DESPERATE YANKEES ARE TALKING TO MONTGOMERY AGAIN

Here we go again. The last big fish in the Scott Boras camp that remains unsigned. We all knew this headline was coming. The Yankees are about as desperate as they come....but is Jordan Montgomery equally as desperate?

I guess we will wait and see but according to Jon Heyman HERE now that Blake Snell is off the market, the Yankees are trying to rekindle talks with Montgomery in hopes to convince him to come back home to the Bronx. The way I see it, Boras, Montgomery and the Yankees are all desperate. It's the perfect disastrous combo.

According to Heyman, there is a big gap between Montgomery and the Yankees. That's a big DUH we all know this. Who knows if the Yankees are willing to make him a similar offer compared to what they offered Snell but....it is rumored Boras is still asking for a hefty contract. The rumor mill says Boras believes Montgomery is comparable to Philadelphia Phillies Aaron Nola's contract extension of 7 years and $162 million. You're welcome for that chuckle.

Seriously, Snell had a $150 million offer that he foolishly didn't take, and Montgomery doesn't have the same resume or experience but he's worth more money. Okay, Boras. We all see how well that worked out for your clients. All of your big fish didn't get near the number of years or money they were looking for, but Montgomery is going to be different. I've got a bridge I will sell you for really cheap.

All signs point to no teams are banging on Montgomery's door and I don't mean that disrespectfully. Honestly, I have always liked Montgomery AND I wanted him more than I ever wanted Snell. I never wanted anything to do with Snell. He can't pitch deep into games and the amount of home runs he'd give up in Yankee stadium would be a huge mistake. I want Montgomery, I just don't think he should want us but he needs a new home.

He deserves better than the Yankees and that is hard for me to say. We NEED his durability, and he has already proven he can handle pitching in New York. Brian Cashman burned that bridge just like he's screwed up so many things over the years. The Yankees need Montgomery to save them now more than ever. Who knows if this Gerrit Cole injury pans out the way we HOPE it will. Isn't Karma funny?

The Yankees are banking on Montgomery taking another short-term deal as ALL of his other clients this offseason. I guess we will wait and see if all of these desperate parties can bridge the gap. If the Yankees do make this happen (and that's a BIG if) someone should make Cashman eat crow. I'd pay to see that.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

PHILLIES LOCK UP NOLA BEFORE CASHMAN EVEN GETS OUT OF HIS SLEEPING BAG

More of the same from the New York Yankees. NoT aggressive... not serious about changing this team for the better. Whatever. 

About 48 hours after we wrote EXPECT THE YANKEES TO BE "IN" ON THIS BIG PHILLIES STUD here at BYB, Aaron Nola was signed for a big-time contract by the Philadelphia Phillies.  In other words, the rumors of the Yankees being "in" on Nola we just rumors and proves to me that baseball insiders like Jon Morosi of the MLB Network actually know NOTHING about the inside track of baseball and the players that play it. What a joke.

But more to that, once again, a big fish is out there... someone we desperately need, and the Yankees don't make a deal to try and score Nola. They don't even try.  Probably because Brian Cashman was sleeping in Manhattan to "combat homelessness" (whatever that means) instead of actually doing his job.  Anyway... the New York Post writes:

"Aaron Nola and the Phillies are in agreement on a seven-year, $172 million contract, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed on Sunday, setting him up to spend the rest of his career in Philadelphia.

The deal is pending a physical, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who reported that it’s the biggest deal for a Phillies pitcher in franchise history."

So here we go... approaching December and all we're gonna see next is Brian Cashman dressed like an elf climbing down a building for charity.  Wonderful.

We are no longer aggressive... we're complacent. The New York Spankees.  Unreal.

EXPECT THE YANKEES TO BE "IN" ON THIS BIG PHILLIES STUD

Yes, we all know that the Yankees are going to be in on Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Well... not if Brian Cashman can ruin that... and it appears it could have happened.  But that being said, did you know that the Yankees are also, maybe, kinda interested in Aaron Nola too?  This excites me more than Yamamoto... not gonna lie.

Inside the Pinstripes actually quotes Jon Morosi of MLB Network:

"Yankees are among the most active teams in the starting pitching market, and sources say they're showing early interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola, among others," Morosi said...

If New York could somehow land both Yamamoto and Nola, it immediately would have one of the best starting rotations in baseball on paper. "

The key there is "on paper".  Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola and Carlos Rodon.  But as you have seen in 2023... Cortes was hurt all year and Rodon sucked.  There are those words again... "on paper." Ultimately you never know what you're gonna get.

But back to Nola. The dude's solid and when reading Phillies Nation, they say:

" Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports that opposing clubs are “convinced” that the Phillies won’t go above and beyond to retain Nola’s services. “

And so maybe, just maybe the Yanks could have a shot with this guy.

We shall see... stay tuned.

THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON THIS STARTING STUD PITCHER THAT EVERYONE WANTS!

The Yankees better start thinking about next season, because the Yankees have some big holes and not a lot of top end talent available. Hal Steinbrenner has promised to take a "deep dive" and really study how the Yankees operate. IF he plans to use new resources to spend money, he won't have the cream of the crop to choose from.

