THE YANKEES ARE "MUCH IMPROVED?" JON HEYMAN HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!

The Yankees have had a busy winter but did Brian Cashman's busy work improve the roster.....or was it simply just busy work? It's something I have been thinking about a lot lately because I think it is a fair question.

Have we done enough? That's always the question. Sure re-signing Aaron Judge was HUGE! The last thing I wanted to see was him in another uniform, and Anthony Rizzo gives us the defense and left handed bat we desperately need. Both important returns to the team - but what about the additions?

I am anxious to see what Carlos Rodon can do for us. I think if he is healthy the Yankees have a downright scary looking rotation. Imagine him with Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, It's deep, it has potential for a lot of wins and to fool a lot of talented hitters. I am excited just thinking about it! he pitching got a nice boost.....but what about the offense?

That is where I am worried. The Yankees have the same challenge year after year with their offense and if there was ever a time to fix this, it was NOW! The Yankees are stacked with lackluster infielders. Let's face it, Josh Donaldson is expensive, past his prime and useless. I hated his addition the moment it happened. I really wanted the stop gap option of Isiah Kiner-Falefa to work but it didn't and I am not excited about him getting more time at shortstop, no matter how short lived it may be. I think it is just time to move on from Gleyber Torres, he's an expensive piece that isn't what we need we are all going to hold our breath and hope that DJ LeMahieu has a bounce back season. Yikes, that is a scary log jam of infielders.

It's a lot of sub-standard players holding a spot from our promising young kids. So what does Jon Heyman have to do with all of this, well you can read his thoughts HERE. Here's something he wrote that stood out to me the most:
"The Yankees are a much-improved team thanks to the big things they got done, yet have unresolved questions at those two positions after being unable to acquire anyone in trade to play left field or deal anyone from their stash of infielders."

Two of the Yankees three big moves this winter were on the team last season. Their holes are in offensive positions where the Yankees limped across the finish line and were a .500 team the second half of the season. Oh and, a left handed bat is a huge advantage in Yankee stadium, but we don't seem to find the value in that. Aside from Rizzo, we have Aaron Hicks....who is pretty much a guaranteed out? How have we improved exactly? We spent more money without addressing our biggest weakness.... hitting! That's insanity, not improvement.

Good grief! I think Heyman lost his marbles. I hope sooner rather than later the Yankees find solutions to their infield log jam and upgrades to their offense. THAT is what will give us a much-improved team and then Heyman's article will make more sense.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

DONALDSON & HICKS TOPPING THE LIST OF PUBLIC ENEMIES OF YANKEE FANS

Source: Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

So I have been doing a lot of deep reflection on this upcoming Yankee team based on my post traumatic stress leftover from last year's failure to get passed the Houston Astros into the World Series. Last week I wrote about Aaron Hicks and the bs that he is the frontrunner for the starting left field job. I shared my elation with Aroldis Chapman as he exited the Bronx. But now I am bracing myself for the fact that Josh Donaldson is likely the front runner for the starting third base job. He just doesn't deserve it nor the big salary the Yankees are giving him. So, today's piece unpacks Donaldson and Hicks and their rise to top of public enemies list for Yankee fans.

Source: MLB.com

According to the New York Post, "When general manager Brian Cashman has proclaimed Donaldson the starting third baseman and Hicks the frontrunner in left field, it resonates with the fan base as if he is championing Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Pavano for Monument Park. Mainly due to their big salaries and small production, Donaldson and Hicks currently are enemies No. 1 and No. 1A of the Pinstripe State."

I have deep dislike for players who are hanging around to collect money for work they don't or are incapable of doing. Donaldson doesn't have the bat speed to keep up with today's pitching and Hicks can't hit a lick nor does he put in the effort necessary to be a star outfielder. Heck he isn't even a mediocre outfielder.

"If not for what they were owed (plus Donaldson’s less-than-pristine reputation), the Yankees would have traded Donaldson, Hicks or both in the offseason. Hicks has three years at $30.5 million still due — plus he would receive a $1 million assignment bonus if traded. Donaldson, between his 2023 salary and a 2024 buyout, is due $27 million," reported The Post. 

We have two really great prospects who could easily slide into these positions in Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe. Volpe likely will be in the running for the starting shortstop position and Cabrera has already proven himself in the outfield. Both are more than capable of the corner infield position, which is occupied by Donaldson, who other than his defense, offers nothing to this Yankee team. And his attitude certainly doesn't scream Yankee lore to me either.

"Donaldson did not endear himself to the fans for, among other things, going into homer trots on several flyballs that were not homers, but mainly for his strikeout addiction, which worsened late in the season and carried into a 5-for-29, zero-RBI, 16-whiff postseason. That included a 1-for-13, 10-strikeout eyesore in the ALCS versus Houston— in which Donaldson’s mere appearance in the on-deck circle at Yankee Stadium brought derision," reported The Post.

