2016 Yankees Highlights Featuring Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman may have only spent about a half of a season with the New York Yankees but he did work while he was here. It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge that so here is his time to shine tonight. Hope to see you again soon this winter. 

2017 Yankees Spring Training Schedule Now Available!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The New York Yankees announced today the club’s 2017 spring training schedule, featuring  a total of 35 exhibition games with 17 home games at the newly-renovated George M. Steinbrenner Field.  Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training on February 13th, while position players are scheduled to report February 18th.

Click here to view the schedule

Season tickets for 2017 Yankees Spring Training home games are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.yankees.com/springtraining.   For general information on Yankees Spring Training or the new and exciting premium seating options at George M. Steinbrenner Field, please visitwww.steinbrennerfield.com.

My Thoughts on the Possibility of Kendrys Morales in the Bronx

Boy my Twitter has not blown up like it did this week in quite some time. That’s why I enjoy the hot stove season and offseason so much I guess. One little rumor and people start losing their minds. This little rumor was the rumor that the New York Yankees had inquired about the former Kansas City Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales. Of course thoughts immediately went from Morales to the possibility of having a deal in place for Yankees catcher Brian McCann causing many Yankees fans to speculate and lose their minds. Well I was at work when all this was going down and I want to lose my mind too with speculation… so here goes.

Morales would add another switch hitter into the fold and a power hitter into the fold much like the Yankees are losing this winter in Mark Teixeira. Morales hit 30 home runs during the 2016 season and does not come linked to any sort of draft pick compensation so he would make sense for any team, including the Yankees. The Yankees won’t be without their competition though as the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox among others would also be interested presumably just looking at the current state of their rosters. This all hinges on being able to move Brian McCann though for the Yankees.

I also like the fact that Morales could add some depth and insurance at first base for Greg Bird and Tyler Austin, assuming both make the roster out of spring training, which is never a bad thing to have. Morales would definitely be a Plan C or Plan D at the position, he has only played there 15 times in the last two seasons, but having someone at least familiar with the position would be a great addition to the ball club in my opinion.

The power is nice, the positional depth is also nice and the fact that he is a switch hitter almost always fits in with the Yankees way of doing things. It all comes down to the contract though. At 33-years old handing out a deal any longer than two seasons just seems foolish to me. One year at most is what I would personally want to go but I can see a team like Boston giving him two or three making that a moot point. Do I want Morales? Sure, I think he would fit the squad well. Do I think the Yankees will ultimately sign him? Honestly, I don’t know. Again, this all hinges on a move for Brian McCann.

I love the offseason. Stay tuned. 

What About Jason Hammel?

The free agent market on paper looks pretty thin this season in Major League Baseball, especially when you consider last year’s class, but recently a couple a veteran arms got added to the fold. The first was Derek Holland who saw his option declined by the Texas Rangers and also saw his name show up here on the blog yesterday and now we have former Chicago Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel joining the fold. Should the Yankees be interested in the man with the first World Series ring since the 1908 season on his finger in the Bronx?

Hammel doesn’t exactly fit what the Yankees are trying to achieve in the youth department but to think the Yankees will have an entire team of 25-year olds is unrealistic. Especially in the Bronx. Hammel is 34-years old, which is still younger than CC Sabathia, and is coming off a strong 15-10 season with a 3.83 ERA in 166.2 innings of work. Hammel isn’t going to strike out a ton of guys but he generates enough fly balls to be successful with the wind blowing out in Wrigley Field leaving me to believe that Yankee Stadium may actually help those numbers improve, not worsen, for once.

Hammel has turned his career around with the Cubs after learning a sinker but you have to think Hammel dealing with elbow tightness late in the season in 2016 may be the reason the Cubs decided to let him go. Hammel missed the entire postseason with the elbow and if I’m being frank, the last thing the Yankees need is another guy with elbow concerns every time he throws a pitch.

So what about Jason Hammel? Obviously that’s nearly impossible to say without knowing the status of his elbow but if you’re putting me on the spot, right here and right now, I think the Yankees have to pass on him. Sure he could be an improvement over what the Yankees currently have but that and $15 bucks can buy you a beer at Yankee Stadium if he’s sitting on the disabled list for a bulk of the season.

If the elbow is bad, or even questionable at this point, I think you have to pass. If his medicals pass with flying colors, and I can’t say that either way right now so I am remaining cautious, then we have another discussion for another day. Stay tuned. 

Yankees Scouting Greg Holland

I write about it and the Yankees read and listen. You’re welcome. On a more serious note though late last month I did discuss the possibility and the desire for the Yankees to scout former Kansas City Royals closer Greg Holland and this week that same exact news was released to the fans.

