WILL 2019 BRING THE YANKEES “MANNY” HAPPY MOMENTS?

As of today, we still await the final team selection by Manny Machado.  In the end, he will become a new player for one of the three teams he met with earlier this month:  the Phillies, White Sox, or Yankees.  Supposedly, he and his agent are trying to achieve a $30 million per year deal with a term of 10 years.  There are rumors that the Yankees have offered approximately $250 million for 8 years, which would slightly exceed the $30 million per year average Machado and his agent seeks.  Will 8 years be enough length, which would bring Manny to the age of 34 when he would then have to reapply for free agency?  Is there a compromise at 9 years?

I would offer the 8 years, but I would overload it with incentives.  Those incentives would have to be overly attractive in order to fend off the Phillies and White Sox who could both easily go over the top with a 10-year offer, perhaps at $31 or $32 million per year.  For instance, the Yankees could offer Manny the $250 million deal with 8 years guaranteed, but put incentives that would then ultimately offer him a yearly average of $34 million if he achieves/achieved specific offensive numbers and at-bats per season and still offer him a player option after the 8th year, offering him approximately $28 million for an extended two years.  That would then make the whole deal potentially worth $328 million.

Many Yankees’ fans are leery about Manny becoming a Yankee.  The main concern is based on his lack of hustle, which he’s demonstrated several times during the regular season and during this past season’s playoffs against the Milwaukee Brewers.  In one of those playoff games, he failed to run to first base on a ground ball during the National League Championship Series.  After the game, he was confronted with questions surrounding that lack of hustle.  He was quoted as saying, “Obviously, I’m not going to change, I’m not the type of player that’s going to be ‘Johnny Hustle” and run down the line and slide to first base.”  He then added, “That’s just not my personality, that’s not my cup of tea, that’s not who I am.”

Shortly thereafter, at the Winter Meetings, Hal Steinbrenner was asked about his concern regarding the free agent and stated, “Certainly, those comments are troubling.”  Hal later told reporters that, if the Yankees do decide to pursue Manny, they’d bring up that concern as a big part of their evaluation.  There were comparisons to former Yankee, Robinson Cano, made by some reporters and some former MLB players.  Cano, too, had moments where he lacked hustle.  Some in baseball feel that you don’t have to hustle all or even most of the time, even though beloved players such as Derek Jeter and Joe DiMaggio exemplified it during their at-bats.  Their main point is that hustling all the time can lead to an injury whereas players like Cano and (so far) Manny have avoided major injuries.  Statistically, the majority of such non-hustled plays would have ended up being an out at first base, anyway.  Even self-admired non-homers would statistically become doubles, just like they usually do once such a player finally decides to run hard during their last 90 feet, after slowly jogging towards first base on their first 90 feet after their contact swing.

I, personally, agree with those who feel a player should hustle down the lines - I love that continuous desire in a player.  As a fan (as Joe DiMaggio suggested) we appreciate full effort from the players who we basically pay!  With that said, I also appreciate the offensive numbers that Manny produces each year.  His production is superior against almost every single player in baseball today.  In fact, if he were to join the Yankees, he would instantly become their best (or second best) offensive player.  He is also more of a clutch hitter than most of the current Yankees - and, he hits well against the Red Sox.  Those reasons, along with his excellent third-base defensive skills (where he would end up playing if he signed with the Yankees once/if Didi returns) are enough reasons for me to accept his sporadic lack of hustle.  By the way, his defensive skills as a shortstop are very iffy; so, if we do sign him, we should hope Didi returns as soon as possible.

With 2019 about to begin, we will find out very soon which team Manny selects.  I’m overly hoping it’s with us!  No matter what the outcome becomes…Happy New Year!!

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH

Well, unfortunately, the Yankees did not beat the winningest team in Major League Baseball (the Red Sox) to move from the American League Division Series (ALDS) onto the American League Championship Series (ALCS).  I stated in early September, "This season, the Red Sox have certainly been the most consistent and dominating team."  Regrettably, they lived up to that realization.  The ALDS ended in a best-of-5-game-series with the Red Sox winning 3 games to 1.  Here are the dreaded details:

Game 1:  Red Sox 5, Yanks 4

This game had J.A. Happ starting for the Yankees, but his dominating past performances against the Sawx didn’t show up for this game.  Instead, he only lasted 2 innings while giving up a 3-run homerun to JD Martinez.  J.A. began the 3^rd inning, but was charged with 2 more runs.  On the opposite side, Chris Sale started and he pitched very well from the very first inning where he struck out the side.  Once Sale was done pitching, achieving 8 strikeouts in all, the Yankees did hit against the bullpen pecking away at a 5-run deficit, including a 9^th inning solo homerun from Aaron Judge, but they failed too many times with runners in scoring position.

