Most Popular Article of the Week: Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of those teams that I’m not entirely sure even they know what direction the team is going. The team gets younger and starts to build a core before they trade Dansby Swanson, first overall pick Dansby Swanson, for Shelby Miller and before handing Zack Greinke huge money on the free agent market. To be completely honest I don’t know if the Diamondbacks will be coming or going here in 2017 but if they are looking to move a few pieces as they progress either way I think the Yankees have to at least be listening.


Unfortunately the bigger named pieces like Shelby Miller, Zack Greinke, AJ Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt are likely off the table but what about their third baseman Jake Lamb? If the Yankees move Chase Headley, and they could seeing as he does not have a no-trade clause written into his contract, the team could fill the gap with 26-year old Lamb. Lamb is a left-handed hitter who somehow found a way to hit 29 home runs and drive in 91 RBI without anyone on the East Coast taking notice. Lamb comes with his issues of course, his .249 batting average and 154 strikeouts lead that list of concerns, but in the era of sabermetrics you take that for driving in runs and hitting it over the fence any day.


The Yankees would lose a step or defensively in the hypothetical Lamb for Headley swap but Lamb is still at least two years from entering his prime while Headley is at least three years from his which could make up the difference in the long term. Lamb is not arbitration eligible for two more years which means he is going to cost a ton. How much is a ton? Well suddenly the once shortstop heavy Diamondbacks need middle infielders and it has been speculated already that the team would move Jorge Mateo in a deal this winter. I don’t want to give up on or give away Mateo but for a 26-year old power hitting lefty like Lamb you always make the deal, especially for a player who has never seen Double-A.


Arizona also needs a catcher and the Yankees have three on their 40 man roster with Kyle Higashioka soon to be added per the team. Why not include Austin Romine in the deal and bring back a prospect or two in the deal while Brian Cashman is at it? This is one of those “too good to be true” sounding deals for New York but you never know until you ask so Cashman, ask.

Happy Birthday to the BYB Hub

The BYB Hub. What can I say about the BYB Hub here on its second year in existence? The Hub started out as an idea from Robert Casey and Bleeding Yankee Blue as an opportunity for newer blogs or lesser known blogs to get free exposure all in one central hub and it's done that and more. So here we stand two years later still going strong. Still fighting, still clawing our way to the top. And that climb and that fight and that struggle is made so much easier thanks to the Hub.

So Happy Birthday to the Hub and once again, and I can't say it enough, thank you to Mr. Casey and the crew over at BYB.

Weekly AFL Prospects Check In w/ Greg Bird

Another week in the books already, where does the time go? I'm not sure it's the same way in the world of an MLB player but the work week seems to drag only for the weekend to fly by. It's not right and it's borderline not fair but I digress. This morning rather than discuss things we cannot fully understand nor things we cannot change I'd rather just check in with Greg Bird and see how he is doing down in the Arizona Fall League. 

Remember the stats are not as important as his health. Greg Bird is playing in his first live game action since his shoulder surgery back in Spring Training of this season. 

.231/.355/.385/.739 with six hits, four doubles and three RBI in 26 at bats. 

Cubs vs. Indians 2016 World Series Schedule

The 2016 field is set for the World Series and it will be the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs going at it head-to-head. The Cleveland Indians will have home-field advantage throughout this series after the American League won the 2016 All-Star Game inside Petco Park while the Cubs don't care where they win it as long as they can reverse the Curse of the Billy Goat. Let's look at the schedule for this upcoming series.

Game 1 - Tuesday October, 25th

Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Indians

Game 2 - Wednesday, October 26th

Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Indians

Game 3 - Friday, October 28th

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago Cubs 

Game 4 - Saturday, October 29th

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago Cubs 

Game 5 (if necessary) - Sunday, October 30th

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago Cubs 

Game 6 (if necessary) - Tuesday, November 1st

Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Indians

Game 7 (if necessary) - Wednesday, November 2nd

Chicago Cubs @ Cleveland Indians

All games are 8:08 pm ET and all games can be seen on FOX.

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/24: El Duque Orlando Hernandez

Orlando Hernandez was a God send to the New York Yankees during their Dynasty run during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, especially in the postseason. El Duque started his career 8-0 with a 1.90 ERA in the postseason before the Mets got to him on this day in 2000. The Mets beat the Yankees on this day in the Subway World Series after Benny Agbayani hit a game winning 8th inning double to give the Metropolitan's a 4-2 win. New York native and Mets closer John Franco secured the victory for the Mets ending the Yankees 14 game World Series winning streak.

