NL MVP Loves Flushing Meadow...

Photo Credit: New York Post (Paul J Bereswill)

Stanton hits 22nd Career Homer at Citi Field…

I should be leading off by saying how instrumental Brett Gardner’s home run off Mets ace Jacob deGrom was to the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the Mets or the brilliant job Masahiro Tanaka did after giving up the lead off right field upper deck homer to Brandon Nimmo, but watching Giancarlo Stanton go yard, even if it was just a tack-on run, was a game highlight for me.  

We know Stanton will eventually get hot and start hitting home runs seemingly every day.  Maybe this is the start. His homer was the 22nd of his career at Citi Field. In 109 career games against the Mets, Stanton has 36 home runs and 82 RBIs. It is the most career homers he has against any opponent. The next closest opponent is the team the Yankees face for a two-game series starting Tuesday (the Washington Nationals). Stanton has 34 career homers against the Nats. Then, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that has lost its best starting pitcher (Chris Archer, injury-DL) and best reliever (Alex Colome, trade to Mariners). It is easy to see how this could be the start of a very hot summer for Giancarlo.   

Brett Gardner, the veteran easily written off by most Yankees fans at the start of the year, provided the hit that powered the victory. With Jacob deGrom pitching like he always does against the Yankees (dominating) and a deadlocked game at 1-1 in the eighth inning, Gardy’s two-run homer off deGrom gave the Yankees a lead they would not relinquish. On a team filled with big sluggers, Gardner is the unlikely hero but there he is leading by example time and again.  

Photo Credit: NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (John Munson)

As for deGrom, I couldn’t help but imagine how he’d look in Pinstripes. Honestly, I do not think the Mets would ever trade their ace to the Yankees but realistically it does make sense. The Mets could garner a boatload of top prospects from their NYC rivals which would help restore some luster in Queens, even if it meant watching deGrom win a World Series championship, or two or three…, with the Yankees.

Credit to Masahiro Tanaka for shaking off the Nimmo dinger to start the game. He got the obligatory home run out of the way early. I am worried that he left the game with hamstring tightness, but before he departed, he did not allow another hit to the Mets and recorded eight strikeouts before his early departure after completing five innings. Not to be confused with Shohei Ohtani at bat, Tanaka reached base in the top of the sixth inning, thanks to an  uncharacteristic fielding error by Mets first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Tanaka worked his way to third with a single by Gleyber Torres and a walk by Brett Gardner. Aaron Judge’s fly to right brought Tanaka running home to score the run to tie the game, but something did seem wrong with his body language as there was no excitement in his face as he walked back to the Yankees dugout. He left the game with what was described as hamstring tightness and will undergo further tests today. Hopefully this is nothing serious. Naturally, the apparent injury brought back memories of Chien-Ming Wang who was never the same after suffering a foot injury in a National League park. I have never been against the lack of a DH in the NL except for the risk to AL pitchers who do not regularly come to the plate with bat in hand. It puts them at an obvious disadvantage and opens the possibility of unnecessary injury.

Photo Credit: NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (John Munson)

The Yankees bullpen also gets kudos for keeping the Mets off the board to set the stage for the late game heroics by Gardy and Giancarlo. Jonathan Holder, Chad Green, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman combined for four innings of three-hit, scoreless relief. Green gave up two hits but struck out two, including an inning-ending strikeout of Devin Mesoraco, to stifle a potential Mets rally. Courtesy of Gardy’s homer to follow the next inning, Green (4-0) picked up the vulture win. For Chapman, it was his 16th save of the season. The Mets had the tying run at the plate when Chappy hit a batter and another reached on an infield hit, but he induced a fly out by slugger Jay Bruce to end the game. Trainer Steve Donahue visited Chapman while he was on the mound but he stayed in the game. He has apparently been dealing with tendonitis in his left knee, although Aaron Boone said after the game it was “no big deal”. I hope not. Chapman, for all his sweatiness, has been fantastic this year. Quietly, I have enjoyed the performances of Betances lately. In his most recent games, Aaron Boone hasn’t tried to squeeze more than an inning out of Betances and it has yielded very good results. So credit to Boonie for making good use of the pen. The Mets, for as miserable as they’ve been at times this year, have the bats to get back into a game in a hurry.

