Yankees Lose Dante Bichette Jr.

Just a quick hit this morning and a little bit of a personal post. The New York Yankees drafted Dante Bichette Jr. in the supplemental round after the first round in the 2011 MLB First Year Players Draft, six years later Bichette Jr. is gone. This is personal to me because I did an interview with Bichette Jr. and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with him throughout the years on Twitter. I wish him well and I totally understand the business side of the game but sometimes the fan side of me just gets me down, and one of those instances is today.

Bichette Jr. has signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies and will look to continue his ultimate goal of reaching the Major League level like his father before him, Dante Bichette Sr.

I wish you well Dante, and I wish your brother Bo well also. I love you guys and your family, you have always been gracious and extremely approachable with us and generally just good people. Stay well and good luck going forward!

Quick Hit: What About Joe Nathan?

The New York Yankees are in search of bullpen help this season and there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal so it begs the question…. Should the New York Yankees offer one of these minor league deals to 42-year old Joe Nathan? I mean, maybe.

I have said it a million times and I’ll say it another million and one times if I have to, there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal. There’s no team crazy enough or desperate enough to hand Nathan a job right now attached to a guaranteed contract so if he is going to accept a minor league deal regardless why not make that deal come from the Yankees? If he doesn’t recover or never makes it back to the Major Leagues the Yankees are out pennies in the grand scheme of things and a month or two of a roster spot that could have went elsewhere but if he comes back and is even a shell of his former self the Yankees could have an absolutely deep back-end of their bullpen.

The Washington Nationals recently released the 42-year old Nathan after just 6.1 innings pitched last season with the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants. Nathan is recovering from a second Tommy John surgery in his right elbow and posted a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in those innings last season.

Nathan ranks eighth all-time in career saves and is the leader among active players in the category with 377 career saves. Extend the offer and see if he bites. Worst thing he can say is no, right?

Goodnight Yankees family. 

Give up on Aaron Hicks, Sign Angel Pagan

Here’s a quick hit to end your Saturday and something to think about. This is not something that I think the New York Yankees are necessarily thinking about but, all bias side of course, I think it’s something that should at least be considered by the organization. Why? Because Aaron Hicks sucks. Who do you replace him with? A veteran fourth outfielder who could mentor Aaron Judge alongside Matt Holiday. When do you replace him? Preferably now but as soon as possible works too. Just saying.

Before you scoff at the name Angel Pagan let’s take a closer look at what he did last season in an extremely pitcher-friendly ballpark in 2016. Pagan put up a .277/.331/.418 triple slash with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases while playing a very serviceable left field. Pagan was also a very serviceable center fielder as recently as 2015 which leads you to believe he could be again in a much smaller ballpark in the Bronx if needed once or twice a week, tops.

Pagan is 35-years old so he spits in the face of this recent youth movement by the Yankees but anyone who has ever watched a rebuild knows that any and all rebuilds rely heavily on young prospects and players with a veteran player sprinkled in here or there for good measure. Pagan could be that veteran that rides the bench or plays more than he should much like Hicks did last season. Pagan played in 129 games last season so durability is not a concern and neither is production while production has been a constant concern for Hicks.

Pagan would be an incredible insurance policy for Jacoby Ellsbury as well as the current Yankees center fielder is always one pitch away from yet another season-ending injury so keep this guy in your back pocket and/or give him a minor league deal with an invite to spring training camp. You know, before someone else does. 

Finally, Something Yankees Related Today!!!

Yes, what a concept. A Yankees blog talking about something Yankees related. Weird, I know but we finally got there today as we will look at the remaining free agents that are still left out there on the market and see if any of them matchup with the Yankees this season. I will primarily focus on the bullpen and pitching department as a whole because I feel like those are the most wide open positions on the team but if you feel there is a positional player and/or bench piece that needs some extra love and attention then leave that below in the comments section. Thanks.

I was a bit disappointed when I saw that Joe Blanton went to the Washington Nationals. Not that I wanted to give the right a guaranteed $4 million deal but part of me had hoped that the more spring training dragged on the more likely that Blanton was to sign a smaller guaranteed deal or even a non-guaranteed deal. The same thought process is going through my mind with former Kansas City Royals bullpen arm Luke Hochevar. Over the last two seasons, and keep in mind these were his first two seasons removed from Tommy John surgery so he should theoretically get stronger and better the farther away from the surgery that he gets, Hochevar has posted a 3.78 ERA with strong and impressive strikeout and walk rates that should play well inside Yankee Stadium.

