Alexi Ogando the Next Yankees Swing-Man?

The Texas Rangers made Alexi Ogando a free agent after not tendering him a contract before the deadline this week, should the Yankees take notice? Would Ogando fit in as the next Yankees swing-man who can easily jump from the bullpen to the rotation as needed joining David Phelps? If he's healthy, and the Rangers said he was before non-tendering him, then I believe he should at least be in the discussion.

Ogando struggled in 2014 posting a 6.84 ERA in just 25 IP but I truly believe, with nothing to back this up unfortunately other than a guy feeling, that the right hander battled the injury all season long and will be more along the lines of his career 3.35 ERA (including the ugly mark last season) going forward.

The Rangers loss could be the Yankees gain as the team was reportedly upset with Ogando's refusal to pitch in the Winter League's this winter which could have factored into the non-tender decision. Ogando is just 31 years old and used to the abuse that comes along with switching between the pen and the rotation and could essentially save Phelps' arm for the long term for an incentive laden one year contract. I don't see an issue with signing him and letting him play it out in Spring Training and hopefully the Yankees don't either.

Jon Lester Really an Upgrade over Brandon McCarthy?

First and foremost I want to start by saying that the rumors and the fake information that is running around on Twitter right now is absolutely ridiculous. It seems like every 14 year old kid who claims to be an MLB "insider" can post whatever nonsense they want without credibility or any truth (or repercussions) whatsoever. I apologize for all those who have nothing better to do with their time and their lives then to make up fake rumors on Twitter to get us, the true fans, up in arms excited or mad. With that said one of the rumors I've read and reported on yesterday was that the Yankees were making a late and significant push for free agent starting pitcher Jon Lester. Immediately I was excited and then I got thinking whether he would truly be an upgrade over Brandon McCarthy or just another bad contract we're having to work around in three or four years.

I found it interesting to compare these two specifically because Max Scherzer and James Shields far exceed these two in WAR and come with draft pick compensation attached. Both McCarthy and Lester were traded mid-season and their teams were unable to extend qualifying offers to the players. Also it gives a nice and equal sample size of stats such as WAR with their new clubs to take a look at and analyze.

McCarthy posted a 1.6 WAR with New York after coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks while Lester posted a 1.9 WAR with Oakland. It is worth mentioning that McCarthy had almost a full month worth of starts in New York before Boston traded Lester to Oakland for Yoenis Cespedes and others making what Lester did all that more impressive. Lester also posted a 2.7 WAR with Boston before the trade while McCarthy struggled with a -0.5 WAR with Arizona. I am willing to throw out Lester's time with Boston only because McCarthy was a different pitcher after coming to New York which begs the question, how much of an upgrade would Lester be with comparable WAR numbers in half a season?

Lester is the better pitcher, no one would argue that, and throws from the left side which could neutralize some of the bigger threats in the AL East but how much better is he? Lester is probably getting  in excess of $20 million a season for at least six or seven seasons while I would be surprised to see McCarthy eclipse a three year deal and $15 million annually. The Yankees don't need their next bad contract they need consistency and while I agree with shoring up run prevention if you can't add to run production I think Lester may be excessive for, theoretically, another win or two per season. With that said the Yankees should just sign McCarthy and hope for the best with the development of Luis Severino and Manny Banuelos.

BREAKING: Yankees Acquire Didi Gregorious

#Yankees working on 3-team deal w/ AZ and DET to land SS Didi Gregorius. Hearing Shane Greene would go to DET, Tigers sending 2 P's to AZ
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) December 5, 2014

Hey look at this, a credible source reporting a big time deal involving the New York Yankees. What I take from Sweeny's tweet above is that the Detroit Tigers would acquire Shane Greene, the Yankees would acquire Didi Gregorious and the Arizona Diamondbacks would acquire some prospects.

Yes please, as much as I love Greeney.

UPDATE: It's a done deal. Gregorius is a Yankee.

Would Juan Francisco Make Sense For New York?

The Boston Red Sox designated corner infielder Juan Francisco for assignment and then non-tendered him to make room on the roster for Pablo Sandoval making Francisco a free agent, would he make sense for the Yankees bench in 2015? In a word, abso-freaking-lutely. Francisco is a first baseman and third baseman in name only at this point in his career, honestly he should be a DH full time, but he can get it done in a pinch. Francisco is not likely to be exposed playing an inning or two here or a game or two a week there. His bat may not be adequate to land an everyday job, even as a DH, but his power would be a welcomed addition to the 2015 edition of the New York Yankees.

Francisco is a career .236 hitter so the team would not be getting a .300 type hitter that is going to change the dynamic of the lineup. Instead the Yankees would be getting a left handed power hitting bench option that could stumble into 10-20 home runs in Yankee Stadium if healthy and productive. Francisco can play some third base and some first base backing up Martin Prado, Chase Headley, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira or whoever else is plugged in between then and now while taking a turn a game a week at the DH position.

At 27 years old Francisco has been asked to come off the bench, fill in at both corners of the infield, hit for power and hit at the bottom half of the lineup. That's nothing more than the Yankees would need or ask of him in 2015 and he makes a ton of sense for what is looking like an offensively deficient team next season.

TGP Daily Poll: Yankees Wake Up at Winter Meetings

The New York Yankees have been unusually quiet to this point in the offseason but I think that all changes when the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings kick off on Sunday and run through Thursday. Yankees will sign/acquire at least two players is my prediction.

Vote in our poll!

Reminder: Winter Meetings Start Sunday

Just a quick reminder to get your Friday morning kicked off right into the weekend as the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings kick off on Sunday in San Diego. This will be the 113th edition of the MLB Winter Meetings and this is generally the time where the most, and the biggest, free agent names come off the board. Be sure to stay tuned to that and stay tuned to the blog as we will bring you as much Yankees related and MLB news as we possibly can.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/5: Yankee Stadium and Citi Field

On this day in 2001 mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that he wanted to get new stadium deals in place for both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets before he left office. This was coming off the heels of the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington and was thought to boost morale and finances for New York.

Also n this day in 1984 the Yankees acquired Rickey Henderson and pitcher Bert Bradley from the Athletics for pitchers Jay Howell and Jose Rijo along with outfielder Stan Javier and minor league players Tim Birtsas and Eric Plunk. The Yankees, in a separate deal, also acquired pitcher Brian Fisher for catcher Rick Cerone.

Finally on this day in 1975 the Yankees hired Yogi Berra as their manager after he was fired unexpectedly by New York in 1964 following a 99-63 record and an American League pennant. Billy Martin was also hired to be Yogi's bench coach this season.

The Chase Headley News Robert Refsnyder Has Been Waiting to Hear

Sources: Clubs being told Chase Headley has a four-year offer for ~$65M. @JonHeymanCBS says Marlins interested. Unclear if that's the team.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 4, 2014

Jeff Passan may or may not have given Yankees second base prospect Robert Refsnyder the news that he is waiting for, the news that incumbent third baseman Chase Headley is too expensive for the Yankees blood. The Yankees could easily slide Martin Prado in at third base while giving either, or both, Jose Pirela and Refsnyder a shot at second base. This isn't likely to be a short term solution either with David Freese being the best free agent at third base in the 2016 class and a 37 year old Adrian Beltre in the 2017 class.

The tweet, seen above, does not state which team gave Headley such a substantial offer but it may or may not be the Yankees and that may or may not be okay.

Yankees' Utility Man Prado Was "Destroyed" By September Appendectomy

Yankees infielder Martin Prado has finally broken his silence on his recent emergency appendectomy.

The 31-year-old veteran said Wednesday having to undergo the season-ending operation September 16 was upsetting to him, and that he was enjoying his time on the field prior to it. The night before finding out he'd miss the last two weeks of the Yankees' schedule, Prado reported stomach aches while participating in a 1-0 loss to the Rays, yet still managed to record two singles.

“It destroyed me,” Prado told The Star Ledger's Brendan Kuty. “I wanted to play.”

Prado had been one of the Yankees' most consistent performers throughout the later part of the year, batting .316 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs in 37 contests. When in their lineup, he started at second base, third base and both of the outfield corners, helping him prove his worth.

And apparently, he had fun doing so.

“I was so excited when I went to bed every day when I got up to go to the field and play baseball,” Prado said. “Sometimes there are things you can’t control. It’s not like I was trying to not play. Of course not."

Prado added he's completely healed now, even beginning his offseason program in late October.

He's preparing for his first full season in pinstripes, having not joined the Yankees until July 31. He was traded from the Diamondbacks to New York in exchange for catching prospect Peter O'Brien that day, quickly making an impact on his new team.

Trenton Thunder Manager Tony Franklin Fired

ICYMI: Tony Franklin is out as the Trenton Thunder manager despite three titles in eight years | #Yankees #MLB | http://t.co/hmfCjDafMh
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer74) December 3, 2014

Per Dan Pfeiffer, you know the guy who got us all excited because we thought Max Scherzer was on his way to the New York Yankees on a six or seven year contract.