Trade rumblings around Orioles righty Brad Brach have settled down in the wake of Zach Britton’s Achillies injury, as Baltimore will be turning to Brach as closer for at least half of the 2018 season. As Brach explained in an appearance on 105.7 The Fan’s “Orioles Hot Stove Show” (hat tip to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko), however, he doesn’t mind being part of the speculation.
“I definitely pay attention to it and it’s easy to do in the offseason because it’s not affecting your work,” Brach said. “You don’t have to go in the mornings and go to MLBTradeRumors or turn on MLB Network and see your name and go to the park that night and pitch. The offseason you have all day and all night to kind of just sit there and mess around. And being from New Jersey, a lot of my friends are my fans, and as soon as my name got brought up I had a group text message and there were probably 50 text messages sent to me in about three minutes, so it’s hard to ignore it and especially in the offseason. I kind of like it. It’s fun. It kind of makes these winter months not drag as much.”
Thanks for the shoutout, Brad, even if MLBTR might not be causing quite as many text explosions in the near future. Some more from around the AL East…
- “The Orioles actually like (Jacoby) Ellsbury a little,” Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, though several hurdles stand in the way of the Yankees managing to deal the veteran outfielder. New York would have to eat the big majority of the $68.5MM remaining on Ellsbury’s contract, and he may prefer to only waive his no-trade protection for a deal that would send him closer to his home in Arizona. Ellsbury-to-Baltimore was first floated by the Yankees as part of trade talks about Manny Machado, though obviously the O’s would need a lot more than Ellsbury for such a deal given how Ellsbury has struggled in each of the last three seasons. While the Orioles’ interest in Ellsbury may be muted, his addition would bring more left-handed balance to Baltimore’s lineup and also perhaps open the door for Adam Jones to shift to right field.
- Ellsbury’s deal is the biggest obstacle facing the Yankees in their desire to both make further upgrades (including some potential big names) to their roster while also staying until the $197MM competitive balance tax threshold. Since an Ellsbury trade could be a tall order, Sherman writes that David Robertson might be the biggest trade chip “within reason” that would allow the Bronx Bombers to both move a large salary and score a quality return. Robertson is owed $13MM in 2018, his final year under contract, and Sherman wonders if a closer-needy team like the Cardinals would part with MLB-ready young talent for Robertson’s services. This does seem to be speculation, however, as Sherman notes that the Yankees have shown no willingness to trade from their loaded bullpen, plus Robertson is a closer-in-waiting should Aroldis Chapman get injured.
- The Red Sox are reportedly wary of giving J.D. Martinez more than five guaranteed years, which is a justifiable stance given how often longer-term contracts have backfired on teams (including the Sox themselves). WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford, however, presents the counterpoint, noting that an elite hitter like Martinez is a safer investment for a six- or seven-year deal since clubs like the Red Sox can eventually move him to a DH role. Boston has a clear need for a middle-of-the-order bat now, which Bradford feels Martinez can certainly fill in the short term given that the slugger (despite some recent injuries) has shown no signs of slowing down at the plate. MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list predicted that Martinez would indeed land a contract beyond the five-year threshold, pegging him for six years and $150MM.
Yankees are not trading Robertson if their goal is to win the World Series this season, which it is. They wouldn’t have traded for him just to trade him again. Stop suggesting this. I know writers need to write about something but come on be a little smart about it Sherman
They probably make the world series if they didn’t trade Miller. Robertson folded like a paper chair under a walmart shopper in the ALCS this year.
girardi completely abused robertson last post-season. probably one of the reasons he was let go.
The wild card game in particular. It’s hard to find a reviver as good as Robertson that is good on a yearly basis
That performance was incredible though
I agree, but he didn’t have much choice once Betances became an infielder on the mound, which left Robertson the most trusted arm in the pen for the late innings.
Robertson basically had one bad inning in the Alcs that bloated his era, he’s fine. Plus miller helped shape the Yankees future with that trade
Nonsense, the Yankees never held a lead in any of the 4 games they lost. Astros pitching just dominated.
astros pitching was mediocre at best on the road. they went 7 games with a team that shouldnt have even been there,,pipe down.
He likely means dominated at home, which they did.
Yankees will pull off the Machado trade.
Oriole’s will have no choice .
Time is in the Yankees favor . Patience
why would they have no choice?
Orioles have to take what they can get eventually. A smart team would just wait them out. They either trade him for something or lose him for nothing. 1 year of Machado isn’t worth a huge haul in return. As a Yankees fan I’d be perfectly fine with them losing him for nothing at the end of the season so I’m not complaining.
Ultimately, the Yankees are probably have the most to offer from their farm system without completely gutting what Cashman has done. If the Orioles want to get something for Machado while they can, the Yankees can certainly provide the talent. This isn’t to say other teams can’t do the same, I just think that the talent pools with other teams aren’t as large. With that, teams would be much more hesitant to trade them away. With that said, didn’t Machado say he wanted to play for the Yankees anyway which is why he didn’t want to entertain signing a contract until free agency? I am a Yankees fan as well, as Rocket32 said, I would also be fine if they don’t get Machado this season. I might be crazy for thinking this, but the Yankees could try and sell Frazier on a one year deal to come back and helm 3rd for them and then fill second from within.
Why would the Orioles settle for anything less than the equivalent of a first round pick since if they keep him the whole year that is what they get? So from their perspective he is worth his value for a year plus a first round pick.
The Orioles hold the desired chip. They are a very disciplined front office and will hold onto MM if they do t receive the offer they seek.
Which means they receive a draft pick for him.
Better than giving him to the Yankees for nothing. Jeter doesn’t run the Orioles. Sorry.
“Discipline” LOL. PLEASE. They are afraid to make a move. How did their “discipline” work out with Britton. Believe it or not, sometimes the best move is to make the deal.
Disciplined front offices don’t have teams bloated with awful contracts like Jimenez, trumbo, and Davis
Will people please stop with that Jeter crap? Nothing to do with Jeter. Stanton is on a huge contract. Marlins were desperate to move that salary and cut payroll. Stanton had a NTC. He wouldn’t accept a trade to St Louis or San Francisco. He forced the Marlins hand. They had no other choice. That’s the risk you take when you hand out a NTC.
You know you Yankee/Jeter haters are something……Jetes had two trades in place that were rejected by Stanton given his no trade clause which he got from prior management.
Get a life.
It’s not that he traded Stanton to the Yankees. It’s that he traded Stanton to the Yankees and Ozuna to the Cardinals for what is widely accepted as two drastically light packages. It certainly doesn’t look like he knows where his organization is going
Jimenez is a free agent
Yeah but . . . Jeter’s cell has speed dial.
Again…it was a SALARY DUMP move. Marlins accomplished their goal. Enough of this “didn’t get anything” BS.
Exactly! One of the hurdles to dealing Ellsbury too
He doesn’t have to pay them anymore, they do…that’s not a light package
then the yankees wait until he is a free agent and sign him then,,your logic is flawed.
