget" when it comes to weighing free agent signings. But this is the way things are now, and I... for one.. am happy to see it. Caring about spending money now may allow the team to have the killer pitching duo of CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels in 2013 and beyond.