The Yankees have been awful offensively for a long time. They definitely need to balance out their lineup and that means adding some left-handed hitters in the lineup for sure. That has to get done for sure but.... what about the pitching?

The Yankees have at least two starters they need to replace. The writing is on the wall, Luis Severino isn't coming back and neither is Domingo German. It's time to move on but there isn't a lot of great free agents out there, assuming Hal wants to trust Brian Cashman to just throw more money into a free agent and hope it magically fixes the problem.

Every team is going to be checking in on Shohei Ohtani, regardless of the fact that he won't be pitching in 2024. The Yankees will check in because we check in on every big-name free agent, but I feel confident saying Ohtani will not be wearing pinstripes. That is the motherload of all longshots. It's out there.... he doesn't want to play for the Yankees, and he prefers to stay on the west coast. Mark this off the list.

So who is available? The other names on the list aren't super exciting, check it out HERE. Some of the biggest names out there are Blake Snell, Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray. Let's just cross Gray off the list (been there done that) and I'm not excited about Snell. Nola has finished top five in Cy Young voting twice in his career, so that top end starter potential the Yankees need is there. He was a big reason why the Phillies were able to make it to the World Series, and he could be an instant upgrade to our rotation. 2023 hasn't been a great season for him, but he is still a workhorse and should get plenty of attention this winter. The Yankees will check in on Nola too but....is this it?

No, there's another option. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the new Japanese superstar that is on every MLB team's radar right now. The Orix Buffaloes will reportedly post their ace this off-season, and several teams are getting ready to pounce, read more HERE. There's a lot to like about Yamamoto's resume: 

"He was Japan’s Pacific League MVP in 2021 with a 1.39 ERA, including 206 strikeouts in 193.2 innings. In 2022, Yamamoto lowered his ERA to 1.65. And this year, his ERA is down to a ridiculous 1.26 as of last week, while averaging a strikeout an inning."

He could be the game changer in the rotation that the Yankees are looking for. Sure, the Yankees signed Carlos Rodon last winter thinking he would fill that role, but he hasn't yet. Maybe Yamamoto can and maybe he will. Oh and, considering that Cashman and advisor Omar Manaya flew to Japan to watch him pitch a no-hitter on September 9th, the Yankees may decide the other free agents are Plan B and go all in on Yamamoto.

Will the Yankees take another splash on a Japanese pitcher? Maybe, and maybe their success with Masahiro Tanaka could help steer Yamamoto to wear pinstripes. I hope that could be an advantage, but the Red Sox are also interested, and they have their own Japanese success stories to brag about.

I don't know what the Yankees are going to do.... but the Yankees need pitching depth and Yamamoto looks pretty enticing. Now the challenge is, can the Yankees persuade him to land here after this disastrous season? That's a real and scary question.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

HELP WANTED IN THE YANKEE RUMOR MILL: A WINGMAN FOR GERRIT COLE

Source: New York Daily News

There has been a lot of talk about figuring out the middle infield and center field deficients for the 2022 Yankee team. But, as always, pitching is still an area of growth. Adding a pitcher as a wingman to Gerrit Cole would be a one-two punch for the Yankees. But who are the likely candidates?

Source: NY Times

Noah Syndergaard: Coming off Tommy John surgery, the Mets ace is ready to go in 2022. According to the New York Post, "He might just be a tease, but he is one talented tease. If he takes a multiyear deal, the Yanks should be out. But if Syndergaard were willing to take a big one-year pact to re-establish himself for next year’s market, he becomes more attractive." I mean getting Thor would be an asset but would he be able to keep up? Corey Kluber had a hard time getting acclimated after his injuries, but yet he pitched a no-no. So, Snydergaard may be worth the effort.

How about Sean Manaea? My impression of him in 2021 is he is a tank. And in 2023 he is a free agent. But could the Yankees make a play for him and perhaps some of his teammates in 2022? Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are corner infielders who have a one-two punch. "When those guys are hitting, we've got a good chance to win games," manager Bob Melvin per an interview via NBC Sports. I know we are focused on pitching here but there could more when it comes to negotiating with the A's who have annual payroll restraints that will keep them from keeping all of their premier players. 

Source: USA Today

And Aaron Nola? He's signed through 2022 with an option for 2023 but, if the Phillies want to beef up and contend, they may consider trading him and the Yankees would welcome him with open arms. "Philadelphia has quite a to-do list to tackle this offseason if they wish to improve the team and put them in a position to contend next season, and Nola is far from being at the top of their list of concerns," reported Fan Nation. He had a subpar season but could bounce back in the Bronx. 

All three of these guys are worthy wingmen for Cole. And let's not forget to mention that Corey Kluber could be a full strength next season giving the Yankees a one-two-three punch. Let's see how things play out and surely there could be other contenders albeit I say Justin Verlander? I feel like he had his chance to be a Yankee and now he is just stuck with his sticky stuff in Houston. Something is brewing, just not sure who will be the next Yankee starting pitcher. 

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof