Most Popular Article of the Week: Making the Case to Trade Michael Pineda

"Got traded... see ya guys." - Michael Pineda

The New York Yankees and GM Brian Cashman ruffled the feathers of the league when they traded then top prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for an up-and-coming pitcher named Michael Pineda. It took a while for New York to reap some of the benefits of having the young right-hander, Pineda missed the entire 2012 and 2013 season with shoulder issues and missed some of the 2014 season with arm trouble as well, but finally got a long look at what they traded for in 2015. At times Pineda looked to be the ace of the staff and the savior for the team and at other times I wouldn’t have personally given up Jesus Montero’s mother for him in a trade. All in all though Pineda finished the season with a 12-10 record and a 4.37 ERA as he prepares to enter salary arbitration for the first time in his career. Is it time to sell “high” on Pineda and his two seasons of team control?


Pineda is a young talent that just can’t seem to stay healthy nor can he remain effective. Excuses are thrown around that Joe Girardi wasn’t giving him enough rest or was giving him too much rest of that someone messed with his Buddha statue named Jobu in his locker (Pedro Cerrano reference) and not enough results to really back him up on anything. After basically a full season and a glimpse into the future I’m not sure if Pineda has the marbles (I have a million of these “Major League II” references so stay tuned) to cut it in New York.


Pineda is an immense talent but this team is without a true #1 starting pitcher in my opinion while also having a few holes elsewhere to fill. When you look at the free agent market heading into this winter the talent pool is flush with starting pitchers, namely David Price, Jordan Zimmerman, Johnny Cueto and likely Zack Greinke if he opts out of his deal as he is expected to, while the Yankees have a laundry list of names to fill just five positions in the rotation. Masahiro Tanaka leads that list followed by Luis Severino, Adam Warren (Brian Cashman himself called him a starter recently), CC Sabathia for likely two more seasons, Ivan Nova, Bryan Mitchell and a slew of minor leaguers that are unlikely to crack the rotation out of Spring Training including Brady Lail and Rookie Davis.



If the Yankees could sell Pineda off for a right-handed hitting power bat or a second baseman the team has enough confidence in to play every day then I’m all for it. I’m all for selling high on a player when selling high makes sense for the organization and selling Pineda off this offseason may be in the best interest for everyone involved. Or not.

ICYMI:The Significance of the Yankees Farm System Going Forward

The 2015 season has been the Year of the Prospect, and not just for the New York Yankees but for the entirety of Major League Baseball. Without the concrete numbers in front of me I would think we have seen more Major League debut’s in 2015 then we have in quite a long time, I know for a fact that the New York Yankees set the record for the most by one team in a single season with 18 this season. Yesterday when the Yankees released their Wild Card postseason rosters I couldn’t help but be amazed at just how much homegrown talent was on the roster. Sure a few spots would have been filled if it had not been for injuries to Stephen Drew, Mark Teixeira and Nathan Eovaldi and had CC Sabathia been available but still, in years past those losses would have been a death sentence and in 2015 it has made the team win almost in spite of it all.


Breaking down those rosters from yesterday’s game you can see just how the Yankees farm system is going to play a significant role for the team going forward. Luis Severino, Greg Bird, James Pazos, Robert Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez, Rico Noel, Bryan Mitchell and Slade Heathcott all made the Yankees Wild Card roster as rookies and all but Noel, who was originally in the San Diego Padres organization before the middle of 2015, came from the Yankees farm system. Sure a case could be made that if the team hadn’t lost Eovaldi that Severino wouldn’t be in, if the team hadn’t lost Drew that Refsnyder would be in, if the team hadn’t lost Teixeira that Bird wouldn’t be in and if it wasn’t a one-game playoff that allowed the team to reset their rosters after the game if they won that Sanchez wouldn’t be in but I don’t think I would necessarily feel comfortable agreeing with that.


Severino was held back early in his minor league season with the hopes of him coming up late and providing the boost that he has. Bird was up when both Alex Rodriguez and Teixeira were healthy and was being groomed slowly, that plan just never came to fruition. You likely have a point with Refsnyder, only because his second half numbers were atrocious, and Sanchez but the fact of the matter is the Yankees have been preparing for this day all season long.


The reason David Price, Craig Kimbrel, Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist to name a few are not wearing Yankees uniforms these days is because of the significance of the farm system going forward. That farm system will only get more and more important as the contracts of ARod, CC Sabathia, Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira come off the board and I, for one, am excited to see it happen.