I was also a bit disappointed last season when the Yankees did not solidify their starting rotation with a Doug Fister signing so why not right a wrong in 2017 by signing the right-hander. Now before you scroll down to send hate mail in the comments section I am merely suggest Fister on a minor league deal. While Fister’s ERA continues to climb while the MPH on his fastball and sinker continue to fall I still feel like he would make for incredible depth at Triple-A at the very least. I would slide Colby Lewis into this mold as well but for some odd reason I cannot see Lewis pulling a Jon Niese and signing a minor league deal. It doesn’t hurt to ask though, hint hint Brian Cashman.

There’s others out there that are worth waivers including Henderson Alvarez, Jordan Walden, Alfredo Simon and Charlie Furbush but only on minor league deals because there’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal so they say. Well so I say anyway. 

Former Yankees Update: Joba Chamberlain

The New York Yankees have an uncanny way of taking care of members of their family, whether it be past or present, so we here at The Greedy Pinstripes like to do the same whenever we can. This afternoon is one of those instances as we look at and check in with a former member of the Yankees bullpen and an arm that I personally advocated for the Yankees to sign this offseason on a minor league deal. His name is Joba Chamberlain, maybe you’ve heard of him?

The man simply known as “Joba” was drafted by the New York Yankees and sent on a hot shot courier almost straight to the Major Leagues. Joba and his slider took the league by storm and the only thing that could stop him was a swarm of Cleveland-based midges and a Tommy John surgery that replaced his ulnar collateral ligament. Ever since his UCL replacement surgery Joba has simply not been the same pitcher that lit up American League batters for the Yankees and most recently the right-hander, still somehow just 31-years old, signed a deal to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017.

Joba signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training this season and this week he threw his first live batting practice of the spring. Joba could be an asset to a team that is in the midst of a rebuild like the Milwaukee Brewers are, especially considering his 385 regular season games of experience as well as his 21 postseason appearances he has under his belt, and manager Craig Counsell seems intrigued by having Joba on his roster on Opening Day. This all sounds good on paper but Joba has to put in the work though and thus far, and yes it is extremely early, he has.

Joba knows he has to put in the work but all signs point to him having fun in Brewers camp as well and that may be the most important thing of all. You have to be comfortable where you are in order to do well and you have to have fun as well or what’s really the point? So far so good for Joba, here’s to hoping he continues the good work in Brewers camp this spring.

Meet a Prospect: Jon Niese

Over the weekend the New York Yankees added Jon Niese to their minor league camp after signing the former New York Mets product to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The left-hander can start or he can relieve and will look to latch on in either spot in the Yankees starting rotation in 2017 so now is a good a time as any to meet him, don’t you say? This is Meet a Prospect: The Jon Niese Edition.

Jonathan Joseph Niese was born on October 27, 1986 to Jeffrey and Annette Niese in Lima, Ohio on the same day that the New York Mets won their second, and last to date, World Series. It only seemed like fate that Niese went on to later spend time with those same New York Mets as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates in his MLB career before recently joining the Yankees on his minor league deal.

Niese attended Defiance High School in Defiance, Ohio where he was brought up where he played soccer all four years as well as baseball. While at Defiance High the left-hander was teammates with former Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley before being drafted in the 2005 MLB First Year Players Draft by the New York Mets in the seventh round.

Niese began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Mets that same year before getting all the way to Triple-A by the 2008 season pitching seven innings allowing just one run for the Zephyrs. Niese impressed so much in that start that he was promoted to the Major Leagues in September of 2008 and he even made his MLB debut on September, 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Niese promptly gave up a home run to the first batter that he faced, Rickie Weeks, becoming the first pitcher in Mets history to achieve the feat. Niese bounced back and forth between the minor leagues and the Major Leagues in 2009 before his first full season as a major league starter came during the 2010 season.

