There's always good and bad points made when trades happen. As many of you know, Jose Pirela and JR Murphy were traded today. Pirela went to San Diego for righty Ronald Herrera. JR Murphy went to the Twins for Aaron Hicks, an outfielder.
On it's surface, Yankee fans are sad to see our guys go, which is perfectly normal and here's why; Yankee fans over the past 4 to 5 years, and as long as I'm heading BYB...root hard for "our kids". When our kids go, we feel as though they weren't given enough time. That's the bottom line.
Pirela was drafted as a SS and eventually was a second baseman and did some outfield work for the Yanks. But at 25, the once Top Prospect was now just a kid that the Yankees needed to flip. And yes, he was a Top Prospect. Not our words, Newsday's words, read HERE... MLB's words, see below...
Bottom line, it would have been nice to see Pirela blossom in pinstripes, but he'll be fine in San Diego.
The Yankees get Ronald Herrera, a righty. A decent pitcher and someone the Yankees will definitely use. Bottom line, he will grow.. Breaking down Brendan Kuty's piece in NJ.com, "IS HE ANY GOOD? Before the 2014 season, Baseball America and MLB.com each ranked Herrera, of Venezuela, in the Oakland A's top 20 prospects. Then Oakland traded him to the Mariners for a player to be named later in May 2014. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo once said Herrera's fastball reached 94 mph and he's got a solid curveball, possessing the makings of a "solid big league starter" at some point. He earned Texas League Pitcher of the Week honors once in 2015."
Then there was JR Murphy, the back up to Brian McCann that, let's be honest, may have stuck around if Gary Sanchez wasn't tearing up the Arizona Fall League right about now. We get Aaron Hicks in return, who has decent defensive skills and definitely someone that will be utilized in our outfield. I'm excited about him to be honest.
ESPN writes: "Hicks, 26, could serve as a fourth outfielder, the job held this past season by Chris Young, now a free agent. But it also could be the precursor to a bigger move; the Yankees might be shopping Brett Gardner, according to reports out of the GMs meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, this week.
Gardner, an eight-year veteran who is second only to Alex Rodriguez in length of service with the Yankees, was their starting left-fielder and one of two position-player All-Stars in 2015...Hicks, a switch-hitter, has played in parts of three big league seasons for the Twins, who made him the No. 14 overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft.
His best season came in 2015, when he hit .256 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 97 games, 88 of them in center field."
There is definitely growth and an upside to having Hicks on the Yankees. And the good thing about Bleeding Yankee Blue is we have all opinions here. Ike Dimitriadis wrote PIRELA AND MURPHY ... GONE! today. His glaring point was the following when speaking of the parting of Murph and Pirela:
"Both players were popular in the clubhouse and the fans, so you’re not alone if these don’t sit well with you."
The opinion is valid and his own and I applaud that because it goes back to what I said earlier. Many Yankee fans want to see our guys grow, not traded away. It's very personal with us. But let's keep it real, they are opinions and that's what makes BYB different from every other publication out there. My writers all have different takes on different stories.
I was annoyed by a snarky unneeded comment today on BYB:
"...it's always the same story here - trade marginal prospects and you guys are up in arms. You can also never give cashman any credit. I remember on this site when Nuno was traded it was like they traded the second coming of Ron Guidry."
First of all, if you really read us regularly sir, you'd know a few things. Ron Guidry is a God to me and while Vidal Nuno was decent, he was no Ron Guidry. What he was, was a lefty pitcher, and me being a lefty myself, I instantly an consumed because I appreciate the southpaw and ALWAYS root for them. Your wise ass comment is ridiculous and wrong.
Secondly, BYB has all opinions... ALL OPINIONS. We have a story about Stephen Strasburg and how BYB writer Dan Lucia wants him in pinstripes... BADLY I might add, read HERE. Tomorrow Mike O'Hara has a counterpoint argument. He doesn't want the guy. We do that with Mark Teixeira, with Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner... what the hell are you reading that you're so wrong?
Bottom line... I like that we moved JR Murphy for Aaron Hicks... Ike doesn't, but tomorrow we get up and work together on some more posts for the BYB audience to read. That's because we don't take this stuff as seriously as brain surgery. It's baseball... it's the rumor mill... it's a fucking game, bra. Chill.
To Herrera... to Hicks... welcome to the Bronx. To Murphy and Pirela... good luck. You were good soldiers in New York, but it's time to turn the page.
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