Trumbo 3/38 isn’t what I would call a horrible contract. You could put a lot of players in that category if that’s a terrible deal. Bad but that’s a stretch, Hard to find a team around the league without a deal like that. Maybe he pop outs 35hrs again next year. No reason he can’t.
I’m going to guess you’re the type that also thinks it’ll only cost the Yankees Ellsbury and 1-2 lower level prospects correct?
Orioles don’t need Ellsbury as they have 3 OF prospects possible ready this year with Hays playing well at the end of last year. They could trade Machado, but unless NY is giving up 2-3 top prospects they don’t have a reason to send him to NY. They shouldn’t take any salary. If NY wants to get under the luxury tax, the Orioles have no reason to want to help them unless it’s a big benefit to the Orioles as it will make NY more competitive in the future.
Hays certainly looks like he is ready to make the jump to being a starter in Baltimore. If you were thinking Mullins and DJ were the other two OFs that are ready, you are way off. Those two have a future but are NO WHERE CLOSE to being ready this season. They are playing for ’19 or ’20. Those kids need work. Mullins is mostly likely a career 4th OF guy. DJ looks to be solid but not spectacular. Maybe you were thinking of two other guys because these two need more time in AA and AAA.
Mullins is exceptional in the field. If defense was the only issue he could be in Baltimore today.
DJ is not ready and he is more of a 4th OF.
Andyk–not sure where your comments are being directed, but, you don’t know about how good Hays, Mullins and Stewart are going to be in 2018 or anytime beyond that.. Most “experts” (including Duquette and Showalter themselves) didn’t know how good Mancini turned out to be… Hays, Mullins, Stewart and Mancini are all going to be very successful Major Leaguers..
Ellsbury is a great player w a marvelous career, but he makes no sense for the Orioles.
Expect that other teams will make better offers and obtain Manny for 2018. Beyond that, who knows. Am sure Manny expects and plans on winding up in Pinstripes…
Well Orioles FO makes the decision if they “like” Ellsbury or if he “makes sense” and not you fortunately.
“Duquette and Showalter themselves) didn’t know how good Mancini turned out to be… Hays, Mullins, Stewart and Mancini are all going to be very successful Major Leaguers..” This is just as bad or worse than anyone else’s comment. You certainly don’t know that they’re all going to be successful major leaguers. It’s 90% likely that ALL of them won’t be successful. If 2/4 are very good major leaguers and one of the others hangs around as a 4th OFER in the bigs that’s more than you could ask for.
Cashman has a lot of irons in the fire, he would trade Robby if he could get a top end starters for him.
Cashman could still trade Ellsbury, Betances, Robertson or a Frazier package to get an upgrade starting pitcher. I don’t think he’s done yet and even Gardner could be moved for the right player..
He’s right….Sherman is the biggest fraud reporting about the Yankees and always makesoutlandish comments to draw attention to his column.
I think Sherman knows what he’s talking about, but sometimes he does push the envelope.
Come on Man….Sherman writes to elicit controversy.
If you read his column in the Post most days, he is so off base, you wonder who actually speak with this mook!
So, your argument is that the Yankees are more likely to make the World Series with a RH reliever like Robertson than trading him for a decent 2nd-3rd baseman and using the savings on Robertson to sign Darvish? I am sorry but Robertson (and especially his salary) are expendable if it means they can sign a TOR pitcher to match with Severino.. They have too many good relief prospects nearing MLB readiness to not jump at the chance to trade him to fill a position of need..
Hey Walls, whenever you read anything that Sherman writes you need to take it with a full bag of salt because Sherman is an angry Met fan. He tries to hide his Mets hat in the closet, however it taints his fantasy based articles.
Definitely a closeted Mets fan. I never think of him as a “Yankee” reporter.
6 year 150 for JDM. Cardinals could package Pham and prospects for Archer and Colome and afford to pay JDM the $150. Call it an off season.
JD Martinez would be a horrible signing for the Cardinals. Even though they can afford, and at 6 years as you suggest, at least 3 of those years are going to be completely dead money.
At age 34-36 you shouldn’t expect him to be a 40 hr hitter but he can still be productive in the 25-30 hr range. He might suck at any position other than 1b but he can still be a productive hitter. Better hope for a Encarcion/Cruz situation.
Not going to happen. Why would they give up Pham when he’s better defensively and offensively expect in the power department and still under team control for a few more seasons? No thanks
See Pham had one good year and all of a sudden he is penciled in as a starter next year? I would trade him off now that his stock is high. He has been in the organization for years and had a brake out season. I would be shocked to see if he stays consistent moving forward. Same situation as Jose Martinez… Too many Cardinals fans and executives love to drink the kool-aid rather then make the logical move.
so pham cant be a late bloomer and they should sign a jd who…was a late bloomer himself?
Maybe if by “prospects” you mean the whole Cardinals farm system … What would the Rays do with Pham? A 30 year old OF with a degenerative eye condition? Yes he’d be an improvement over their current OF, at least for now, but that wouldn’t be their goal if they’re trading both Archer AND Colome.. They’d then be in a full rebuild.
His eye condition is not degenerative! Show proof of that or stop it!
From STL Today: “Since first being diagnosed in 2008 with a degenerative eye condition, keratoconus …”
He’s had surgery that has temporarily (or possibly permanently) stopped the degeneration.. No one knows how long it will last. If he loses any more acuity in either eye, his career is over. Sorry, it sucks, but it’s the truth and any team acquiring him would have to seriously discount his value.
Rays wont deal you both Archer and Colome unless Reyes or Weaver are involved if not both considering Archer has 4 years and Colome has 3 arb years
Weaver, Flaherty, Kelly and others would be required to get both Archer and Colome. The Rays dont really need Pham considering they have Mallex Smith, Souza, and Kiemaier.
The Rays can get more prospects trading them separately anyways.
IMO it would take Reyes, Weaver plus alot more to get both Archer and Colome..
Agreed. Rays aren’t trading two quality players as a package deal.
Would Reyes and Flaherty be two of the prospects going to Tampa with Pham for Archer and Colome? If not this conversation would be very short
At best Pham is the distant 3rd piece in a deal for Archer or a way low second piece for colome with a big first piece. He had a good season but is not really worth much in trade.
Agreed. The Cardinals won’t want to pay what it would cost to obtain both Archer and Colome.
i wouldn’t care if ellsbury just got released
Dude did 1.7 bWAR in 350 some odd AB’s last year. That’s something like 3 wins for a full season. Yeah, discount that a little because he’s older and injury prone, but even a 2 win guy who can play CF is worth a little. Just not what he’s owed. If the Yankees want to get rid of him, they can cover about 2/3 of his salary and someone will bite.
ZiPS projects Jacoby Ellsbury with a 2018 WAR of 1.3 in 493 plate appearances while Steamer projects a WAR of 0.3 in 231 plate appearances. Steamer600, which assumes 600 plate appearances for each hitter, projects a 2018 WAR of 0.8.
