Machado Explains “Johnny Hustle” Comments, But Does It Matter?

The fans and ownership have spoken, and apparently free agent infielder Manny Machado is listening. Machado had an eventful postseason and World Series that showcased him not only as potentially a dirty player, but as a player that refuses to hustle. Machado did himself no favors when he said in an interview that he was not “Johnny Hustle,” but apparently, we all just misunderstood what he was saying when he said that. Imagine that. This week, before the Thanksgiving holiday and before the GM meetings can kick off later this winter, Machado touched on those comments and offered a bit of clarification on them.

Machado was quoted as saying “I’m not the type of player that’s going to be ‘Johnny Hustle’ and run down the line and slide to first base,” which angered a lot of fans and made a lot of potential free agent bidders question his integrity. Now, to be fair, this quote was mildly taken out of context and blown up by the fans and media alike. Everyone who reads this knows about the quote, but I would venture to say that most don’t remember the part of the interview where Machado stated that he admitted that he should have run the ground ball out and that it looked “terrible.”

Machado has since been on the defensive saying that, “When I was asked that question, I was definitely on the defensive, and I was wrong to answer it the way that I did, because looking back, it doesn’t come across how I meant it,” Machado said. Well, Manny, how did you mean it? “For me, I was trying to talk about how I’m not the guy who is eye wash. There’s a difference between fake hustle for show and being someone who tries hard to win. I’ve always been the guy who does whatever he can to win for his team.” Yeah, I don’t think that really answered the question, but cool? Machado continued, “I know how I said it and how that came across, and it’s something I take responsibility for. I look forward to talking with each GM and owner that we meet with about that, or any other questions they have.”

We all know that Hank Steinbrenner has already raised questions about the comments and stated that before he was to be signed that Machado would have to explain himself. If anything, this tells us that Manny is at least willing to do so and seems to at least be taking responsibility for his actions. Does this really change anything? For me, no. The comments didn’t make me want him any more or any less. For others? I doubt it, because their minds are made up. For Brian Cashman, Hank Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees? Maybe, stay tuned to find out.

Yankees Trade is Just Awesome!

James “Big Maple” Paxton is a awesome get for the Yanks, don’t believe me let’s talk this out.   Firstly Paxton a southpaw tossed a no-hitter last season, and appears to be on track to becoming one of baseball’s next great starting pitchers. He just turned 30 years old, and is in his second arbitration year. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Paxton will earn $9 million in arbitration this winter. (Maybe a little less) That is a steal!!!! He is due to become a free agent following the 2020 season, so the Yankees have him under team control for two full seasons. Paxton had an 3.76 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP over 160.1 innings for the Mariners in 2018. He struck out 11.7 batters per nine, while allowing only 1.3 home runs and 2.4 walks per nine. Hopefully those numbers stay the same in the Bronx.  Brian Cashman made it clear The Yankees’ where he’ll bent this winter is to upgrade the starting staff. That’s exactly what he did here. Although they have been connected to a number of free agents, well duh they are always are even when they are not, as well as trade candidates, the Bombers acquire Mariners ace James Paxton.Which should help to solidify the starting rotation. Paxton is a strikeout pitcher who is on a quick rise. Paxton made baseball history last May when he tossed a no-hitter against the Jays. (A EL East Team) He had 10-plus strikeout games 8 as well, including a career-high 16 in May against the Athletics. (Our Wildcard Foes). For 9 million which will most likely be saved when Gray is traded this is an awesome pick up that allows the Yankees to still go big game hunting. 🤔🤔

Let’s G⚾️ Yankees!! 

JamesCPalma@Yahoo.Com

MLB Pipeline's Top 10 Yankees Prospects

Luis Medina

Most notably... no Chance Adams. Ouch.

OF Estevan Florial RHP Jonathan Loaisiga RHP Albert Abreu RHP Domingo Acevedo C Anthony Seigler RHP Clarke Schmidt RHP Trevor Stephan RHP Luis Medina RHP Matt Sauer RHP Garrett Whitlock

Call Me Crazy, But How About Sonny Gray (Plus, Plus, Plus) for Joey Votto

Call me crazy, but since money is “no object” anymore wouldn’t it make sense for the New York Yankees to make a run at first baseman Joey Votto? I don’t mean to downplay the money, it’s a ton of money and Brian Cashman and company have already said they aren’t going to blow up the payroll, but they also said they would spend what they had to in order to win. Getting Votto makes the Yankees not only better, but absolutely dangerous in an unfair kind of way. The Reds presumably would be willing to pay down some of that contract, or take lesser prospects if the Yankees ate the entire contract, so it only makes sense with a potential Sonny Gray trade looming between these two clubs.

Let’s be frank, this would be a huge undertaking for the New York Yankees if a trade were to happen. Votto is signed through the 2023 season with a team option for the 2024 season worth roughly $132 million. Now, some may say this is crazy because the Yankees have cheaper options in Luke Voit and Greg Bird, but I would beg to argue that point. Voit was a 27-year old (basically) career minor league player for a reason. The Yankees took advantage of a hot streak and rode him into the postseason, nothing more. There is nothing that says that Voit will be anything more or anything less than the next Shane Spencer for the club. Prove me wrong, I would thoroughly enjoy seeing it… but I don’t think that he will. Adding a proven veteran left-handed bat to a young and heavy right-handed lineup just makes sense for New York, and it would cost them a lot less than signing Bryce Harper for 10-years and $300 million+ just to learn the position. It’s simple math really, 5-years and $125 million for Votto with a $20 million team option for a sixth season or a $7 million buyout, or a 10-year mega-contract for Bryce Harper.

Now, I fully realize that Bryce Harper is 26-years old, while Votto is 36-years old near the end of the 2019 season, but Votto is still incredibly productive and would be moving to a league where he could eventually play more and more designated hitter. Votto hits for power from the left side, he hits with runners in scoring position, he hits for average, hell the guy probably gets out of bed in the morning and hits something. He just hits.

Would the deal be risky? Sure, having someone signed through their “decline” years is always risky, but this is a win-now team, and this is a win-now move. This deal would not hamstring the Yankees, but of course it would come with some sort of risk and fallout if Father Time were to catch up to Votto soon. If the Yankees could swing a deal including Sonny Gray, obviously not straight up… but as a part of a package, I think you have to do it and worry about his age 38-41 seasons then, not now.

My Thoughts on the James Paxton Acquisition

In case you have been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, the New York Yankees acquired left-handed starter James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners for LHP prospect Justus Sheffield, RHP Erik Swanson and outfield prospect Dom Thompson-Williams. Here are my thoughts on the trade, for what they are worth.

My initial thought process was one of a bit of confusion. I didn’t immediately love the trade, but at the same time I didn’t exactly hate the trade either. I am a prospect humper, deal with it, but at the same time I understand that nine times out of a ten that a trade is supposed to hurt. As a prospect humper, this trade hurt… and that makes me optimistic for the future.

Is Paxton the ace that the Yankees “need” this offseason? Probably not, not as it stands today anyway, but the fact of the matter is… he could be. Health concerns aside, which you have with any pitcher, Paxton is entering his prime as a starting pitcher. Sometimes it takes pitchers a little longer to figure it out, health wise, than others. AJ Burnett is a great example of this. While his statistics in New York were not anything to write home about, he had seemingly turned the corner into his 30’s and learned how to build up his body to pitch an entire 162-game schedule. There’s no reason that Paxton cannot do the same.

Losing Sheffield sucks but I do understand that some scouts have been down on him lately. He has a small frame, which scares most talent evaluators, and his control has been suspect at times. I would have loved to have seen Justus figure it out in the Bronx, but I understand that he needed to be included in the deal to get it done. If the Yankees didn’t include Justus then we would be reading about Paxton wearing a Houston Astros uniform right now, and after the Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole debacles that was just not an option. Losing Swanson also sucks, but he needed to be protected on the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft and I honestly felt like there were too many arms ahead of him on the depth chart to warrant his protection. Lose him in a Paxton trade, or lose him for nothing next month. I’ll go with the former. Thompson-Williams, no offense, is a throw-in in the deal in my opinion.