Niese finished his first campaign as a starter with a 9-10 record with a 4.20 ERA in 173.2 innings pitched. Niese’s best start came on June 10 against the San Diego Padres when he threw a complete game one-hit shutout in a Mets victory. Niese remained in the Mets rotation for the 2011 season where he finished with another unimpressive 11-11 record with a 4.40 ERA in just 157.1 innings pitched. Niese saw his season come to an end prematurely when a rib cage muscle ended his season on August 23^rd. That was enough for the Mets though as they signed Niese to a five-year deal worth $25.5 million on April 4^th of 2012. Niese would finish the season with his best performance to date posting a 13-9 record with a 3.40 ERA including his first season where he did not completely fall apart and break down once the calendar turned to September.

Niese was named the New York Mets Opening Day starter for the 2013 season after Johan Santana suffered an injury but Santana wasn’t the only Mets lefty to miss some time due to injury that season. Niese missed several starts in 2013 due to a rotator cuff injury and the 2014 season didn’t start out much better for him either. Niese began the 2014 season on the disabled list due to elbow inflammation in his pitching elbow. Niese would return from the injury only to last a whole 66 innings before being forced back on the disabled list later on in the season. Niese did finish the season with 30 starts and a 3.40 ERA but the injury bug had hit him multiple times that season leaving many inside the organization to wonder if this was a sign of what’s to come.

Niese has a relatively uneventful, although it was healthy after making adjustments to his pitching motion during spring training in order to take some of the strain off his pitching elbow, season in 2015 but that did not stop the Mets from trading him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 9^th for Neil Walker. Niese spent time in the Pirates rotation until the All Star Break when the Pirates placed Niese in their bullpen. Niese was not long for the Pirates though as the team then traded him back to the Mets on August 1^st in exchange for Antonio Bastardo. Niese lasted a whole one start before being placed back on the disabled list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

The Mets declined their option on the contract after the 2016 season paying him a $500,000 buyout and thus granting him free agency. Niese spent the winter looking for a guaranteed job and even told the New York Daily News that he was shocked he could not find a MLB guaranteed deal this offseason before he signed the minor league deal with the Yankees. It doesn’t matter how he got here or what happened before though, especially on a minor league deal, as long as he makes the most of the opportunity while he is here. So here’s our best wishes and hopes going out to Niese, I hope you make the team if you can truly help the team compete in 2017 and beyond.

Welcome to the organization and, more importantly, welcome to the family. 

Yankees Add Jon Niese on Minor League Deal

The New York Yankees added another arm into the mix this spring when they signed former New York Mets product Jon Niese to a minor league deal Sunday night. Naturally the minor league deal comes with an invitation to spring training as Niese will look to latch on with the Yankees either as a starting pitcher or as a reliever.

We were just saying the other day on the blog that the Yankees needed a left-handed relief pitcher in their bullpen just in case Chasen Shreve were to struggle and it seems like the team got their man. Niese, who told the New York Daily News that he was surprised he could not find a Major League deal this winter, struggled in 2016 with the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates posting a 5.50 ERA while giving up 25 home runs in 121 innings pitched.

Will Neise make the team and will it be as a starter or a reliever? Who knows… stay tuned.

Bring Back Peter O’Brien

The New York Yankees are in the midst of a youth movement so wouldn’t it make sense to bring back one of the young guys they traded away not too long ago? I mean, it makes sense to me as there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal so what are the Yankees waiting for? Bring back Peter O’Brien.

O’Brien was the Yankees second round pick back in the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft and he toiled around in the Yankees farm system until the 2014 season when Yankees GM Brian Cashman traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Martin Prado deal. Prado was nice for the half-season he was in the Bronx but O’Brien was full of potential with his heavy bat and impressive batting average numbers in the minor leagues so losing a talent like his hurt a bit.

O’Brien destroyed Triple-A pitching in 2015 which led to his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks and continued to crush minor league pitching in 2016 but for whatever reason that never translated into much success at the MLB level. Sure in eight games in 2015 he finished with a .400 batting average but in 2016 the former catcher and third baseman managed just a .141 batting average with a .571 OPS with five home runs in 64 at-bats leading to the team designating him for assignment this winter.

O’Brien’s numbers at the MLB level are ugly, no one can deny that, but he’s still just 26-years old and won’t be 27-years old until the heat of the summer in 2017 leaving some upside for the former Yankees prospect. With O’Brien having experience at the catcher position as well as first base, third base, right field and left field the Yankees may want to keep him around at the Triple-A level just in case an injury or three happens this coming season. The Yankees, and specifically manager Joe Girardi, love flexibility and versatility and O’Brien brings a ton of both with his heavy, power-hitting bat.

What’s the worst that could happen with a minor league deal with an invite to spring training? He flops? So what? Now what’s the best thing that could happen? Well he could beat out Tyler Austin for one of the final Yankees bench spots and he could take advantage of the small dimensions inside Yankee Stadium giving the Yankees a legitimate power hitting threat off the bench. All for a minor league deal and potentially $507,500. Sounds like a win-win to me. Get it done.

Meet a Prospect: Ruben Tejada

The New York Yankees have signed former New York Mets product Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal and will presumably have him in spring training camp this spring fighting for a job. While this signing is not on the same level as the Matt Holliday or the Aroldis Chapman signings this could be significant nonetheless, especially with the release of Dustin Ackley and other key losses in the infield both at the Major League and Minor League level. So let’s meet the guy that could be up in the Bronx with an injury or two or a strong showing this spring down in Tampa. This is Meet a Prospect: The Ruben Tejada Edition.

Ruben Dario Tejada was born on October 27, 1989 in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama to Ruben Sr. and Donaji Tejada. Ruben Sr. was a pitcher in Panama for the Los Indios de Veraguas and that mixed with the fact that Tejada Jr. grew up mere feet from Omar Torrijos Herrera Stadium in Panama the middle infielder was destined for baseball. Growing up Tejada idolized the likes of Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel leading Tejada to sign with the New York Mets in 2006 as a 16-year old international free agent and prospect. 

Tejada toiled around in the Mets minor league system through the 2009 season and it was the year 2010 when Tejada was invited to Mets spring training camp. Tejada impressed the Mets enough to become the youngest position player to make the New York Mets Opening Day roster since Tim Foli in 1971. Tejada was a part-time player and a player that bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the Major Leagues until becoming a fill-time player in 2011 after an injury to third baseman David Wright moved then second baseman Justin Turner to third base.

It was business as usual for Tejada from 2011 through the 2015 regular season but Tejada was in the spotlight again during the 2015 NLDS when Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman ended his season and ultimately his Mets tenure with a slide into second base that broke Tejada’s right fibula. That broken fibula ended his season and in March of 2016 the Mets places Tejada on waivers before releasing him the next day. Tejada latched on with the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants in 2016 but neither resulted in long tenures back in the big leagues unfortunately for Tejada.  

Now Tejada is back in New York, this time with the New York Yankees, and once again back to fighting for his MLB career. Good luck to him and we are very happy to have him. Welcome to the family Ruben. 

Does the Ruben Tejada Signing Make Rob Refsnyder & Ronald Torreyes Expendable?

The New York Yankees signed former New York Mets middle infielder Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal with a presumed invitation to the Yankees spring training camp down in Tampa this coming spring. We’ll meet the man the Yankees signed here in a few hours on the blog but before we get to that I want to share my initial response, impression and the major question that came along with the signing. I also want to explore whether such a signing by the Bronx Bombers now makes both Robert Refsnyder and Ronald Torreyes not only trade bait but expendable as well.

I’ll start slow with my initial response. My initial response to the signing was not a real major one. It’s a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The Yankees will likely have many veterans and reclamation projects that they sign to similar deals this winter and spring so the fact that it’s Tejada is not a huge deal to me. I think it’s being made into a bigger deal than it is by most because he used to play for the Mets, and truth be told a little of it also has to do with the fact that news is slow right now around the Christmas holidays. This was merely a blip on the radar for me until I started thinking whether this was a precursor to something to come, something much bigger.

Let’s be honest, and this is coming from the biggest Rob Refsnyder fan besides his own mother, both Refsnyder and Torreyes are easily expendable. While I believe with constant and consistent at bats Refsnyder could become a line-drive hitter and an overall good hitter in the Major Leagues manager Joe Girardi has proven time and time again that this is not simply going to happen. With that said Refsnyder and Torreyes lend little to the team in terms of offense, their value is on defense at this point unfortunately and their versatility and ability to play multiple positions. Something that Tejada could also lend the Yankees in the middle infield.

Now we know the Yankees and their seemingly infatuation with having veteran players on the team, even in the midst of a rebuild on the fly, so it worries me that Tejada may get that 25^th spot and a young guy who still has some trade value like Refsnyder may be out the door in a deal for a starting pitcher. Of course Refsnyder alone, or Torreyes either for that matter, cannot fetch a pitcher on their own but when thrown into a package with someone else (Brett Gardner) you may have the makings of a deal on your hands. And that worries me if I am being honest. 

So What About Derek Holland?

We discussed it and discussed it already this week on the blog and we’ll go over it again today. The New York Yankees need to add starting pitching this offseason if they plan on competing and the free agent well looks pretty dry. One starting pitcher that may interest the Yankees was added to the fold though when the Texas Rangers decided to decline the team option on his contract for the 2017 season. Should and will the Yankees be interested?

The Rangers decided that they would rather pay Holland his $1.5 million to walk into free agency rather than pay him his $11 million option and some might argue they made that decision for good reason. Holland has missed significant time over the past three seasons due to injury and has been placed on the 60-Day DL in consecutive years after missing the better part of two months with a shoulder inflammation injury in 2016. That mixed with the fact that Holland gives up the long ball a little too much for my liking may be the ultimate deciding factor of whether the Yankees will or should be interested in my opinion.

Holland was a part of the Texas Rangers World Series teams in 2010 and 2011 so the postseason and World Series experience is there but is that enough to ignore the injury history of the past three seasons? Holland has shown an ability to pitch, not only pitch but be dominant at times, and could be a huge low-risk high reward type guy for the Yankees. There is no such thing as a bad minor league deal but the problem is I can’t see Holland accepting one with the starting pitching market as thin as it is this season.

So should the Yankees sign Holland and do I think they will sign Holland? No and No. Again, if he wants to take a minor league deal and try to feed his family off the $1.5 million the Rangers are already paying him, fine. Sign me up. Load up the contract with incentives and give the man his $10 million or whatever the going rate is for middle-of-the-rotation type pitchers is these days. If not, and I’m sure he will find guaranteed money elsewhere, then I won’t lose sleep over it. Holland isn’t a game changer but I would be foolish to completely dismiss a better season from him in 2017 than he has had over the last three seasons.

That’s where I stand. What say you?

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Marcus Thames

Marcus Markley Thames, born March 6, 1977, played with four different teams including the New York Yankees three separate times during his playing career from 2002 to 2011 and has since spent his time in the minor leagues with the club as a coach. During the 2013 season Thames was the hitting coach for the High-A Tampa Yankees and was promoted to the Trenton Thunder in the same position for the 2014 season drawing rave reviews from one of the Yankees top prospects Robert Refsnyder. Now, in a bit of irony, we remember a Yankee of the past (as a player, not as a coach) and we remember Marcus Thames during his playing days.


Thames was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB Draft but did not make a true impact in the minor leagues until 2001. Thames was with the Double-A Norwich Navigators that season and he batted .321 with 31 home runs and 97 RBI where he was named to Baseball America’s minor league All-Star team and where he put himself on the map for the Yankees. New York was so impressed with Thames that they called him up before a June 10 game in 2002 and Thames responded immediately. Thames, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks big left-hander Randy Johnson, hit the first home run of his career on his first at bat becoming just the 80th player in MLB history to do so. Thames earned his first curtain call from the Bronx faithful, what a moment if you were fortunate enough to see it live.


Thames’ tenure with the Yankees ended on June 6, 2003 when he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra. Thames went on to hit a home run in his first at bat with the Rangers as well but was back in the New York groove in 2010 when he signed a minor league deal with the club. Thames made the Opening Day roster and was set to be a platoon partner with Brett Gardner in left field before his defense forced him to accept a bench role. Thames was delegated to the bench behind Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Austin Kearns who was traded for before the trade deadline and ended up playing in just 82 games that season. In half of a season Kearns hit .288 with 12 home runs, mainly against left-handed pitching.





Thames elected free agency in November of 2010 but was right back with the team on July 22, 2011 after New York signed him to another minor league deal. Thames never played a game for the Yankees at any level that season and would retire from the game a member of the New York Yankees before pursuing his career in coaching with the ball club. Thames has continuously defied the odds and has defied the odds once again with his promotion to assistant hitting coach with the club. Congratulations to him and his family. You have to think that Thames is on the short list for hitting coach after Cockrell’s contract expires, no?

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon, recently of the New York Mets, made his comeback to the Major Leagues when the New York Yankees signed him in 2011. Colon’s signing was surrounded by controversy, imagine that with the New York Yankees in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, due to a stem cell transplant injection in his elbow. Colon is 42 years old and likely to call it a career so now more than ever I’d like remember a Yankee of the past, Mr. Bartolo Colon.


Colon was coming off a 2010 season that he missed due to ongoing right shoulder and elbow pain while also damaging his rotator cuff, ligaments and tendons in his right throwing shoulder. In March of 2010 Colon received the stem cell transplant to help repair the damaged tissues in his shoulder which came attached to a slew of controversy. The surgeon who performed the surgery was said to have used human growth hormone in previous surgeries, surgeries similar to Colon’s but denied the fact that any were used in Colon’s surgery. Major League Baseball held an investigation but no wrongdoing was found by the league and Colon was allowed to pitch in 2011.


Colon signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on January 26, 2011 after pitching in the Pre_World Championship in Puerto Rico, winter ball with the Aguilas and Leones del Escoquido, and the Puerto Rican winter league. Colon was invited to spring training that year and despite coming into camp 30 lbs. overweight Colon made the team out of the bullpen. Colon was not long for the bullpen and by April, 20 he was replacing Phil Hughes in the rotation through the month of May. Colon went 3-3 with a 3.26 ERA replacing Hughes and stuck in the team’s rotation long enough to throw a 4-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees and Colon were firing on all cylinders until June, 11 when Colon, who was throwing a shutout against the Cleveland Indians, was seen limping off the field after covering first base. Colon went on the disabled list but vowed to be back in 15 days.


Colon was a man of his word as he came off the disabled list on July 2 to make a start against the New York Mets where he threw six more shutout innings for New York. Colon finished his only season with the Yankees with an 8-10 record and 4.00 ERA. Colon was named to the team’s playoff roster as a member of the bullpen before the team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 2011 ALDS, thus ending Colon’s tenure as a New York Yankees.

Meet a Prospect: Matt Wivinis

The New York Yankees made a couple of minor league signings this week according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. One was for an oft-injured but uber talented pitcher named Jose Pena and another will be the focus of our Meet a Prospect series this afternoon, Matt Wivinis.

Wivinis went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois University before hooking up with the Evansville Otters of the Independent Baseball League. Wivinis is a starting pitcher by trade but pitched out of the bullpen some for the Otters during the regular season posting nice strikeout numbers overall.

This is more than just a "fill out your roster" type signing for the Yankees in my opinion. With the World Series still going on and the winter ahead of us the Yankees must see something in Wivinis that others teams haven't yet. Maybe it's his durability or his impressive strikeout numbers but either way the deal is now official.

Wivinis finished the regular season with a 4-0 record and 1.52 ERA in 39.2 innings with 43 K's while he pushed in the postseason posting a 2-1 record with a 3.92 ERA in 18 innings as a member of the Otters. Welcome to the family Matt!

Would Justin Morneau Be in Play for 2017?

The New York Yankees are set to lose their starting first baseman since the 2009 season, Mark Teixeira, after the season due to retirement but thankfully for New York they have a Plan B. New York has seen rookie Greg Bird progress as a professional player and has seen him progress from his shoulder surgery enough to where he is heading to the Arizona Fall League to test his shoulder out. Do the Yankees have a Plan C though and is that Plan C Tyler Austin or would the team rather have him in the outfield? Those are hard questions to answer right now but the team may be able to make those questions easier to answer in 2017 if they signed a veteran on a minor league deal that can compete for a job next season. That veteran could be Justin Morneau.

We're only talking on a minor league deal here. He's 35-years old and will be 36-years old next year, he's been injured this season including his elbow surgery that delayed the start of his season and what he is calling "old man neck" that is currently keeping him out of the Chicago lineup, his production is down across the board and the Yankees are seemingly already "set" at the position. These reasons and more are reasons on the Yankees side that they would only consider a minor league deal with the former Minnesota Twins player and 2006 AL MVP but that's only if Morneau himself decided to keep going.

Maybe he is just slow to recover from the elbow surgery and that is to blame for him slow start this season? Maybe, but he isn't drawing walks either and his defense at first base has been borderline atrocious. Would Morneau sign a minor league deal? That's anyone's guess. He has said he would be willing to play in 2017 but he would only play for a contender. Have the Yankees done enough to put themselves into the "contender" category?

