Free Agency: Complete List of 163 MLB Free Agents

MLB free agency has officially begun and 163 players including players with club options, player options and vesting options will officially hit the market. While the free agent class is presumed to be pretty light by all accounts there may be a few diamonds hidden in the rough for the Yankees to take a waiver on. Here is the complete list for your reference thanks to the crew over at USA Today.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (10) — Pedro Alvarez, dh; Michael Bourn, of; Brian Duensing, lhp; Tommy Hunter, rhp; Logan Ondrusek, rhp; Steve Pearce, 1b; Nolan Reimold, of; Drew Stubbs, of; Mark Trumbo, of; Matt Wieters, c.

BOSTON (5) — Ryan Hanigan, c; Aaron Hill, 3b; Junichi Tazawa, rhp; Koji Uehara, rhp; Brad Ziegler, rhp.

CHICAGO (5) — Matt Albers, rhp; Alex Avila, c; Austin Jackson, of; Justin Morneau, dh; p-James Shields, rhp.

CLEVELAND (4) — Marlon Byrd, of; Coco Crisp, of; Rajai Davis, of; Mike Napoli, 1b.

DETROIT (3) — Erick Aybar, ss; Casey McGehee, 3b; Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c.

HOUSTON (4) — Jason Castro, c; Doug Fister, rhp; Colby Rasmus, of; Luis Valbuena, 3b.

KANSAS CITY (6) — Drew Butera, c; Luke Hochevar, rhp; Kris Medlen, rhp; Kendrys Morales, dh; Peter Moylan, rhp; Edinson Volquez, rhp.

LOS ANGELES (7) — Andrew Bailey, rhp; Jhoulys Chacin, rhp; c-Yunel Escobar, 3b; Tim Lincecum, rhp; Geovany Soto, c; Jered Weaver, rhp; Chris Wilson, lhp.

MINNESOTA (1) — Kurt Suzuki, c.

NEW YORK (2) — Billy Butler, of; Mark Teixeira, 1b.

OAKLAND (2) — Ross Detwiler, lhp; Sam Fuld, of.

SEATTLE (5) — Franklin Gutierrez, of; Chris Iannetta, c; Dae-ho Lee, 1b; Adam Lind, 1b; Drew Storen, rhp.

TAMPA BAY (3) — Kevin Jepsen, rhp; Logan Morisson, 1b; Alexei Ramirez, ss.

TEXAS (6) — Carlos Beltran, of; Ian Desmond, of; Carlos Gomez, of; c-Derek Holland, lhp; Colby Lewis, rhp; Mitch Moreland, 1b.

TORONTO (10) — Jose Bautista, of; Joaquin Benoit, rhp; Brett Cecil, lhp; R.A. Dickey, rhp; Edwin Encarnacion, dh; Scott Feldman, rhp; Gavin Floyd, rhp; c-Jason Grilli, rhp; Dioner Navarro, c; Michael Saunders, of.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (2) — Daniel Hudson, rhp; Rickie Weeks, of.

ATLANTA (3) — Emilio Bonifacio, of; Eric O'Flaherty, lhp; A.J. Pierzynski, c.

CHICAGO (9) — Trevor Cahill, rhp; Aroldis Chapman, lhp; Chris Coghlan, of; Dexter Fowler, of; c-Jason Hammel, rhp; Munenori Kawasaki, 2b-3b; David Ross, c; Joe Smith, rhp; Travis Wood, lhp.

CINCINNATI (2) — Ross Ohlendorf, rhp; Alfredo Simon, rhp.

COLORADO (6) — Jorge De La Rosa, lhp; Daniel Descalso, inf; Nick Hundley, c; Boone Logan, lhp; Ryan Raburn, of; Mark Reynolds, 1b.

LOS ANGELES (11) — Brett Anderson, lhp; Joe Blanton, rhp; Jesse Chavez, rhp; Rich Hill, lhp; J.P. Howell, lhp; Kenley Jansen, rhp; p-Scott Kazmir, lhp; Josh Reddick, of; c-Carlos Ruiz, c; Justin Turner, 3b; Chase Utley, 2b.

MIAMI (7) — Andrew Cashner, rhp; Mike Dunn, lhp; Jeff Francoeur, of; Chris Johnson, 1b-3b; Jeff Mathis, c; Dustin McGowan, rhp; Fernando Rodney, rhp.

MILWAUKEE (2) — Blaine Boyer, rhp; Chris Capuano, lhp.

NEW YORK (9) — Jerry Blevins, lhp; Yoenis Cespedes, of; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alejandro De Aza, of; Kelly Johnson, 2b-3b; James Loney, 1b; Jon Niese, lhp; Fernando Salas, rhp; Neil Walker, 2b.

PHILADELPHIA (7) — Andres Blanco, 3b; Peter Bourjos, of; A.J. Ellis, c; Jeremy Hellickson, rhp; David Hernandez, rhp; Ryan Howard, 1b; Charlie Morton, rhp.

PITTSBURGH (5) — Neftali Feliz, rhp; Matt Joyce, of; Ivan Nova, rhp; Sean Rodriguez, inf; Ryan Vogelsong, rhp.

ST. LOUIS (4) — v-Matt Holliday, of; Brandon Moss, 1b-of; Jordan Walden, rhp; Jerome Williams, rhp.

SAN DIEGO (6) — Edwin Jackson, rhp; Jon Jay, of; Brandon Morrow, rhp; Clayton Richard, lhp; Adam Rosales, 3b; Carlos Villanueva, rhp.

SAN FRANCISCO (8) — Gordon Beckham, 2b; Gregor Blanco, of; Santiago Casilla, rhp; Javier Lopez, lhp; Joe Nathan, rhp; Angel Pagan, of; Jake Peavy, rhp; Sergio Romo, rhp.

WASHINGTON (9) — Matt Belisle, rhp; Sean Burnett, lhp; Stephen Drew, 2b; Chris Heisey, of; Mat Latos, rhp; Mark Melancon, rhp; Yusmeiro Petit, rhp; Wilson Ramos, c; Marc Rzepczynski, lhp.

So What About Derek Holland?

We discussed it and discussed it already this week on the blog and we’ll go over it again today. The New York Yankees need to add starting pitching this offseason if they plan on competing and the free agent well looks pretty dry. One starting pitcher that may interest the Yankees was added to the fold though when the Texas Rangers decided to decline the team option on his contract for the 2017 season. Should and will the Yankees be interested?

The Rangers decided that they would rather pay Holland his $1.5 million to walk into free agency rather than pay him his $11 million option and some might argue they made that decision for good reason. Holland has missed significant time over the past three seasons due to injury and has been placed on the 60-Day DL in consecutive years after missing the better part of two months with a shoulder inflammation injury in 2016. That mixed with the fact that Holland gives up the long ball a little too much for my liking may be the ultimate deciding factor of whether the Yankees will or should be interested in my opinion.

Holland was a part of the Texas Rangers World Series teams in 2010 and 2011 so the postseason and World Series experience is there but is that enough to ignore the injury history of the past three seasons? Holland has shown an ability to pitch, not only pitch but be dominant at times, and could be a huge low-risk high reward type guy for the Yankees. There is no such thing as a bad minor league deal but the problem is I can’t see Holland accepting one with the starting pitching market as thin as it is this season.

So should the Yankees sign Holland and do I think they will sign Holland? No and No. Again, if he wants to take a minor league deal and try to feed his family off the $1.5 million the Rangers are already paying him, fine. Sign me up. Load up the contract with incentives and give the man his $10 million or whatever the going rate is for middle-of-the-rotation type pitchers is these days. If not, and I’m sure he will find guaranteed money elsewhere, then I won’t lose sleep over it. Holland isn’t a game changer but I would be foolish to completely dismiss a better season from him in 2017 than he has had over the last three seasons.

That’s where I stand. What say you?

Weekly AFL Check In: James Kaprielian

James Kaprielian has pitched well for the Scottsdale Scorpions this Arizona Fall League season but like I’ve said many, many times during these check in posts the stats don’t really matter. The health of his right throwing elbow and his ability to avoid Tommy John surgery, which according to many news sites including Baseball America was on the table at one point this season, is all that matters. Another week and he made it out alive. Breathe Yankees family.

Here is the stat line he made it out alive with down in the AFL this week: 

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/9: Yankee Stadium III

On this day in 2008 participants in a team sponsored high school program whose job was to help Bronx, New York youths pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction remove dirt from the old Yankee Stadium and bring it to the new Yankee Stadium. A few players helped with the cause while the rains came down as they hauled the dirt across the street to the new $1.3 billion field. The dirt was then mixed with the new stadium's dirt around home plate and the pitcher's rubber which were also removed from the old Yankee Stadium during the ceremony.

Quick Hit: Pitching Reinforcements on the Way

Earlier this afternoon we discussed here on the blog the fact that the New York Yankees need starting pitching in the worst way. The Yankees search for pitching may take their GM Brian Cashman to Busch Stadium as he tries to lure their GM to trade an arm like Jaime Garcia to the Bronx. In the blog post I mentioned that if the deal for Garcia did not fit the Yankees needs and plans that they should move on to a Plan B. I left that pretty vague for a reason, this blog post here. Do the Yankees have a few "Plan B's" down on the farm waiting in 2017? I sure think so.

James Kaprielian was expected to make his MLB debut in 2016 before an elbow injury ended his season prematurely. Kaprielian is back and healthy as he pitches down in the Arizona Fall League with the Scottsdale Scorpions and could be up in the Major Leagues, again if healthy, by mid-season 2017.

Chance Adams is another arm that could make his way to the Bronx as early as 2017 after being drafted a few seasons ago as a reliever for New York. Adams has since been converted to a starting pitcher and has gone off with his 99 MPH fastball and great command. This is one of my favorite Yankees pitching prospects in the entire system and I could see him inside Yankee Stadium after the trading deadline 2017.

Jordan Montgomery is another guy that basically fits the exact mold that I described above with Adams. Montgomery reached Triple-A late into 2016 and dominated in six starts leaving me with little doubt that he could take the next step at some point in 2017 to the big leagues.

Dietrich Enns. See Adams and Montgomery.

2016 Yankees Highlights featuring Aaron Judge

The future is now ladies and gentleman and he comes in the form of Aaron Judge. Don't let his struggles fool you, he will be there when it matters and he always makes the adjustments necessary to keep on keeping on and to remain productive. He will again. Here are his 2016 highlights for you this afternoon. Happy Tuesday Yankees family. 

Yankees Potential Trade Partners: St. Louis Cardinals

The New York Yankees need starting pitching this winter and the starting pitching the team presumably wants or needs will not be found on the free agent market. For that reason if we see the Yankees add a starter I believe it will come via the trade market. We've seen plenty of Yankees potential trade targets mentioned on this blog already this winter and this afternoon we add another into the fold, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals have already expressed at least a desire or willingness to deal left-handed starter Jaime Garcia this winter, should the Yankees be interested?

The Cardinals picked up Garcia's $12 million option for the 2017 season presumably looking to deal him for something rather than handing him his $500K buyout and losing him for nothing. The Cardinals made that very clear when they signed him since St. Louis now has at least seven options for the starting rotation when spring training camps open in 2017. At least one pitcher will go and it will likely be Garcia who just finished his eighth season with the Red Birds.

Why do the Cardinals want to trade him instead of any of their other six options? Well his 4.67 ERA wasn't much to write home about in 2016 and neither is his injury history. More on that later though.

Why would the Yankees want to acquire him? Well he doesn't give up home runs (0.79 HR/9 ratio in 2016) which is important inside Yankee Stadium. It's also worth mentioning that Gracia had exactly one more complete game than the entire Yankees staff in 2016 combined, which is easy because the Bronx Bombers pitching staff had zero complete games. Garcia threw 171.1 innings in 2016 and seems to have his shoulder injuries of the past exactly where they belong, the past.

Is Garcia going to be the #2 starter that Michael Pineda should have been? Probably not but on a one-year commitment that can build value for the lefty and possibly get the Yankees a draft pick down the line I don't see a problem with it if the price is right. The price being right is a marginal prospect or two that many fans haven't heard of and a package of a prospect or two from a position of strength from the farm system.

If the deal is right, pull the trigger. If not, on to Plan B.

Top 10 2017 MLB Free Agents & the Yankees

It seems to be the general consensus around the Yankees blogosphere, any Yankees fans forums or blogs, Twitter and other news media outlets that most of the team's fanbase does not want the team to go all-in this offseason on a free agent. The only exception to that rule would possibly be Aroldis Chapman and/or Kenley Jansen but for the most part the Yankees fan in general does not want anything to do with the Top 10 or so free agents on the market this winter. Did they get it right? Here are my Top 10 free agents this winter and whether I think the Yankees should make an offer to them.

1. Edwin Encarnacion
2. Yoenis Cespedes
3. Aroldis Chapman
4. Kenley Jansen
5. Mark Melancon
6. Rich Hill
7. Mark Trumbo
8. Matt Wieters
9. Ian Desmond
10.  Justin Turner

To me it's Aroldis Chapman or bust. Encarnacion, Cespedes, Hill, Desmond, Wieters and Turner are either all too old for what the Yankees are trying to do, don't fit the positional needs for New York or will want far too much money than they deserve because the market is so thin.

Kenley Jansen will undoubtedly receive a qualifying offer and as long as Chapman is on the board I am not okay with giving up a draft pick for his services while Melancon may or may not also fit into this category. I think Pittsburgh will offer him a qualifying offer but for whatever reason I am truly on the fence about whether he will accept or not.

I would honestly add Mark Trumbo for his right-handed power (albeit with some additional roster moves obviously) but I can't see Hal Steinbrenner putting up the money for someone like Trumbo so I'll leave him off the Yankees roster for 2017 due to that unfortunately.

Chapman or bust Yankees family. Chapman or bust.

Weekly AFL Check In: Miguel Andujar

Originally the Arizona Fall League All-Star rosters included two members of the New York Yankees and the Scottsdale Scorpions but much like the MLB version of the All-Star Game there was a final vote based on a fan vote and Miguel Andujar was chosen for Team East.

Let's take a look at the stat line that caught the fan's attention and sent him to the AFL All-Star Game over the weekend.

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/8: Yogi Berra the MVP

On this day in 1951 the Baseball Writers Association of America, BBWAA, named Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees the American League Most Valuable Player. Ned Garver of the Browns won 20 games this year on a last place team and finished second in the voting. Roy Campanella would win the award in the National League making this the first two that two catchers have both won the MVP award in the same season.