The Yankees (41-18) leaped over the Boston Red Sox (43-21) in the AL East by a half-game with the victory. Chris Sale pitched masterfully against his former club, the Chicago White Sox, but it wasn’t enough as the White Sox used Dylan Covey and their bullpen to shutout Boston, 1-0. It was the third consecutive loss for Sale.  Too bad, so sad. Um, not really.

If the Yankees have to pull a spot starter out of the minor leagues, I fully expect Jonathan Loaisiga to get the call. The 23-year-old righty is 6-0 with 2.30 ERA this year with High A-Tampa and Double A-Trenton. The only concern is that he has yet to pitch at the Triple A level. He has a spot on the 40-man roster which gives him an “arm” up on the guys who are not.  Justus Sheffield certainly threw his name into the hat with yesterday’s outstanding performance. He only gave up one hit and two runs (none earned) in six innings of work to help power the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to a 4-3 win over the Louisville Bats in front of a packed house at PNC Field in Moosic, PA. Top Sheff did walk three batters and threw a wild pitch but he struck out eight to pick up his first Triple A win this year. There’s no doubt Sheffield will make his Major League debut this year. It is just a matter of whether it will be sooner or later.  

Photo Credit: Todd Hiller

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Capitals for their championships in the NBA and NHL, respectively. Championships are old hat for the Warriors but it was exciting to see the Capitals win their first, especially for their great player and captain, Alex Ovechkin. Somehow it didn’t seem right for the Las Vegas Golden Knights to win a championship in their inaugural year so I was happy to see the Caps emerge as the Stanley Cup Champions. Plus the Golden Knights had knocked my team (the San Jose Sharks) out of the playoffs so it was sweet revenge.

Today is a new day but a good day to continue the Mets losing streak. Go Domingo German and, as always, Go Yankees!

Remembering Game Three of the 2000 Subway World Series

The 2000 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the New York Mets facing off in the World Series for the first time in their history. This was the first Subway Series since 1956 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees faced off. Let's take the time to remember Game 3 of the 2000 World Series.

The Yankees would send Orlando Hernandez to the mound to face off with the Mets Rick Reed in Game 3 of the Subway World Series. The game would go into the 8th inning tied at 2-2 when Orlando Hernandez gave up two runs to break the game open and give the Mets a 4-2 lead. The Mets would win the game by that same score breaking Orlando Hernandez's perfect playoff record of 6-0 and ending the Yankees 14 consecutive World Series victories dating back to the 1996 World Series. John Franco would take the victory and Orlando Hernandez would take the loss with Armando Benitez notching the save to make the Subway World Series 2-1 in the Yankees favor.

Remembering Game Two of the 2000 Subway World Series

The 2000 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the New York Mets facing off in the World Series for the first time in their history. This was the first Subway Series since 1956 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees faced off. Let's take the time to remember Game 2 of the 2000 World Series.

The New York Yankees would send Roger Clemens to the mound in Game 2 to face off with Mets pitcher Mike Hampton. Roger Clemens was already not a favorite in the Mets clubhouse after this seasons match up in Interleague play where Clemens hit Mets catcher Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball that gave him a concussion and landed him on the disabled list. The bad blood came back when in Mike Piazza's first at bat Roger Clemens sawed off Piazza's bat with a fastball that went foul. A large piece of the bat came flying towards Clemens and he would pick up the bat and throw it down the first base line in the general direction of Mike Piazza. Clemens said after the game that he did not see Piazza running down the base line when he threw the bat but that did not placate Mike Piazza. The Yankees would take a 6-0 lead into the 9th inning when Mike Piazza would get some sort of pay back when he hit a home run against Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson later in the game but the Yankees would ultimately win the game 6-5 to take a 2-0 lead in the Subway World Series. Roger Clemens would take the victory and Mike Hampton would take the loss.

This would be the Yankees 10th consecutive World Series game victory tying the longest American League winning streak in World Series history.

Trade History Between the Yankees & Mets

Here's all 16 trades between the two clubs. You be the judge. Leave your thoughts in the comments section of the site or by tweeting us @GreedyStripes. Enjoy and Happy Hunting Cashman!


New York Mets selected Duke Carmel in free agent draft (Rule 5 Draft) on November 30, 1964.
New York Mets purchased Bob Friend from the New York Yankees on June 15, 1966.


New York Mets sold Chris Cannizzaro to the New York Yankees on December 7, 1966.


New York Mets purchased Hal Reniff from the New York Yankees on June 29, 1967.


New York Mets traded Roy Staiger to the New York Yankees for Sergio Ferrer on December 9, 1977.


New York Mets purchased Ray Burris from the New York Yankees on August 20, 1979.


April 1, 1980: New York Yankees purchase infielder Marshall Brandt from the New York Mets. 
New York Mets traded Felix Perdomo and Steve Ray to the New York Yankees for Tucker Ashford on April 18, 1983.


New York Mets traded Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia to the New York Yankees for Phil Lombardi, Darren Reedand Steve Frey on December 11, 1987.

July 10, 1989: Outfielder Marcus Lawton is traded from the Mets to the Yankees for pitcher Scott Nielsen. 

New York Mets traded Tim Burke to the New York Yankees for Lee Guetterman on June 9, 1992.

New York Mets traded Frank Tanana to the New York Yankees for Kenny Greer on September 17, 1993.

New York Mets traded Robin Ventura to the New York Yankees for David Justice on December 7, 2001.

New York Mets traded Armando Benitez to the New York Yankees for Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa on July 16, 2003.

New York Mets traded Mike Stanton to the New York Yankees for Felix Heredia on December 3, 2004.

New York Yankees traded cash to the New York Mets for Gonzalez Germen on December 19, 2014. 

The New York Yankees were NOT able to acquire Jay Bruce from the Mets in 2017, speculated to be for starting pitcher Domingo German, which may have been the best trade the Yankees ever made with the Mets. The one that they didn't make. 

Remembering Game One of the 2000 Subway World Series

The 2000 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the New York Mets facing off in the World Series for the first time in their history. This was the first Subway Series since 1956 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees faced off. Let's take the time to remember Game 1 of the 2000 World Series.

The Yankees sent Andy Pettitte to the mound to face off against the Mets Al Leiter on a very important date in baseball history, October 21st. This was the day that Carlton Fisk hit his home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series and on the same day the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series on this day in 1980. Both starting pitchers had shut outs going into the 6th inning until David Justice knocked a two run double to put the Yankees up 2-0. Andy Pettitte would quickly lose the lead in the 7th after hit after hit off the savvy lefty including an Edgardo Alfonzo hit to give the Mets the 3-2 lead. Chuck Knoblauch would have a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th inning off Mets closer Armando Benitez to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Jose Vizcaino would be the unlikeliest of heroes when he would knock in Tino Martinez with his fourth hit of the game to give the Yankees a 4-3 victory and a 1-0 lead in the Subway World Series. Mike Stanton would get the win and Mets pitcher Turk Wendell would take the loss.

UPDATED: The History of the Subway Series

1997: 

Dave Milicki throws a complete game shutout to win the very first game but the Yankees would take the next two to win the Subway Series 2-1.

1998:

Mike Piazza was added to the Mets to add fuel to the rivalry, also in hopes of the Mets having a playoff push, but the Yankees still won the Subway Series 2-1

1999:

Interleague Play was expanded to where both teams hosted a series. The Mets won their series 2-1 at Shea Stadium and the Yankees won their series 2-1 at Yankee Stadium.