Game 2:  Yankees 6, Red Sox 2

In this game, Masahiro Tanaka pitched very well for his 5 innings, giving up only 1 run.  The Yankees’ offense did their usual against David Price.  Aaron Judge smashed a homerun over the Green Monster in the first inning.  Gary Sanchez followed that same route in the second inning.  He also hit a 3-run homerun in the 7^th inning, driving in 4 runs altogether. 

Game 3:  Red Sox 16, Yanks 2

This game was about as humiliating as a game can get, especially when the game required the inclusion of the Yankees’ backup catcher, Austin Romine, pitching in the beginning of the 9^th inning!  Luis Severino didn’t have it at all as he was the starter for the Yankees.  Neither did any other pitcher the Yankees chose from their bullpen.  You know it’s bad when two of the Yankees’ bullpen “pitchers” (Stephen Tarpley and Lance Lynn) give up more runs than Austin Romine!  The Red Sox seemed to be hitting batting practice each inning.  In fact, their first baseman in that game (Brock Holt) ended up hitting for the cycle when he hit a homerun against Romine.  The Sawx started former Yankee, Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched masterfully through 7 innings.

Game 4:  Red Sox 4, Yanks 3

CC Sabathia was the starter for the Yanks.  He clearly didn’t have his arsenal - perhaps from not pitching for such a long period (almost two weeks).  On the other hand, Rick Porcello pitched 5 strong innings for the Sawx, who scored 3 runs in the 3^rd inning to set the tone.  As usual, the closer for the Sawx (Craig Kimbrel) pitched poorly - the Yankees scored 2 runs off of him, but not poorly enough as they just missed scoring that crucial tying run in the 9^th inning.

2018 will go down as a good season for the Yankees.  After all, they won 100 games.  It will also be considered a disappointing season only because they were headed for over 100 wins before September arrived.  They simmered down and stayed afloat, but never quite put the finisher onto their opponents, especially in the ALDS.

At the beginning of the year, I felt the Yankees would win over 96 games, but I also knew that they were not going to spend too much so that they could finally reset their luxury tax issue for years to come.  Brian Cashman tried to add players as the finish line came closer and closer, without acquiring superstars who may or may not have taken us to the championship, but would have definitively ruined the Yankees’ front office’s long-term plan.  I hate that we didn’t get to the World Series and possibly win it all; but, I’m also content (somewhat) that 2019 is theirs to build.  They have the nucleus of young players on their team and in the minors.  Now, they have their luxury tax reset and can spend like crazy to add key players to the mix.  That young nucleus could then become the next Core 4 or something similar.  There is no doubt to me that our 2019 NY Yankees (NYY) will be a better team than this year’s team.  I also believe that their lifted restriction to spend will make them extremely competitive for the next 5 years or more! 

We are way overdue to win as it’s now been over 9 years.  Hopefully, our anticipated improved team can take us to and through the World Series in 2019.  Additionally, we have another reason to win next season.  The 1980s was the only decade after the birth of “The New York Yankees” in which they did not win a World Series.  Let’s not add this decade to that stat.  I hope 2019 is our year for both reasons!

WILD CARD 2018

Well, as most know by now, the 2018 season ended last week.  The Yankees achieved the second best record in the major leagues with 100 wins.  Only the Red Sox had more (108).  With their 100 wins, the Yankees gained/earned home-field advantage in the American League’s wild card game against the Oakland A’s (winners of 97 games). 

The Yankees then won the wild card game, defeating the Oakland A’s 7-2 a few days ago.  That win gave them back-to-back wild card triumphs (last year they defeated the Twins 8-4).  In this season’s game, there were 3 main decisions and consequential effects that resulted in the Yankees’ win: 

1)  The Yankees started Luis Severino…he pitched masterfully for 4 innings including 0 runs and 7 strikeouts.

2)  The A’s didn’t choose a typical starting pitcher and, instead, decided to setup the game for their relievers to pitch throughout it, with Liam Hendriks being the “opener” of the assemblage…Hendriks was not great, and some who followed him also ran into various dilemmas, especially Fernando Rodney who couldn’t even achieve an out.  (By the way, Rodney usually showboats by illustrating himself shooting an arrow into the sky when he succeeds; but, this time I guess he shot himself in the foot before he failed).

3)  Aaron Judge was healthy and in the lineup to bat second (as he’d done all year when healthy)…he delivered by hitting a monster shot in the first inning to left field at 116.1 mph, setting the crowd’s loud tone throughout the game.

The Yankees had some other key contributions towards their victory throughout the crucial wild card game besides including Dellin Betances (2 flawless and intimidating innings), Luke Voit (a clutch triple), Giancarlo Stanton (hit a crushing 443’ homerun, like most of his standard homeruns), and Adeiny Hechavarria (who prevented a double with an outstanding line-drive catch behind his body).

The Yankees’ wild card victory advanced them to face their number one nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, for the American League Division Series.  Here we go again!

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE:

Well, we’re down to the final month of the regular 2018 baseball season.  As of today, the Yankees’ record is 86 wins & 50 losses.  They are 7 games behind the Red Sox (in the loss column).  With 26 games to go, they will be facing the Red Sox six times, including three games as their last games of the season (in Boston).  Can the Yankees sweep the Red Sox during all of those six games?  In baseball, anything that’s mathematically possible is technically, well…possible.  This season, the Red Sox have certainly been the most consistent and dominating team, with the best record in all of baseball - damn, that was hard to type!

As I pointed out in my last article, the Yankees needed to improve their team and they had accomplished that feat (by the end of the non-waiver trade deadline).  What they had not accomplished at that time was recently (2 days ago) accomplished by the end of the “waiver” trade deadline.  That’s when they attained an additional/insurance outfielder, Andrew McCutchen.  They also acquired a backup shortstop who has an awesome glove, Adeiny Hechavarria.  I have been a fan of McCutchen’s for many years.  I even watched his creative and genuine proposal to his (then) girlfriend, Maria Hansloven, on the Ellen DeGeneres Show almost 5 years ago!  He has a very respectful character and, from a baseball standpoint, is similar to Brett Gardner, offensively; but, McCutchen does hit more doubles.

Unfortunately, both of these acquisitions are here mainly because the Yankees have two injuries, Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius.  Judge was expected to be out for 3 weeks, per the Yankees - that was July 26, which is now over 5 weeks ago.  Anyone who has experienced broken bones or chips knows that it takes at least six weeks for non-athletes.  The Yankees must have consulted the Mets’ physicians for that awful miscalculation!  Hopefully, Judge will be healthy and ready to play baseball in 2-3 weeks from now.  That will give him ample time to gain some very important live at-bats, prior to the playoffs.  As for Didi, he is expected to be back by the end of this week.  In the interim, and just in case his injury also lingers too long, Hechavarria will certainly be able to play shortstop defensively.

As the Yankees are now closing in on the finish line, can the current team (even without Aaron Judge) win the division or even go all the way to the World Series?  I must admit that even I have some doubts, not about them winning the wildcard, but about them going all the way without Judge.  His presence in the lineup adds so much value.  Let’s hope Judge comes back healthy and soon!  In the interim, somebody has to prove the Red Sox can be beaten.  The Yankees failed to do that the last round (when they were swept); but, over the next few weeks, they will get a chance for redemption and, more importantly, results.  An official Yankees’ barometer would surely help us know what is supposed to happen during this very unpredictable season.  I wish I had one!

CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, MISS!

Well, another non-waiver trade deadline has passed.  This year, the Yankees needed to accomplish 6 things and accomplished 5 of them.

The one thing they failed to achieve was the least of the 6 - attaining an extra outfielder with a lot of Major League experience.  That player could have acted as a backup to Aaron Judge (during his DL stint) and to play once in a while to rest the other outfielders.  It was not a major need, but such an experienced outfielder would have been nice to have on the 25-man roster.  Now, the Yankees will wait for Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge to return from the disabled list and either continue using Shane Robinson or perhaps call up someone like Ryan McBroom, an outfielder/first baseman from their minor league system.

The Yankees certainly improved their team and their future with the 5 checkpoints they “did” accomplish.  In general, they acquired a starting pitcher to potentially replace Domingo German, a starting pitcher to potentially replace Sonny Gray, a better left-handed reliever than Chasen Shreve (and as insurance with Aroldis Chapman’s lingering leg issue), a backup first baseman with some power to replace coveted Tyler Austin, and some international spending money to offer contracts to some of the young cream-of-the-crop international talent.

Through each of these recent deals, the Yankees managed to only trade away players who they would have had to protect or expose on this season’s upcoming Rule 5 Draft.  Why be vulnerable to losing them for basically nothing when you can get a lot more at this stage instead?  Brilliant planning, Brian Cashman, and thanks!

Below are the breakdowns of the multitude of transactions they’ve executed over the last 6 days:

Attained:

Closer, Zach Britton (This acquisition was my favorite this past week, so I’ve written the most about it!)

With all the homeruns being hit in this era (the Yankees may break the MLB record this year) and with all the hitters mainly focused on trying to hit those homeruns, the best type of pitcher to have for late innings is one who rarely gives up homeruns.  The Yankees acquired such a player in a lefty closer, Zach Britton.  He has a nasty sinker which produces groundball outs at a rate of approximately 80%.  While Yankee Stadium’s dimensions are ideal for the hitters they usually attain, it can also be very detrimental against them, especially if a Yankees’ pitcher is overly dependent on fastballs.  Zach is the best type of pitcher to defy short-porch homeruns. 

Additionally, his sinking motion baffles hitters and helps induce a very good number of strikeouts.  Between the strikeouts and the ground balls, the Yankees’ outfielders will be bored during his relief appearances.

He recently had Achilles heel surgery, but has shown nothing but an upside since his 2018 return.  Zach’s WHIP is certainly not awesome this year, but it’s been rapidly improving since his return from the surgery with all signs pointing towards his 2016 season -  a season in which he had one of the best seasons by anybody in baseball history!  The Yankees know Britton firsthand as he has dominated them enough, including this season.  Thankfully, he has also dominated the Boston Red Sox!   That aspect, alone, is a worthy reason to have attained him.  He’s a free agent after this season, but I’m pretty sure the Yankees (with their upcoming reset expense account) will offer him an attractive new contract shortly after this season ends.

As a closer, most of his career, Zach Britton could contingently become the Yankees’ closer if Chapman’s lingering leg injury worsens, or at least offer closing duties sporadically during an off-day for Chapman.  With Zach’s addition, the Yankees now have 4 successfully-proven closers to choose from as he, Chapman, David Robertson, and Dellin Betances have each saved large amounts of games in the majors.  Those arms, along with tough-pitching Chad Green and steadily-progressing Jonathan Holder now offers the most dominating collective bullpen in the majors - perhaps of all time!  With Zach Britton’s addition the Yankees now have the option to slam the door on any team from the 4^th inning to the 9^th!!

Traded Away:  

Minor league pitchers, Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll, and Josh Rogers

The Yankees traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for 3 young pitchers: Dillon Tate (right-handed), Cody Carroll (right-handed), and Josh Rogers (left-handed).  Carroll is the closest of the three to being ready for the majors and has some very good numbers.  Tate’s potential is there, but it’s too early to substantially determine his probable fate.  As for Rogers, I’m not a fan of his stats, thus far.

Attained:

Starting Pitcher, J.A. Happ

The Yankees have been seriously evaluating starting pitchers all season.  Over the last few weeks, one of the names that was constantly mentioned publicly was J.A. Happ.  Well, it finally “Happ”ened!  He was having a very dominating year until his last few starts for the Toronto Blue Jays.  Since all baseball players have spouts of highs and lows, I believe that the only way to truly evaluate them is to focus on the most recent season’s overall actual production numbers.  That being said, Happ should be a valuable asset to the Yankees’ starting rotation.  (He already provided them with a win this past Sunday.)

He, like Britton, is in the final year of his contract and will become a free agent after this season.  The Yankees became desperate for a starting pitcher lately, after first losing Jordan Montgomery to surgery and then getting too many poor starts from Domingo German and Sonny Gray.  Domingo has proved to still need more development and Sonny Gray has been very ineffective (although he’s shown improvement lately).  Even Luis Severino, a 2018 All-Star, has shown some concerns over his last few outings.  Other teams knew the Yankees had recently become desperate and have been asking for the Yankees to basically hand over their 2 Rookie-of-the-Year candidates (Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres) along with their whole AAA farm system!  While the Yankees did not acquire an ace starter this year, they will definitely find one over the winter.  This round, Brian Cashman showed his patience, though, and ended up making an alternative and reasonable deal with the Blue Jays to attain Happ.

