WILL THE YANKEES SNAG CUBAN, YOAN MONCADA?

Baseball America says the Yankees are a "favorite". I call that a "guess."  That's because it is.

The Yankees track record with Cuban players is terrible and I say that with who has been out there, who Yankee fans have gotten their hopes up about and then... nothing.

Do we need to go down the list?

Aledmys Diaz- He went to the Cardinals
Rusney Castillo- He went to the Red Sox
Daniel Carbonell- He went to the San Francisco Giants

Yoenis Cespedes- Signed with the A's

Those are just a few. In fairness, they did sign Adonis Garcia, read YANKEES SIGN CUBAN ADONIS GARCIA from May 2012.

Now, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com writes this, of another Cuban sensation, Yoan Moncada:

"...the Yankees will be the team to beat, according to a report from Baseball America’s Ben Badler.

Badler listed the eight teams most likely to fight for the 19-year-old, who brings impressive power and speed for an infielder. He’ll be attractive to just about every team, but to the Yankees for several reasons, the report said.

One, since the Yankees have already blown past their MLB-imposed spending limit for this international signing period, which ends July 2, they have nothing to lose, the report said...

Two, the Yankees’ biggest holes near the top at their farm system are at shortstop and third base — both places where they’re looking for major-league starters for 2015, as well.

And the third: Their wallets."

Now, based on that, I would love to have Moncada in New York.  But, here's the reality. If the Yankees like Yoan Moncada, I have no serious indication that it's going to happen.  That could only mean 2 things:

• The Yankees are planning a sneak attack and sign him in the dead of night... something Brian Cashman does brilliantly.

• They are interested, but aren't going to break the bank for him.

And to be honest, it's as simple as that.  You don't need to analyze Sabermetrtics or read the top Baseball publications or talk to baseball insiders on this rumor.  That's because it's a rumor with no clear cut answer... yet.

It's 50-50. Moncada could end up in pinstripes. He also may not.

Carry on...

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THE YANKEES HAVE THAT CUBAN FLAVOR

The Yankees have been attached to Cuban players for a while... the that Cuban flavor keeps coming...

You remember when the Yankees liked Daniel Carbonell, right? It was a big deal back in May. He was a big strapping outfielder and they actually scouted him in February.  Only to not go further. Read (THE YANKEES REALLY LIKE THIS CUBAN OUTFIELDER)

There was also Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, and the Yankees were "hot and heavy" on him, only to not really be. It was weird, but Diaz eventually signed with the Cardinals.

They did sign Adonis Garcia back in 2012. He was a 26 year old outfielder. Read YANKEES SIGN CUBAN ADONIS GARCIA. He's currently in Scranton.

Now apparently the like this new kid, Rusney Castillo and as George King III of the New York Post says, something could be brewing:

 "The Yankees held a private workout for Rusney Castillo on Friday at the minor league complex in Tampa and are interested in talking dollars with the free agent Cuban defector... the Yankees sent four scouts, the Yankees like the 27-year-old right-handed hitter as a second baseman. Other clubs believe the 5-foot-9, 205-pound Castillo’s future is in the outfield...According to a person on the grounds in Tampa, the Yankees had several talent evaluators from the professional and international side watching Castillo, who travels with a guy who hits fungoes, another who throws batting practice and a third man who towels him off in between sessions.  Castillo is represented by Roc Nation, which is headed by Jay Z."

Now all of that is well and good, but are the Yankees really serious? And think about this? They lost Robinson Cano. They are about to lose Derek Jeter to retirement. How strange is the Yankees infield going to look in the future?  My God. I just had to think about that for a second.  Brian Roberts couldn't hack it at second this season and he was eventually gonzo.  Now they have Stephen Drew and others filling in when needed... they Yankees seem pretty determined to get something done.  Maybe Castillo is the answer for the future infield. Or maybe he becomes another outfielder they will eventually need.

We will have to see. I trust the Yankee scouts.  If they see something in this kid, let's get'er done.

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WHO WILL FILL IN FOR GRANDERSON?

With Curtis Granderson out for ten weeks with a broken forearm, some Yankees fans have started hitting the panic button. I feel like throwing our hands up and wailing about the injustice of injuries in February is a little premature. This is only Spring Training. I understand that Granderson’s injury brings to light a lot of the disappointment from the inactive off season. We let guys like Chris Dickerson and Raul Ibanez go and now we have a hurt outfielder.

 Alfonso Soriano and Johnny Damon have both said they would be open to coming back. I have seen a lot of Yankees fans jumping on both those ships as well. The thing is, we really don’t need either one of them. I get the nostalgia some fans might feel. The idea is we will bring them back and it will be like the good old days, but it’s not at all realistic. Neither Soriano nor Damon is a great fielder or hitter at this point in their careers. Soriano was a great base stealer, but he has 22 stolen bases in the past 4 seasons, so it’s probably safe to say those days are over too.

The Yankees might look into some veteran players on the cheap side that they could option down or place at DH. But I think they might look into younger talent in their own farm system. Guys like Melky Mesa, Adonis Garcia, Slade Heathcott, and Zoilo Almonte show serious promise and this could be their opportunity to shine. Granderson’s injury only has him missing one month of the regular season. While injuries are never a good thing, I would rather see them now than in June or August.

Any injury the team faces makes Yankee fans worry, and I get it. Really, I do. It is not the end of the world though. The baseball season is long and we haven’t even started yet. We will miss Granderson in April, and we want him to recover nicely and quickly. But we have other options. Our farm system is full of young, talented guys, who are more than willing to earn their pinstripes in the Bronx. This isn’t a new situation. Time and again the Yankees have shown their resilience when faced with injuries. We’ll miss Granderson but we will make due.

There are 162 games in a season. A few spring training games do not determine the outcome of the year. Like the great Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over, ‘til it’s over.”

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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BRETT GARDNER'S GOTTA GO DEEP

I heard it.  It was grisly.  The Yankee fan’s worst nightmare- getting blasted by a pitch.  And it happened, in the second official Yankee game of the spring.  Grandy is out for 10-weeks with a broken forearm.  But, folks, I am here to tell you that even though this is a terrible blow or as USA Today says (HERE), “fly (chaser) in the ointment,” all is not lost, friends.  We’ve got Gardy!  And he’s gonna dig deep and fly.  Going three for three on Monday, Brett Gardner is one of the most underrated players in the game today.  Now it’s his time to shine.  Now it’s his time to make it happen.

“Gardner has saved more runs than anyone else in baseball. If he doesn't win the Gold Glove this season, the entire voting system will need to be destroyed. Add in his nearly forty stolen bases, .338 BABIP, and his 4.3 WAR which is beaten only by Matt Holliday, Ryan Braun, and Alex Gordon, and you've got yourself an underrated player,” according to 2011 article in The Business Insider, HERE.  The article goes on to say that Girardi needs to put more faith in his swift outfielder and bat him first.  Now, Gardy didn’t win a gold glove last season and missed pretty much all of 2012.  But, he’s back, better than ever and he will not disappoint.

After Sunday’s game, Gardner put it all out on the table, "I'd like to lead off. It'd be silly to say I love hitting ninth, you know?" Gardner said. " ... It's not something I'm really concerned with, but maybe if I have a really good spring it's something they'll consider." I for one would applaud Gardy batting first.  We could use his OBP to creep up and if we are looking to bolster our small ball, then getting Gardy into the lead off spot is for me!

According to our skipper, Joe Girardi, in an article published in the Daily News (HERE) just after the injury to Granderson “Sometimes because of an injury someone gets to shine and winds up being there a long time. We’ll see.”  Bringing up some of our young talent to tap off the outfield may be a great way to switch things up. 

(In Photo: Melky Mesa)
“Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte (who homered and threw a runner out at third base in the Yankees’ spring training opener against the Braves in Lake Buena Vista, read HERE); and non-roster outfield candidates previously slated for Trenton or Scranton, Adonis Garcia and Ronnier Mustelier.” 

A farm team favorite from the get go, the home-grown Yankee 29-year-old gritty center fielder has to dig deep mentally and physically to earn back his spot and develop leadership skills in the outfield.  I think he has it in him and like Girardi said, now is the time to entertain new scenarios for the good of the team and for the good of the game.  Hopefully one of these new scenarios sees Gardy back, better than ever, ready to embark on a career best season!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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YANKEES SIGN CUBAN ADONIS GARCIA

Just a quick note.  The New York Yankees have signed Cuban outfielder Adonis Garcia.  Garcia is 26 years old and was signed for a 1 year minor league deal that was worth $400,000. This is according to one of my favorite writers Marc Carig of the Star Ledger.  Read HERE. We first wrote about Garcia in a piece titled, YANKEE NUGGETS & THE FIRST OFFICIAL SPRING GAME.

When Bleeding Yankee Blue knows more, we will bring it to you.

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YANKEE NUGGETS & THE FIRST OFFICIAL SPRING GAME

I just wanted to give you guys alittle update around Yankeeland. There are some stories out there not worthy of a full post, but stories and information you should know about. So, check it out:

AJ Burnett: Him again. OK, seriously, this is sad and I just wanted to point it out. Burnett as you know by now is with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is really excited about it. One problem. Earlier in the week while batting, a ball ricocheted and hit him in the face and fractured his orbital bone. Read HERE. He was immediately flown the Pittsburgh and yesterday he had surgery. He’s out for 8-12 weeks. You can say a lot of things about AJ Burnett, but you have to feel bad for this guy right about now. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue just wish Burnett well. That just sucks.

Mark Teixeira: Mark Teixeira hired Derek Jeter’s agent Casey Close to be his new agent after he canned his old agent Soctt Boras. That happened last year…read about it HERE. It’s worth telling you this because I wish all these guys would dump Scott Boras. My biggest worry is someone like Robinson Cano, who recently signed Boras will get ruined by Boras somehow. I can’t stand the guy and I feel like Boras ruined the game. That’s my opinion of course. As far as Teixeira goes, he needs to do more than hire a new agent. Tex needs to get back to his old form.

Adonis Garcia: Who? Garcia is a Cuban infielder and there are plenty of teams that have interest in him, including the Yankees and Athletics. The Yankees like him for sure and there is conflicting reports that the Yankees made an offer to Garcia worth $16 million. Read HERE. That report was disputed by my favorite guy, Marc Carig at the Star-Ledger that reports that in fact, an offer was NOT made. Read HERE. I’m going with Carig, he’s always right.

Manny Delcarmen: Delcarmen, the former Red Sock righty relief pitcher is trying to win a spot on the Yankees roster but he’s had a setback which may hurt his chances of making the team. He has a strained lateral muscle, read HERE. Understand that the Yankees literally have just a few spots left and there are also guys like Clay Rapada, a lefty, trying to win a spot. I personally like the idea of having another lefty in the pen and Rapada would be my pick, but we will see of course if Delcarman can get back and make a run for it before time runs out. We’ll keep you posted.

Ivan Nova: Nova gets the ball today in the first official Spring Training game between 2 pro teams involving the Yanks. It's at 1:05pm today in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies. Read HERE. It’s just an exhibition game so I’m not about to give you a play by play after the game is complete, but if there are some interesting highlights, we’ll mention them in a future post. All good...all good, baseball is back.

Go Yanks…

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