A whole lot of questions and not a lot of answers. If Morneau is willing to prove himself in Triple-A with the knowledge that he would be the first one on the Scranton Shuttle if an injury happened then sign him up now. If not, pass. It's as simple as that.

Should the Yankees Take a Waiver on Desmond Jennings?

I know, I know but hear me out. The Yankees are absolutely stacked at the outfield position right now but talent is talent. Should the Yankees take a waiver on the soon-to-be free agent Desmond Jennings?

Jennings was once thought to be one of the future stars of the league for the Rays but now the 29-year old has succumbed to multiple leg injuries that have seemingly slowed down his development. Jennings has already fought a hamstring injury this season and is set to come off the disabled list with a knee injury when the Tampa Bay Rays are expected to release him.

Jennings was solid from 2011 - 2014 for Tampa Bay hitting .249/.327/.405 with 47 home runs and 86 stolen bases but since then the former Rays center fielder has slumped and slowed considerably. Jennings stopped hitting, stopped hitting for power and stopped stealing bases due to his injuries which caused Tampa to bench him.

So why would the Yankees want him? They have a plethora of outfield options heading into next season and many of them are younger, project higher and are flat out better on paper. In a word, they wouldn't. It depends on the deal though. Would Jennings be willing to sign a minor league deal while still on the Rays dime for the remainder of this season? Maybe. If so, sign him up. Rosters expand next week and he has talent that you don't tend to find on the free agent market these days. Especially on a minor league deal. If not, then you pass.

Jennings will sign with someone. He's still a quality defender in the outfield according to multiple defensive metrics, although not UZR 150, he's still young and he would make a great bounce back or fourth outfielder option for most teams. Unfortunately just not for this team. I have to pass unless it's on a minor league deal.

Nick Swisher Opts Out of Yankees Deal

Nick Swisher has announced that his comeback bid with the Yankees is over. Swisher has opted out of his minor league deal with the team and will spend the remainder of the 2016 season with his family and his daughter who was just born. And good for Nick.

Here is the exact quote from Swisher's Facebook page:



“After the birth of my second child, I’ve decided to take a step back and spend the rest of this season full time with my wife and two daughters,” Swisher wrote. “Make no mistake, I am not hanging it up. I love this game with the same amount of passion that I had as a rookie 12 years ago.


“I want to thank the Yankees for giving me the opportunity to return to the organization that I love so much and wish them nothing but success for the rest of 2016. Despite not being at the ballpark every day, I will continue to train on a daily basis and evaluate my options for next season at the appropriate time.”

ICYMH: Slade Heathcott

ICYMH stands for “in case you miss him” and it’s much like ICYMI, or in case you missed it, in the fact that we are bringing attention to something that you may or may not have already seen. The New York Yankees have a downright gluttonous amount of speed and defense first minded light hitting outfielders in their farm system currently and the team ridded themselves of one this week with the release of Slade Heathcott. This, as a fan, came as a surprise and shocked me since Heathcott made such a memorable impact down the stretch last year but in the grand scheme of things the young outfielder did himself no favors during his tenure with the Yankees. So in case you miss him here is the Slade Heathcott story.

After being a first round draft pick for the Yankees in the 2009 Draft Heathcott has battled off the field issues including a fight with alcoholism as well as on the field issues. Well when he could be healthy enough to stay on the field that is. Heathcott has battled numerous injuries during his Yankees tenure including knee, shoulder and quad injuries and was on the Yankees Triple-A disabled list at the time of the release. Heathcott has been known to miss a team function or bus from time to time and has missed games due to sleeping in past his alarm and other humanly excuses. I can only presume that enough got to be enough for New York. Or did it.

You have to keep in mind that the Yankees had Heathcott on their 40 man roster, a 40 man roster that is currently stretched as thin as it’s going to get. The Yankees have already designated Heathcott for assignment and granted him his release only to immediately re-sign him to a new minor league deal and a similar outcome could be in the works right now. Heathcott is still injured and no one knows when he will return, will another major league team really take a chance on Heathcott right now? Unlikely. What is likely though is that he returns to New York as soon as next week. It’s called roster manipulation. Deal with it Boston.

So Heathcott is gone from the organization once again but have no fear to all those fans that may miss him, I truly think Heathcott will be back once again ( and yes I read Chad Jennings report where he said he didn't think the Yankees were going to pursue him again) and he will once again play like he has a chip on his shoulder. Personally, I can’t wait. 