Traded Away:

3B, Brandon Drury and OF, Billy McKinney

The Yankees had just acquired Drury earlier this season.  They weren’t sure if Miguel Andujar (one of their top rookies) was ready to play on their team.  It didn’t take long for Andujar to show his value.  That, with Drury’s entrance to the disabled list with chronic migraines made Drury’s career with the Yankees expendable.  I liked Drury and feel like he would have succeeded, but agree that Andujar’s early career was too much for almost anybody to make the roster as a third baseman.  As for McKinney, he was a very good defensive outfielder.  His offense was very good, but not good enough to find his way to the Yankees team any time soon.

Attained:

1B, Luke Voit & $1 Million for future international bonus pool money

Luke is similar to Tyler Austin, defensively and offensively.  The key to this deal was the international money.  Austin was probably sought by other teams and the Yankees wanted to ensure his abilities weren’t totally subtracted.  (Read below to see what the Yankees did with Austin the very next day).  As for the international pool money, the Yankees believe that this year’s crop of talent in that league offers them a few key players to draft.  They obviously realize what they’ve done with the current team and current minor league system, whereby they’ve built a strong structure in all levels.

Traded Away:

Relievers, Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos

All Yankees’ fans have had enough of Chasen Shreve this season (and last).  He did have one good season a few years ago, but he’s clearly developed into our worst bullpen pitcher.  As mentioned before, our bullpen is loaded with talent, so Schreve’s failures stand out like a sore thumb!  Giovanny wasn’t exactly impressing us, either.  Good riddance to both.

Attained:

$1 Million for future international bonus pool money from the Chicago White Sox

(already used $600,000 of those funds the next day by signing 16-year-old Cuban righty Osiel Rodriguez (international prospect #5 per Baseball America/#9 per MLB)

Traded Away:

Reliever, Caleb Frare

Caleb has had very impressive numbers for the Yankees’ AA team (Trenton Thunder).  He’s a young (25) left-handed reliever and has produced more strikeouts than innings pitched, along with less hits.  His WHIP with them was 0.966.  He is one to watch in the White Sox system. This deal is scary to me, but perhaps Osiel will turn out to be worthier in the long run.

Attained:

$1.25 million for future international bonus pool money from the Seattle Mariners

Traded Away:

Reliever, Adam Warren

I liked Warren.  He always had his best years in pinstripes.  When they traded him in 2016 to the Cubs, he didn’t do well.  Then, later that season, the Yankees traded for Warren to return to their club.  He, then, immediately returned to being a very good reliever.  He struggled a little bit this season, but mostly over his most recent outings.  With the trade of Shreve, Warren was considered the lowest asset amongst that great bullpen.  The Yankees will presumably save at least $1 million of their payroll from this trade.

Attained:

SP, Lance Lynn from the Minnesota Twins

Lynn compiled a 5.10 ERA in 20 starts this season for the Twins, but during his last 12 starts, he pitched to a 3.74 ERA.  I am not worried at all about his earlier numbers this season because he began the season late (without spring training).  That’s a big deal to any starting pitcher.  Furthermore, I always factor about 0.6 difference in ERAs between the American League (with the DH) versus the National League (without the DH).  Additionally, his numbers against the Red Sox are very good, although it’s a small sample.  Anytime you can gain an advantage over the Sawx, it’s a worthy benefit.  The Yankees and Twins reportedly will split paying the remaining $4 million that Lynn is owed this season, so the aforementioned Adam Warren trade helped offset about half of the incurred expense in this deal.

Traded Away:

1B, Tyler Austin and Reliever, Luis Rijo

Austin was a good player during his tenure on the Yankees’ 25-man roster earlier this year.  Who will ever forget his Major League debut during the 2016 season when he and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homeruns as rookies in their very first at-bats?  As mentioned, Austin and recently acquired, Luke Voit, were very similar and it was clear that Austin’s days were numbered as soon as the Voit deal was transacted.  Rijo is only 19 years old and has just begun in the Single A level.  At this extremely early stage, he looks to be so-so; but, it’s way too early to project what kind of pitcher Rijo may become a few years from now.

WOW, that was indeed a lot to write about!!!

TIME-OUT

Today represents the first day of the 2018 All-Star break.  At this point, the Yankees have certainly delivered a very good season.  They are 29 games above the .500 mark with a 62-33 record and own the second-best record in baseball.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the Yankees are 4.5 games behind the team with the best record in baseball…the Red Sox (a team who seems to have forgotten how to lose)!

The Yankees could, of course, overtake that lead with over 75 games left to play; but, if they don’t, it would mean that (unless they totally fall apart) they will be playing a 1-game wildcard/playoff game, just like they did last year.  This season, though, all of the potential opponents are much better than the Twins were last year.

Before the season began, it was clear that the Yankees required additional starting pitchers.  It’s become even more evident as the season progressed, especially with the season-ending surgery incurred by Jordan Montgomery.  There are a decent number of starters out there on the market today and more will become available as we approach the non-waiver trading deadline, July 31 (by 4:00 PM).  The first name most New Yorkers relate is Jason deGrom from the Mets.  He has 2.5 years remaining until free agency and the Mets are downright awful!  The Mets need to make at least 2 major trades to gain any hope for next season (since their farm system has been rated as one of the worst).  If executed wisely, the Mets could gain multiple future stars versus 1 or 2 current stars.  Whether they choose to do the right thing, or not, is up to their chintzy owners.

I would love to have deGrom, but it is highly unlikely that either team would be willing to risk becoming the losing team in such a prominent trade.  The Mets would expect more young talent from the Yankees than any other potential trade partner.  While deGrom’s ERA is the lowest in the majors (1.68), I do have some reservations beyond the potential that several of those players could eventually become superstars for the Mets.  My concerns evolve around deGrom, mainly his health and his not being a lefty pitcher.  For the former, he’s 30 years old and has been under the supervision of the Mets’ trainers, who have an awful track record of monitoring and conditioning properly (their former trainers and their recent ones).  Yoenis Cespedes is a primary example.  As for deGrom’s awesome pitching as a righty, the Yankees clearly need to attain a lefty.  That’s because the Red Sox are the team to beat and their numbers against lefties are downright awful!  Additionally, Yankee Stadium is structured for lefty pitchers.

I not only prefer the Yankees attain a lefty, I would also prefer them to attain a starting pitcher who:

- has an excellent WHIP (Walks & Hits per Innings Pitched) somewhere below 1.25;
- is no older than 27; and
- is at least 6’ 2”.

The reason for the latter is because the plane of the pitch has a scientific advantage with over-the-top throws, if pitched properly.  Such pitchers (from teams who are presumably out of the race at this point) would include Blake Snell (Tampa Rays), Tyler Skaggs (LA Angels), and Sean Manaea (Oakland A’s).  For any of them, the Yankees would probably have to start their trade talks with their number one pitching prospect, Justin Sheffield (a lefty pitcher who is destined for the Major Leagues by next season).  The Yankees would most likely have to include at least 2 other superstars from their farm system and perhaps a promising young pitcher (Domingo German) from their current roster.  To me, if the Yankees were to attain such an arm meeting my 3 criteria, it would make such an acquisition absolutely worth the risk, especially since the Yankees have a high enough surplus of youthful prospects, whereby a trade of 3 of them would still leave them with plenty.

Besides deGrom, the press and the fans have been rumoring about the Yankees trying to acquire Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles (.315 batting average / 24 homers / 65 RBIs).  He has been playing shortstop this season, per his own request.  That’s because, after this season, he will become a free agent and shortstops tend to draw higher contracts than third basemen.  The Yankees have Didi Gregorius as their shortstop and one of their phenomenal rookies, Miguel Andujar, as their third baseman.  More than likely, if the Yankees did attain Machado, they would ask him to shift back to third base, while keeping Didi as their shortstop.  Besides, Machado’s defensive skills as a shortstop are below average.  He’s made twice as many errors there as Didi this year.  Then, the Yankees would probably trade Andujar because supposedly a lot of teams have been inquiring about his young talent, with many offensive stats above most rookies in 2018.  Additionally, at that point, the Yankees would still have Brandon Drury (currently on the AAA team, only because Andujar has excelled too much to remove him).  They could either use Drury as a third base backup option or they could also trade him.

I still want the Yankees to attain a starting lefty as a priority, but I also recognize that the Yankees have close to a 50:50 chance of playing in a winner-take-all playoff game.  An added dominant hitter would be very advantageous to include in that game’s lineup.  More than likely, that crucial game would already have the Yankees scheduling their ace, Luis Severino, to pitch.  That means that any acquired starting pitcher would be irrelevant for that specific game.  Of course any great starting pitcher that the Yankees could acquire would be very valuable for any game that follows; but, there would be NO game that follows if they don’t win the winner-take-all game!

Again, the Yankees have enough youthful talent to include in a substantial trade.  In fact, I think they have enough to make two great trades!  Even if they deplete a lot, next year their luxury tax restriction will be reset; so, they can then offer competitive deals to free agents to fulfill any imperatively needed enhancements.

THE YANKEES’ INVESTED FUTURE/THE METS’ DIVESTED FUTURE

Another Subway Series has begun.  Last night, the Yankees defeated the Mets 4-1 in their first of 6 games against each other this season.  Tonight, the Yankees took the second game at Citi Field.  At this stage of the 2018 season, one thing is very evident - the Yanks (42-18) are destined for another successful season and more than likely the playoffs in 4 months, while the Mets (27-34) are destined for another failing season.  In an embarrassing current stat, the Mets’ amount of wins (27) is almost equal to the Yankees’ amount of games over the .500 mark (24)!

As far as talent is concerned, the Yankees have so many youthful players with impressive results.  Some of the NYY players showed very valuable potential last season (Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino).  This season, the buzz around baseball is directed at two other youthful call-ups (Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar).  Additionally, if Greg Bird ever stays healthy (he was just added to the team a couple of weeks ago), he may finally become yet another potential youthful additive for this team.

The Mets have not had any new talented players demonstrate astonishment towards their Major League roster this season.  They are still weighing in on farm system players that played for them last season (Steven Matz, Amed Rosario, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo).  Out of the latter group, both have begun showing improvements this season, but Matz (like Bird) has to prove that he can remain healthy.  Furthermore, the Mets have not added any significant talent from outside transactions except older players who no one else tried to attain (Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Bautista, and their own farmhand, José Reyes).  They also acquired Todd Frazier.  With those additives, the Mets’ roster has collectively become the third oldest in the majors.

While the present demonstrates a major contrast between the two teams, the greatest difference is clearly their futures.  The Yankees’ farm system, per Bleacher Report (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2759103-mlb-farm-system-rankings-pre-2018-spring-training-edition#slide6) was rated at Number 3, while the Mets’ farm system was ranked at Number 29 - only the Kansas City Royals are worse!  Except for starting pitching, the Yankees are so overloaded with talent in their minor league system that they can confidently promote an infielder, an outfielder, or a bullpen pitcher that other teams have shown desire to attain for their Major League rosters.  That’s what they did when they promoted their third baseman of the future (Miguel Andujar) because Brandon Drury was placed on the disabled list for a migraine condition and they promoted their second baseman of the future (Gleyber Torres) when Neil Walker didn’t demonstrate enough to remain as their regular second baseman.

The next few years offer a great deal of potential for the Yankees with their pool of talent in place and their money sitting in an account waiting to be spent for next season, when their luxury tax penalties are reset.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Mets’ farm system will not grow rapidly from the bottom to the top, especially without a true commitment from them to spend on more international scouts to help them finally sign and develop a decent-sized group of international players.  The Mets also have to finally commit some free agent spending money for players under the age of 35, or even 30.

APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS TO GO

Well, the 2018 season has begun.  Thankfully, the Yankees won their first game yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays with a score of 6-1.  Giancarlo Stanton didn’t waste any time as he hit a 2-run homer in the first inning!  Stanton also hit a solo homer later in the ninth inning.  Brett Gardner also joined in the homerun efforts.  Luis Severino pitched a shutout through more than 5 innings.  His improved slider was almost as impressive as Ron Guidry’s.  Severino adding a slider as another main pitch is awful news for the Yankees’ competitors.

Now that they’ve already won the first game, they have a chance to go 162-0…okay, I’m not that crazy!  It’s interesting, though, to hear most of the so-called experts picking the Yankees to win the division.  Of course, they all pick the Red Sox to finish slightly below the Yankees.  I love our chances, especially as our youth movement seems endless (the Yankees were rated with having the second best farm system this season).

My main concerns are Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances, and Greg Bird.  Tanaka’s arm/elbow will always concern me until it finally gets repaired (with the hope of successful surgery and recovery).  He also seems to pitch with too much thinking and not enough confidence to throw his splitter often.  Maybe, in regards to his health, he knows something we don’t.  Bird has already proven his own health issues continue, as the Yankees had to already put him on the disabled list with a bone spur injury requiring surgery.  As for Betances, he still needs to prove he’s the Betances of 2016 more than the one we saw last season.

The majority of the Yankees’ current 25-man roster offers a lot of talent.  Their pool of players to call up from the farm system is very comforting, especially since they now have an added year of experience.  They've improved with Brandon Drury at third base (over Todd Frazier) and Giancarlo Stanton as the DH (over Matt Holliday). Those key factors, even with their limited spending to acquire another superstar during the season, make me feel confident that this year’s Yankees’ team should end the season better than last year’s 91 wins.  Perhaps they’ll win 96 this season.  We’ll find out in about 6 months!

OUR LONG-ANTICIPATED TOWERING SEASON IS ABOUT TO BEGIN

Well, we’re coming to the end of our long anticipated time again…a new baseball season is about to begin with spring training officially starting next week!  The Yankees, like all teams, have added some new faces to their roster.  Of course, their largest acquisition was via a trade with the Miami Marlins (led by one of their recent owners, Derek Jeter) whereby the Yanks attained Giancarlo Stanton.  In the deal, the Yankees gave up their second baseman (Starlin Castro) along with a decent right-handed pitching prospect (Jorge Guzman) and a lower-tiered prospect who plays shortstop (Jose Devers). 

Castro will be missed.  He was a good defensive player and a very good hitter for the Yankees.  I enjoyed his sporadic Reggie Jackson-like swing onto his knee while trying to desperately hit a homerun.  The trade from the Yankees’ standpoint made total sense as their top prospect (21-year-old Gleyber Torres) happens to be mainly considered a second baseman who seems ready to join the big leagues this season.  Torres also plays shortstop and third base, but the Yankees seemed to like him best as a second baseman.

I, like most NYY fans, am excited to have Stanton (last year’s National League MVP) join our team, creating one portion of a set of offensive towers, alongside Aaron Judge.  Last year’s lineup was feared by opposing pitchers; this upcoming season’s lineup must petrify them!  Of course they’ll be strikeouts, just like last year, but it looks like we are going to see even more moonshot homeruns this year.  Stanton will certainly be a force to be reckoned with; but the best part about him, besides his offense, is his desire.  He practically forced the Marlins to trade him to the Yankees specifically!

It will remain to be seen what the Yankees will do with their lineup.  If Gleyber tears it up in spring training, I believe he’ll be named as their starting second baseman.  Another prospect, 22-year-old Miguel Andujar, will possibly get a chance as the NYY’s third baseman (if the Yankees don’t acquire someone else prior to the start of the season).  We saw Andujar last year for about 2 minutes in the majors.  It looks like he has a nice swing; but, his defense at third has been viewed by the Yankees as needing more development.  We’ll find out soon enough about his future.

Personally, I don’t think the Yankees are done with their 25-man roster just yet.  I believe they’ll acquire another starting pitcher and possibly a veteran third baseman.  For the former, my preference would be for them to acquire left-handed starter Patrick Corbin from the Diamondbacks.  He’s 28 years old, so he’s just begun his prime career.  While he had a slightly unattractive National League ERA last year (4.03), he also pitched in a hitter-friendly ballpark.   Additionally, he had a very good ERA (3.22) during his second half of the season - even whilst pitching in Arizona!  Furthermore, he’s a lefty starter, which would certainly benefit him with his starts at Yankee Stadium.  It would be overly awesome if the Yankees could somehow trade Ellsbury in such a trade, while paying at least 50% of Ellsbury’s contract and rightfully offering at least one top prospect in the deal.  Other available starting pitchers come mostly from the current free agent pool, including some who I like such as Jake Arrieta, Lance Lynn, or Alex Cobb.

Again, we’ll have to wait and see; but, at least now we won’t have to wait too long!