2000: 

On July, 8 2000 the Yankees and Mets played a split doubleheader, one game at Yankee Stadium and one game at Shea Stadium, and the Yankees took both games 4-2. The Yankees would win that season series and these two teams would meet in the World Series with the Yankees taking home the championship in five games.

2001: 

Yankees win the series 4-2

2002:

Yankees win the series 4-2

2003:

The Yankees won all six games to sweep the season series for the first time.

2004: 

The Mets would win their first Subway Series 4-2 after sweeping the Yankees in Shea Stadium.

2005:

The Mets won their first series at Yankee Stadium this season and almost swept the Yankees at Yankee Stadium before Jason Giambi had a ninth inning game winning hit to split the season series 3-3.

2006: 

These two teams would split the season series 3-3.

2007: 

These two teams would split the season series 3-3.

2008: 

The New York Mets would win the Subway Series for only the second time and got their first sweep at Yankee Stadium. Mets win the series 4-2.

2009: 

The Mets were swept at Citi Field and would lose two of three games at Yankee Stadium to lose the series 5-1.

2010: 

These two teams would split the season series 3-3.

2011: 

Yankees won the series 4-2 just days after Derek Jeter joined the 3,000 hit club.

2012: 

The Mets could only scamper one win and lose the series 5-1.

2013: 

The Yankees offense was nonexistent and for the first time the Mets swept all four games against the Yankees.

2014:

The Yankees and Mets split the new four game Subway Series while neither made any ground in the overall standings.


2015:

The Yankees took 2/3 from the Mets inside Yankee Stadium and then another 2/3 from these same Mets inside Citi Field. Another season series victory. 

2016:

The Yankees and Mets split the new four game Subway Series while neither made any ground in the overall standings.


2017:

The New York Mets didn't stand a chance against the Baby Bombers in 2017 losing all four matchups against the boys in pinstripes. 

2018:

To be continued....

Total Yankees Wins: 66
Total Mets Wins: 47

Do Not Be Worried About Stanton's Contract

Here we see Mr. Stanton looking up at his salary.

Professional athletes get a lot of flak over how much money they make. You've no doubt heard something along the lines of "it's ridiculous that so-and-so makes that much money". What those people fail to realize (or choose to ignore) is that professional sports rakes in billions of dollars, and that money is going to end up in somebody's pocket. Would you rather the owners take the majority of that money, while the guys people pay that money to see do all the work?

It's the exact opposite of the situation in college sports, where so many people are up in arms over the fact that while Ohio State University football is worth $1.5 billion the players see none of that. Well, you can say they get some of that through tuition and food per diems, but you get my point. Besides, I don't want to touch that subject with Daniel's finger. Heck, I'm probably going to regret bringing it up in the first place.

The point I wanted to make there is that pro athletes make the money, and people are pissed. But when college athletes don't get that money, people are still pissed. 

Talk about hypocrisy.

And that's not the only place where so many people lose perspective when it comes to the salaries of professional athletes. Back when Giancarlo Stanton signed that 13 year extension with the Marlins I heard so many people talk about the fact that Florida would be on the hook for $32 million in 2025 (assuming he didn't opt out, or... you know... get traded), when Giancarlo is 35 years old and has likely taken a step or two back.

On the surface that sounds like it could hurt. Even on a team like the Yankees, who have one of the highest payrolls in the league (I like not having to say they have the highest), you're talking about more than 15% of your team payroll for one player. But for a team like Miami, whose payroll is a little over $95 million, that player salary is crippling.

So what do the Yankees do if Stanton doesn't opt out, and they are on the hook for $96 million for his ages 35-37 seasons (he has a club option for another $25 million in 2028, with a $10 million buyout)? Well... nothing.

Am I being so nonchalant about this because it's not my money?

