This Has Truly Become a Young Man’s Sports Again

When I look around the free agent market every single season and offseason I think to myself more and more than Major League Baseball is once again becoming a young man’s sport again. What do I mean? I can remember growing up a Yankees fan in the mid-2000’s where New York always had that one or two veteran players on the roster in the twilight of their career’s that filled important roles for the club. Then I watched as the Core Four aged and the Yankees were considered the old men of baseball. Now I watch the second youth movement in the Bronx during my lifetime and I see the invigoration of youth and it makes me notice the youth movement not only inside Yankee Stadium but around baseball as well… which is not a good thing for certain veterans who still find themselves looking for work despite the fact that spring training games have already begun.

The list of 30-year olds or older still on the free agent market is staggering when you think about it. Names like Pedro Alvarez, Joe Blanton, Billy Butler, Marlon Byrd, Chris Capuano, Coco Crisp, Doug Fister, Jeff Francouer, Sam Fuld, Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Tim Lincecum, Kelly Johnson, Justin Morneau, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, AJ Pierzynski and CJ Wilson to name a few still appear on the free agency market while many players have simply walked off into the sunset and retired. Now when I look at this list I don’t see many that will turn a non-contender into an immediate World Series contender but there are still some very helpful free agents out there on the market that can be had for simply money.

Blanton, for example, sported a 2.48 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 80 strikeouts in 80 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year leaving me to wonder how with 30 teams vying for bullpen supremacy how the 36-year old is still looking for work.

At one point in the not-so-distant past you were just in your prime when you hit 30-years old but now in a league where the NL MVP Kris Bryant is just 24-years old and Mike Trout just won his second AL MVP Award at age 25 you just may be considered “old” at 30.

Ladies and gentleman this is truly becoming a young man’s sport again and you can tell it by looking at the MLB Trade Rumors free agent tracker. There is still good players out there on the market to be had but they aren’t signed because of their age. None of the aforementioned players would command huge salaries with maybe the exception being Papelbon so it almost has to be the age factor. When you also look at the number of veterans who simply took minor league deals with invitations to spring training the trend just gets scarier and scarier for veteran players. Will it change? Or will it simply get worse before it gets better? Stay tuned. 

Recap: Yankees 8, Orioles 6

Ugly wins are still wins.

At least that's what the Yankees will tell themselves Saturday night, having done everything in their power to blow a big lead for the third straight game.

Up 7-0 on the Orioles, the Yankees were cruising through six and a half innings, but that was about the same time their pitching decided home runs were fun to give up. Indeed, the Orioles went deep three times in the seventh to pull to within a run, before the Yanks ultimately held on for an 8-6 victory.

Things began swimmingly for the Yankees against the Orioles' Tyler Wilson. New York's struggling offense, which has experienced a renaissance this week, tagged the right-hander for five earned runs over four innings, including a four-spot in the fourth.

Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder each logged an RBI double. Austin Romine plated two more with a single and a sac fly. Didi Gregorius got another man in with a grounder to second.

And following Wilson's early removal, the Yankees kept pouring it on. Castro drove in his second run of the evening with a single off Dylan Bundy, and Jacoby Ellsbury seemingly put the nail in the coffin with a steal of home in the sixth.

But the blowout wasn't real.

Mark Trumbo kicked off Baltimore's unexpected post-stretch rally with a solo blast off Ivan Nova, Pedro Alvarez lined a two-run shot of his own two batters later and after Nova's exit, Adam Jones crushed a Nick Goody offering for a three-run bomb to left.

Just like that, Nova had been charged with five earned runs and the Yankees found themselves having to squeeze nine outs from their bullpen without the help of Dellin Betances.

Fortunately for them, Andrew Miller was up for the challenge.

Miller retired all six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth, retaining the Yankees' advantage long enough to calm everyone down. Miller fanned two while needing just 28 pitches, perhaps keeping him available for Sunday.

Alex Rodriguez provided some insurance with a run-scoring single in the ninth, and with a solid cushion to work with, Aroldis Chapman was able to complete the save. 

It could've been a lot smoother, but ugly wins are still wins. 

WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees improve to 26-29 on the season, five games behind the Mariners for the second wild-card spot.

NEXT UP: The Yankees look to take this series in Sunday's finale. CC Sabathia (3-4, 2.85 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.78 ERA) are slated to be your starters, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.

Pedro Alvarez & the Return of Too Many Damn Home Runs

When the New York Yankees announced that they would be without backup first baseman Greg Bird for the entire 2016 season many fans lost their minds, and for good reason in my opinion. Sure Bird was slated to begin the season at Triple-A while he waited out Mark Teixeira’s contract to expire this winter but he was still going to play a big part on this team this season, call it a hunch. At this point in his career the question is not if Teixeira will get injured it’s more when and Bird is the only natural MLB ready first baseman the Yankees have as a backup. The team also plans to use the last bench spot as a revolving door much like they used the last bullpen slot last season to mix and match pitchers on almost a daily basis and Bird would surely be in that fold in some capacity. Now Bird is gone for the season and the Yankees are left scrambling for possible replacements and answers. Could one of those answers be Pedro Alvarez?

In a word, no. That’s just my opinion, I’m far from an insider truth be told, but I can’t see it happening. Brian Cashman stated immediately following the injury that the Yankees would not sign a major league first baseman to replace Bird this season but of course left the possibility of a minor league deal being signed somewhere. While I agree that there aren’t too many teams presumably beating down the doors of Alvarez’s house right now there is one major factor that a lot of people aren’t talking about when suggesting that Alvarez sign with the Yankees, the fact that he’s a Scott Boras client. Boras wants a multi-year deal for Alvarez, a multi-year Major League deal, after his client hit 27 home runs and knocked in 77 RBI last season with Pittsburgh. That looks great on paper but that doesn’t help the Yankees in one key facet of the game, the too many damn home runs facet, as the Pirates first baseman only hit .243 in 2015.

The announcements by Cashman and Boras could all be posturing and it could happen that Alvarez signs a minor league deal this winter or spring, with the Yankees or not, but as it looks right now the hopes of adding Alvarez’s home run or nothing swing and marginal defense, if that, are slim to none.

Pedro Alvarez NOT A Fit in New York

Pedro Alvarez, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was made a free agent last week after being non-tendered by his former team. I have received a slew of emails since asking if the Yankees would be interested in Alvarez’s services on a short-term deal so I figured I would answer everyone at once rather than in a million individual emails, Pedro Alvarez is NOT a fit in New York.

Yes I realize he will come “cheap” and yes I realize that Baseball Reference lists him as a third baseman and a first baseman. Yes I realize we have no true third base backup for Chase Headley and yes I realize he is “versatile” because he plays multiple positions but here’s the thing. He’s left-handed, he stinks up the joint at both positions defensively and he cannot be hidden at the DH position.

Alex Rodriguez is the team’s DH for the next two seasons, Greg Bird is going to take over for Mark Teixeira after this season and Chase Headley has three more seasons at third base. Sure Headley could get injured but the Yankees, and myself, feel more comfortable with Brendan Ryan’s defense over there than Alvarez’s, even if the former Pirates player could hit you 20 home runs.

43 New Free Agents, Any Destined for Pinstripes?

The deadline has come and gone and now all 30 Major League teams have decided whether they are going to tender a contract to their non-tender candidates and players. When the smoke cleared 43 players were added to the free agency pool after being non-tendered and about half as many trades, signing and moves went down before the deadline. 43 more warm bodies for all 30 teams to choose from but will the Yankees take a waiver on any of them?

The field of 43 is highlighted by former Houston Astros slugger Chris Carter, former Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez and Kansas City Royals former closer Greg Holland. None of these three likely intrigue the Yankees much, Carter is a first baseman and hit just .199 with 24 home runs last season while Alvarez is a first baseman only out of necessity. He can’t field at third base and he’s barely marginal defensively at first base after falling out of grace with the Pirates. Holland had Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 season and will almost 100% miss the entire 2016 season as well while rehabbing the injury.

Other not-so-notable names to join the free agency frenzy includes Oakland A’s first baseman Ike Davis, former Giants World Series start Yusmeiro Petit, injured Miami Marlins pitchers Henderson Alvarez and Aaron Crow, relief pitcher Cesar Ramos, Padres third baseman and former Boston Red Sox player Will Middlebrooks, Neftali Feliz, Al Albuquerque, catcher Tyler Flowers, Jacob Turner and Atlanta Braves left-handed starter Mike Minor.

Minor league deals could be handed out to many of these players if they were willing to sign, especially Alvarez, Middlebrooks (the Yankees have almost zero insurance at third base for Chase Headley), and Minor (because, duh, he throws left-handed). Nothing really intrigues me on this roster although I do wonder if Cashman is intrigued by Tyler Flowers. Flowers could give Yankees backup catcher Gary Sanchez more time to fine-tune his development in Triple-A. No way to tell so you’re just going to have to stay tuned.