Bring me Justin Upton

The New York Yankees, and this is just my opinion, experiment of having two lead-off type hitters at the top of the order has failed miserably in their two-year experiment. Having two speedy guys to set the tone for the big boppers in the middle of the lineup is a great idea in theory, it turns solo home runs presumably into two-or-three run home runs but the game is not played in theory. The game is played in real life and when you have a Brett Gardner and a Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the lineup, both left-handed by the way (more on that later), you need to also be stealing runs and creating runs with your legs. The Yankees did not do that in 2014 nor did they do that in 2015 which leaves me wanting to leave the left-handed heavy lineup more balanced at the top and the team’s lineup more potent against left-handed starting pitching, and that’s where Justin Upton comes into play.

This one is going to be tricky but I run a blog called “The Greedy Pinstripes” for free while Joe Girardi gets paid, and paid well, to make the decisions on the field and get everyone the work that they need. The Yankees outfield is very left-handed heavy with Ellsbury and Gardner pure left-handed hitters with Carlos Beltran, albeit a switch hitter, with splits leaning heavily in his favor as a left-handed hitter opposed to him as a right-handed hitter. Adding Justin Upton into some sort of rotation (since both Ellsbury and Gardner can play center field and Upton can play both corner outfield positions) would not only be ideal for the team I think it would be ideal for Upton as well.

Upton struggled a bit in San Diego with the Padres and would laugh in the faces of anyone who tells him it’s tough to hit home runs inside Yankee Stadium as a right-handed bat. Upton was long thought to be a Yankee before being traded to the Atlanta Braves and then again to the Padres and Cashman usually tends to get his man, even if it’s a few years late and especially when it’s just for money. The only thing here is whether Hal is willing to open up his purse strings a little and Girardi can convince him that he’s going to get enough at bats between left field, right field and DH. 

The T.G.P. Game with the Yankees Offense

All weekend long we’ve been playing the TGP Game and we’ll likely play it at least once more closer to Spring Training when rosters are close to being finalized. This weekend we’ve looked at the Yankees starting rotation and bullpen heading into 2016 so now all we have left is the offense. One last time in case this is your first time reading the TGP Game here is what the acronym stands for. The “T” stands for tumble, or get worse from 2015 to 2016, while the “G” stands for get better in 2016. The “P” in this game stands for plateau which means the player will be around their 2015 statistics in 2016, original I know but I like playing the game and I wanted to put my own gist to it.

McCann – P

McCann set a new career high in home runs and led the team in RBI for the second straight team while working with the pitching staff and holding down the opposing team’s running game. With another year on that shoulder and those knees I can’t see him getting better but he shows no signs of slowing down either.

Teixeira – G

Gluten free Teixeira was an awesome Teixeira and he finished one freak foul ball off his shin away from a 40 home run and 100+ RBI season. Teix will be healthy in 2016 and looking for a new contract, can you say contract season?

Bird – G

Bird was possibly the best Yankees offensive weapon since his call up in 2015. How could he possibly get any better you ask? Youth, aggression and experience. That’s how.

Refsnyder – G

See above for Greg Bird. Give the guy a damn shot, will you?

Gregorius – P

Gregorius was fantastic in his debut season outside of the first month and a half of the season. Didi settled in, got used to the team, the market and the fans and did his thing. I see him doing his thing again in 2016 as he emulates his near .300 average in the second half of 2015 over the course of a full season in 2016.

Headley – T

Headley led the team in hits and games played in 2015, you can’t really expect him to do the same in 2016. His defense may be declining, although that may all be in his head with the throwing portion, and so is his power. Two bad signs for a third baseman with three years left on his contract.

Gardner – P

Gardner continues to show more pop than anyone ever expected and should be right around his 15 home run and 50-60 RBI numbers in 2016. His strikeout numbers will likely also be there but he has the legs and the speed to run out bunts and infield hits to keep his batting average respectable, just like in 2015.

Ellsbury – G

Ellsbury missed a long stretch of 2015 with a leg injury and should be healthy and ready for Spring Training 2016. Ellsbury should hit more, drive in more, score more and steal more bases. Unless he suffers another tough knee injury he almost has to by default after a terribly unproductive 2015 season.

Beltran – P

Beltran is what Beltran is at this point. Beltran could be 50-years old and probably hit .285 and raise the bar in September and October. Beltran is not a 30 home run threat anymore but he wasn’t in 2015 either and that was just fine. Beltran is a proud individual and will not go out on anything but his terms in 2016.

Rodriguez – T

A Rod absolutely cannot replicate his 2015 season in 2016, can he? 41-year old players just don’t lead the Yankees in home runs, do they? No… right?

Quick Hit: Francisco Cervelli vs. Brian McCann

Both the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates made the postseason in 2015 as the first Wild Card winner and both teams unfortunately went out in the one-game playoff. While the Pirates season was much more impressive winning 98 wins the New York Yankees did well enough to win 87 games and stick around for most of the 2015 season. Many fans were left wondering what the Yankees could have done differently and what Brian Cashman could have done to help the team, does that include not trading Francisco Cervelli in favor of signing current catcher Brian McCann?

