PUMP THE BRAKES ON THE 2020 SEASON - THE PLAYERS AREN'T HAPPY!

I may have Twitter induced whiplash. I jump from feed to feed and see one argument only to be sucked into a new direction and I see another argument. We all got excited when MLB owners approved a plan that could bring baseball back in July. That's a big first step....but there is still another big hurdle to jump, namely the Players Association.

Here comes the drama.

It's a business....so it's all about the money and the owners want to hold onto as much money as possible. Back in March, the MLBPA agreed to prorated pay, essentially a reduced salary. Owners now recognize that if and when the season resumes, games will likely be played without fans in the stands which takes away some of their revenue. So now the pressure is shifted to the players. The owners have okayed a plan to start playing, but to get some money back they want the players to take less also by agreeing to a 50/50 revenue share, read more HERE. Revenue sharing is common in other sports like the NFL, NHL and the NBA - but not baseball. MLB players are not happy with the proposal, it's like a salary cap....and we know that isn't in baseball either.

So here we are, waiting to see who will fold first. The owners are optimistic that players will negotiate. Randy Levine tried to appeal to the Yankees by trying to appeal to the sense of civic duty. "I think our players are patriots. They want to do it. We are all trying to get there," Levine said. Talk about pressure, I'm sure the Yankees don't WANT to take a pay cut and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has already said that the union WILL NOT agree to it. Some players are already saying that they won't support it.
Here's Adam Jones:

And Trevor Bauer:

And what about former Yankee Phil Hughes?

I understand the sentiment, regardless of if I agree with it or not. These owners are very wealthy, and that didn't happen by accident. Are they feeling the pinch financially right now? Sure, like most of us are. They aren't getting the cash flow that they normally get right now. It's a month into the season and they haven't made money. That doesn't mean they are struggling though. They made a commitment to players when they signed them....and the players are expecting them to live up to that commitment with some minor concessions, which they have already made a few. I get it.

I also understand when Phil Hughes is coming from. The next CBNA is coming up soon. The Players union have had a long hard fight to get to this point. Years ago they didn't have the same favorable terms so to agree to owners requests would be taking a big step backwards in their point of view.

Would we feel differently if it was you or me? Maybe we have a similar situation. I know several people right now who have agreed to a temporary pay cut during this pandemic in order to keep their jobs. A little less income is better than none, right? What if we agreed to a pay cut due to the circumstances with the expectation that we would get our original full pay later when the crisis has past? What if....we never got back to our original salary? If this is what the MLBPA is concerned with, I understand the concern.

Not all current or former players feel the same way, there's usually someone with a different opinion right? Well, we have a different opinion with Mark Teixeira.

I will say this much....in my history here with BYB I have been the biggest supporter of Tex out of anyone on staff. I defended him all the time. I don't think I can here. It's easy to say you would rather make "pennies on the dollar" after you have already cashed in a large contract, retired and have nothing to lose. I just don't buy the symbol of hope he is trying to sell all of us....but that's just me.

So where do we go from here? The owners and MLBPA need to sit down and hash this out. Is one side being too greedy? If they reach an impasse and can't make this work it's a bad look for baseball. We need our baseball back! 

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

OPENING DAY IS HERE!

Finally! It's been a crazy long winter. It's a long time to miss baseball and think about how close we've come the last two seasons. Now, it's time to finish the job. The third time is the charm and the Yankees have the team to get the job done.

It's not easy accepting that after a 100 win season it's not enough to win the division. That's crazy, actually. That was good for second place and a wild card spot. Aaron Hicks had it right when he said he's tired of losing and Aaron Judge is already thinking beyond Opening Day. He's thinking about winning the division and then the World Series, read more HERE. I like the hunger and determination.

So here we are, Opening Day and the start of winning that division title. I hope Judge hits the ground running with that intensity and desire to get back on top right away. Sure, it is early and you don't win a World Series in April but if you fall behind early you can lose it. The Yankees have a good team, but what does the rest of the division look like?

Toronto Blue Jays

The most interesting thing about the Blue Jays are some of their young guys that will contribute throughout the season. They aren't built to "win now" and they lost their star power now that Marco Estrada and Russell Martin are gone. They don't have great hitters, defenders or pitchers. On paper they look boring. The only exciting names here are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who will be up at some point  after he recovers from an oblique injury and Elvis Luciano. The Blue Jays got Luciano in the rule 5 draft this winter, he just turned 19 years old, never pitched above rookie ball but made it on to the Opening Day roster!