Well... sort of, yes. But the biggest reason I don't worry about that is because of inflation. In 2011 the highest paid player, Alex Rodriguez, made $32 million. The highest paid player this season, Clayton Kershaw, will make $35.5 million. That's an increase of about 11%.

So it's possible that the highest paid player in 2025 could be making over $39 million. That's why when people say Bryce Harper, and possibly Manny Machado, could make $40 million a year on their next contract, you shouldn't say they're out of their minds.

So going back to Stanton's $32 million, that means there's a chance he could be making 20% less than the highest paid player in 2025. To put that in perspective, Jason Heyward's salary of just under $28.2 million is about 20% less than Kershaw's. And that's for a guy that's been a below average hitter for the past two plus years. But you don't hear about how his contract is crippling the Chicago Cubs, are you?

Hell, back in February, Jon Heyman wrote that the Cubs have one of the best chances to sign Bryce Harper this offseason. There's all the proof you need that the Cubs will not be hampered by that Jason Heyward contract.

And neither will the Yankees when it comes to Giancarlo's deal.

I can't say with certainty whether or not I want Stanton to opt-out after the 2020 season. Chances are I will be hoping he does, because at that point he will be 30 years old and I can't imagine being okay with the Yankees signing a 30 year old to a seven year contract. But either way I'm not going to predict doom for the team based on what happens there. If the farm system is unable to produce like they are now, then I may be a bit worried. But I'm going to keep the faith.

Judge & Stanton Gladly Pay the Power Bill…

Photo Credit: The Canadian Press via AP (Frank Gunn)

Yanks use the Big Bats to finish Road Trip on winning note…

It’s been a very eventful week in the Yankees Universe.  The Yankees completed a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and finished the latest road trip with a 5-1 record. Tommy Kahnle now plays for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Jordan Montgomery undergoes the knife today for his Tommy John surgery, and a number of young, talented prospects potentially begin their journeys to Pinstripes.

Seriously, MLB should option the Baltimore Orioles (19-41) to the International League and call up the RailRiders to replace them in the AL East. The RailRiders are loaded with Major League talent.

It’s been a great road trip (outside of the loss in the second game of Monday’s double-header in Detroit) and last night’s game was incredible. Sonny Gray, wow!  THIS is clearly the guy we’ve been looking for and NEED for an extended October run.  Sonny may not have gotten the win but he was as critical to the win as he has ever been while representing the Yankees. If he had given up just one run last night, the Yankees lose. I am so glad that Masahiro Tanaka was not on the mound as he would have given up at least his obligatory home run to send the Yankees home with a loss. Sonny’s final line was better than any starting pitcher who picked up a win on Wednesday. Eight innings, 99 pitches, two hits, no runs, a couple of walks, and eight strikeouts. The closest winning pitcher was Baltimore’s Dylan Bundy who blanked the New York Mets on three hits over seven innings, but c’mon, he was pitching to the Mets. Nice job, Sonny. Now if you can repeat this performance in Yankee Stadium, life will be good.

I am grateful for Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for their game-winning home runs in the 13^th inning, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the Sucks! Award goes to Gary Sanchez. He looked pitiful at the plate.  I was so mad when he swung at a pitch well below the strike zone to end the 11^th inning with Giancarlo Stanton stranded at third. All we needed was a measly single and Gary chases a stupid pitch.  For the game, El Gary was 1-for-6 with two strikeouts. The ground rule double he hit in the top of the 4^th inning allowed him to barely keep his batting average above .200. Aaron Boone keeps saying that Sanchez is close. I hope so because I sure didn’t see that guy last night. 

As for Judge, his two-run homer in the 13^th inning off Blue Jays reliever Joe Biagini made me about as happy as the kid prominently featured in the TV telecast, dancing in the upper deck of Rogers Centre while holding a handwritten “All Rise” sign. 

There was no doubt Judge’s shot was gone, but Stanton’s homer surprised me. He walloped the ball like only Aaron Judge can do and it looked like a line drive to left that might drop in for a single except the ball never dropped. It was a laser shot into the left field stands. It goes to show you that when Stanton does get hot, American League pitchers will be running for cover. 

Unfortunately, despite the win, the Yankees were unable to make up any ground on the Boston Red Sox. The Sox, winners of four-in-a-row, cruised past the Detroit Tigers, 7-1. Boston (43-19) maintained their one game advantage on the Yankees (40-18). It’s amazing the Red Sox and Yankees are the only teams in Major League Baseball with at least 40 wins. As many have said, the Yankees are on a path to 111 wins but if Boston continues its current winning percentage, the Yankees would have to settle for a one-game Wild Card play-off. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians hold a relatively comfortable 4.5 game lead in the AL Central and project out to 86 wins and would enter as a division champ.  That’s sick. 

The Yankees have the day off today in preparation for their weekend series with the crosstown Mets. It will be good to see old friend Todd Frazier but I am glad Yankees pitchers have to throw to the Toddfather and not some guy like Miguel Andujar in this series. Friday night’s game will be tough with Masahiro Tanaka scheduled to face Jacob deGrom. Hopefully the Yanks can hold it close to get into the Mets bullpen. I fully expect deGrom to bring his “A” game as there is nothing better than to beat NYC’s best team in New York.  Hopefully Masa was watching Sonny Gray and taking notes.

I haven’t had a chance to gather my thoughts about the Yankees picks in this year’s MLB Draft. I am anxious to read the Meet A Prospect segments by TGP’s Daniel Burch. The Yankees took six catchers including two for their first picks in the first and second rounds (Anthony Seigler and Josh Breaux). Within their first 16 picks, the Yankees took two 6’8” right-handed pitchers (Daniel Bies, 8^th Round, and Derek Craft, 16^th Round). The 11^th round pick, Tanner Myatt, also RHP, is no slouch at 6’7”. The shortest guy in the draft was LHP Dan Metzdorf (5’9”) who was taken in the 38^th round.  Go short people!

I was kind of hoping the Yankees would have selected 3B Triston Casas of American Heritage School in Florida. He had shown up as an option for the Yankees on a few mock draft boards. The Red Sox ended up taking him with the 26^th pick in the first round. I probably would have liked to have seen him go anywhere except Boston. I was also disappointed when the Atlanta Braves chose Stanford’s Tristan Beck, RHP, in the fourth round. Beck had been a late, back-end of the draft selection for the Yankees last year but did not sign. For as much as I’ve been down on former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, I was also disappointed when the Detroit Tigers got Roger’s son, Kody, a second baseman, in the third round. 

Lastly, I have to pay my respects to the late St Louis Cardinals great Red Schoendienst who passed away yesterday at age 95. While I am a Yankees fan, I grew up with St Louis as the nearest Major League city and it is where I experienced my first Major League game. While I liked baseball up to that point, I think my first game developed the love I have for the game. 

Wednesday, May 29, 1974…

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, with future Yankee Tommy John on the mound, were facing the St Louis Cardinals at the old Busch Stadium in St Louis. Bob Gibson was on the hill for the Cards, but more importantly (at least for this post), the manager of the Cardinals was Red Schoendienst. I should have recognized the greatness of the manager in the other dugout (the legendary Walter Alston of the Dodgers) but it was Schoendienst that captured my attention on that day. I can’t even tell you why he was so memorable to me that day. Maybe it was his name. Maybe it was the aura of the Cardinals, a very proud franchise that is second only to the Yankees in history, tradition and World Series wins.

The Dodgers won that game, 5-2, and John was the winning pitcher but I went away from the game with a great appreciation and respect for the Schoendienst-led Cardinals. It probably helped that I got to meet and shake hands with Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial but I clearly associated the Cardinals with their manager. 

Schoendienst, a second baseman, played in the Majors for 19 years.  While he spent most of his time with the Cardinals, he also played for the New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves. Red was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. During the course his career in baseball as a player, coach or manager, he wore a Cardinals uniform for 67 out of 74 consecutive years in the game. To this day, I still can’t think of the Cardinals without thinking of Red. 

Farewell to a great St Louis Cardinal and to one of the game’s greatest guys. 

Photo Credit: St Louis Post-Dispatch (Robert Cohen)

The Red Sox have played four more games than the Yankees, thanks to the rainouts, and the Sox play again today. Here’s hoping for a Red Sox loss (finally) against the Tigers. I’d love to end this day with the Yankees only trailing the Sox by a half-game. The Tigers have a decent pitcher on the mound (Matthew Boyd, 3-4, 3.23 ERA) while the Red Sox counter with Jar-Jar Binks, excuse me, I mean Jalen Beeks. 

So, Go Tigers, and as always, Go Yankees!

P.S.  A special wish for a safe and successful surgery for Jordan Montgomery, and the all best for his post-surgery recovery and rehabilitation!

The Stars in Their Courses

The Stars in Their Courses

By David H. Lippman

  

Right before Cole Hamels demolished the Yankees on May 22nd, he made a cryptic statement to the media on how he was hoping he would get a chance to pitch for a contending team in critical games in September and October. As the Texas Rangers were 10-31 before that game, playing with overmatched minor-league call-ups in lieu of skilled veterans like Elvis Andrus and future Hall-of-Famers like Adrian Beltre, it’s unlikely that there will be a pennant chase in Arlington, Texas.

So what did Hamels mean? The answer was simple, of course: later this season, the Rangers, like most teams falling out of contention throughout baseball history, will sell off their higher-priced assets to acquire cheaper minor leaguers for the endless “rebuilding” campaign. Hamels expects to be one of them, and he probably will. He said so.

But what’s interesting about this routine statement was the timing – the Yankees were making their annual visit to the Dallas-Fort Worth blast furnace, and is the one large weakness on this otherwise astonishing Yankee team is their questionable pitching rotation. Despite his age, Cole Hamels would likely fill a critical gap. He knows that. The Yankees know that. And Hamels was smart enough to remind us with that fact before the game and during it.

He’s not the only well-known lustrous ballplayer making such noises. Last year, Bryce Harper, the signature player for the Washington Nationals, told interviewers during the All-Star Game that he didn’t think he wanted to go to the Yankees when his contract expires this fall. Now he’s making noises about the possibility of doing so, reversing his previous stand. And Manny Machado, who is doing a fine job of impersonating a shortstop for the otherwise hopeless Baltimore Orioles, also made similar noises, which got Aaron Judge in trouble when Aaron made them to Manny.

In theory, the Yankees could acquire two of these players (Hamels and Machado) this year, at least as rentals, and all three after the season, putting Miguel Andujar or Didi Gregorius out of a job, or Aaron Hicks out of a job, or filling up holes in the pitching rotation.

Why are these players making these noises? Well, obviously they all want to reel in the immense bucks that the Yankees can (and historically have) throw at the players they want. They also know that playing for the Yankees increases the side money (endorsements and appearances), post-game fun (nightclubs), and opportunities for post-season appearances (and more money). All ballplayers want to ride in the float with their wives and kids down the city’s main street at the World Series Victory Parade. The sole exception was Catfish Hunter, who was a very humble guy – as soon as the World Series was won, he would race for the Stadium exit, the taxicab, and the flight to North Carolina, to return to hunting, farming, and his family.

But this is all a gigantic change from the 1980s and 1990s, when free agents and big-name players would not come to New York and genuinely feared doing so.

Time after time in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, the Yankees would make their best pitch to some of baseball’s biggest players, and get turned down repeatedly. A three-team trade that would bring New York-raised master hitter Rod Carew to The Bronx fizzled out when Carew refused to play for the Yankees. Bobby Grich, seen as the possible replacement for Fred Stanley at shortstop after the 1976 World Series, instead signed with the Los Angeles Angels, claiming Yankee owner George M. Steinbrenner III “threatened” him.

