Phil Hughes Likely To Get A Multi Year Deal

Even though the Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes posted an atrocious 4-14 record in 2013 the right hander is still in line to receive at least a two year deal this year in free agency. If Hughes only received a two year deal he would still be under 30 years old and would have two seasons outside of home run friendly Yankee Stadium and the high pressure of New York to improve his stock.

The New York Mets were interested in Hughes on a one year deal so logical thinking would say that they are out. The Minnesota Twins just locked up Ricky Nolasco and are now expecting to make Hughes their number one target after announcing a need for two veteran starting pitchers in free agency this season. The Angels, Mariners, and Royals are also said to be interested in Hughes.

With the lack of starting pitching on the market mixed in with Hughes age and durability he should at least be able to land a two year deal this year.

Bud Selig Telling The A Rod Story In Sign Language

 "Once upon a time, there was one player..."

"He was very stubborn...

"When told the rules, he pretended not to hear...

"He turned a blind-eye to his king,

the Commissioner...

"When asked if he broke the rules,

he replied, 'Who? Me?'

 

"The king told this man, 'YOU MUST STOP!'...

"But the man, who called himself A-Rod,

said, 'Feh! Harumph! Pah.!'

 "You wanna piece a me? Come on, king..."

The King said to his court, 'We shall pray for the truth.'

"But they did not hear him properly...

"They thought he said, 'We shall PAY for the truth.'

"The King said, 'Wowzer!'

"He said, 'Somebody must grab this man, A-Rod, by the neck...'

"... And then plug him in the head!"

"And so A-Rod was put horizontal...

"The stench that permeated the kingdom went away...

"And the king went out and got really, really stoned!"

Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday, on Thanksgiving, from It Is High...

What I Am Thankful For: My Wife

First of all once again Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers out there. This week I have been going through everything, Yankees related anyway, that I am thankful for but today I wanted to go in a little different direction. I want to take this time to say out loud how much I appreciate and love my wife. If it were not for her and her support, patience, and understanding this site would not be what it is today, I truly believe that.

I have known my wife my entire life, literally, as I was her next store neighbor when we lived in Stony Point, New York and then again in Haverstraw, New York. When her mom moved down here to Georgia my mom moved down here with her and while I originally stayed in New York to stay with my father I eventually followed suit in 1999. We went to the same High School and on January 17th, 2000 we began dating officially and long story short the girl next door and the high school sweethearts ended up getting married on October 13, 2007. We have had our ups and down, we have had our fights, we even took a break once or twice, but in the end what's meant to be will always be and this, in my heart, is meant to be.

My wife, Crystal, is the mother to my pride and joy Evan who was born on March 14th, 2010 and the mother to our second born, Hayden, on November 22. If it were not for her understanding that this site and writing is my passion and what I want to do full time eventually she would not put up with me sitting on the computer for multiple hours a day working on the site. I try and do as much of the work as I can at work or on my phone but sometimes it gets in the way of being a father, a husband, and a friend. She has never complained, out loud anyway, and has never asked me to take a step back. If it were not for her The Greedy Pinstripes would not be the gorilla that it is today and for that I thank her.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, what are you thankful for?

Yankees "Upbeat" About A Kuroda Return In 2014

The New York Yankees are said to be more "upbeat" about the possibility of having Hiroki Kuroda return to the team for the 2014 season. At the beginning of the offseason there were concerns that Kuroda would return to Japan to finish out his career, retire, or head west to play with the Dodgers. The Dodgers signed Dan Haren so they seem like an unlikely fit for Kuroda and more and more speculation is flying around about him staying in the states with the Yankees.

Kuroda received and rejected a $14.1 million qualifying offer on a one year deal so you would have to expect him to receive more than that if a deal is struck. You would also have to think that a raise from the $15 million he made in 2013 would be in line as well. I love Kuroda and I think if we monitor his innings load a little bit by strengthening our bullpen I think we can eliminate the consecutive streak of late season fall outs. Also if we signed a Masahiro Tanaka then Kuroda could be more of a number three starter for us, assuming CC Sabathia comes back to Earth, then our ace.

I would not totally blow up the $189 million goal for him but if he came at a marginal raise from the 2013 season then sign me up for one more year of #HIRO.

Happy Thanksgiving From The Greedy Pinstripes

All of us here at The Greedy Pinstripes want to take this time to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving this year. Hopefully everyone is spending this holiday with friends, family, and around enough food to feed a third world country for three weeks. Enjoy the day, enjoy the family, enjoy the family, and enjoy life because it does not get any better than this. Yes I am getting cheezy and yes it is because I am in the Christmas spirit, or I'm on a turkey high, and you should be too! Have a great day everyone!

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/28

On this day in 1974 Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was suspended from Major League Baseball for two years by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. George was convicted for making illegal contributions to the re-elect Nixon campaign which caused the suspension.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

Mike Harkey Becomes Pitching Coach For DBack's

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Yankees longtime bullpen coach Mike Harkey to be their pitching coach. The is still unofficial as the deal is not expected to be announced until Monday but the deal is in place and the Yankees will now have to find a new pitching coach for this coming season.