Tampa Bay Rays

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Rays this season. After winning 90 games last season you would think they would look to make some moves, add some payroll and be more competitive but they didn't do that. They added Charlie Morton to their rotation and he gives the Rays a strong top three in the rotation now, but they still don't have the bullpen or bats that the Yankees and Red Sox do. The Rays will be pesky as always, but it would take a perfect storm for them to take the division at this point.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles lost 115 games last season with big names like Manny Machado, Zack Britton, Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones. All of those guys are gone now. The Orioles are just starting a long term rebuild that started this offseason with a brand new manager and GM because after 115 season loss you definitely cant keep them around. It's going to take some time to rebuild. The Orioles are starting with changes to organizational leadership, not the players. There's really nothing exciting to watch here, except maybe some easy wins when they play the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox

Its weird that the defending World Series Champions didn't have much of an offseason. All they did was re-sign Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce which is boring. They should have re-signed Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly. They still could but to be starting the season without them is a bold decision and makes it seem unlikely. The bullpen is the biggest weakness this team has and Kimbrel is an elite closer so it seems dumb on Boston's part. They will still score a ton of runs with their potent offense and they still have a very competitive starting rotation. They will eventually make improvements to that bullpen, but until then the key is to keep the games close and knock the starters out as soon as possible. The defending World Champs can't be crazy enough to have the highest payroll in the game and a weak bullpen, right? I mean....we wouldn't do that but if the Red Sox want to gamble let them! They may have an advantage with their starters, but our offenses are both definitely stacked but anyone can see our bullpen is far superior. I don't think the Red Sox win 108 games again this season but they are still going to be a thorn in our side.

I think the Yankees have what it takes to take the division this year and get back to the World Series. We're also hungry. Now we just have to be hungrier than everyone else and win series to get there. It's going to be a LONG season, but let's start it off right with a series win over the Orioles! Thank goodness baseball is back.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

MAYBE THE YANKEES CAN DUMP ELLSBURY AFTER ALL....

It would be the best breakup story I have ever heard. Breakups normally suck, but not this one. The idea of cutting all ties with Jacoby Ellsbury would be epic. It may not be realistic, but you know what? It's not going to stop me from fantasizing about it.

The Yankees won 100 games last season without Jacoby Ellsbury. He never made an appearance. Not one at bat or defensive replacement. Their third most expensive contract literally had ZERO impact on the team. He's a non-factor who is just taking up roster space.

Ellsbury had season-ending hip surgery in August and is questionable for an Opening Day return. His agent Scott Boras said he would be ready HERE, but last we heard from Brian Cashman back in October he didn't sound so optimistic. That was a while ago at this point, but we have nothing else to go off of.

Despite Ellsbury's missing year, there has miraculously still been some interest in him this winter. At one point it was rumored that the Mariners and Yankees were talking about a Robinson Cano-for Ellsbury trade that obviously didn't go anywhere and now more recently the San Francisco Giants have interest. Serious interest? Who knows, but Buster Olney tweeted it:

Why on earth would either side be interested in this? (IF they are). Here are some thoughts:

1. Both sides would trade from areas of depth to address areas of weakness

Basically the Giants and Yankees would be swapping bad contract for bad contract. We all hate the Ellsbury contract, it's a horrible deal for the Yankees. As bad as it is, the Giants have several bad contracts. They have a lot of money tied up in declining players on a rebuilding team. The Giants are not going to be contenders. They lost 98 games in 2017 and 89 games last season. I don't see 2019 being a drastic improvement.

That being said they have a few bad contract for bad contract candidates that they could try to tempt the Yankees with....but I think only two make any sense.

I disagree with Olney about Johnny Cueto. He's still recovering from Tommy John surgery and he's not even expected to pitch this season. He would be a pickup for 2020 or 2021 and he has an extra year on his deal compared to Ellsbury. I am sure the Giants would love to get rid of him, but he makes no sense for the Yankees.