Source: Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

So brace yourself, fans—Cashman believes his big salary signings will rise to the top of the spring training competition in a few short weeks. Which could mean we are stuck with Hicks and Donaldson at least until they get hurt, which they undoubtedly will or just suck so much that Aaron Boone will be forced to give them some days to reset. If they have not been able to contribute so far, what makes this their standout year? We will find out this and much more soon. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RANGERS SNATCH UP 'RED THUNDER'

 Just when you thought you would never hear about Clint Frazier, or er... Jackson Frazier again, you're wrong.

Clutch points writes:

"The Texas Rangers agreed to terms with 5 players on minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, per the Rangers’ PR Twitter account. Notably, Texas agreed to terms with former New York Yankees’ top prospect Clint Frazier and former Kansas City Royals’ star pitcher Danny Duffy. Additionally, the Rangers brought in OF Travis Jankowski, RP Ian Kennedy, and RP Reyes Moronta...

Outfielder Clint Frazier was once regarded as a top prospect. The Yankees acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians and expected Frazier to serve a big role for them at some point. But things never panned out for him in New York."

Just recently Frazier signed with the Toros del Este, read CLINT FRAZIER JUST SIGNED WITH A DARK HORSE.... Now however, he appears back in the bigs, and to be honest, I'm thrilled for him.

YANKEES INJURY UPDATES! WHO'S READY FOR SPRING TRAINING?

We are less than a month away from some baseball action! Sure, winters can drag on, but February means we can all wake up from a long winter's nap and enjoy watching our boys in action again. Speaking of that, we were missing some big bats in the playoffs....so are they back in action yet?

There is some good news! We got some updates on DJ Lemahieu and Giancarlo Stanton and they are ready to get back to game action.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking, "don't get too excited yet" or "everyone feels great before the season starts" and I am not saying we should count our chickens before they hatch but both of these guys were missed down the stretch last season. Stanton was on a tear early in the season and was an All-Star before getting injured. DJ is a great leadoff hitter when he is healthy and could be a huge asset at second base. He's feeling good in Tampa now and consulted with more than one doctor before deciding not to have surgery on his toe.

I hope DJ's decision to not have surgery pans out. I also hope that Stanton can figure out how to STAY healthy and we can stop talking about how he's only had one healthy season with us. The Yankees have a lot of potential if they can just figure out how to stay on the field instead of on the Injured List. We are all hoping that this is the year that it changes and we win it all.

Last but not least, Michael King is also expected to be ready for Opening Day, read more HERE. We missed King the last two months of the season after a nice start. King's rare injury was so shocking that even pitching coach Matt Blake didn't believe it. There are a lot of injuries in baseball, but a fractured elbow isn't one of the more common ones. It will be interesting to see how he holds up and how the Yankees manage his workload.

I always say I will take any piece of good news I can get....now let's hope we can hold on to that good news and win a title in 2023. I like the sound of that.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

 

MIGUEL ANDUJAR JUST OUTRIGHTED BY THE PIRATES

It's no way to treat a player, but then the Yankees treated him like garbage too.  Miguel Andujar just can't get a break.  But the bottom line is this... baseball is a business.

According to a site called The Comeback, there's some weird news on Miggy.

They write:

"The Pittsburgh Pirates outrighted former New York Yankees sensation Miguel Andújar on Thursday. Kevin Gorman of the Tribune-Review reported Thursday that Andújar, who the Pirates DFA’d last week, cleared waivers and would receive a non-roster invite to spring training."

Kind of feels like starting over.  I hope he proves he's worth the gamble in Pittsburgh. I really liked Andujar as a player.  Let's hope it all goes his way.

A TALE OF AARON JUDGE, THE YANKEES & A DOG NAMED KEVIN

I just can't get enough of Aaron Judge. And he can't get enough of New York. The Judgian tour in the last week included a Drake concert, a New York Rangers home game, and a trip to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In a light-hearted interview with Fallon, Judge shared the entire free agency, recruitment and eventual signing process—in what I am calling a tale of Aaron Judge, The Yankees and a dog named Kevin.

Source: YouTube

"He was a big part,” Judge said of his teammate Anthony Rizzo in an interview with Fallon. “He was a free agent, too; he opted out, but he got his contract out of the way [in November] and he said, ‘Now we’ve got to get you locked in.’ He was calling me every day. He was sending me texts every day. He was working hard. “He went for my heart. My little Penny and his dog, Kevin, are the best of friends. Every day, I was getting photos,” reported MLB.com. 

Source: The YES Network

It is no surprise that Anthony Rizzo had a big influence on Judge's decision to stay in New York. He and Judge became good friends, almost like brothers over the last couple of years. Once Rizzo signed in November, he was relentless to ensure his friend would too. His dog Kevin helped seal the deal.