A reasonable trade would be:
Three years of Jacoby Ellsbury at $68.5 million
One year of Adam Warren with a projected 2018 salary of $3.1 million
Two years of Aaron Hicks with a projected 2018 salary of $2.9 million
for
Three years of Mark Melancon at $48 million
One or two years of Pablo Sandoval at the league minimum
Replacing Ellsbury’s contract with Melancon’s, the Yankees save roughly $7 million AAV over the next three seasons. Melancon and Warren swap bullpens while the Giants fill out their outfield with Ellsbury and Hicks. The Yanks shed the projected combined salaries of $6 million for Warren and Hicks.
The trade would leave the Yankees with an outfield of Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge with Clint Frazier, Estevan Florial, Billy McKinney and Jake Cave waiting in the wings.
Three years of Melancon could provide insurance against the likely departure of David Robertson, another converted closer, when the latter’s contract expires after this season. Robertson and Melancon are right-handed relievers, born 11 days apart, selected by the Yankees in the 2006 draft (along with Dellin Betances).
Pablo Sandoval, a wild card at the league minimum, is a DFA candidate but could serve as a DH option or play third base until the touted prospects are ready. With no designated hitter and the recent addition of Evan Longoria, the Giants have no room for Sandoval. Then again, the Yankees might not have room for Sandoval on their 40-man roster.
The Giants would field a lineup of C Buster Posey, 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Evan Longoria, LF Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Aaron Hicks and RF Hunter Pence to go with a shallow starting rotation impressively topped by Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.
The keys, of course, are the off-setting salaries of Ellsbury and Melancon, who each have full no-trade clauses. I don’t know the status of Sandoval’s limited no-trade clause.
You can’t match up when playing every day like you can when playing every other game. So 600 ABs would like have a lower return per at bat. And he is yet another year older.
Don’t understand how they can argue for a longer term deal for Martinez just because there’s the DH. Sox are still regretting the Hanley contract and definitely the Panda contract and both of their deals were shorter.
That’s because the Hanley/Pablo double header signing was induced by John Henry’s inflated ego. When he hired Trader Dave he continued to spend recklessly—paying the PRICE for being a dummy again.
So they will enter 2018 with a chance to do worse offensively as there is no middle of the order threat.
The Sox should keep steady at 5 years. Don’t bid against yourself. What other team is willing to go that high, and what other team that’s a playoff contender can afford him? If he is really gong to just be a DH, why not just sign Morrison and slot him at DH? He’s much cheaper and will cost 1/5 the cost. His bat isn’t as solid as Martinez but he’s no slouch.
I heard on ESPN Radio the Scott Boras was trying to use the Giants as the “interested team” to get Boston to give Martinez more years … the guy on the radio was saying it wasn’t Boras’s best play since there’s no DH in the NL and very little chance the Giants would be desperate enough to give 8 years to a good hitter who at 30 isn’t a very good fielder .. could you picture him in RF at 37?
As a Giants fan I laugh at this. They are trying to get under the luxury cap, said their main focus is to improve their OF defense, need those draft picks to stock their farm system…
They also need a CF badly, so I don’t get why they would even try to sign a guy who is a bad defensive OF. Can’t even imagine him trying to play right field. Stanton was an exception, and a trade. No draft pick loses there.
Just a quick FYI (because you seem to be implying otherwise), but a team wouldn’t lose any picks for signing Martinez.
Typical Boras. His style is to play teams against each other in a bidding war even when there is no other team interested (infamous mystery team). Giants arguably need a JD Martinez since they’re basically looking a fielding an OF by default (Parker/Hernandez/Pence) for ‘18, but SF simply cannot make that move work without moving other salaries off the books first.
We saw what just dh players struggled to get last year. Hard for boras when no other team seems interested or willing to meet his demands
Awesome shoutout by Mr. Brach!
Yankees trading Robertson would be stupid. Good thing these writers are not GM’s. Next you’ll see the writers think the Yankees should trade Gleyber Torres/Clint Frazier for a guy with an ERA over 4.25… oh wait that already happened with Gerrit Cole for the last couple months.
Yankees really need another SP. The guys they have are fine but really brittle and in several cases old. If Tanaka and CC can tough out another full season, great. But that’s not a particularly smart bet. And Gray is super injury prone, too.
To get another SP would be a luxury, not a need. But their rotation is pretty solid. Id be fine with adding 1 big name pitcher and running a 6 man rotation, but i wouldnt be desperate enough for it where i overpay for a pitcher that had a statistically worse season than all my current options. Lets not forget that Adams could make the jump to the MLB if things go south and Chad Greed could go from super-reliever to SP again. Id rather find a suitor for Ellsbury to shed some what the Yankees owe him and then put an offer out for a discounted Darvish. If that doesnt happen theyll still be ok. Tanaka will have a good season in 2018 and CC will have an ERA under or just over 4.00, mark my words.
Curious if a deal was agreed to in regards to trading elsbury , how much would yanks have to eat? Does the portion of that salary they eat count against the yanks luxury cap? I’m guessing yes
How much the Yankees would have to eat depends on how much the team the Yankees are negotiating with values WAR (and other metrics). For example, Ellsbury posted a 1.7 WAR last year, even in an injury-laden year where he didnt start every day. Apparently, the average value of 1 WAR is about 7-8 million, but it could be more or less. But if we were to use the average cost of WAR (7-8 million) and multiply that by what his WAR was last year and his worth would come out to about 11.9 million (i multiplied by seven) a year. However, a team could try to think about what his WAR will be for the seasons ahead and then come to their own conclusions about what his worth is. To further explain, in the last 4 seasons Ellsbury has a WAR of 3.3 (2014), 1.9 (2015), 2.8 (2016), and 1.7 (2017). So you could take the average of these WAR’s to assess what he will give you in the next four years. But the trick is: how will his age affect his future output? Will his WAR be representative of the last four years? Will his WAR be dramatically worse? Or would it become slightly better than expected? These are all factors a team has to consider when thinking about the price of a player and how much they would be willing to pay.
In my best guess, I would say that the Yankees would have to get Ellsbury’s contract down to about 6-10 million a year for a team to seriously consider it. Now, he gets roughly around 21 million a year for the next four years so the Yankees would have to eat about 11-15 million a year which is about 44-60 million of the 84 million Ellsbury is guaranteed. Im not entirely sure how it would affect the Yankees’ luxury cap situation, but my best guess would be however much they eat a year is attributed to their payroll
Tanaka has one bad year. Outside of that he has been a top pitcher in the AL
You mean one bad half a season
Well his ERA for 2017 was well into the 4’s but i see your point to an extent. His postseason performances were really good.
2015 he was above average but by no means a top pitcher. FIP of 3.98.
Thank god you’re not Brian Cashman. Our SP is just fine. Sevy is top 5 and gray is top 15. Why take green out of a role he’s amazing with? Trying to repeat a joba thing and go back and forth and screw him up
Are you replying to seamaholic or me? I ask this because seamaholic argues that we need another SP, which me and you both disagree with. However, I am the only one to mention Green moving to SP which you criticized. So i am confused to who you are replying to, because it seems as if you mentally merged my comment with seamaholics comment as one and then disagreed and replied to it.
Btw, I only mentioned Chad Green moving to SP to show the amount of depth the Yankees have of SP at the MLB level to further solidify my case that the Yankees dont need another SP. I didnt imply that it would be the best move, just a potential scenario that is plausible in the case that the rotation deals with multiple injuries/bad performance.
Not sure why that would be stupid? The pen is an area of strength. You deal from your area of strength, shed$13mm in payroll, get something back in return, and have money to add a SP, 2B, or 3B. What other asset do the Yankees have that will accomplish all three of those goals?
Because at this particular moment, they dont really need a 2B, 3B, or another SP. Gleyber, Andujar, Wade, and Estrada can all be busts and the Yankees offense is still set to post record numbers. The rotation is currently solid and the Yankees have a number of in-house options to rely on before having to hit the market for a new SP. There is no need to trade an elite RP and lessen your bullpens strength to address a need that is not there.
Besides, his contract only has a year on it and you could just wait for it to come off the books and spend that money in a better FA instead of get rid of him now and either get somebody you dont really want or just to hold on to the money for the next offseason.
D-Rob is a clubhouse guy and an elite RP who has stepped up in big games. To get rid of him would be to weaken your playoff roster dramatically. Thats why its stupid.
To answer your question of what other asset do the Yankess have to accomplish the goal of getting a 2B, 3B, and SP, my answer is that they arent extremely demanding needs for the Yankees since they have a plethora of in-house options to rely on. By that, I mean that the Yankees have the prospects to trade for a 2B, 3B, or SP of their choice AND they also have top prospects that are close to if not already MLB ready that fill the three positions you mention.
Very valid points, Begamin. I’m not 100 percent sold on dealing D-Rob either, buy I’m also not sold on going into the season with the options you listed above. For starters, I’m going to assume Torres starts the season in the minors to extend the Yankees control over him. I also am skeptical to assume the young Yankee talent, especially Judge and Sanchez, will just replicate what they did last year. The jury is also out as to what you are going to get from Bird. If you subtract D-Rob’s 13 million from payroll, you can then use those funds to either bring back a Todd Frazier, look elsewhere to someone like Mike Moustakis, or throw that money at a top tier starter like darvish or arrieta, if the Cole trade doesn’t come to fruition. I don’t love Moustakis, Frazier, Darvish, or Arrieta, but you can get more bang for your buck with Robertson’s money, get something decent back in return, and still have one of the top bullpens in the game.
Concerning Torres, he will probably start the season in the minors but only for a minimum of 12 days (correct me if im wrong, but im under the impression that they only need him in AAA for 12 days to get another year of control) so it shouldnt be that big of an issue. Im confident that Judge and Sanchez will perform very well next year, barring any injuries.
Judge, in his worst shape of the season, still posted good numbers. From Jun 8th to Aug 20 Judge posted an ugly .176 BA. However, he posted a .335 OBP, a .351 SLG, which combines to a .687 OPS (baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=judgeaa0…) which are positive signs that his success was not a fluke and that his struggles were merely outliers. Now, im not sure if he will have as good of a season as he did last year, although I believe its entirely possible, but he is at least set to produce at an elite level
When it comes to Sanchez, I stopped doubting him after he posted numbers that would net him 47 HR per 162 G last season when healthy (baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=sanchga0…) and that was in his sophomore season after belting 20 HR in 53 G. The only real knock against Sanchez is that he has an untimely passed ball issue, could block the plate better (even though the rules dont favor a catchers blocking ability), and that he an average ball framer behind the plate.
With Bird, the talent and skills are all there. He is a fairly patient hitter with a beautiful swing and lots of pop. I will agree that its of concern to whether or not he will stay healthy. However, if Bird has a healthy season next year, you can expect him to be one of the top performers for the Yankees next year, mark my words. His defense is also not bad.
But really think about what you are suggesting here: when you dont need to overpay for someone like Todd Frazier or Moustakas, why go out of your way to do so and restrict your spending abilities for next years FA class? This whole “Ellsbury was a bad signing” thing would continue just with another persons name attached if you do that. The Yankees dont need to throw money at a top tier starter, nor do they need to overpay in a trade for 4.27 ERA throwing Gerrit Cole. You are fabricating these holes in the Yankees roster that doesnt exist. The biggest question marks come out of the 2B and 3B position, true, but the Yankees roster is so good that they can afford to have the prospects not pan out. But if the Yankees can somehow get a suitor for Ellsbury and get him to waive his NTC and have a portion of his contract eaten, then I might be ok with signing someone like Darvish and run a six-man rotation. But the difference here is that the Yankees would have to pay Ellsbury through 2021 and hes not even a valuable asset to the team anymore. However, D-Rob comes off the books after the year is over, is a very valuable asset, and would be more than likely to have a bigger interest in resigning with the Yankees if they were to keep him. No need to make panic moves and trade one of your best players and overpay for a guy in a position that isnt very weak to begin with. Only way I would be OK with trading Robertson is if the Yankees season looks very grim by the trade deadline and they decide to get some value in return (quite like the Miller/Chapman trade). Also, Id rather have the best bullpen instead of one of the best bullpens.
Again, all very well thought out and valid points. The original purpose of my post was to defend the premise of the original article stating that D-Rob is the Yankee’s best trade chip should they continue to look to build and stay under the tax threshold. I like D-Rob and wouldn’t trade him unless the return and subsequent moves improved the team.
It seems like you and I have different philosophies about how to get this team to where it needs to go. I think we can both agree the Yankees are going to make noise next year on the free agent market. My hope is they refrain from trading top prospects now for Machado, and sign him as a FA. A potential infield of Bird, Torres, Gregorious, and Machado is exciting. The outfield seems to be locked up for the foreseeable future with judge, Stanton, Hicks, Gardner, and Frazier all in the mix. Of course, a lot can change with this group with expiring contracts and potential trades, but this is still a quality group. We are also locked in at catcher, with Sanchez. The bullpen looks great, and the rotation looks to be set if you subscribe to the notion that severino will continue to improve, Gray will return to work, Tanaka’s elbow will hold up, Montgomery will continue to impress, and either Sheffield or Adams will be contribute
With that said, I still think trading D-Rob this winter CAN make the 2018 Yankees better than they are right now while helping the team stay under the tax threshold in preparation for any moves they make next off season, as the article stated.
Regardless, I can appreciate your line of thinking. One thing is for sure, this team is going to be fun to watch over the foreseeable future.
Well put, my friend. I agree with you about the Yankees making a big splash next season, holding off on Machado for now, the outfield situation and the potential infield.
While it is true that he could make the team better by being traded, im just not sure its the right move to make this time around.
The team is most definitely going to be an exciting bunch. It would have been even more exciting if Ohtani signed with the Yankees, but even without him this is still a really interesting team. Cant wait for opening day. The offseason feels way too long and it doesnt help that the Jets season is over lol
Lol. I’m a Jets fan too. Draft a QB @ 6, or sign a FA and use the pick on something else?
I would sign someone like McCown and draft a QB at six. I was thinking that a good veteran, clubhouse guy like McCown would be good to have your QB play under for a year if he shows to not be ready to start Maybe try to trade up to the number 4 spot. Im not sure how reasonable of a trade this is going to sound, since i have a lesser understanding about football than baseball, but i had this idea that the Jets could trade their two 2nd round picks for the Browns 4th and then draft a QB at 4 and a o-lineman or a running back with the 6th pick. The Jets desperately need CB’s and an edge rusher on defense though.
What I dont understand is why dont the Jets just trade Mo-Wilkerson if they are thinking of cutting him? Do you not get the cap space if you trade a player away in the NFL? The Jets traded Sheldon for a 2nd rounder and Kearse, so i figure they could get something decent back for Mo, especially on draft day. Yet i see no talks of that happening and just talks of cutting him, Why is that?
Jds a dh. Thats it
The only reason the O’s like Ellisbury is because they think they might be able to get him for free. I doubt a deal gets done due to their unwillingness to pay anything.
Which is why the yankees will be screwing themselves come 2020 when stanton opts in and they are unable to add help due to stanton and ellsbury making close to 50 mill and having to pay young stars 2nd or 3rd arb prices.
Yankees should eat enough so ellsbury is 5 mill, maybe even 7 mill a year.
if stanton opts in the yankees get 30 million from the marlins, making him an even bigger bargain compared to what machado and harper are going to get.
lol 30 mill over 8
20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 is roughly 3.5 mill per season meaning he goes from 29 to 26 lol……”bigger” bargain by saving like 4 mill? Lol not really. They arent get 30 mill a season.
Also, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 it wont be a bargain contract lol.
How about we give you Trumbo and you give us Ellsbury and pay like half his contract. Trumbo can be a 1B/DH/RF for 2/$27 mil and you get out of 3 years of Ellsbury
Those are three positions the Yankees are good at. Just give Trumbo another shot of roids or HGH and he’ll be swatting them out of the park again..
As a diehard Red Sox fan, I’m not sure the JDM is enough to win the division this year, a lot of things are going to have to go right besides a big acquisition for Boston to succeed
A lot of if’s in that lineup and rotation
Congratulations, you’ve just discovered that sports are played by humans! Your statement applies literally to every single team in baseball.
Agreed. All is Sox fans have been weary of this team. It’s missing something and I can’t put my finger on it. I guess there’s no identity. It’s a good lineup, good rotation, good bullpen, and good defense. But nothing that goes “whoa!”
I can see why one may think this line up is missing something. But Betts, Benni and Devers will all have 25+ HRs is my guess. It would be nice to have a power gu with 35HRs, but I thinks the development of Devers and Benni, who were both rookies, will be far more important, along with Price’s health. Porcello will be better. His track record is one bad year, one good year. If we can just get Xander right or trade for a power bat (Machado) would be great. Offer Xander and JBJ if the orioles think Ells can help, surely JBJ would be better.
What the lineup was missing last year was Ortiz. A power bat in the middle of the lineup makes everyone a better hitter. So yeah they need JDM but if anyone was offering him more than the Sox are, he would have accepted already.
What the lineup was missing last year was having the hitters not all take a step back from the year before. It didn’t help to lose Ortiz, but the lineup never once got hot. The team looked “off” physically from the moment it opened the year with the flu (virtually everyone on the team got a bad case of it and almost missed time because of it), and the hitters seemed to be playing catchup from there.
It’s easy to blame the loss of Ortiz, but that has nothing to do with, say, Betts having a rough (and completely out of line with his career) BABIP season that took a big bite out of his bottom line.
Hey 571-you’ve got the tail walking the dog. The players had off years WITHOUT papi’s protection. All the hitters were moved around as the team had NO REAL #4 HITTER.
It’s easy to blame this on everything but a POORLY designed team with NO #4.
It’s a long season and a WEAK excuse is to talk about the flu at the beginning of the season.
If I were you I would be worried that Trader Dave has not made his move to fill the whole. Even JD may not be enough now as the Yankees have THREE very serious homerun hitters.
However, if both Chris Sale and David Price pitch like aces. Whoa! Everyone better watch out.
Yes, 2 of the top pitchers in baseball on paper, they can carry a team!
Price is done as a top pitcher. Only way he can compete would be if whining publicly helped ERA.
Betts needs to get back to super stud status in 2018 as well.
Red Sox are going to have a tough time winning the division but they should very much be in the wild card picture. The rest of the AL outside the Astros, Indians, and Yankees is not looking particularly strong.
Remember how the Marlins were able to pass Stanton through irrevocable waivers in the past, when his stock was down? Remember how he was in trade demand after a strong season? To wise people, he was the same player, but recency bias makes some people look stupid.
Boston returns virtually the exact same team that was seen as just as good as the Astros, Indians, and Yankees are being projected as. In fact, this time around the outlook is even better, as last training camp opened with some players already likely to miss major time (which they did) in two setup men and Wright in the rotation.
That doesn’t mean they’ll rebound, but just as they were seen as having ample pieces last year, they have ample pieces this year. It comes down to how well the players perform to their talent level, as is always the case.
No whoa’s here.
Next up: Sale’s down year as his arm requires less hi stress innings and he needs more time off (on DL) to regain strength.
More of the same: Price is finished as an elite pitcher. The only thing exceptional is his annual salary which Trader Dave convinced John Henry to commit to. He will Be the most expensive #3 or #4 starter in MLB history.
If you’re saying Martinez wouldn’t be enough to guarantee the division for Boston, you’re right, because nothing will. If you’re saying that Martinez wouldn’t be enough to make it POSSIBLE for the team to win the division, you’re wrong, because the team as it stands now still has a solid shot at it, even though NY on paper is definitely the current favorite. There are no guarantees of enough rebounds, but if every player and team that had a bad year never rebounded (and Boston net underperformed last year) then baseball would end up really lousy as the entire league trended towards being bad. In reality, Boston most likely will be better next year with organic rebounds and growth, but the real question is by how much (and how good the Yankees end up). Things could end up in so many places.
This is not your backyard garden 571-there’s nothing organic happening with this lineup. Without a solid slugger in the 4 hole all of your guys will bat about what they did in ‘17. Starting pitchers can coast without any hi stress innings and opponents bull pens rested.
Who else is going to make a bid for JD Martinez?
DBacks if they can free up money
Had a 6th or 7th option year to a JDM contract and call it a day.
Vesting options…based on performance…or mutual options
Hey Brad—no options will incentivize JDM to Sign is Boston. He is well aware of free agents’ recent history with the club and so the only chance to sign one is to blow all other teams’ offers out of the water, ala Price, Hanley and Panda.
The Ellsbury deal was awful the moment it was made. I wonder if that was Cashman’s work, or an order from Hank or Hal. I liked the player at the time, but the deal was a couple years, and at least $50 million too much. The worst part is the NTC. So dumb. The Yanks will have to make Ellsbury a $5-8m per year player to get teams to bite.
Also on Ells, the foolishness of that contract (when u had a cheaper and identical player in Gardner btw) will be why the Yankees can’t get in on a Yu Darvish (or anyone else), who seems to have a lesser market than some would have thought. For shame.
Tommy Pham is a career JAG who had a good half a season when pushing 30. While I’m happy for him and hope he continues, I don’t think teams are looking at him as a key piece for talent like Colome or Archer. He’s be a throw in at best.
NL teams should be wary of giving JDM a long term deal. At least in the AL he can DH. 5 or 6 years at $25m per will be very ugly if JD has to play the field in his mid 30s. I love the power tho. The Sox should have signed EE last offseason, and avoided this predicament and a season with no power bat in the middle of their line up. 3/$60m for EE looks good right now.
I think Robertson would be attractive to certain teams. Relievers are getting silly money out there, and a proven top end closer like Roberston, at 1 year and $13m, doesn’t kill a budget or flexibility. Would you rather Drob at 1/$13m or Holland at 3-4 years and $15-17m per? I’d rather Drob if the prospect cost was reasonable.
it’s 11.5 AAV
sherman suggested gyorko and Flaherty so that should give you the idea of the prospect cost. Yankees don’t have to trade him. That’s the difference. It’s not a dump
Absolutely right about the Sox and EE last year. I still wish that had gotten done.
I was saying that exact thing back then. Gardner is the same damn player getting paid much less. Why the hell did they make that horrible contract. They should have let the Red Sox keep him for that price. I didn’t even want Ells at Gardner’s price.
i think there is a difference between struggling and not living up to the contract when it comes to ellsbury
Why would the Orioles move Jones to right field if they got Ellsbury? Jones is a far better center fielder. That would make zero sense
Actually Ellsbury is better in CF than Jones.
Ellsbury has an NTC so little chance he is going to waive that to go lose with the O’s or any other team.
On 105.7 the Fan Baltimore they said earlier today that for the O’s to accept Ellsbury, it would take the Yankees eating $55 MM of the $68.5 MM he is owed to get a trade done and then only if the Yankees included a controllable MLB ready starting pitcher like Cessa or Adams.
If that’s true and the Orioles would accept that then…….bye Cessa, enjoy losing in Baltimore.
Lmao, Adams? To save 13.5 million? That’s so idiotic. Cessa is negligible, but suggesting Adams is laughable.
Not as laughable as paying ellsbury 21 mill and giving him a NTC in the 1st place.
Yeah, it’s already happened, dude. Thanks for the breaking news. The point is, Ellsbury is a sunk cost. To suggest saving a whopping 13.5 million over 3 years AND give up a prospect like Adams just to move Ellsbury is beyond stupid. Oh, and Sheffield is untouchable, particularly in a salary dump.
No one is untouchable given the right price.
IF someone ate 48 mill (70%), 16 mill a season off the yankees books, theyd have to part with Sheffeld or Adams.
Youre delusional if you think otherwise.
Either yankees eat majority of the contract or they part with a prospect to get rid of anywhere between 50% and 70% of the contract.
If yankees are unwilling to trade adams or sheffeld for clearing 70% of ellsbury contract they can instead eat 70% and get nothing in return, which is fine. Let the yankees save 5 mill a season while eating 16 mill.
Yankees won’t move Sheffield in a salary dump of Ellsbury. It’s just not going to happen. I also doubt that they’d move Adams in such a dump either. I think the Yankees are more interested in eating quite a bit of money than giving up a top prospect in order to move Ellsbury.
torres,,florial, sheffield = untouchable. ellsburys contrct is milk money to the yankees.
If the yankees want a team to take on more than 10 mill in financial obligations to ellsbury 1 of acevado, abreu, or perez will be required just to convince the team to take on ellsbury.
If a team takes on more it will require adams or sheffeld in return for a team taking on 50 to 70% of ellsbury contract.
Yankees have 0 control over this situation with ellsbury.
Teams should press for their best prospects. If yankees wont say ok keep ellsbury and his 21 mill salary and hang up.
Yankees can DFA ellsbury, nobody claims him, and yankees are stuck paying him while he plays for another team.
Lol, if you honest think that the Yankees would have to give up one of Abreu/Acevedo/Perez just to get a team to take more than 10 million(I’m guessing not a whole lot more than that) you’re severely mistaken. If Ellsbury was on the market right now, I could see a team signing him for 2/14 or 3/18.
Teams aren’t going to strongarm Cashman into giving up top prospects just to move Ellsbury. Sorry to burst your bubble, guy, but it’s not happening.
LOL nobody is paying ellsbury 7 mill even 6 mill a season wake up LOL.
Stop dreaming, get real. Nobody is paying 6 to 7 mill for a guy who posted average bat, average defense, and is already 34.
Those players get close to 5 mill a season, if that.
1 WAR = 7-8 million. Call me crazy, but I think Ellsbury can put up at least 1 WAR for the next 2-3 years, no?
1 WAR = 7 to 8 mill….but WAR value =/= market
Youre saying Hosmer who posted 4 WAR last year deserves 32 mill a season?
Again WAR Value =/= Market Value
Lol, the difference between 5-6-7 million isn’t exactly vast, dude. We’ll see what guys like Dyson and Jay get.
1. Jay and Dyson are 2 years younger 1st off
2. Austin Jackson posted roughly the same stat line Dyson did and could only net a 1 year 2.5 mill deal last offseason. jackson had roughly the same defensive ability as dyson and jay.
3. Jay actually doesnt need to be platooned. Hes roughly league average against righties and lefties. Dyson and Ellsbury need to be platooned.
4. Anyone interested in ellsbury could go sign dyson jay or jackson and not have to deal with ellsbury contract. So that actually works opposite of your hopes.
Hey relief, your WAR calculations don’t bring into account common sense. Only so many teams will offer huge amounts for long contracts anymore.
Ellsbury was signed in a different era. If teams need to plug him into an outfield they will gladly take him off the Yankees hands and pay 5-7 million.
The point is not a million or two with the Yankees. Wanting to get under the cap, a reduction of 5-7 gives them flexibility now or in July. Give Cash credit for his position, which is vastly different than in 2015!
That will never happen, Ellsbury is not worth his contract but he’s worth more than 4.5/year.
Not really, he posted league average offense, league average defense, and is 34 soon to be 35, 36, 37 over the course of the deal.
5 mill AAV is about what he is worth given production and age.
1.7 bWAR last year and he didn’t even play full time. That’s worth more than 5 mil.
WAR value =/= market value.
Hosmer posted 4 bWAR last year, doesnt mean he deserves 30 mill a season.
Also, youre assuming with more abs his WAR would go up or stay the same…..no itd actually go down
Also, at this point ellsbury is clearly a candidate for platooning.
Last year in 61 games against lefties he had 8 walks. EIGHT in 104 ABs. 7% walk rate against lefties is screaming platoon while you bat .240
2017 he batted
.240/.301/.337 with a 70 OPS+
Youre not paying 7 to 8 mill for a platoon guy. That would be such an awful investment to pay that much for a guy with an OPS under 700 against lefties.
