The Marlins Are Strong-Arming Giancarlo Stanton

By now you may have seen the reports....

Giancarlo Stanton has been told by the Miami Marlins that if he doesn't waive his no-trade clause he would be the only star on a rebuilding team, as the Marlins would apparently look to cut payroll by trading others.

I want to note that no names from within the Marlins organization have been attached to that message, but I really... really... hope it wasn't Jeter.

I was going make this another "You're A Tool" post, but I can't bring myself to say that when it's in any way pointed at Derek.

Unlike with Alex Rodriguez and his last huge contract, where those that were around when he signed that deal were still in charge and therefore shouldn't complain about it, the same can't be said with Giarncarlo. However, when the new ownership bought the team they knew what they were getting into with the current National League MVP. So it's ridiculous for them to treat Stanton like that.

I wouldn't be surprised if the MLBPA got involved here, as Stanton should not be strong-armed into giving up his no-trade clause if he doesn't want to. He earned the right to say "I don't want to play there, so I'm using my no-trade clause."

It's bad enough when a player gets traded by a team he loves playing for, and is visibly saddened by the news. But when a player has the right to decline a trade and is then treated like this it not only makes me sad for him, it makes me angry as well.

Especially if he were to be traded to the Red Sox. Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!

My Thoughts on Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves

Yes, I realize this is a Yankees blog. Yes, I realize Brandon Phillips was a member of the Cincinnati Reds and yes I realize that he is now a member of the Atlanta Braves. Yes, I realize the Yankees won’t see the Braves this season before the World Series and yes, I am well aware that the Braves are in the National League while the Yankees are in the American League. You know what though? It interested me as I live in Metro Atlanta, Georgia now after moving here from New York, it is in the news and I want to talk about it. You have been warned, friends.

The Atlanta Braves sent left-hander Andrew McKirahan and minor league right-handed pitcher Carlos Portuondo for Brandon Phillips on Sunday. Phillips, a second baseman and three-time All-Star with Cincinnati, attended high school in Georgia at Redan High in Stone Mountain, Georgia so this is a bit of a homecoming for the right-hander. Phillips was drafted out of Redan High School by the Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1999 MLB First Year Players Draft and for the first time in his MLB career will be making a comeback to his hometown. Those are always fun stories to write about.

Phillips will be in Atlanta to finish out his contract that has just one-year left on it worth $14 million in salary. Phillips will be entering his age 35 season in 2017 and had to waive his no-trade clause and ten-and-five rights to facilitate the trade so Phillips clearly wants to be in Atlanta, and who could blame him? Atlanta has a ton of young talent and could be ready to compete as early as the 2017 season. The Braves have the potential to have something special brewing once again and Phillips may be in the middle of it as he grooms the young guys before hitting free agency at 36-years old.

The Braves basically gave up nothing for Phillips and will simply assume his salary for the season. What Phillips could teach the young Braves in a mentor role you absolutely cannot put a price tag on but if you could I’d venture to say it would be a lot higher than $14 million at this stage in the game. Atlanta gave up McKirahan who did not pitch in the Major Leagues in 2016 after having Tommy John surgery while Portuondo pitched just 17 games in 2016 with Class-A and Triple-A after spending eight seasons in the Cuban League.

Phillips is going to be great in Atlanta and I can totally see him being a fan favorite basically from Day One. I look forward to seeing his spectacular plays at second base and what he can do to help the Baby Braves going forward. My heart belongs to the Yankees, and it always will, but I also enjoy watching some good local baseball as well so I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was rooting for Phillips and the Braves a bit in 2017. 

ICYMI: Explaining Matt Holliday’s No Trade Clause

Matt Holliday was signed almost a week ago to the day now by the New York Yankees to be the team’s everyday DH while also filling in at first base and left field whenever necessary. The team gave Holliday, the former St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies product, a one-year deal worth $13 million and a very interesting no-trade clause that I want to discuss here tonight. Why? Because it’s interesting and I think it needs explaining.


Matt Holliday can block trades to a whopping ONE team with his limited no-trade clause. What team you say? The Oakland Athletics. What’s up with that? Is he bitter? Does he not believe the team can compete in 2017 and does he want to be on a contending team? What’s the deal? Maybe one day we’ll find out. I just thought it was interesting and I wanted to bring it to you this evening.


Enjoy.

Explaining Matt Holliday’s No Trade Clause

Matt Holliday was signed almost a week ago to the day now by the New York Yankees to be the team’s everyday DH while also filling in at first base and left field whenever necessary. The team gave Holliday, the former St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies product, a one-year deal worth $13 million and a very interesting no-trade clause that I want to discuss here tonight. Why? Because it’s interesting and I think it needs explaining.

Matt Holliday can block trades to a whopping ONE team with his limited no-trade clause. What team you say? The Oakland Athletics. What’s up with that? Is he bitter? Does he not believe the team can compete in 2017 and does he want to be on a contending team? What’s the deal? Maybe one day we’ll find out. I just thought it was interesting and I wanted to bring it to you this evening.

Enjoy. 

Potential Landing Spots for Brian McCann This Winter

The New York Yankees may or may not trade their catcher/DH Brian McCann this winter but let’s pretend that they will. Let’s also pretend that I have a crystal ball and I know where he’s going to go but before we do that let’s look at some potential landing spots for McCann this winter if and when the Yankees decide to move him.

Even in a down year McCann was one of the best offensive catchers in Major League Baseball in 2016 and in the wake of the Wilson Ramos injury the market for McCann should be a significant one led likely by his former team, the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have an obvious need for a veteran catcher and a new stadium they need to put butts in, why not bring back one of their own to fill both roles? They have the prospects to do it and they have shown a willingness to take on bad contracts so this seems like the likeliest of choices.

Along with Atlanta is the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Washington Nationals as potential suitors but common sense would likely drop that list down by a couple. The Yankees seem unwilling to pay down McCann’s salary unless substantial prospects come back in return which would likely leave teams like Colorado, the Angels and maybe even Houston out with Seattle riding the line between contender and pretender. One team that has a serious shot at acquiring McCann though could be Washington, again especially after the injury to Wilson Ramos.

It will all come down to one simple fact though in the end. McCann has a full no-trade clause. Is he going to want to waive it to play for Colorado, Houston, Seattle or Los Angeles? Not likely. Is he going to be willing to waive it to play in Washington? Possibly, a return to the National League East would be enticing and so would a shot at a World Series in 2017. Would he waive his NTC to return home to Atlanta? You have to think he would, 100%.

Amazon just delivered the crystal ball. Where is McCann going? My guess, Atlanta.

If Miami Wants A-Rod Would They Want Teixeira Also?

One of only a few things could be going on right now when it comes to the whole Miami Marlins and Alex Rodriguez link that was reported on, and ultimately denied by the A-Rod camp since, earlier in the week. Either Miami is looking for a boost in their attendance, merchandise sales and television ratings and will sign anyone and everyone who brings that to them, they are that desperate for production after losing Justin Bour and Giancarlo Stanton or the entire thing is a façade. Let’s pretend that the first option is true regardless and the last option is not true could the Miami Marlins really be that desperate for a first baseman? And if they are do you think they would take on the contract of Mark Teixeira in order to fill that spot?

That’s admittedly not an easy question to answer unfortunately because there are a lot of moving parts in this whole scenario. Mark Teixeira has 10-and-5 rights and a full no trade clause so no deal gets done without his approval and he has never seemingly acted like he wanted to leave New York in the past. Also there is the whole media storm of the Yankees trading away a player just weeks after he announced he would retire at the end of the season, unless of course you spin it and say that he asked for the trade to be closer to family, post-playing career assets, etc. Then there is the whole contract situation and whether Miami could afford to take on the salary unless New York offered to play a chunk or all of it to facilitate the trade.

Gary Sanchez is here and so is Tyler Austin so Teixeira may be willing to waive his NTC if he thinks, or is told… hint hint, that his playing time will be little-to-none for the remainder of the season a la Alex Rodriguez. Also if the Marlins take on all the remaining salary in the deal they can send back a lesser prospect or two in the deal which helps since they have a barren farm system by all accounts and reports. The biggest hang up seems to be simply saving face on any deal. Do the Yankees want to look like the big bad bullies forcing out their “legends” and stars for this youth movement or do they want to continue to let the past and their contracts dictate the playing time and who is on the roster? I’m hoping for the former and not the latter but honestly I just don’t know which way it is going to go.

I’m not saying I want this to happen nor am I saying I think it’s going to happen but what I am saying is it doesn’t hurt to talk to Mark, ask him what he wants and strong arm him if the front office, not myself necessarily, thinks it’s necessary. 

Yankees Trade Partner: The Toronto Blue Jays?

Yeah, you read that correctly and no that is not a typo. The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays could potentially line up for a trade before the August 1^st trading deadline if all the stars align and all the right cards fall into the right place. The Blue Jays are looking to defend their American League East Division crown but they will need some starting pitching if they want to do it and scouts for the team were inside Yankee Stadium watching and taking notes this week and they were specifically looking at Yankees veteran CC Sabathia. Yes, again you read that correctly and no, again, that is not a typographical error. The Jays might want to take on Big CC.

Now there are quite a few obstacles that the Yankees and Blue Jays would have to hurdle to accommodate such a trade which makes this unlikely to happen but I feel like it’s still worth a discussion. First CC Sabathia has a full no-trade clause and even if he didn’t he has ten-and-five rights so he can refuse a trade to all of the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball and there isn’t much the Yankees can do about it. Let’s say New York does approach CC about a trade and he does accept a potential deal to Toronto, do the Blue Jays have what it takes to land CC or would New York simply be selling low on Sabathia. And one final question I don’t have an answer for yet, would it be worth it for New York to deplete their pitching depth even more and add even more of a strain on their already over-worked bullpen?

This is a developing story but it may be just a developing story due to due diligence. I can’t see Sabathia accepting a trade out of New York, especially to Toronto after the debacle in the streets and on the balcony of his hotel room last season, and this trade just doesn’t pass the sniff test. I know the pitching market is expected to be thin this trading season and I know Sabathia has looked much improved in 2016 over his last two-or-three seasons but that is an awful lot of money and an awful lot of risk for Toronto to take on as long as the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Rich Hill are still on the board.

Stay tuned. 

Would Josh Hamilton Be Worth the Trouble?

It seems more and more likely that Josh Hamilton will never play a game again for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as long as the team has their say so. Hamilton relapsed over the winter using drugs and has recently found out that the league would not punish him under their drug prevention program but the Angels still want nothing to do with the aging outfielder. Should the Yankees pull off what has become a Yankees special type trade and give Los Angeles absolutely nothing but salary relief in exchange for possibly a huge upgrade in their outfield in the Bronx?

First things first is the contract New York would be acquiring. Hamilton is currently under contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons in his age 34 (in May, 2015), 35 and 36 seasons. Hamilton would earn $23 million this season and $30 million in each of the next two seasons making him a very expensive and very costly acquisition for any team who acquires him. Whichever team acquires him would also be on the hook for a $2 million donation annually to his charity and possibly as much as another million in incentives including winning the MVP award, each Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award and winning the World Series MVP. The more you look at the finances for Hamilton the more you want to look away from the left handed hitting outfielder but like any case there are also pro's to making a potential trade.

Hamilton still averages 32 home runs a season and 112 RBI per season despite only hitting 10 home runs in 89 games in 2014 with the Angels. Hamilton has not had an MVP vote in his two seasons in Anaheim but he did garner votes in four of the last five votes before including winning the MVP Award in 2010. Hamilton loves hitting in New York and Yankee Stadium, especially the old Stadium as we all saw at the Home Run Derby there in 2008, and could add a dynamic to the team that none us have seen in quite a few years.

So how do the Yankees and the Angels make this work? There are two options for the Yankees assuming that New York actually wants to make the trade and take on the risk. One of those options are simply trading away a couple of Low-A prospects and eating most or all of the remaining contract on the deal while this is obviously contingent on Hamilton waiving his no trade clause in the deal. Speaking on no trade clauses you have to wonder what the interest in Carlos Beltran would be for the Angels and what Beltran's interest in heading back to the West Coast would be. If the Yankees could trade Beltran straight up, FYI Beltran also has no trade protection, for Hamilton you have to think that deals works well for both sides. New York would presumably get an offensive and defensive boost while getting a little younger and the Angels would get something in Beltran for the nothing they planned on having with Hamilton. With this trade Los Angeles may even be willing to throw in some money to off set the $30 million annually in salary in 2016 and 2017.

I honestly don't believe either of these trade scenarios are very realistic as Hal Steinbrenner continues to attempt to get under the luxury tax after the 2016 and 2017 seasons but I do believe the trade makes the team better. I guess that's why I am a fan with a blog and Hal is the owner of the team, he knows more than I. Stay tuned to see what happens, if anything, because you know we'll have it here first.

Cole Hamels Cannot Block A Trade To New York

Cole Hamels can be traded to LAD, LAA, STL, WAS, ATL, NYY, BOS, TEX, SD without his permission, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 8, 2014

Yesterday I wrote out a well thought out and planned out article that ultimately had the New York Yankees ending up with both Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies. While, as expected, the idea was received about as well as a devil mask at a church gathering but news did break yesterday that Hamels is not able to block a trade to the Yankees with his limited no trade clause. If this news is breaking on the internet I must not be the only one thinking the Yankees can shock the world one more time and acquire Hamels.

If Hamels were to be made available I could see the Dodgers being interested but they may be too stacked by then to make a legitimate run. The Angels would be stiff competition but with a bad farm a deal would be difficult. St. Louis has the pieces, the need, and the balls to pull off a trade like this but they usually don't. Boston, Texas, and San Diego would probably be unlikely to make a trade for Hamels this season leaving just the Nationals, Yankees, and Braves as potential suitors.