On Monday the former World Series bound closer threw for scouts in Scottsdale, Arizona and the New York Yankees were present for the showcase. The Yankees need bullpen arms and late inning reliever specifically in the worst way after trading away both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller at the trading deadline this summer and Holland would be a good start depending on the type of contract he ultimately signs for.

You would think the Yankees would be more inclined than most teams to guarantee money on a one-year deal as they have their eyes on getting under the luxury tax threshold before 2018 which could be enticing for both teams. A one-year deal with a high base salary could give Holland the opportunity to showcase his health and allow him to build value for next year’s free agent class that won’t include Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Mark Melancon and others. It also gives the Yankees a stop gap type player that they can potentially trade in July if they are out of the playoff race again or even offer a qualifying offer to after the season.

If Holland is healthy this is a win-win for the Yankees. If he doesn’t succeed, designate him for assignment and move on. But if he does…. And if the Yankees can add Chapman along with him which has already been rumored and discussed the Yankees just won the offseason. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/10: Enter Sheffield

On this day in 2006 the New York Yankees traded Gary Sheffield to the Detroit Tigers for pitching prospects Kevin Whelan, Humberto Sanchez, and Anthony Claggett. The deal included a two year extension for Sheffield worth $28,000,000 through the 2009 season. Nothing ever came of any of the three pitching prospects but Sheffield had to watch from home as we won the 2009 World Series so there is always that memory to hang on to.

Also on this day in 1978 the New York Yankees traded the 1977 Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle, Dave Rajsich, Larry McCall, Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, and $400,000 to the Texas Rangers for left handed pitchers Dave Righetti and Paul Mirabella, right handed pitcher Mike Griffin, and outfielder Juan Beniquez. What made this deal interesting was earlier in the year Graig Nettles spoke of Lyle by saying he would go from "Cy Young to sayonara" making his prediction a reality.

Every 2016 Home Run from the New York Yankees

The 2016 New York Yankees hit 182 home runs this season.... here is every single one of them. Enjoy.

MLB Award Finalists & the New York Yankees

Major League Baseball has announced the finalists for the major awards in the league and a member of the New York Yankees showed up on the list. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the top three vote-getters in each category on Monday and here they are.

Nov. 14

AL ROY
Michael Fulmer, Tigers
Tyler Naquin, Indians
Gary Sanchez, Yankees

NL ROY
Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
Cory Seager, Dodgers
Trea Turner, Nationals

Nov. 15

AL Manager of the Year

Jeff Banister, Rangers
Terry Francona, Indians
Buck Showalter, Orioles

NL Manager of the Year

Dusty Baker, Nationals
Joe Maddon, Cubs
Dave Roberts, Dodgers

Nov. 16

AL Cy Young
Corey Kluber, Indians
Rick Porcello, Red Sox
Justin Verlander, Tigers

NL Cy Young
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Jon Lester, Cubs
Max Scherzer, Nationals

AL MVP
Jose Altuve, Astros
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Mike Trout, Angels    

NL MVP
Kris Bryant, Cubs
Daniel Murphy, Nationals
Corey Seager, Dodgers

The awards will be handed out next week on MLB Network. 

2017 Qualifying Offer Predictions

Ten players received qualifying offers as the offseason before the 2017 MLB season began and like I do every year I want to take a stab at predicting who will accept and who will decline their offers. Now as you probably already know the qualifying offer is basically a one-year deal offer sheet worth $17.2 million that the player can either accept and return to his old team or decline in order to test free agency. If the player declines and signs with another team that team will lose their highest round draft pick (unless it’s a Top 10 protected pick) and the players former team will receive a sandwich pick as compensation in between the first and second rounds of the 2017 MLB Draft. Now you know so let’s get to the predictions.

Jose Bautista

Edwin Encarnacion

Yoenis Cespedes

Neil Walker

Dexter Fowler

Kenley Jansen

Justin Turner

Mark Trumbo

Ian Desmond

Jeremy Hellickson

Honestly, and I may even admittedly be reaching here, the only player I can see accepting a qualifying offer is Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson has come into his own as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and while he may use that to cash in on the free agency market I just have a gut feeling that he may accept. I thought the same with players like Matt Wieters and Brett Anderson last year and I get the same gut feeling with Hellickson. It wouldn’t surprise me to see none of these players accept it but it would surprise me if anyone besides Hellickson did.

Players have until November 14^th to accept or decline their qualifying offers. 

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.