Cessa maybe but not Adams lol
If you want Adams you are going to have to take on closer to 30-40 mill.
Ells still is a 3 war player if he has enough playing time. He would make the O’s OF defense much better. His market value would be close to Dyson, Jay. He doesn’t steal as many bases but is better offensively.
Omg I would deal Cessa in a heart beat to facilitate this trade
I’m guessing Ellsbury wouldn’t even consider waiving his no trade clause unless it’s to a solid contender. The Yankees have to be considered a solid favorite for postseason play; why would a player waive the clause to go to an obvious non-contender?
Depends on how important playing time is to him. Probably won’t be all that much to come by for him with Gardner, Judge, Stanton, and Hicks around. Clint Frazier is still in the picture as well for what that’s worth.
Playing time is really the only reason. Thing is, who knows how much Ellsbury values playing time. Maybe location could factor in as well? For instance, if somebody always wanted to live in Miami where its warm maybe they would be ok going there or if somebody would rather be closer to where they grew up that could influence a players decision.
That is what I said. Ellsbury would not want to finish his career on a loser. The Yankees are stuck with him. Better to be a bit player on a winner than a starter on a team perennially in the cellar.
I would think Cashman would have to package Ellsbury with another player to move him. Arizona seems like the spot or the Giants. I don’t see him going to the O’s. Ellsbury had a 1.6 WAR in 400 abs last year which means he is worth about 13 million a year. Cashman will take 10 which is a good deal for him. That’s 30 million, he’s not going to the O’s. If he can’t get that for him he is better off holding on to him. There were over 16 starting outfielders last year that didn;t have a 1.6 WAR
Blockbuster–
Yankees receive Corbin, Tomas and Owings
AZ receive Ellsbury, Robinson and $$ to help with Ellsbury’s contract
Why they make this move–
NY gets a good starter (and takes Tomas’ bad contract to help balance out Ellsbury’s contract), Owings is a good part-timer who can play all over the IF and OF.
AZ gets a better OF in Ellsbury and gets a lights out closer they need.
Ellsbury is not an upgrade and Robinson is not lights out, nor is he cheap. Terrible deal
Ellsbury is a huge defensive upgrade to Tomas. Robertson had a sub 2 ERA. He’s Elite. much better than Holland or Reed that’s for sure.
Yankees don’t need tomas though.
He had a sub 2 era as a setup man not a closer. His closer stats are much less appealing and he costs 13 mil.. Drury, Owings, Peralta, and Pollock also play the outfield. Ellsbury would not be an upgrade especially for his contract even if the Yankees ate most of it
He would be an upgrade over Drury/Tomas.. one of them for sure. He’s still better than Holland/Reed and everyone knows it. I don’t want to trade him. I’m only saying what the suggestion was for him
You are right that its a terrible deal but for all the wrong reasons. Ellsbury is a much better player than Tomas. Tomas has a career WAR of -2.2. Oh and Robertson is an elite CP/RP, dont know why you think a sub 2 ERA isnt good but oh well.
You are too focused on Tomas, they are both bad contracts. DBacks have other options. I dont think Tomas is considered an everyday player in 2018. See my comment above about Robertson. He is a great RP (albeit expensive) but has not shown he is a good closer (3+ ERA in 2016, 2.7 ERA with White Sox in 2017). DBacks need a closer.
NY gets rid of some of Ellsbury’s salary and they get a solid 5th starter in Corbin. I think both teams do well in this deal.
AZ does need a closer and while Robinson isn’t quite top 5 anymore, he’s much better than anyone the Diamondbacks can bring out of their bullpen currently. Bradley was very good as a setup man, Hirano and Boxberger are interesting, but Robinson would be a big help.
Tomas is added because belongs in the AL to DH and will help to offset Ellsbury’s cost.
The Yankees dont need a 5th starter. They already have one in Jordan Montgomery, who performed better than Corbin in 2017. Theres no need for the Yankees to get Corbin, nor do they want Corbin. They also dont need nor want Tomas, they dont need a DH, they already have too many OF and Sanchez cant play C every day. Unless the Yankees shed a lot of Ellsbury’s contract in this trade, the return for the Yankees is not worth the loss of Robertson.
Also, its Robertson and not Robinson.
Im mainly focused on Tomas because he will be part of the return for the Yankees in this theoretical trade scenario. My argument is that this trade is terrible since it would be the Diamondbacks dumping sub-par players that will not start (maybe except for Corbin, but hes not better than the Yankees current 5th starter) for an elite RP in Robertson and a serviceable OF in Ellsbury. The only benifet here is that the Yankees might save a little bit of money on the Ellsbury contract. But if thats what I would have to give up then I would rather just eat ellsburys contract and have him be the 5th OF. In this trade AZ gives up no one important and recieves a discounted Ellsbury and an elite RP. It favors AZ too heavily and doesnt even address the Yankees needs. If I were AZ i would take this trade in a heartbeat. If i was NYY i would laugh and hang up the phone.
Robertson might be expensive, but when you realise that Chase Headly commands the same amount of money it doesnt sound all that expensive anymore.
What planet are you watching baseball on……Robertson is a pretty good reliever who can set up or close…..get a life!
Maybe you should SHAVE THAT BEARD!
NY will not make this move. Robertson is too good for Patrick Corbin (a career 4.00 ERA guy) and the Yankees have no need for Tomas or Owings.
This trade is practically AZ gets an elite closer and an upgrade at CF (plus cash) and the Yankees get sub-par players they dont need nor want that wouldnt start on their current roster. Silly trade.
Looks good to me, might work!
Ellsbury & $$$ to Arizona for Thomas. Gives the Dbacks someone to play CF if Pollack leaves in FA next year
Anyone know why Martinez didn’t accept the Sox offer ? I’m surprised he hasn’t by now
Hes a Scott Boras client. Theyre patient.
Oh my God, Joel Sherman! Why did he have to open the Ellsbury Pandora’s box by saying a team might want him. RIP to all of next weeks chat questions asking about Ellsbury trade scenarios smh.
Ellsbury would laugh at a request to waive his NTC for Baltimore. Silly stuff there. West Coast or Arizona maybe
Red Sox can add a couple of 10 million dollar player options to a 5/120 million deal which would basically make it 7/140 and a 20 million AAV (which gets adjusted to 24 million retroactively should he decline the player options)
I think if the Orioles trade Manny they will be looking for pieces for the future and pieces which could help them win in 2018. Ellsbury is unlikely to approve a trade by Gardner, Robertson and Montgomery , Wade could get it done plus a couple of non elite prospects (lottery tickets). Yankees of course would then need to sign a FA SPer or swing a trade for Cole. Any extension for Manny would be signed in April to avoid an impact on 2018 CBT payroll
Gardner, Robertson, Montgomery, and Wade for 1 year of Machado? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. C’mun now, there’s a reason why Machado is still with the O’s.