The trade for Paxton hurt, but it made the Yankees starting rotation a whole lot better. Paxton, at worst, can slide into the middle of the Yankees rotation alongside Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka. At best, the Yankees got an ace for the price of a #2 starter. Adding Patrick Corbin to this rotation would only make the starting five that much better, and that idea excites me. As a prospect humper the deal has me worried, but as a Yankees fan this deal has me excited for the 2019 season. Go Yankees!

Yankees Acquire James Paxton...

Photo by Christian Petersen

Top Prospect Justus Sheffield joins the ranks of “former” Yankees…

The news broke suddenly yesterday afternoon. After a fairly quiet November (up to that point, the only significant MLB trade had been Seattle’s catcher Mike Zunino to the Tampa Bay Rays as the start of Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto’s “re-imagining” of his roster), reports came hard and fast like a James Paxton four-seam fastball that the Yankees had acquired the talented lefty from Seattle.  

My initial reaction was ‘it’s a start, but we need more’. I didn’t expect the Yankees to lose Miguel Andujar in a trade for the much talked about trade speculation involving the 6’4” Big Maple and fortunately he was not involved. For a frontline ace like Corey Kluber, you’d part with the young third baseman but not for Paxton. 

Photo by Al Bello, Getty Images

When it was announced the Yankees had sent top prospect Justus Sheffield, breakout minor league starter Erik Swanson, and rising minor league outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams to Seattle for Paxton, Yankee fans were immediately trying to find flaws in the prospects sent to the Northwest. I am not going to join the crowd and trash Sheffield. The fact remains he is only 22 and still has an excellent chance to be a difference-maker. For a team that is prepared to win in 2019, this is a trade that makes sense. Paxton makes the Yankees better when they step back on the grounds of Yankee Stadium next year. Sheffield is probably a few seasons away from reaching his potential. This is totally a ‘win now’ move.  

The Yankees also needed to make room on the 40-man roster for Swanson or he would have been eligible for next month’s Rule 5 Draft so this saves a spot for someone else.  

So where do we go from here? I really hope the Yankees continue their pursuit of free agent lefty Patrick Corbin. He was and continues to be my top choice. I’d love to have Corey Kluber but I don’t really expect the Cleveland Indians to trade their ace without asking for a King’s ransom. Admittedly, I will be disappointed if the Yankees sign J.A. Happ to fill the last spot in the rotation. Happ was great during his short time as a Yankee last year, but as a long-term piece, let’s say I would be a little underwhelmed. I would have been fine with Happ to go with Corbin, but not paired with Paxton who carries injury risk. I know, all pitchers carry injury risk. It’s the nature of the beast, but Paxton has consistently missed time over the last few years.  

If the Yankees are successful in signing Corbin, the newcomers, along with Masahiro Tanaka, will certainly ease some pressure off Luis Severino to be “the man”.  I suppose it’s not out of the question for the Yankees to sign both Corbin and Happ. Last year proved, once again, you can never have too many starters.  Personally, I preferred signing Happ over long-time Yank CC Sabathia for the back end of the rotation. But regardless, you know that one or more starters in the rotation will miss time for various ailments and the Yankees need to be prepared. I really hope we’re not facing more rollouts of Luis Cessa to fill those spots. Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga and Chance Adams will have every opportunity to help, I am sure, but I hope we’re not leaning on those guys in multiple spots like we were at times last season.  

Seattle fans seem to be taking the trade in stride. I think they realized that their team was mired in mediocrity in a division with some very strong teams. They have a few players with bloated contracts like Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez, and Kyle Seager. I have always loved Cano but the back half of his huge contract is not going to be pretty for the 36-year old. I am glad the Yankees were able to acquire Paxton without having to take on any of unmovable contracts. The M’s can use the young pieces received in the Zunino and Paxton trades to position themselves for 2021 or so. I read one Seattle columnist who said Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto basically had the choice of getting punched in the mouth or hit by a truck. He chose the former.  

I fully expect Domingo German to give up #65 for Paxton. It’s not exactly like German is married to the number. I believe Jonathan Holder was wearing the number at the start of last season until he opted for a lower number in the 50’s.  The number still reminds me of Phil Hughes but no doubt, in time, Paxton can make it his own.

There may be minor moves made today as teams finalize their 40-man rosters for Rule 5 eligibility next month. I doubt we’ll see anything as major as the Paxton trade, but there’s always a chance for the inevitable Sonny Gray trade now that his spot in the rotation has been filled. Otherwise, I expect the remainder of the week to be fairly quiet with no significant moves until we get past the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.  

Paxton is the first step toward the enhancement of the 2019 Yankees (if you don’t count the re-signings of Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia). Multiple moves remain necessary before this team is ready to take down the Boston Red Sox. Another starter, at least two more for the bullpen, and an interim solution at shortstop. Yet, my excitement for February is building. It only gets better from here.  

As always, Go Yankees!

Big Maple Landing......

The Big Maple Has Landed!!!

James Paxton is a New York Yankee, Jutus Sheffield is not. Gone too our Erik Swanson, and Dominic Thompson-Williams. Trading Sheff is a move I saw coming specially when the Yanks didn’t use him during the rough patches of 2018. Our rotation today is better then it was yesterday. Cashman still has work to do bringing in another starter and 2 pieces of the bullpen. (Possibly). Once he accomplishes that it’s time to go BiG FisH hunting. Cough cough. 

Let’s G⚾️ Yankees!!

JamesCPalma@Yahoo.Com

2019 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

Mariano Rivera
Roy Halladay
Todd Helton
Andy Pettitte
Edgar Martinez (last chance on the ballot)
Fred McGriff (last chance on the ballot)
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Mike Mussina
Curt Schilling
Manny Ramirez
Sammy Sosa
Larry Walker
Omar Vizquel
Andruw Jones
Scott Rolen
Jeff Kent
Gary Sheffield
Billy Wagner
Lance Berkman (first time ballot)
Roy Oswalt (first time ballot)
Rick Ankiel
Jason Bay
Freddy Garcia
Jon Garland
Travis Hafner
Ted Lilly
Derek Lowe
Darren Oliver
Juan Pierre
Placido Polanco
Miguel Tejada
Vernon Wells
Kevin Youkilis
Michael Young

News & Rumors Wrap-Up

Between home stuff, work, and officiating basketball, the holidays and the time leading up to them are always very hectic for me. So I tend to be quiet around here during that time unless something big happens. But I'm going to try and write a weekly news and rumors wrap-up article each week. 

"Try" being the key word here.

To begin I decided to talk about what I see as the six biggest bits of news and rumors so far this offseason. If there is something you'd like to hear me talk about now or in a future article, then let me know. 

With that said, though, you're better off emailing me (link to the side of this page) or messaging me on Twitter (@Bryan_TGP), as I don't get into the comments here very often.

So without further adieu let's jump into it...

CC Sabathia & Brett Gardner Are Re-Signed

These two signings really showed how stupid some fans can be. First, the Yankees signed Brett Gardner, and the next thing I read was outrage from some fans saying this means the Yankees are out on Bryce Harper because Gardy will be the starting left fielder for the Yankees next season.

No... it doesn't. The Yankees can afford to pay their 4th outfielder $7.5 million. Besides, there are very few players in the history of baseball that you make room for, and Bryce Harper is one of them. That doesn't mean I believe the Yankees will definitely sign Bryce, but neither Brett Gardner nor $7.5 million is going to stop them from trying to bring in a 26-year-old elite player.

The same can be said for the signing of CC Sabathia. To be fair, the outrage was certainly to a lesser extent since the Yankees need to acquire more than one starting pitcher. Most of it came from people that believe CC's signing means the Yankees won't bring back J.A. Happ. But even if the Yanks signed Patrick Corbin, there's still room in the rotation for someone such as Happ. I'm not totally sold on Happ, so I'd like to see the team do better, but the bottom line is some fans need to step back from the edge and take a second or two to think.

CC and Brett are solid players and are leaders in the clubhouse, however, they will not keep the team from making splashier moves.

Possible Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and James Paxton Trades

Speaking of splashier moves that could be made, Yankees fans rightfully lit up when it became known that the Indians and Mariners were willing to move their star pitchers.

I have a hard time believing the Yankees could trade for Kluber or Carrasco without paying too much. The Indians won the American League Central division last season, and their only big loss to free agency is Michael Brantley. It's smart to listen to any and all offers because, regardless of who's involved, if it makes your team better that's all that matters. But the Indians are going to have to be swept away by an offer for either pitcher, and I don't believe the Yankees need to go there.

On the other hand, James Paxton seems like a good shot. Seattle may have won 89 games last season, but with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics in their division, making some long-term plans is likely the way to go.

Although Paxton's strikeout rates the last two years are really good, I'm not blown away by the guy. I mean, I don't think there's any guarantee that he would be among the top three starters for the Yankees going into the postseason in 2019. If the Yankees do sign Corbin you have him and Severino as locks for a postseason start in any series, then you have Tanaka, who in five postseason starts has an ERA of 1.50.

So Cashman should absolutely take a look at James, but if Seattle wants anything that could be deemed as "a lot" for the guy then forget it. Like I mentioned above, just round out the rotation with someone like J.A. Happ instead. Then again, who knows what other pitchers are available?

Gary Sanchez Out Three Months After Shoulder Surgery

I'm absolutely on board with Sanchez getting surgery. The team had tried cortisone shots last year, but the problem hasn't gone away. And since Gary more than likely will be ready for Opening Day, I see no reason to hold off on just getting the shoulder cleaned out now.

Now, is that shoulder to blame for his poor season? I suppose it could have been a contributing factor, along with his groin issues, but let's not get too excited for an easy fix. My hope is that Gary eventually returns to baseball activity in mid-February, and works his butt off both at the plate and behind it. The team can't allow him to think that getting healthy is the only thing that needs fixing.

As for a possible replacement should Sanchez not be ready on Opening Day, I'd rather just go with what's in house. Brian Cashman has already said they'd be comfortable using Romine and Higashioka. If it turns out Sanchez is going to miss a month or more of the season, then I'd like to see Cashman get a better catcher to hold down the position, but if we're talking about just a couple of weeks then don't bother wasting any resources there.

The Yankees Are Not Interested In Paul Goldschmidt

This one I can believe. Not that the Diamondbacks aren't serious about trading Goldschmidt, as they'd be stupid not to try and get something good to great before he hits free agency next offseason. It's not like Arizona is in the same spot as Cleveland, as the D-backs have a tough hill to climb to unseat the Dodgers in the NL West. Even a wild card spot will not be easy thanks to teams like the Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, and look out for the ready-to-spend Phillies.

As sad as it's been seeing the Yankees get little to nothing from what is traditionally a productive offensive spot, I don't believe Brian Cashman should spend big for a first baseman... at least as far as trading prospects. I feel the same way about trading top prospects for corner outfielders. Those positions are typically fairly easy to fill. If the Yankees are to spend big on those areas then do it with money, which is something they have plenty of. Holding onto prospects is the biggest reason the Yankees are so close to creating another dynasty right now.

I admit that writing a lineup that includes Goldschmidt would be freakin' sweet, but since this is reality and not fantasy baseball, I agree that the Yanks should pass.

Bryce Harper Can Play First Base

I don't doubt for a second that Harper could play first base. When going over my postseason plan a little while back I mentioned that Bryce is athletic enough to play well in left field despite the fact he hasn't played on that side of the outfield in over four years. And that is true even at first base, a position that he's never played at the professional level (Baseball Reference notes he made an appearance at 1B last season, but with zero innings).

Although I don't trust Scott Boras at all, as he's just trying to say the right things to get his client as much money as possible, I can't help but believe this bit of news is important to the Yankees. It allows them to take a chance on Luke Voit being able to build off of his great run with them last season, and have a backup plan in Harper should Luke need to be benched.

Hal Steinbrenner Will Spend If It Means Winning

For a long time now I've put up with Yankees fans calling Hal "cheap". And to a point, I agree with them. The Yankees make enough money that paying the Luxury Tax is not a problem. Just consider the Luxury Tax payment as paying for a 41st man on the roster, instead of it being a penalty for spending too much. Maybe then it would be seen as a good thing, rather than bad.

The fact of the matter is professional sports are businesses. Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, etc are there to make money. Hell, contrary to what they may say, those running the National Collegiate Athletic Association are about making money too. So it's silly to get all up-in-arms when a team's owner tries to save money. Does it suck? Yeah... sometimes. But it's a fact, so we can either deal with it or give ourselves heart attacks screaming about it.

With that said, though, I 100% believe that Hal wants to win. Like the saying goes... "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", and George Steinbrenner wanted to win as much as any other "tree" in the forest. That's not to say that he's going to approve a payroll of $300 million, but I don't think any team has to spend that much to win, either.

I firmly believe the Yankees will sign Patrick Corbin and one of Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, which alone would put them over the Luxury Tax threshold for next season. And I see them spending a little more on one of David Robertson or Zach Britton. And if they sign Machado, I could see someone like Micheal Brantley starting regularly in LF over Brett Gardner.

Hal wants to win, and he's not stupid. Even if there's something he doesn't know he has guys like Brian Cashman and Randy Levine there to inform him. Call me "naive" if you so desire, but I believe in those guys and the New York Yankees.

Now Available, Number 55...

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Patrick McDermott)

Yankee Fans await the departure of Sonny Gray…

If you listen to the so-called Yankee GM’s on Twitter, the end of the road could be near for Sonny Gray. We know he’ll be gone by the time the guys pick up their bags to head to Tampa, Florida for Spring Training in February, but the only question is when, where and for whom.  

When Sonny’s college pitching coach was on the Milwaukee Brewers coaching staff, there were lots of trade speculation with the Brewers. Now that the coach (Derek Johnson, formerly pitching coach of Vanderbilt) has moved on to the Cincinnati Reds in the same capacity, the Reds have become the “favored” trade target for the Twitter GM’s. I am sure Yankees GM Brian Cashman is talking to the Reds, as reported by the real insiders, but he’s talking with other teams too. I have no doubt Sonny Gray will perform better in a less-pressurized environment. We’ve seen it with the guys traded to Pittsburgh in recent years (most notably A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova).  

When the Reds are mentioned as a Gray destination, the name of Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett repeatedly comes up. If the Yankees are successful in acquiring the left-handed bat of Gennett, it is going to take more than Sonny Gray to make it happen. Gennett is only 28 years old, and has had great numbers the last two years, but he is a free agent after the 2019 season. I’ve heard people nix the thought of trading for Arizona’s premier first baseman Paul Goldschmidt because of his impending free agency next off-season. Not sure why you’d trade a talented Gray for short-term assets. Gennett’s productive bat would slot nicely into the Yankees lineup, but I just don’t think he is part of a Gray trade unless the team is willing to let go of some top prospects too. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Jamie Sabau)

One writer mentioned 2B/SS Jeter Downs as an option but young Downs is only 20 years old and while drafted in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft (32nd pick), he has not played higher than Single A and is not ready to help in the immediate future. But, of course, you’ve got to like the name considering he was named for the Yankees future Hall of Fame shortstop. Still, I don’t see the Reds parting with one of their top prospects for Gray unless the Yankees sweeten the pot on their end.

The Oakland A’s and San Diego Padres are other teams mentioned, but there are others. While some have speculated Cashman’s return for Gray could be better than expected, I am anticipating it will be for minor league names that may or may not have heard of before. When you try to sell an asset, it’s generally not a good idea to tell the world how poorly it performs. I know that Cashman sells Gray’s upside in phone conversations with other GM’s, but he certainly has not avoided negative comments in his talks with the media. Nothing like giving a player a chip on his shoulder.