Harkey was hired in 2008 along with Joe Girardi and is considered to be one of Girardi's closest and loyal friends. The front runner for the Yankees job is Cal Eldred, who was also interviewed by Arizona and in the Yankees system in Scranton.

In other Yankees coaching and staff news we have a new strength and conditioning coach as we signed Matthew Krause for the job. Krause has been in the Reds organization since 2002 and in this job since 2004 so he comes with all the credentials and experience you would want for the job. Krause replaces Dana Cavalea for the job and hopefully lays low and does a good job because it is never a good thing if the fan base is on a first name basis with your strength and conditioning coach.

Yankees Hosting Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals

The 2014 season looks like it has all the makings of another Yankees postseason birth, a long run into the playoffs, and possibly a World Series. The Yankees have already opened up their purse strings for catcher Brian McCann and more exciting and must see players seem to be in the pipeline as well, which not seeing Chris Stewart anymore is reason enough to head back to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are getting into the Black Friday and Cyber Monday game by offering Black Friday deals on Yankees tickets.

The New York Yankees are the premier franchise in all of professional sports having won an unprecedented 27 World Series Championships throughout their storied history. As such they have rarely offered discounted ticket specials. However for 2014 season they have decided to reward their loyal fan base by offering some fantastic deals for the upcoming season. Beginning at 12 pm EST on Black Friday (November 29) and lasting until December 24th the Yankees, in conjunction with MasterCard, will offer three different promotions for fans to purchase tickets. 

MasterCard Preferred Pricing

• $15 off select seats when purchasing tickets with your MasterCard. 
• Available for every home game through June.
• New for the 2014 season! 

MasterCard Holiday Buy 2, Get 2

• Save 50% on select seats (Terrace Level, Grandstand Level or Bleachers) for the following games:
• Must be purchased with a MasterCard between 12 pm EST on Black Friday (11/29) through Cyber Monday (12/2). 
• Entering the promo code “MCB2G2” at check out. 

Offer available for these games:

• 4/8 vs Baltimore Orioles 
• 4/9 vs Baltimore Orioles 
• 4/15 vs Chicago Cubs
• 4/16 vs Chicago Cubs
• 4/29 vs Seattle Mariners
• 4/30 vs Seattle Mariners
• 5/1 vs Seattle Mariners

MasterCard $5 & 1/2 Priced Games

• Tickets available in select areas of the Stadium in the Terrace Level, Grandstand Level or Bleachers
• Tickets must be purchased with a MasterCard.
• Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game. 

Offer available for these games: 

• 4/9 vs Baltimore Orioles
• 4/29 vs Seattle Mariners
• 4/30 vs Seattle Mariners
• 5/1 vs Seattle Mariners
• 6/3 vs Oakland Athletics
• 6/17 vs Toronto Blue Jays

To take advantage of these great deals on 2014 New York Yankees tickets, click here. 

Omar Luis Is Unprotected From Rule 5 Draft

Last year the New York Yankees made a huge splash in the International Free Agent market before the new collective bargaining agreement put a cap on each teams spending in the international pool when they signed pitcher Omar Luis for $4 million. Luis is a left handed pitcher and 21 years old and he defected from his native Cuba and obtained residency in Haiti last season before being signed the night before the new rules were implemented. Long story story the Yankees did not like something they saw on his physical, voided the contract, and re-signed him to a slightly smaller $2.5 million contract.

Major League Baseball ruled that since the original deal was signed before the new rules were implemented that he would be grandfathered in under the old rules but the problems did not stop there. Due to the fact that he was signed twice by the same team and was not added to the 40 man roster he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft next month. Ben Badler reports that this is not unprecedented as teams like the Brewers, Reds, and Mariners have had similar situations pop up in recent years since the new CBA was implemented.

There is no way that Luis is chosen this year and if he is there is no way he stick on a 40 man roster all season, being hidden or not, but that is not the problem. The problem is next year he will be Rule 5 draft eligible as well, and the year after that, and the year after that. The Yankees can always protect him and add him to the 40 man roster but that starts to burn up minor league options quickly as Luis has never pitched above rookie ball in his career. If Luis gets taken and returned twice he can also elect free agency rather then be returned to the Yankees so a ton of things can go wrong with one of the better Yankees prospects in their system right now.

The 2014 season will be a big indicator for Luis and the Yankees going forward as we have to rush his development, protect him, or risk him going to pitch for someone else.

Brendan Ryan Contract Details

Brendan Ryan's contract details are in and they are much richer then initially expected. Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Ryan will receive a two year deal worth $5 million with a $5 million player option for the 2016 season. The total value of the contract will likely amount to $10 million for a part time bench player, wow, what a difference an offseason makes. According to Mike Axisa of RiverAvenueBlues.com the AAV will be $2.5 million since the player option does not exceed 50% of the total value of the deal.