The result was that the Yankees could not sign a great number of top-line free agents – even during the mid-1980s time of collusion, when Commissioner Peter Ueberroth convinced the owners to resume treating players as chattel. Nobody wanted to join the Yankees.

The reasons in the 1980s were obvious to anyone who remembers the era. Even long-time Yankee fans have trouble keeping tracks of who was manager in a given year. Billy Martin as a default answer usually works. His presence, paranoia, and fondness for alcohol made him a periodic menace to himself and his own team. The Yankees were in perpetual disarray, and players staggered out of the team dazed, exhausted, confused, and relieved.

This kind of atmosphere and the stories the survivors told in their new clubhouses frightened pending free agent ballplayers and their negotiators. Despite the Yankees’ core of talented players – Winfield, Mattingly, and Guidry – their tradition (which needs no rehearsing), and the numerous advantages of playing in New York (endorsement deals and extracurricular activities), “franchise players” avoided The Bronx, except with their visiting teams.

That “boycott” reached its peak or nadir in the late 1980s, when anybody who’d played in an All-Star Game was eager to flee New York or avoid it in the first place…with the result being the horrific 1990 Yankees, whose high in low was Andy Hawkins losing a Chicago game in which he did not give up a hit. Since he lost, the game is not recorded as a no-hitter.

All that changed once Joe Torre and the Core Four replaced Stump Merrill, Steve Howe, Oscar Azocar, Mike Witt, and Pascual Perez. Once again, the Yankees were the hot place for free agents and their spokesmen to bring their wares.

The Yankees promptly re-filed their lineup with a great many talented ballplayers, to the point that players who had no idea of what being a Yankee truly meant were begging to play in pinstripes.

That had some good results: Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui, Mike Mussina, to name three – and some horrific ones: Kevin Brown, Rondell White, and Carl Pavano of hated memory. Now we have top players dropping their “no-trade” clauses to accept moves to New York, like Giancarlo Stanton.

But despite revenue sharing and post-season defeats from between 2000 and 2008 and from 2010 and to the present, the big players are seeing the point, and headed for The Bronx. Yankee Stadium is the place to be, and the stars are coursing toward The Bronx.

The Yankees may not gain the services of Harper, Hamels, and Machado this year, or even next. But it’s clear that talented and established players will want to come here. They may not push out the young guys – Torres, Andujar, and Bird, for example – but it’s a pleasant problem for a general manager to face, be he or she sitting in a luxurious office in Yankee Stadium or in a less-than-luxurious living room.

My Reaction To Jordan Montgomery Getting TJS

It was recently announced that this Thursday Jordan Montgomery would undergo Tommy John surgery. While losing Monty for the rest of this season isn't going to hurt the Yankees shot at the World Series, the loss of Jordan Montgomery is far from insignificant. 

In 35 starts for the Yankees, between last season and this one, Monty has thrown to a solid 3.84 ERA. Yet his value to the rotation has been greatly overlooked.

I'm not saying he should be considered the team's ace, and was on his way to starting the Wild Card game or Game 1 of the ALDS. Actually, I don't think he would have started a postseason game at all. Severino, whoever they trade for, and Tanaka would likely be the starters then. But way more often than not, when Jordan started the team had a chance to win. And you can't ask for more than that from your #4 or #5 starter. 

Actually, there are plenty of teams that are lucky to get one win out of five starts from their 4th and 5th starters.

I don't want to say I'm concerned about the team's chances to win it all this season due losing Montgomery. The aforementioned Severino and Tanaka, along with Gray, Sabathia, and German should be able to keep leading the Yankees to plenty of victories. Not to mention an addition to that rotation via trade. But if you are waving this off as nothing, possibly comparing it to the team not having Jacoby Ellsbury around, you haven't been paying attention.