I am trying to keep expectations low for Gray’s return. I’d prefer not to see him go to a team the Yankees could potentially see in the playoffs, such as the A’s. I fully expect Gray to become the pitcher he once was when he exits the main stage in New York. He’ll also be a pitcher with an axe to grind given the disparaging words by our own general manager. While I don’t think Gray is a pitcher for the Big Apple, I won’t easily dismiss him when he is playing in another uniform. He will be a formidable foe in the future. There were some jokes that the Yankees should trade Gray to Oakland for Dustin Fowler, Jorge Mateo, and James Kaprielian. Regardless of where he goes, we have to be prepared that he’ll pitch more like the ace he once was in Oakland.  

The next milestone date for Major League Baseball is Tuesday when MLB 40-man rosters must be set in advance of December’s Rule 5 Draft. After November 20th, additions to the 40-man roster can only be made through trades and free agent acquisitions. With Tuesday’s roster deadline, there will be a flurry of activity as teams move to protect their best Rule 5-eligible prospects. The Rule 5 Draft is held on the Thursday (final day) of the Baseball Winter Meetings which will be December 13th in Las Vegas, NV this year.  

Most people are speculating the Yankees will trade Gray before they begin aggressive pursuit of other pitching options like Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ, James Paxton or Nathan Eovaldi. With its potential impact on the 40-man roster, it’s possible we could see Gray moved within the next couple of days. Otherwise, I think we’re going to have to be a little more patient and may not see anything until after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  

On the bright side for whomever pulls on #55 next, the most recent guy to wear it is former Yankees great Hideki Matsui. Godzilla wore the number on the recently completed MLB All-Star Series in Japan as first base coach for MLB All-Star Team Manager Don Mattingly.  

Photo Credit: AP (Toru Takahashi)

Speaking of pitching, MLB.com posted a column this week about the potential 2019 rookies of the year for each team. For the Yankees, Justus Sheffield was the choice. Per the column written by Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum for MLB.com, “The Yankees’ greatest need is starting pitching, and Sheffield should crack the Opening Day rotation.  His fastball, slider and changeup all can be three plus pitches, so it won’t be a shock if he’s New York’s second-best starter after Luis Severino”.  That’s probably a little more aggressive than my expectation heading into the new season. So long as he’s not included in a trade for a top starting pitcher, I don’t think Sheffield grabs a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training. I think CC Sabathia is holding the spot Sheffield will take when he’s ready. My expectation is the Yankees will acquire at least two starting pitchers this winter which will delay Top Sheff’s arrival. I hope Sheffield comes to Spring Training and absolutely dominates but I don not really think it will happen…yet. For the top four spots in the rotation, the Yankees need certainty and reliability. It’s great that CC Sabathia is back, but the team should not pin its 2019 hopes on his arm or his bum knee. He’ll be a year older and closer to the inevitable end of the line. I know it’s his last year, but there are no guarantees he’ll pitch like he did last season. He’ll be 39 next summer and he is not exactly in “Mariano Rivera-like” condition. Maybe he pitches solidly throughout the year, but then again, the end could come suddenly and without warning. The Yankees do not need more than one question mark in the rotation if they intend to de-throne the Champions.  

Former Yankees managerial candidate Chris Woodward, recently named as the new manager for the Texas Rangers, has appointed a new pitching coach for the Rangers who has Yankee roots. Julio Rangel, most recently a minor league pitching coordinator for the San Francisco Giants, spent six years in the Yankees farm system from 1994 through 2000 but only made it as high as Double A. Still, he’s a Yankee by birth and I wish him the best for his first job as a Major League pitching coach. 

I think November is probably my least favorite month as a blog writer. There really isn’t much happening and just lots of speculation, ranging reasonable to absolute ridiculousness. But it is the calm before the storm as we are only a few weeks away from all hell breaking loose with the Baseball Winter Meetings. January tends to be quiet but at least by that time, we’ll have shiny new toys on the roster we can talk about and get excited about the approaching call of Spring Training.  

There are two MAJOR free agents available right now…genuine superstars and potential future Hall of Famers…but frankly, I am tired of hearing their names and refuse to write them with this post. If the Yankees sign one of them, great. If not, life goes on. I know one thing for sure, the Yankees roster in January will be much stronger than it is today. Until then, let’s enjoy some turkey and gravy, and spend quality time with our families.

As always, Go Yankees!