But what about Brandon Belt? Buster Posey will likely see more time at first base for the Giants going forward due to his hip surgery. That could make Belt expendable so maybe they would trade him. He would be another alternative to Greg Bird and give us a better lefty bad we desperately need.  If I am being honest though, I would take just about anyone over Bird. I'm known to be his toughest critic here. Heck, maybe the Yankees could throw in cost effective Bird with Ellsbury and get it done. Probably not though....realistically the Giants could get more for Belt.

There's also Jeff Samardzija. The Giants have been shopping for an outfielder. We have a surplus of them, and the Giants have pitching depth so a swap would make sense. I don't think you can ever have enough pitching, so the Yankees would get another arm they can use however they need. Still seems a little far fetched though.

2. There's insurance money to consider

Last year Ellsbury made $21 million, but the Yankees were able to recover over $15 million from insurance thanks to his missed time, read more HERE. Maybe we haven't heard an update on Ellsbury because the Yankees don't expect him to miss enough time for the insurance payout to kick in. He would have to miss a certain amount of time before they can collect insurance again. It's crazy to think about but if Ellsbury does miss considerable time again this season he could be more valuable for the Yankees to keep because of the insurance payout and less valuable to a potential trade partner thanks to his diminished value.

3. What about that 'no-trade' clause?

We all know Ellsbury has one, but will he waive it? I don't know. He has two motivating factors to waive it. Realistically, Ellsbury is a bench guy at best. The Yankees have a bench spot open, but the outfield is set and has a waiting list (Clint Frazier, anyone?)

If Ellsbury wants playing time he's going to get that with the Giants who are actively shopping for outfielders. Also, Ellsbury has a home in Arizona so playing in San Francisco could be appealing. Then again.....it's the Giants instead of the Yankees. Potential postseason berth versus nothing (likely). Ouch.

This sounds like a long shot but if the Giants are willing to talk it's worth an honest conversation. Sometimes rumors just don't make sense. There are cheaper free agents out there. They could easily sign Marwin Gonzalez or Adam Jones for far less money so this rumor is strange, but if the Giants really have interest in Ellsbury then the Yankees should be all ears. I know I am.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

INTERESTING ORIOLES' NAMES CONNECTED TO THE YANKS

Love these nuggets and have no idea is it's worth continuing to follow, but I still like it because of the names attached.  Adam Jones. Danny Valencia.

Photo: Getty Images

Fancred writes:

"Adam Jones is said by sources to have cleared waivers and remains eligible to be traded – so a trade can’t be ruled out, though the odds may not be great...

Photo: Getty Images

The Orioles recently approached the Yankees to see if there’s any interest there considering Aaron Judge is out, as is Clint Frazier and Gary Sanchez, diminishing their right-handed strength. However, the Yankees are counting on a return for Judge and the others before too long." 

Obviously we don't see it happening between Jones and the Yankees, but the Phillies makes more sense.

Photo: Getty Images

And then there is a nugget from Ken Rosenthal...

Know who would make sense for #Yankees? Danny Valencia, just released by #Orioles. Valencia .873 OPS vs. LHPs in 125 PAs this season. NYY lineup today against #Rays LHP Blake Snell includes Neal Walker (.510 OPS vs. lefties, 59 PAs) and Shane Robinson (.484 OPS overall, 34 PAs).

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 16, 2018

Look, Valencia makes a lot of sense as a temporary fix.  I just have no idea is this is something that will happen, but Rosenthal's suggestion makes a lot more sense than Heyman's.

Anyway.  Not a lot of great news coming out of Yankeeland. I found it interesting that "baseball insiders" are still trying to connect names to the Yanks.

Carry on.

IS GREG BIRD FLYING TOWARD A DEMOTION?

Photo: Getty Images

April has come and gone and May is here. After a red hot spring, Greg Bird isn't flying instead, he is falling flat. So let the very premature speculation begin. There have been some shining moments, but not enough. Sunday Bird sat on the bench....so is he about to lose his starting gig?

The Yankees are riding high on the Youth Movement and will stick with it to help get under the luxury tax. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is giving up on him after one month. Sure the Yankees have Chris Carter but he didn't give the Yankees a reason to give him the starting job during Spring training, and he still hasn't. So, why give up on Bird? He's not a lost cause.

Photo: Getty Images

The Yankees agree he's not a lost cause and will continue to exercise patience with Bird. He hasn't been good, but he certainly hasn't earned a demotion and Brian Cashman hasn't even considered it yet. "It’s not even an option for me, in my mind, right now at all," Cashman said when asked about sending Bird to the minors to get his swing back, read more HERE.

I'm sure 2017 has not started the way Bird has wanted either. I'm sure he had plans that didn't involve fouling a ball off of his foot and then it turned into food poisoning or the flu and it just spiraled from there. My theory is this is all tied to the "Bird flu" otherwise known as the pressure of taking over for Mark Teixeira, recovering from spring set backs and still having Tex's miserable April starts. Just like those challenges from the past though.....this too shall pass.

Photo: Getty Images

Look, so far I think Bird has just been unlucky. That may be over simplifying it but I do believe in him and that his performance gets better. He's made some good contact, in the opener against the Orioles I thought his hit that Adam Jones snagged was going to be extra bases, but Jones and his gold glove defense beat him to it. It happens. At least Bird is making good contact and not making weak ball ground outs. If we were seeing a lot of that then I may be more concerned because that would be a different player. That would be a Bird that no longer had plate discipline and perhaps some time to regroup.

There will be more of these this season, and with other players not just with Bird. This is what we can call "growing pains" and the Yankees need to let Bird, and any of the other kids work through it. The Yankees are looking to build for the future and the kids will have to overcome these challenges. Luckily for Bird right now he's not bringing the team down. He's not hurting the team and he is still a good defender. The Yankees are tied for the best record in the American League....so that just shows you the chemistry this team has. When one guy struggles the others will help pick him up and in the end they will still win games.

Photo: Getty Images

So let the kid play. The Yankees are not in a rush to catch teams and the clock isn't ticking yet. The Yankees are playing good baseball, and Bird will too. This isn't a crisis, it's a small piece from a very long baseball season that will get better for Bird. In fact, I would bet on it.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

BIRDS BATTLE FOR WILD CARD VICTORY

The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles battled for the Wild Card spot in the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.  It was a one and done game and stakes were very high for both teams.  I glanced at the game and saw an early lead by the Blue Jays, who could have been the Division champions had they not choked toward the end of August into September.  Quite frankly, I was rooting for the team who I thought had the best chance of beating the Red Sox.  Unfortunately, that team did not advance to the ALDS.

As reported by USA Today in the overnight, "Edwin Encarnacion’s walk-off three-run home run off Ubaldo Jimenez sent a boisterous – and at one point, bad-behaving crowd - into a frenzy and the Blue Jays on to Texas for an ALDS rematch with the Rangers. Game 1 of the ALDS is Thursday in Arlington." The bad behavior the article eludes to is a fan's launch of a full can of beer at Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim narrowly missing him while he fielded a fly ball in the eighth inning. Manager Buck Showalter stepped out of the dugout to check on his players, including Adam Jones who was clearly shaken up by the incident.

The biggest controversy in the game centered around Showalter's decision to sit out closer Zach Britton. Fox Sports headline simply read, "What was Buck Showalter thinking?"  I often uttered the similar words after losses like this one by our Bronx Bombers.  

"Britton, whose Win Probability Added this season was the highest for an American League pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1999, was healthy and could have easily been ready in the highest-leverage moment of the game. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't want him," reported Fox Sports. Britton finished the season with 47 saves .054 ERA; good enough to be considered for Cy Young Award.

Well, as I always say, Too Bad So Sad! The Orioles go home for a long winter's nap and the Blue Jays head to Texas. Next up, Wild Card #2, Mets vs. Giants. May the best team win from San Fransisco. 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof

HOME RUN DERBY, THE REPEAT, & I LOVE ALL-STAR BREAK

It's here! IT'S HERE! I cannot begin to explain how much I love All Star Weekend. It makes me all giddy, like a kid on Christmas morning. Except, instead of presents, I get home runs. Actually, that's just as good. Yay, Home Runs!

This year brought us an American League team captained by Jose Bautista. Adam Jones, Brian Dozier, Josh Donaldson join him, along with last years champion Yoenis Cespedes. The National league was made up of captain Troy Tulowitzki, Yasiel Puig, Giancarlo Stanton, Todd Frazier, and Justin Morneau. Donaldson, and Tulowitzki both have 20 homers this season, so far.

I wrote last month about the MLB & THE HOME RUN DERBY BRACKETS. It explained that each team would have 5 batters. Top three hitters for each team move onto the second round, with the top hitter getting a BYE in the second round.

In the first round, Bautista hit an impressive 10 home runs earning himself that BYE. But Stanton's 430 foot home run was the most impressive to me. It nearly cleared the stadium. Morneau, who got a warm welcome at Target Field, only hit 2 homers, tying with Frazier in the first round. Frazier beat him in the swing off, advancing into the second round. Donaldson and Cespedes also went into a swing off. Cespedes won with two homers. We also got another chance to watch Robinson Cano's father, Jose Cano pitching in a home run derby. He pitched to Puig. Unfortunately, he couldn't help Puig hit a single homer.

Cespedes gained momentum as the derby progressed. He went on to face Bautista in the third round who only hit 4 homers, after a spectacular 10 homers in the first round. It wasn't enough to beat Cespedes though. In the final round, Cespedes faced Frazier. Cespedes batted first hitting 9 homers. Unfortunately, knowing what he was up against, did not work in Frazier's favor, who only hit 1 homer in the final. Cespedes went on to be the first back to back Home Run Derby winner since 1998-1999, when Ken Griffey, Jr won.

Congratulations to 2014 Home Run Derby King, Yoenis Cespedes! Up next is the All Star Game and the last chance to watch Derek Jeter play in the mid-summer classic. Let's go, American League.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

 
  

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HEY DOUCHEBAG... THIS MEANS WAR!

I don’t like Mike Napoli.  I think he fell into some luck signing with Boston and winning a championship. I think he’s clutch when he needs to be, and injured more than he's clutch.  I also think that he spoke out of turn calling Masahiro Tanaka an “Idiot” for him throwing Nap a fastball the other night… a fastball that Napoli deposited into the seats.  But one thing Napoli doesn’t seem to understand is this; He's enraged a Yankee fan base for attacking our Golden child.  Sure, the Yankees may be losing right now, and we might be down… but we, as a team, as a family are not out! He has angered us.

Napoli said this of Tanaka... and this comes from the Sporting News report:

"After ripping a solo home run off Masahiro Tanaka in the ninth, Napoli celebrated in front of Boston's dugout. He can be heard exclaiming "What an idiot!" to his teammates in reference to Tanaka's decision to throw the fastball that sealed the Yankees' fate."

Now, let’s be fair, this is the third guy that has something derogatory or negative about Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka.   Jose Bautista suggested early on that Tanaka was “no big deal”.  Adam Jones asked the press why don’t’ they ask Tanaka about Jones? I laughed at that.  

Napoli is not a great baseball player. He’s a guy who’s having a nice streak. I'll go further;  I think Napoli is showing selfishness here. I think he’s jealous of the fact that he’s never truly been part of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. You know, the way it used to be, because let’s be honest… this rivalry seems stale to me. New faces, losers, stupid beards and arrogance reeks in Beantown. Napoli leads the morons. He needs to settle down.   Hey, maybe Napoli is just trying to rev up the Yanks and make them angry.  Or maybe he’s just stupid.  One thing I do know, Yankee fans are mad.  We don’t like lip aimed at our guys.  Now a dude who's Japanese born is in his first season in the Majors and getting attacked… why?  I mean, think about it… it’s baseball. Tanaka probably trusted his stuff enough to throw a fastball past fatso Napoli.  The only problem was Napoli cranked it. That’s the game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Tanaka was probably disappointed, but Tanaka forgot about it… until, of course he was called an idiot.  

Now, Tanaka is a professional, and he won't make a big deal about it. But, trust me, he's a ballplayer. He’ll keep it in the back of his mind. In fact, all the Yankees will. Because it’s my guess that the next time we face Napoli, we should seriously consider putting one in his ear.  

Baseball players don’t forget disrespect.  Napoli did something foolish… and he needs to pay. That's the bottom line.  Who knows… maybe it will fire up the Yankees.  Maybe it will wake us up.  After all, it’s time.

Hopefully it does… and hopefully Napoli will end up with egg on his face… and maybe even an imprint of baseball laces on the side of his head.

Hey Douchebag… this means war!

Tug on this, Junior.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!