Hey Pete-Its going to take a whole lot more for him to sign in Boston. Boras is going to make John Henry pay dearly for ruining some of his free agent clients’ careers.
The Yankees don’t need Machado this year, just take Ellsbury. Best 5th outfielder in baseball!
I’d rather see the kids in AAA get a shot. If they fail, Manny Machado in the offseason. Why send a crap load of talent to Baltimore for a rental.
This potential trade simply reeks of “Let us give you our overpriced scraps so we can clear salary to go after YOUR stud that will be a FA after the year. Please help us take your stud away from you !! “
I think the idea was that they’d throw in Ellsbury alongside their best prospect package, and eat a lot of Ellsbury’s salary; it also seems to have been floated because Baltimore showed interest, rather than the Yankees trying to pawn him off in exchange for an MVP caliber star.
what these idiots dont realize is that machado is walking after this season, period. baltimore would be wise to take what it can get.
maybe the O’s fans would enjoy watching him play for one more year rather than seeing him traded away for a sub-par package
Not to mention if he stays the whole year they still get a late first round pick for him.
Honestly id rather get players back then watch him play one more season and then walk and get nothing. Can always watch him play for another team. But as an Orioles fan, im used to watching players walk away and we get nothing. That looks like how this is headed. No one has offered them the 2 controllable MLB ready SP they are asking for
It would be nice to see the Yankees not get bailed out on Ellsbury.
I would have also liked to see the Marlins stuck with that albatross of a contract that they signed. But the Yankees had to bail them out.
Yankees blockbuster
Yankees receive: Gerrit Cole, Felipe Rivero, Josh Harrison
Pirates receive: Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Chance Adams, Domingo Acevedo, Dillon Tate, Jacoby Ellsbury (Yankees pay half of salary)
LOL. Yankees ain’t trading Gleyber Torres.
Hey Benny—you ought to throw in your house, which of course has already been paid off with no mortgage attached.
You need a boss to keep you inside reality. Good luck finding one
I like the patience in FA , though boring, the clubs are showing this year plus it ticks boras off. Trying to get out from under an Ellsbury like contract and staying under luxury tax are things they may be keeping an eye on. MLB trying to avoid becoming nba like with all those bad Monopoly money contracts
I think it funny Sherman says orioles have little leverage because machado in walk year so return won’t be as high yet suggests Robertson in final year of his deal would bring back major league ready talent??
Neither is mutually exclusive. They way teams are valuing closers, Robertson SHOULD be able to get them at least 1 top 100 prospect and another prospect or useful mlb piece.
O’s have less leverage for Machado the longer they wait. That’s not to say that there won’t be teams desperate enough to get him during the season tho. The package the Yanks got for Chapman or Miller may not have been possible had the Cubs or Indians not been as desperate as they were heading into the playoffs.
This false/contrived story about the Red Sox “needing” a middle of the order bat is not going away. I’ve been hearing it for 3 months now. It’s getting”old”.
I wonder if Scott Boras is fueling this?
The Red Sox are all set except they “need” a 2B for 2-3 months.
That means Eduardo Nunez hopefully.
They don’t need a DH as Pedroia can DH next year and they can unload Hanley after 2018.
They do “need” 1 or 2 SP’s and 1 or 2 LRP’s.
Can any reporter please write a trade rumor story about the Red Sox need for pitching?
Can any logical responsible baseball reporter see the Red Sox “need” for pitching?
Please?
How’s the story contrived? Red Sox ranked among the worst in HRS and vs lefties last year Benny, Moreland and Ramirez combined for a sub .700 OPS and 8 hrs. JD on the other hand, hit 12 hrs w/ a .376/.464/.892 slash line. He can really make a difference for the Sox, especially with lefties Sabathia, Montgomery and Chapman with the Yanks.
And you’re saying they don’t “need” Nunez and a SP and LRP more?
You’re saying that if we “just” get JDM we win the division right?
Pedy will not instill fear in any pitcher and it will remain to be seen what you will get when he returns. He’s coming to the dance late in ‘18 so he is likely to play in less than 100 games.
I would love it if the Yanks would just chill and go with the 5 starters they have. Unless there’s an injury that they haven’t made public then why press for a 6th starter? My guess is that Montgomery would be on the bubble? His makeup and performance last year makes me think hr can be a solid #3-5 starter.
I would rather they focus on depth. At AAA they have Adams, Acevedo, German and eventually Sheffield. All great young talent deserving of a chance. Still, a veteran we can use for spot starts, etc will be great to have in ST or possibly stashed in AAA.
I agree with you south beach. Give the young talent a chance to rise, for both the pitching staff as well as 2B and 3B
I know this sounds crazy but the Dbacks have checked on Manny and probably wont get him but why not a 3 team trade with Yankees Orioles and Dbacks with Ells going to the Dbacks Machado going to Yankees and whatever prospects from both teams going to the Orioles
I’d also love it if they would forget about Machado for 2018 , and honestly, forget about him and Harper too for 2019. I think the madness of another $300 mil contract should scare away the Yanks. They have a great team offense as it is and the farm has been productive for in-house purpose and for trade bait. If they decide to add another position player I’d rather them go with Hicks in 2018 to see if he’s legit.. If they don’t want to commit to either Hicks or Frazier for whatever reason then go after good contact hitting CF w/ speed who doesn’t strike out a ton like AJ Pollock. I think he can be had as a FA next year for a reasonable 2-3 years @ about $15 mil. Let him place hold until Florial is ready. I love the flexibility the Yankees have now.
Way over-estimating the Yankees. Sophomore slumps, weak pitching and an HGH probe could result in the opposite of last year. High expectation derailed! It’s January and the Yankees over-performed last year and everyone expects them to repeat the over-performance. Look at the Cubs. They looked invincible and the sophomore slumps killed them. Two teams not making the playoffs in 2018, Yankees and Astros. Each team will regress to their mean.
Astros have a better chance of repeating than the Yankees because they didn’t change allot of things. They didn’t lose a coach who made the Yankees competitive through all the lean years. They didn’t acquire an often injured expensive superstar who just completed his career year and will regress to his mean. Their pitching isn’t filled with as much uncertainty. It will be tough to win the East with 2 reliable starters. Stick a fork in CC. Without Girardi, those young pitchers who over-performed will struggle. Face it, the make-over has hurt the Yankees. Girardi’s loss is HUGE. Stanton will be hurt by May. Judge will slump like Sanchez last year. Castro is GONE!! Didi won’t continue to pass PED tests if the new HGH tests are more effective than the current ones. You’ve got Sanchez and allot of guys trending in the wrong direction. Your a year behind the Red Sox who had a huge sophomore slump last year as did the Cubs and guess what happens the year after the slump…. yep the slumpers often jump to a new, higher level. National League teams, look out for the Cubs. American League teams, look out for the Red Sox and a rejuvenated Angels team.
Thanks for sharing your Yankee hater perspective kd. Your rationalizations are hilarious and I hope that you have lots of garlic in your house to bite as the Yankees prove each and every one of your silly theories wrong.