This Day in New York Yankees History 1/10: Boomer David Wells

On this day in 2002 the Yankees signed David Wells to a two year deal worth $7 million to re-join the team. Wells was coming off missing the second half of the season after having back surgery. Wells posted a 34-14 record including his perfect game in his last two year stint with the Yankees from 1997-1998 before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens.

Also on this day in 1983 a preliminary injunction was issued by the New York Supreme Court barring the Yankees from playing their opening games against the Detroit Tigers in Denver, Colorado. The Yankees asked for the games to be moved due to fears that their renovations to the new Yankee Stadium would not be completed on time.

Brian Cashman and the 1% Solution...

Earlier today on Jim Bowden’s SiriusXM radio show (Channel 210, Fantasy Sports Radio), GM Brian Cashman indicated it is possible no further moves are made before the team heads to Tampa next month.  “We stay engaged with the marketplace, but I think more likely than not – 99 percent likely – we are going to be going to camp with what we have”, Cashman told Bowden. 

Color me the skeptic but I think the odds just increased for the Yankees to make a move to add a veteran pitcher before camp.  The ‘1%’ Brian Cashman indirectly alludes to just became as wide of the Grand Canyon.   I take these comments as posturing, whether it is to get the Chicago White Sox to lessen their demands for starting pitcher Jose Quintana or a free agent like Jason Hammel to accept a lesser deal. 

Cashman’s comments kind of feel like the stereotypical team vote of confidence for a manager who is about to lose his job (and does). 

I am not buying the talk of simply throwing Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell, Adam Warren and Luis Severino into the mix to compete for the two open rotation spots.  To do so means the Yankees have complete confidence that two of these pitchers will rise to the challenge.  The more prudent approach would be to bring in a veteran pitcher to compete with the kids.

I thought earlier in the off-season, the Arizona Diamondbacks and their new GM Mike Hazen, made a very good move in picking up Taijuan Walker in a five-player trade with the Seattle Mariners.  That’s the type of trade that I’d like to see the Yankees make, rather than bet the farm on a trade for Quintana. 

I’ve heard the predictions that the Yankees could end up with anywhere from 75 to 85 wins depending on how well the younger guys play.  If the team truly has the potential to win 85 games, then it is not going to take much to secure at least one of the wild card spots.  If the Yankees feel that Quintana can make the difference, then they should pull the trigger on a trade.  I do not want to risk losing key top prospects, but recognize that the only way to pry Quintana lose would be to include prized talent.  That’s why I feel that Cashman is simply throwing a smoke screen to eliminate or at least reduce the perception of desperation.  His way of trying to turn this from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. 

Odds are the Houston Astros or another team will overpay to win Quintana’s services.  Regardless of what happens with Quintana, the Yankees would be better served by focusing on other under the radar trade possibilities to strengthen the competition for the open rotation spots.  This is exactly what I think Brian Cashman is looking to do with his latest posturing comments.  He wants to make the right deal…on his terms.

We’ll soon see if 1% yields a veteran pitcher…

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/9: The Highlanders are Born

On this day in 1903 Baltimore's American League franchise is sold to Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $18,000 and is moved to New York. The Manhattan team will be known as the New York Highlanders before being renamed the Yankees in 1913.

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/8: Goose Gossage Meets the Hall of Fame

On this day in 2008 Rich "Goose" Gossage, in his ninth year on the ballot, is the only player to receive more than 75% of the writer’s votes, tallying 85.5%, and was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Goose played for 22 seasons, most notably with the Yankees, and compiled a 124-107 record while saving 310 games and posting a 3.01 ERA.


Also on this day in 2004 Don Zimmer, fresh off of resigning as the Yankees bench coach, was named as a Senior Baseball Adviser for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Zim would be a coach during Spring Training and pregame practices at all regular season home games, most road games, and assisted the team with community affairs.


Also on this day in 1990 Johnny Sylvester, a terminally sick boy whom Babe Ruth promised to hit a home run for in the 1926 World Series, died at the age of 74. Ruth did hit that home run against the St. Louis Cardinals as promised and the then 11 year old recovered from his illness. This story was showcased in the movie The Babe Ruth Story, although the facts in the movie have been proven to be less than accurate.


Finally on this day in 1913 Frank Chance became the manager of the New York Highlanders, soon to be the Yankees. The veteran manager will finish next to last in the league with a 57-94 record and will compile a 117-168 record in his two year stint in New York.

What About Kurt Suzuki?

Brian McCann has been traded away to the Houston Astros and is gone for good. Austin Romine is here but he’s less than inspiring and Gary Sanchez is currently slated to be the Yankees starting catcher. The Yankees could, and more than likely should, look to upgrade behind the dish in my opinion this winter which brings me to one man, Kurt Suzuki.

I am looking merely at a candidate to be the Yankees backup catcher and mentor in case the young Sanchez goes through the growing pains that almost every young rookie goes through at the Major League level. In no way do I believe that Suzuki should be a starting catcher for the Yankees but it would make me feel better about the situation in 2017 if he were sitting on the bench on Opening Day instead of Romine. Don’t get me wrong, I love Austin Romine as he is a product of the Yankees farm system but his career .222/.256/.329 triple slash simply leaves me less than enthused about the entire situation.

Kurt Suzuki was an All-Star for the Minnesota Twins just two years ago in 2014 and truth be told he may be considered to be average at best defensively as recently as 2016 but his veteran presence and right-handed bat should not be slept on. Suzuki would provide some pop off the bench that Romine does not, and truth be told Romine isn’t winning a Gold Glove Award anytime soon either, and would provide a veteran leadership and insurance policy that the Yankees currently lack with Romine.

It is little moves like this that can make or break a season. Look back at the 1996 season and dynasty when the Yankees had Joe Girardi and Jim Leyritz behind the dish. Neither were All-Stars but both played a role and played it well while both played huge and integral parts in the postseason and World Series. I’m thinking along those lines for Suzuki and Sanchez in 2017.

Make it happen Cashman. Get something for Romine in a trade if you have to, although why not try and pass him through waivers before just to be sure. He’s passed through before and he may pass through again. 

Imagining a Scenario Where Pineda & Severino Put it All Together in 2017

The offseason is a wonderful time of the year for baseball fans because everyone is in first place and the sky is the limit. There’s still plenty of hope to be had as there are still trades to be made, free agents to be signed and promising young guys to come up at Spring Training camps across the league making an impact. There’s plenty to be hopeful for right now so with that theme and trend in mind I am going to be a little hopeful and imagine a scenario where the New York Yankees finally see a year where both starting pitchers Michael Pineda and Luis Severino put it all together for an entire year. 

Pineda has some of the best stuff in the game and his swinging strike percentage and whiff rates on his slider are mind boggling when you look at how many home runs he gives up and what his bloated ERA looks like. One start Pineda will strike out 16 Baltimore Orioles on Mother’s Day and the next start he’ll give up five home runs and be chased from the game in the fourth inning. It defies the odds and it simply doesn’t make sense. Pineda has one thing going for him besides another healthy season under his belt in 2016, he has an impending free agency coming up after the 2017 season. Some may just think I’m being superstitious or overly hopeful here but it’s uncanny how players can struggle until their “contract year” only to turn it on before hitting a big pay day. Many, many others have done it before Pineda, so why couldn’t Big Mike? 

Severino is still somehow just 22-years old and entering just his second full season as a Major Leaguer in 2017 so it perplexes me why so many are ready to give up on him so quickly this early in his career. Severino was masterful in his first call up only to take a step back as a starter in 2016. After a couple demotions and an injury or two Severino found himself in the bullpen where he was absolutely dominant. Severino finding dominance in the bullpen should not damn him to the bullpen forever but should instead show the fans and the organization that he can not only get MLB caliber hitters out consistently but it should also show himself that he can. Confidence is key and Severino had to garner a little bit of that back this summer in the bullpen. Who is to say that won’t carry over to spring training this year and then into the 2017 regular season? I’m not a betting man by any means but I feel like I wouldn’t bet against it if I was.  

New York already has Masahiro Tanaka at the top of the rotation and CC Sabathia anchoring the bottom half of the rotation so if the team can slot in a successful and confident Michael Pineda and Luis Severino in between them… well the rest of the league better watch out. The Yankees wouldn’t have a starting rotation on paper that could compete with the Boston Red Sox but in my opinion, and all bias aside, the team would have one of the most underrated staffs and team as a whole in all of the American League. Add that with one of Luis Cessa or Chad Green or a midseason trade by Brian Cashman and the Yankees could really scare some folks in 2017. 

It’s all a dream right now but here in a few months it could all be a reality. Stay tuned. 

Masahiro Tanaka & Pulling an “Aroldis Chapman”

The New York Yankees are in a transition phase as we inch closer towards the 2017 regular season and the next few months will forever shape the franchise as we know it. Brian Cashman, the team’s General Manager, can do one of two things as we enter the next calendar year. He can stick to the plan, continue pushing forward with the youth movement and build towards the 2018 season and beyond or he can trade away some of his newly found prospects and make a run at things in 2017. There can be no in between with this team with just one exception, Masahiro Tanaka. 

Before I delve too deep into this I want to coin the phrase “pulling an Aroldis Chapman” and explain that it means to trade a player the summer before he hits free agency only to sign him back immediately that winter essentially getting the player and the prospects for nothing but a little cash that you were presumably okay with giving to the player anyway. The Yankees did this with Aroldis Chapman this past trading deadline and winter and were at least having discussions with Carlos Beltran about doing something similar so why couldn’t the Yankees do it again this summer with Masahiro Tanaka? 

As we all know Tanaka has a big opt-out clause written into his contract and the deadline to opt-out or not has to be made after the 2017 World Series concludes later on this year. IF, and I preface this with an IF and will likely include a lot of IF’s in this post, the Yankees are out of contention once again in July I truly believe the Yankees should trade Tanaka with the hope (or backstage secret handshake that they can either confirm or deny publicly) that the Japanese-born right-hander opts out of the contract and returns to the Bronx on a new deal before the 2018 season.  

Now obviously this all hinges on the health of Tanaka. While I do not personally worry about his elbow or the strains, bumps and bruises along the way that seem to hamper his season each and every year there are many circles that are worried about his health and who am I to tell them not to be. If he can stay healthy once again in 2017 and prove all the doubters, who by the way are doubters and not doctors, wrong once again about the Yankees and an army of doctors decision to forego Tommy John surgery he may be in line for another huge payout if he were to opt out of the contract. He would also fetch a huge haul in terms of prospects as well before the July 31^st trading deadline in 2017. 

If the Yankees are out of contention then it’s time to continue the youth movement by pillaging a farm system and trading away Masahiro Tanaka. I know the Japanese people are stereotypically and generally big on honor but they also know, and can be made to understand, that this is a business and this is for the best not only for the team but for himself as well. The Yankees should then take all the newly found Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia money they have coming off the books and throw it at Tanaka next winter, assuming he opts out. Call it pulling an Aroldis Chapman now but next year we may be calling it pulling a Masahiro Tanaka. 

Either way, stay tuned. 

Gary Sanchez Wins the Thurman Munson Award

A great way to start a snowy and cold Saturday morning but with a big of good news regarding one of the Yankees former top prospects and best players on the team, Gary Sanchez. As if his historic 2016 season which should have ended with a 2016 AL Rookie of the Year Award wasn’t historic enough he has now one more milestone and plaque to add to his rookie mantle, the 2016 Thurman Munson Award.

Sanchez finished the first month of his rookie campaign with a .389/.458/.832/1.290 quad slash with 11 home runs before cooling just a bit towards the end of the season. Sanchez was the quickest rookie ever to hit 20 home runs in a season and will now join New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores as the trio are all honored for their work and inspiration both on and off the field.

Congratulations to Sanchez, Flores and Cruz. The New York athletes will be acknowledged at the 37^th annual Munson dinner on February 7^th in New York. The benefit and event will raise funds to support the AHRC New York City Foundation which supports programs for children and adults who have intellectual and development disabilities in New York City.

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/7: Yankees Trade the Big Unit

On this day in 2007 Randy Johnson agreed to a two year deal worth $26 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks leaving only a physical and approval by MLB to finalize the trade with the Yankees. The Yankees will receive reliever Luis Vizcaino, minor league right handed pitching prospects Ross Ohlendorf and Steven Jackson, and minor league infielder Alberto Gonzalez.


Also on this day in 2006 former Yankees GM Bob Watson received the Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The honor was given to the first black general manager in baseball history during the Legacy Awards in Kansas City.


Finally on this day in 1920 Babe Ruth reacted to being called "the most selfish and inconsiderate man to ever put on a baseball uniform" by former owner Harry Frazee. Ruth was quoted by the Boston Evening Standard saying "Frazee is not good enough to own any ball club, especially one in Boston."


Oh and also on this day in 2015 the New York Yankees signed Stephen Drew to a one-year deal. There's always that.Stephen Drew Sucks though.

Today The Greedy Pinstripes Goes to School

We are about 12 hours away technically but it was on this day five long years ago that two friends of mine, Bryan Van Dusen and Jorge Maestre, approached me about starting our own shop. For years we had jumped around various sports forums and such, and I even tried to open my own sports forum with little luck, but one thing was for certain in all of us. We wanted our own shop and we wanted to do things our own way, different. For days we threw around ideas such as the Wives & Girlfriends section, the up-to-the-minute payroll and roster pages, the Mega Prediction Game and most importantly the name of the blog.

When we were deciding what to name the blog we had this thought process; If there was a list of 100 Yankees-related blogs, which could be easily done with all the competition around at the time, what name would allow us to stand out? We didn't want another generic Yankees blog and then we remembered my "Get Greedy" campaign from 2008. The Greedy Pinstripes were born and we bought the domain that night. Tonight, just five years ago.

Jorge has since gone his separate way and I personally miss him. I've reached out a few times, sent invites to be a part of the blog etc. and got little to no response. If you're reading this, once again Jorge, the olive branch is there... grab it. And to Bryan, thank you for pushing me to do this. You were right and I was wrong and there is a first time for everything.

To the fans, readers and followers thank you as well. This is a hobby, no one gets paid for this. Not even me. It's not worth it without your comments, your clicks and your tweets and such. Without your support, and I can only speak for myself here, this isn't worth it. The same goes to the writers here from past to present, you're awesome. You donate your time and efforts here for us and we appreciate you. I can't do it all alone and you guys make sure that I don't have to.

Thank you to everyone. The core group of people in the comments section, the people who support the Mega Prediction Game, the people who bookmark us and email us everyday, our Twitter followers, etc. This birthday is just as much for you as it is for us. I can go on all day so I'm just going to end it here before I do, thank you!