Weekly Prospects Check In: Chris Parmelee

The New York Yankees have very little to nothing in the terms of depth at the first base position behind Mark Teixeira with maybe the sole exception being Chris Parmelee. Parmelee was signed to a minor league deal this winter with an invitation to spring training and decided to stick around with the organization after not making the team. Now Parmelee is spending his time powering his way through Triple-A pitching down with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

Let's check in with him:

Year	Age	Lg	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2016	28	AAA	33	131	17	28	6	5	14	0	16	23	.243	.336	.426	.762

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Meet a Prospect: Neal Cotts

The New York Yankees boasted their pitching depth and bullpen this offseason as a reason for why the team ultimately added nothing to the starting rotation. The rotation was littered with question marks heading into the season but the addition of Aroldis Chapman left the Yankees feeling comfortable about their chances this season. The team still had the Scranton Shuttle to keep their three-headed monster fresh but that depth has taken a big hit already this season. Nick Rumbelow is gone, Bryan Mitchell is gone, Phil Coke is gone, Branden Pinder is gone and a whole slew of others I'm likely forgetting leaving New York scrambling. This scrambling landed them a left-handed reliever this week and a LOOGY for manager Joe Girardi to potentially use in Neal Cotts. Let's meet the veteran. This is Meet a Prospect: The Neal Cotts Edition.

Neal James Cotts was born on March 25, 1980 and began his amateur career with the Illinois State University baseball team. While at the school Cotts earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and was named to the ABCA All-Midwest Region team. These milestones caught the attention of the Oakland Athletics eyes who drafted him 69th overall in the 2nd round of the 2001 MLB First year players draft. Cotts was only the second player to ever be drafted out of Illinois State and left with the fifth highest strikeout total in the school's history.

Cotts spent a year with the Athletics before the team traded him to the Chicago White Sox in a six-player deal that included both Keith Foulke and Billy Koch. Cotts was not long for the minor league's though as he made his MLB debut in 2003 against the Anaheim Angels pitching 2.1 innings in a no-decision. Cotts, then a starter, was converted to the bullpen by then manager Ozzie Guillen before the 2004 season and that is where you can find the lefty today. As a member of the White Sox bullpen Cotts pitched in the 2005 World Series run for Chicago winning his first World Series ring of his career.

Cotts quickly had to pack his bags and his newly minted World Series ring before 2006 though as the White Sox sent him across town to the Chicago Cubs in a deal that brought back David Aardsma and minor league pitcher Carlos Vasquez. Cotts tenure with the Cubs was a rocky one that included being optioned to Triple-A in favor of Sean Marshall in 2007 where he would also begin his 2008 season. Cotts was back with the big league club in 2009 before feeling some discomfort in his pitching elbow and eventually going down with Tommy John surgery. Cotts was non-tendered before the 2010 season and was a free agent for the first time in his career.

Cotts latched on with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 after signing a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training and made the team out of spring camp. Cotts felt like he was back on the fast track until June of that season when he fell victim to a hip surgery that would end his season and his tenure with Pittsburgh. Cotts was released by the Pirates after the 2010 season and almost immediately signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees with a similar invite to spring training for 2011. Cotts could not pass his physical though and was released from his contract leaving him without a single pitch thrown for the second consecutive season.

In 2012 Cotts latched on with the Texas Rangers and finally made his return to the mound on June 11, it just wasn't a major league mound and was instead a mound in Triple-A. Cotts remained with the organization for the 2013 season but failed to make the team out of spring training. Instead Cotts went back down to Triple-A Round Rock before getting the call back to the Major Leagues on May 21. Cotts remained with the Rangers until 2015 when he signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Not surprisingly his tenure in Milwaukee was not for long though as the team traded him to the Minnesota Twins in August of 2015 for a player to be named later.

Cotts finished the 2015 season with Minnesota before signing a minor league deal with the Houston Astros to begin 2016. Cotts was released in March and quickly signed another minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Cotts deal included an opt-out clause which he exercised this week becoming a free agent once again. The Yankees jumped on the opportunity to bring Cotts back to the Bronx by signing him to another minor league deal this week welcoming his back to the organization and the family. Welcome Neal, I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon enough.