That's probably a question too tough to answer as both were durable and key parts of the team, the pitching staff and the defense as both catchers controlled the running game exceptionally well in 2015. The Yankees have a very left-handed heavy lineup and Cervelli is right-handed but is that enough to make fans miss him over McCann? Let's the stats do the talking and leave your comments in the comments section of the post.

McCann:

Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2015	135	535	465	68	108	15	26	94	0	52	97	.232	.320	.437	.756	107

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Cervelli:

Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2015	130	510	451	56	133	17	7	43	1	46	94	.295	.370	.401	.771	113

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/12: Casey Stengel Day

Not much has happened on this day in New York Yankees history believe it or not. The team didn't capture any World Series championships, break any records, or win any big games. Casey Stengel made the Yankees news a couple times though when on this day in 1948 the Yankees named Stengel the manager. Stengel was replacing Bucky Harris after never finishing higher than fifth place with the Braves or the Dodgers in his managerial career.

Also on this day in Stengel history the Hall of Fame manager hit the deciding home run in a World Series against the Bronx Bombers. In front of the largest crowd in MLB history, a mere 62,430 fans, Stengel hit his second home run of the World Series for the Giants in a 1-0 victory over the Yankees.

2015 Yankees:Greg Bird 2015 Highlights

Greg Bird's highlights in his rookie season.

Bring me Ben Zobrist

The Yankees are becoming more and more mainstream each and every season removed from the George Steinbrenner and Joe Torre era. The team has adopted defensive shifting, having a fireman in the bullpen, a LOOGY in the pen and have tried their hardest to add as much versatility and youth to the lineup as a team with the pressure of a constant “World Series or bust” mentality can. The Yankees lineup and 25 man roster is basically set for 2016 without Brian Cashman getting pretty creative in the trade market but one man on the free agency market is intriguing. The Yankees need stability at second base and will presumably need a fourth outfielder that can replace Chris Young, is that where the Royals Ben Zobrist comes into play?

Would the Yankees, and more specifically would Hal Steinbrenner, be willing to go $45-$50 million for a player with no real position on the team? Zobrist could be the fourth outfielder that the Yankees thought they were getting when they signed Chris Young, an outfielder that hits left-handed pitching consistently, and at the same time be the Yankees second baseman they have presumably been searching for since the departure of Robinson Cano.

Zobrist is versatile and a good player, WAR and other stats will tell you that, that switch hits and is generally the type of player that the Yankees covet. He can play almost any position well and hits well enough to stick at any and all of them. Any team would love to either have Zobrist or emulate Zobrist which is why his price tag is expected to soar. Is he worth $50 million or more? Honestly, probably not but if the Yankees can get him for that number or less on a contract similar to Chase Headley’s I don’t think I’d be too terribly upset personally. With that said I wouldn’t be opposed to Justin Upton in the outfield and Robert Refsnyder at second base either, I’m indifferent. 

ICYMI: Joe Girardi End of the Season Interview

Bring me Darren O’Day

The New York Yankees plan over the last couple of seasons has been clear, concise and easy to understand. Get through at least five innings with the lead led by a young pitching staff and hand the ball off to the bullpen. In 2013 it was Mariano Rivera and David Robertson, in 2014 it was Robertson and Betances and in 2015 it expanded to Justin Wilson, Betances and Andrew Miller. Brian Cashman’s plan has worked, at least on the pitching side of things, and I’d bet the bank on the fact that a similar plan is already in place for the 2016 season. Cashman dropped an interesting nugget of information in a recent interview, which obviously is subject to change, when he said that Adam Warren was a starter for the 2016 season. Adding Warren to the rotation helps secure a good starting five but it weakens the bullpen considerably, and that’s where Darren O’Day comes into play.

O’Day finally gives the Yankees the super bullpen they have been searching for the past couple of offseasons while likely solidifying the starting rotation at the same time. Warren becomes likely the best 5^th starter in the league, depth chart wise, while O’Day joins a refreshed Chasen Shreve, Wilson, Betances and Miller at the back end of the bullpen. This would also be addition by subtraction as the Yankees would be taking away an integral part from the Baltimore Orioles success in 2015 and their bullpen. Won’t Buck Showalter be proud?

O’Day had a breakout season in 2015 holding both left-handed and right-handed batters to minuscule batting average against averages and should command a healthy contract despite his age, 33-years old, on Opening Day 2016. If the Yankees are going to make any splashes this winter I think it has to be for O’Day, everything else is merely a want and less of a need.