Arizona Fall League Weekly Check In: J.P Feyereisen

Same thing as before. Who is J.P Feyereisen and why is he representing the New York Yankees at the Arizona Fall League in 2016? Unlike Koerner from earlier on in the day Feyereisen had a full season in 2016 with the Akron (Cleveland Indians) and Trenton Thunder affiliates. As far as I can tell the Yankees simply want to evaluate more of what they got in return this season from the Andrew Miller trade and sent Feyereisen to the Scottsdale Scorpions to accomplish that.

Who is J.P. Feyereisen? Feyereisen is a relief pitcher that was drafted in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB First Year Players Draft by the Cleveland Indians before being traded to the Yankees in the Andrew Miller deal because the team got tired of putting his last name on their jerseys. Or something like that.

Four games pitched in with a 1-1 record and a 7.20 ERA. It's not what you want but it's a small sample size.

Yankees Rank Three in Baseball America’s Top 20 Short Season/Rookie Ball Prospects List

The final prospect list from Baseball America that we will cover is the Short Season and Rookie Ball affiliates in Minor League Baseball. The Yankees have four short season and rookie ball affiliates including the Pulaski Yankees, the Gulf Coast Yankees 1 and 2 and the Staten Island Yankees but somehow the team only managed to send three to the list. According to reports I’ve read there are many Yankees that “just missed the cut” which makes sense for them and a lot of teams. Short season and rookie ball are for recently drafted prospects and international free agents who signed at 16-years old who are working their way towards the Major Leagues with a long road ahead. There are generally more questions than answers at this point so don’t look too much into these rankings either way unfortunately.

Blake Rutherford was the Yankees first round pick from this year’s draft and he was ranked #2 in the Appalachian League after just a few months there. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only prospect in front of him in the Appalachian League after Baseball America was quoted as saying Rutherford “performed like a college hitter.” For a High School hitter that’s quite the compliment.

Right behind Rutherford on that list was outfielder Estevan Florial, an 18-year old prospect who just made his debut in the United Sates. Florial has nice power with good speed all while playing a natural outfield. Florial has a long way to go and is a raw prospect by all accounts but he is closer than most at this same level.

The final prospect to make the list for the Yankees is shortstop, yes another shortstop, Diego Castillo of the Gulf Coast League. Castillo was the only Yankees prospect ranked in the Gulf Coast League prospects after showing some promise at the plate and in the field this season. 

Arizona Fall League Weekly Check In: Brody Koerner

Who is Brody Koerner and why is he down in the Arizona Fall League for the New York Yankees? Koerner is a college reliever who the Yankees drafted that they transitioned into a starting pitcher like they have become known to do in recent years. Koerner was a 17th round pick in 2015 out of Clemson. That's the who, the why is because Koerner missed a lot of time in 2016 due to injury. All told Koerner only pitched in five games and in 34 innings total with the Charleston Riverdogs and the Tampa Yankees.

One of my good friends from prior to us both entering the blogger game Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily has a nice write up about Koerner after picking him to be the breakout candidate for the Yankees system in 2016. You can read that here. 

Koerner has only been in two games thus far this winter posting a 24.30 ERA with nine runs allowed. Sample sizes and health are key, not the stats.

MLB Postseason Schedule for 10/23: Game 7?

Will there be a Game 7 in the National League Championship Series? Will the Cubs have already punched their ticket to the World Series or will the Dodgers live to fight another day? At the time of this writing that is still undetermined so just in case here is the Game 7 schedule for the NLCS.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs (Game 7 if necessary) @ 8:08 pm ET on Fox Sports One

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/23: Enter Bob Watson

Watch the entire Game 3 of the 1996 World Series right here for FREE. Click above. 

On this day in 1996 David Cone shut down the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 1996 World Series with the Yankees down two games to none. This would be the first of 14 consecutive World Series games victories for the Yankees before the New York Mets ended the streak in the 2000 Subway World Series.


Also on this day in 1995 the Yankees hired a new GM, replacing Gene Michael, in former Astros GM Bob Watson. Watson would only last two years in the Bronx before the Brian Cashman regime started after being upset with the "chain of command" in the Yankees organization, I think that probably means George Steinbrenner. Watson would be the GM when the Yankees would win their first World Series in 1978 when they were crowned the 1996 champions.