Then there was Derek Jeter, ready to take the Yankee slugger to lunch, hoping to talk with Judge and help ease his mind. But before that date happened, Judge signed a 9-year $360 million dollar contract to remain a Yankee for life.

Judge explained to The Tonight Show audience that even though he was being wooed by other teams, he and his wife could not be swayed. “After every meeting, I’d sit down with my wife, and we kinda look at each other and are like, ‘we’re Yankees,'” reported The New York Post. 

To round out the week, Judge will accept his American League MVP Award on Saturday at at the New York BBWAA Dinner. Sure, Judge got paid. But the cool thing about it is that we all wanted it to happen. Rizzo, Jeter, Yankees administration, his wife, his family, fans across the country and the city of New York. “Every athlete wants to get to that position, where they can kind of choose, you know, where they get to play. It just so happened I got drafted by the best team on the planet," reported The New York Post. 

Source: The New York Yankees

Aaron Judge is a special player, with an amazing talent, a great friend in Rizzo and yes, a soft spot for a dog named Kevin. And this year is going to be the first year Judge leads the Yankees as their 16th captain, a position left open for 7 years. Could this be the year the Yankees go farther than they have in more than a decade? If Judge had his way, it sure would be. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR IS OBSESSED WITH THE YANKEES & I LOVE IT!

What's great about being the team everyone loves to hate? We never go away. We are always on the competition's mind. That's called winning in my book.

The Yankees won the AL East last season, but one of the Yankees biggest opponents are talking like THEY are the winners, read more HERE. I love the fact that at a Blue Jays fan event, Vladimir Guerrero Jr is thinking about us. I think he is a little confused though. If the Yankees are the "easiest team" to play against in 2022 - why didn't they do better against us? 

If you are going to talk to the talk then you better be able to walk the walk.... but season stats prove otherwise. The Yankees won the season series with a record of 11-8 against the Blue Jays. Sure, Vlad played well against us, and he is a talented player, but his team lost. There was so much hype about the Blue Jays going into last season, but the Yankees were the ones who got off to a hot start and managed to win the AL East....not the Blue Jays.

Oh, and one other moment that Vlad conveniently forgot, it was the Yankees clinching the division IN Toronto with a 5-2 victory. He's obsessed with beating the Yankees. Glad he has goals, but he's talking about it a lot and he didn't do it last season. The Yankees live rent free in his head, and I can't wait to see how that continues to play out this season.

I like when athletes talk a big game, but you gotta back it up too. At this point, Vlad hasn't won anything. He hasn't beat the Yankees where it counts. Until he does, I will gladly listen to him talk and then laugh about it. At least he's entertaining, the guy who says he would "never" sign with the Yankees "not even dead" sure does like to spend all of his time thinking about us.

I sure do love Haters....especially when they talk nonsense and make me laugh. I'm glad he likes playing us, because I sure like beating him.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

BOONE TALKING ABOUT HICKS IN LEFT FIELD IS NONSENSE

I am so elated that the Yankees have parted ways with Aroldis Chapman. And that momentum has given me hope that the Yankees would pass on giving Aaron Hicks an opportunity to land a job as the starting left fielder. But once again, Aaron Boone does not disappoint. He is backing his veteran and says he is the likely starting corner outfielder for the 2023 Yankees.

“I feel like Aaron Hicks has a chance to really bounce back. We saw what Oswaldo Cabrera can do when we threw him into a lot of different scenarios playing the outfield really for the first time and handling himself so well. We’re really excited about him," reported NJ.com.

Although Boone admits that the field is wide open, with four to five possibilities, the fact that he really thinks Hicks can bounce back is just ridiculous.

According to CBS Sports, "Hicks, who is on the books for $29.5 million through 2025, continued his downward trend in production in 2022, slashing .216/.330/.313 with eight home runs and 10 stolen bases across 453 plate appearances. The 33-year-old suffered a left knee injury Oct. 18 that sidelined him for the remainder of the Yankees' postseason run, but after telling reporters at that time that he would require a six-week recovery period, he's likely back to full health at this point."

This kind of crap is what makes hot shots like the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. think the Yankees are the easiest team to beat. In his latest words to Sports Illustrated on Friday, Guerrero Jr. took another shot at his Division rival Yankees by answering a young fan's question about the easiest team to beat in 2022. He didn't hesitate in announcing the Yankees but alas I laugh at him because the Yankees' record against Toronto in 2022 was 8-11. But still, with guys like Hicks demonstrating that we are beatable through lackluster defense and just inconsistent offense, it is laughable that he is even being considered as an outfielder starting frontrunner.

Source: AP

Beside Hicks, there is Cabrera, Estevan Florial, non-roster vet Willie Calhoun, and Rafael Ortega, another experienced corner outfielder who is on the minor league roster. Of course the Yankees could still make a trade, but that is unlikely by the start of the season but much more likely before trade deadline. Of course, if things don't work out the way the Yankees hope for the start of the season.

The Yankees seem fine with status quo, which has bit them in the ass over the last several seasons, waiting too long to make moves that would strategically land them in a more competitive spot in the postseason. "The Yankees' lack of activity in the outfield market this winter is nonetheless a positive development for Hicks, who would have been on the outside looking in for a starting spot had New York not allowed Andrew Benintendi to walk in free agency," reports CBS Sports.

So while I had a day or two to revel in celebration with Chapman's departure, now I am left with that pit in my stomach that Hicks has created over the years through is inability to perform—and look like he's not even trying. I think the Yankees are shooting themselves in the foot by letting Hicks go out there and fight for a job. If we have not seen anything spectacular with him 'til this point, what makes this Hicks's year? 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

JURICKSON PROFAR: LAST LEFT FIELDER STANDING?

Will the Yankees fill the left fielder hole with Juriskson Profar? That's the big question and every publication has talked about this connection for the past week.

The Score writes about it. The idea would be the sign him but it's gotta be under that luxury tax, which could be hard. They write:

"New York is insistent on not going over the "Steve Cohen" luxury-tax threshold of $293 million to sign the 29-year-old, Heyman adds. The Yankees' payroll is sitting around $290 million.

Profar appeared in a career-high 152 games for the San Diego Padres last season, his third with them. The switch-hitter slashed .243/.331/.391 with 15 home runs, 36 doubles, and 58 RBIs with 140 hits."

Now look, the Yanks have Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Harrison Bader and even Oswaldo Cabrera for the outfield. They also signed a bunch of guys to minor league deals and they're probably gonna duke it out for a bench role. But there is always this intriguing idea of Profar. 

The Yankees have been connected to Profar before you know. Back in 2015, BYB wrote about their need for the shortstop and Profar was one for the Rangers back then. Read YANKEE TARGET: JURICKSON PROFAR for a trip down memory lane.

These days Profar is a nimble outfielder, but will he come at a low cost and be immediately placed on the Major League roster if he comes to New York? We will have to see.

Fun stuff. Let's see what happens next.

BREAKING: CHAPMAN FOUND A NEW TEAM!

Yup, Aroldis Chapman has not re-signed with the Yankees. That was because of a fall out this past fall.  He literally just disrespected our team and so, the team wanted nothing to do with him.  Good.

But Chapman has found a new town to call home. It's Kansas City.

The Spun writes, and attributes Mark Feinsand with the news:

"According to MLB Network's Mark Feinsand, Chapman has agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Royals...This will be the first time that Chapman is with a new team since 2017 when he signed with the New York Yankees. He had been with the Yankees for the previous six seasons before this report came out.

Chapman finished this season with a 4-4 record and a 4.46 ERA. He also had nine saves and 43 strikeouts in 36 innings. "

And that's that... as they say.

Good luck Aroldis. Keep it real.

REMEMBER PHELPS? HE IS HANGING UP HIS CLEATS

Nostalgia hit me hard when I hopped on Twitter late yesterday afternoon and saw David Phelps announced retirement. It's hard to believe that 10 years ago we watched him break into the big leagues as a Yankee. My how time flies.

For the first three seasons of his career, he threw 299 1/3 innings with the Yankees over 40 starts and  posted a 4.21 ERA. He quickly became a favorite of mine so when the Yankees traded him to the Marlins over the 2014-2015 season I was pretty disappointed. In return, the Yankees got Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Jones and then Low-A pitcher Domingo Germán, who is still a Yankee today. Funny how trades pan out sometimes.

After his time with the Marlins he bounced around to five other teams and spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays where he posted his best numbers since he played for the Marlins, he tossed 63 2/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball through 65 appearances. His resurgence would've landed him another contract somewhere in the league, but he decided to retire instead.

One of the reasons why I was disappointed to see him leave the Yankees was because I loved his attitude and his passion. When he was on the mound, he gave it everything he had. Even when he didn't have his best stuff that day, you could tell he was such a competitor. It's tough to hear about players retire sometimes, but I am actually happy to hear him hang them up now. Sure, he is healthy enough to go another year....but he's battled some rough injuries over his career. Now he gets to go out on top and I think that is the best way to do it. End it on a high note.

So Phelps....best wishes and happy retirement. Thanks for the memories! You were one hell of a competitor and the game needs more guys with your dedication.

By the way, if you didn't know already, we interviewed Phelps. So be sure to check out EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DAVID PHELPS. It's a great interview, released on July 20, 2014.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj