JASSON DOMINGUEZ GETS PROMOTED!

Quick note and big news about "the Martian".

The Bridgewater paper of NJ.com writes:

"Dominguez, a 19-year-old outfielder, was somewhat unexpectedly promoted to Double-A prior to Tuesday night’s game at TD Bank Ballpark. against the Portland Sea Dogs.

Nicknamed “The Martian” for his otherworldly tools on the diamond, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Dominican native is ranked as the No. 42 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline and No. 2 in the Yankees organization, behind Volpe."

There is no doubt that Dominguez and Volpe are important pieces of the Yankees future, but as always you have to wonder if the Yankees have the right balance when it comes to grooming guys and when to bring them up. Remember the Killer B's? 

Only Dellin Betances worked out. Banuelos has bounced around and hasn't done much and Brackman doesn't even play anymore. I'd say the Yankees ruined those guys.

Aaron Judge is the exception as he has been everything we could have asked for, but remember Eric Jagielo out of Notre Dame that same year? 

He ended up playing for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and ended his career in 2018.

The point is I want Dominguez to really work out. I just hope the Yankees don't mess it up.  Who knows... maybe we see those guys in September call-ups. We shall see.

Anyway... cool note. If you're going to TD Bank Park tonight, go Patriots!

MANNY BANUELOS BECAME A BETTER PITCHER WHILE AWAY FROM THE YANKEES

It kind of makes you wonder if the Yankees ruin pitchers. Or maybe young Manny Banuelos wasn't ready all those years ago when they kept promoting the Killer B's in Manny, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman. Whatever the case, it is good to see that Manny is making the most of his time in his second stint with the Yankees. It's really cool and I welcome the lefty. Hopefully he can be a huge factor with this team in 2022!

The New York Post writes:

"Banuelos turned in a third straight scoreless Grapefruit League outing, getting the start against a mostly regular Blue Jays lineup and shutting them out across three innings in an 11-3 loss Wednesday night at Steinbrenner Field.

“It’s very special to be back,” Banuelos said. “I’m enjoying every day I come here to the ballpark. I have a lot of memories. It’s been [11] years since my first spring training and I’m enjoying everything I do here. I’m very grateful to the Yankees for giving me the opportunity to come back.

“I want to take advantage. I want to show I still have something.”...

“I feel there’s always opportunity,” said Banuelos, who is being stretched out as at least a multi-inning reliever. “But honestly, I’m just focusing on what I’m doing every day.”

Since creating a buzz in his first big league camp in 2011 — to the point that Mariano Rivera said Banuelos was the best pitching prospect he had ever seen — and being named the No. 13 prospect in baseball (by MLB.com) ahead of the 2012 season..."

This kid is now a man and he's doing what he can. Will he make it? Will he be a factor? I'm rooting for this guy. I hope so.

BETANCES HAS TO STEP IT UP & HE KNOWS IT

Photo: New York Post

Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record is my friend.  I love that...and I love this piece he has out.  Check it out if you get a chance... it's here.  If you want the short version, Dellin Betances spoke out about his role with the New York Yankees and what he needs to do to get in the good graces of Yankee brass and his teammates. In a nutshell... he needs to prove himself.

Photo: Getty Images

"In each of the last four seasons, Yankees’ setup man Dellin Betances has made the AL All-Star team. Yet, as 2018 nears, 'I’m taking it as I have to prove myself.’ This isn’t a new approach for Betances, who didn’t find success until he was switched to the bullpen.

'I feel I’m a lot better than what the numbers show,’ said Betances, who pitched to a 5.59 ERA over his final 12 regular season games. 'I know I’m capable of doing a lot better.’

'I want to have a big part in the next championship. And if I’m the pitcher I can be, I can definitely help and be a big piece to this team.'’’

Now look, Betances has had his moments, and fans have become frustrated with him at times, but we have to put it in perspective... this is a kid and he will get over the hump. 

It's funny... I think back to the days of the 'Killer B's' and how the Yankees had so much hope in Betances, Andrew Brackman and Manny Banuelos.  Well... Betances is still with the Yankees and the others are long gone.

He's got the tools. I just hope maturity kicks in for this kid. If it does, we will see improvement.  I just like this kid and want him to succeed in pinstripes.

Anyway...I had to share Caldera's piece.  Hope you check it out.

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STEINBRENNER SPEAKS! THE FUTURE IS HERE, FOLKS!

How many years have we screamed here at BYB about giving the kids an opportunity to shine? Geez, I remember writing feverishly about Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman and Manny Banuelos years ago. 

Now... we are finally seeing movement in the Yankee organization. I mean REAL MOVEMENT!

Hal Steinbrenner said a lot about the Yankees and our future, the youth movement, and how their time is now! Right now!  The Associated Press has the story and I wanted to share portions from it. Check it out:

Photo: NJ.com

"Baby Bombers mean a lower payroll but higher expectations for the New York Yankees.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner believes the Yankees’ youth movement will pay off this season, and not just with a reduction in spending. He anticipates an abundance of precocious talent will return the Yankees to the postseason...

'We know from our fans this is as excited as they have been in a while,' Steinbrenner said. 'Maybe it’s because we did not do a good job for a number of years getting kids from Single A all the way up to the varsity club... Every spring training brings new hope. But this one feels different, and there’s no doubt the kids are a part of it...

But these young players are going to have to pan out. That’s going to be part of the equation.'”

Photo: NJ.com

A lot of good things were said there from Hal. I mean look, he's right in some regard... there is a lot of energy right now. The kids are gonna make it exciting. Do I see the Yankees winning the whole thing in 2017? No.  In 2018? I think our chances are better.

But this is a guy that I believe is being honest here and I like that he mentions the fans and what WE want.  I means they're paying attention.

I have a good feeling, gang.  Bird. Judge. Austin. and before you know it... Frazier, Torres, Tate and Kaprielian.

The future is here, folks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR. IT'S ABOUT MOVING FORWARD.

Happy New Year from everyone here at Bleeding Yankee Blue!

This year flew.  Between my own personal life, family and crazy activity schedules and all of that... I just remember when it was Halloween and thinking... "My god, where has the year gone?"

Bleeding Yankee Blue has accomplished so much.  We have expanded in the sense that we have a few new writers, and still looking for more by the way (Read HERE) and the writers we do have have grown in to appointments for our readers.  They have become journalists, solid writers with their own flare, they're on niche.  We don't have a strict policy about a lean or bias other than we root for the New York Yankees.  But as you have seen in our body of work... if we're unhappy with our team, a player, a manager... we're going to tell you.  That's because one of the main goals of this Yankee Fan website is to always have integrity, always be unique, conversational, fun and most importantly thorough with how we present this product.  We will not lie to you.  We will demonstrate character!

Through this entire process... we have gained friends... you, to read through our pages, disagree or agree when needed and take to the social media to tell us exactly how you feel.  We, in turn have an obligation that journalists these days appear to have forgotten. We don't disappear after we write our stories. We will interact with you and hash it out.  Never nasty, always a good dialog between our audience and my writers... and always a resolution.  That works, and we practice that here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. I can name dozens of sites that do not.

That's why our audience is loyal. That's why you come to us every single day! That's why celebrities like Laura Posada have worn us, Russell Crowe retweeted us, 

Source: New York Daily News

This year marks 6 years since the first story I posted on the Web about my New York Yankees.  The story was WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT and I will forever be connected in some weird way to Sergio Mitre because he frustrated me so much... BYB was born.  Meanwhile so much has happened... yet other things have changed.

Photo: Getty Images

For one, Joe Girardi is still here and sadly, since our birth in 2010... the Yankees have not won a championship.  Strange, but not surprising.  The Yankees have made plenty of turnover... we've seen guys like Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mark Texieira and Alex Rodriguez retire.

We've fell in love with guys and their short stints with the Yankees as well.  Guys like Raul Ibanez...Kerry Wood... Eric Chavez.

We've seen the kids transform and then disappear like Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman.

(July 16, 2016 - Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America)

And we've even seen a few blossom... Dellin Betances... Tyler Austin to name a few.

(Sept. 6, 2014 - Source: Travis Lindquist/Getty Images North America)

We've watched the Yankees get dramatically younger... we've seen Robinson Cano take the money and run, watch Jacoby Ellbury and Ichiro Suzuki come to New York almost unexpectedly and through all of it... all of it, you guys have continued to read us, tell your friends about us, grow with us, wear our clothes, wish us the best of luck and yes... I can tell you that I am overjoyed, excited, thrilled and all those words that I can't think of right now.

BYB has blossomed and tonight we celebrate on New Year's Eve!  I remember when this whole thing started.  I was leaning on Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily asking him a lot of questions, probably annoying him pretty well, but he was helpful.  But he said something very important to me back then... this is me paraphrasing...  "It's a grind, but if you can get past the 2 year mark, you have a good shot of making it. " My goal however was to not stop.  We haven't.  I mean sure, we've seen some writers go on to college and find no time in their schedule to write for BYB... but we need to continue no matter what and my writers and I know that it's a commitment, even though it's free... even though we need to work it into our schedules no matter what.

Our writers know that we have an obligation to our readers.  We know that we need to produce product for you every day, especially if there is news out there and especially if we have a hard opinion that you need to hear, be it about Yankeeland or about life.  Bottom line... we need to make sure you're fed, because you expect it, because you like my product and because you love our writers and BYB team.

And so on this New Year, 2017... I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such an incredible audience.  You are smart people who appreciate and respect the grind, and know that we are human beings.  There will be mistakes some days.  There may even a day we take a day off... but in the end, we always will be here for you to give you our very best work.  That's because we are passionate folks with a love for writing and a love for the New York Yankees.

Thank you friends.

Thank you family.

Farewell to 2016.  Hey 2017... BRING IT!

Robert Casey
BYB Chief, Managing Editor & Head Writer
@BleednYankeeBlu

JAMES KAPRIELIAN TO THE DL

Go ahead, kick us while we're down...

Not a great start to the season.  ARod is slumping, the Yankees aren't terribly good and now their prospect sensation is hurt and going to the DL.

I'm not too happy about the start of the 2016 season.  Reports are that James Kaprielian will go to the DL because there was some swelling in his throwing elbow.

According to several sources, but we'll go with The YES Network on this one:

"...the team announced that right-handed pitching prospect and 2015 first-round draft pick James Kaprielian will be placed on the minor league disabled list after an MRI revealed elbow inflammation.

There is no timetable in place for Kaprielian's return, and he is set to undergo "conservative" treatment comprised of sufficient rest followed by a throwing program."

And that's all we got.  Now, we have speculated here about the Yankees and their minor league system for a while now. I'm not sure why these kids get hurt so often.  Chase Whitley, Manny Banuelos, Ty Hensley,  Andrew Brackman (Remember him?) come to mind in recent memory.  Now Kaprielian.  I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck or if these guys are pushed or if it's something that Steve Hayward and Mike Cocco has spoke about in our BYB features recently, arm strength.

"Steve Hayward: 'Pitchers need to be conditioned to pitch, not pitch to get conditioned.'"
 (From: SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE)

"Cocco: 'You need to know your players, some players are good with 60 pitches, while others struggle at 40. Understanding the players limits as well as the point in the season and arm condition is also a key factor. Early in the year, we may limit the player to 40-60 and once the arm is in condition, we expand that to 50-70 and so on. For pitchers and even position players, keeping the legs in shape is also critical, more times than not, the legs give before the arm gets tired. Pitchers throwing 40+ pitches per game need to have strong legs and good cardiovascular conditioning.'”  (From STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE)

You gotta wonder if the fact that pitchers are not strengthened early on is a big part of this these days.  Anyway, I find the whole thing very interesting.

Just wanted to fill you in.  Get well soon James!

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McCANN HAS ENDORSED DAVID CARPENTER

That makes it all better.  Seriously.

Look, many of you don't know who David Carpenter is and there was a lot of concern and anger when Manny Banuelos was traded to the Atlanta Braves.  Here's the thing, a lot of scouts had concerns about Manny after Tommy John surgery and so, I guess the Yankees pulled the trigger and flipped him to Atlanta. 

The Killer B's, made up of him, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman were supposed to be the driving force for the Yankees, well, right about now.  But Betances is the only one still here and the others are gone.

(In Photo: David Carpenter)
What do we have for Manny? Chasen Shreve and David Carpenter, and let's face it... with almost every move we've made this off-season, it's a trade and a prayer, right? We know nothing. Manny could be amazing down the road. Chasen and Carpenter could too. They could also suck. It's a guess. 

Things could end up being great for us though. Why? Well the Yankees ARE shedding salary and our team is getting younger right before our eyes. It was something that many Yankee fans were screaming about wanting to do.  Well, it's happening.  Strangely, many Yankee fans are still not happy.  Well, I get it, but you need to make moves, some time and some how... and here we are. Again, yes, it's a wild card and we will see what happens next. But that takes me back to Brian McCann endorsing his former teammate, David Carpenter. I promise you there's a pay off here...

Here's that nugget from Joel Sherman:

#Yankees have bit of secret weapon: Heard McCann gave strong endorsement to Carpenter, who he caught a lot with #Braves
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 1, 2015

Carpenter hits 99mph, pitches at 95-96, strong cutter/slider. Was 8th-innning rlvr for ’13 #Braves 96W, McCann main catcher. #yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 1, 2015

So what does it all mean? Well, not much other than I am cool with McCann backing the guy and supporting the move.  Look, Carpenter could come to New York and lay an egg. BUT, he can also be dominant.  All I'm saying is, as a fan, seeing the little things were doing, I like that there's movement... and anytime there's a backing of a player involved... it helps a fan base and brings alittle extra confidence to that player as well as fans. And hey, I'm big on loyalty, what can I say.

Let's face it; the Yankees haven't signed huge big names, and sometimes old, Free Agents this off season.  They're doing exactly the opposite.  Sure, it's weird, but it's a good thing, if not for right this second, maybe for 2015... and for the future.

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BETANCES & NUNO TAKE A HUGE STEP FORWARD

The Yankees are finishing up their starting day rosters, and have added two new names to our bullpen. Both Dellin Betances and Vidal Nuno were added to the bullpen.

One of the original members of the Killer B's, along with Andrew Brackman and Manny Banuelos, Betances was moved to the bullpen in the 2013 season. He seemed to find his groove there, and has been dominant this spring training, with a 0.73 ERA in 10 appearances.

Nuno had been primarily a starter. He was in the chase for the fifth starting spot, but lost out to Michael Pineda. He's made 4 spring training appearances, allowed 3 runs on 5 hits. He has a 3.38 ERA, strikes out 8 and did not walk a batter.

I'm really excited about these two additions. I'm very hopeful for both of these young men. I'm a bit bias towards Betances, being he is a true homegrown Yankee, having grown up in New York City, and gone to High School in Brooklyn. I love the fact that he went from using a Metro Card to 161st and River, to going in through the Players Only Entrance. He is the only born and raised New Yorker on the Yankees roster. It doesn't get much more homegrown than that, folks!

I hope to see great things from both Nuno and Betances. Welcome to the big leagues, gentlemen! As Jorge Posada would say "Grind it!"

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer

Twitter: @e_morales1804

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CHECKING IN ON MANNY BANUELOS

I have always been a fan of Manny Banuelos.  I believed, much like many of our writers here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, that he could be an important piece to the future of the New York Yankees pitching.  He, and Ty Hensley of course.  We wrote about Manny a long, long time ago in: FEATURE: ATTACK OF THE KILLER B'S. Febuary 2011 we wrote that.  It seems like a million years ago.

As many of you know, Manny underwent Tommy John Surgery and was out for the entire 2013 season.  Many forgot about him.  Me, being a lover of the southpaw, didn't.  And neither did Chad Jennings of LoHud, who, in October, wrote this about Banuelos:

"After having Tommy John surgery last year, Manny Banuelos did not pitch in an actual game this season. He did, however, pitch at the minor league complex and in instructional league.... he was reaching 92-94 mph with a good changeup and getting breaking balls over the plate. He is expected to be ready this spring, but he will not pitch at all this winter..."

In Joel Sherman's New York Post piece from December 28th, he writes, "... whether the Yankees sign Tanaka or not — there will be so much intrigue come spring training surrounding Banuelos... "

He also wrote that Cashman said of Manny: "...Banuelos is coming back from Tommy John surgery that is not considered as serious, but he hasn’t even finished his development program."

Sherman also wrote: "Banuelos, 23 in March, once drew comparisons to Johan Santana. But questions remain about his control and durability. Brackman is gone, Betances has been put in the bullpen and so Banuelos is the last chance for the Killer Bs."

All is interesting and I'm hoping that Manny does great things and surprises alot of people.  I also hope the Yankees aren't babying him like the did guys like Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, both are now out of the Bronx.

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WHERE'S MANNY BANUELOS? WE KNOW

When we first heard about Manny Banuelos, he was considered one of the most important lefty arms of the Yankees future.  I bought in and I actually still think he can be.  Manny was part of the Killer B's. Then, Andrew Brackman disappeared and Dellin Betances was left with Banuelos in the minor leagues. There wasn't much movement.

Then there were set backs and injuries to both and then in late 2012, Manny Banuelos underwent Tommy John Surgery and did not pitch in 2013. He did pitch in the instructional league though.

Now, according to Mark Newman, the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Yanks, great things are starting to happen... it's about time!

LoHud says: "Newman said he was reaching 92-94 mph with a good changeup and getting breaking balls over the plate. He is expected to be ready this spring, but he will not pitch at all this winter. 'He pitched enough,' Newman said. 'He's been throwing for 14, 15 months. He's going home to rest.'"

I once had dreams that this lefty would just dominate the American League one day. I hope so. I really hope this Tommy John surgery does the trick.

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HAL STEINBRENNER JUST GOT PRO-ACTIVE...

And I guess Hank's out taking a smoke break.

I was happy to see this report in the New York Post today (HERE) about how Hal is having a meeting to discuss the Yankees' farm system,  but I question how an owner, with Steinbrenner blood, could he be so late to the party when all of us fans have been calling out the Yankee brass for not "readying" their minor league system. The same minor league system that for years they have touted as, "one of the best."

According to the Post, "Steinbrenner summoned his baseball people to a Tampa meeting yesterday to discuss something other than the Alex Rodriguez saga.

With questions about the lack of talent in the minor league system ready to help at the big league level, Steinbrenner gathered his department heads.

General manager Brian Cashman attended and the group more than likely included Tampa based minor league head Mark Newman, Damon Oppenheimer, who is in charge of the amateur draft, and Donny Rowland, the director of international scouting."

(In Photo: Former Yankee Andrew Brackman)
Look, I have been very critical of the way the Yankees have handled the minor leaguers for a few years now, read MAYBE THE GROOMING OF YOUNG YANKEE TALENT AIN'T WORKING,
where I wrote:

"The Yankees have over-hyped talent since their historic run from 1996 to 2000. We've heard every big name youngster be mentioned as "the next best thing." Then, like clockwork, something happens, be it a trade, or they get hurt and are never the same, or, they just disappear."

I got heat for it, but it almost seems like it's coming to light.  By the way, let me be clear, there are many very talented youngsters on the Yankees farm, but there are several that the Yankees either "baby" or don't give a shot because of over working or not giving them a chance in the pros.  Others are a few years away... it's not a blanket attack, trust me.

Now, when it comes to "babying", that's been well documented with our investigative work when it came to Bill Masse, a former Yankee and former Trenton Thunder manager who blasted Yankee brass for the handling of Phil Hughes, he said, " “We get so ridiculous with this dumb pitch count stuff… Somebody came up with a pitch count thing (like) this is going to decide if a kid’s arm is going to be healthy or not. It’s like predicting the weather sometimes. ‘If he throws 66 pitches, he will be fine, but if he throws 81, he is going to get hurt.’ No one can predict that...The only negative you run into is that he never learns how to pitch when he is tired. He never learns how to pitch when he is a little bit fatigued. I think you run into those problems because he is always fresh." 

(In Photo: Tyler Austin)
And that's just pitching, who really knows about the other kids, like Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin, guys we really want to see right now in pinstripes.  I know you guys agree because you fans have been calling for the kids for a while now. In fact, we have reported the same here on occasion, read LET THE YANKEES KIDS PLAY!

That being said, Bleeding Yankee Blue is fair here, we report on both sides, read YOUNG GUNS III: STRUGGLE OF THE KILLER B's. Bottom line, many young players are signed and then disappear only to either find out that they are hurt, or the Yankees just give up, release or trade them off. 

Put it this way... look at Jesus Montero for example, the guy was supposed to be our "top prospect", yet we traded him.  Now, it just so happens that Montero has his own issues as of late, with the Biogenesis list, read HERE, but the point is, when we have "top" talent, the goal is to groom "top" talent to get them up to the pros.  It's frustrating and disappointing as a fan, but I'm glad Hal Steinbrenner is actually angry about this... I mean, where the hell has the guy been?

Good work to the Post's, George King III and Dan Martin to bringing this all to our attention. And to Hal... get moving man, we have issues with our minor league development. There's a log jam and it's time to keep the line moving and bring our guys up!

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WHY THE YANKEES MAY NEED JUSTIN UPTON

Yeah, that's right, I said it. I'm the same guy that is fine with the Yankees staying the course with their $189 million cap in 2014. Bottom line, I read a tweet today and I got excited. Despite the fact that the Yankees are on a mission to keep costs low, we tend to forget that Cashman's a genius at the shell game, even if it is with the Diamondbacks Kevin Towers, a guy too familiar with the Yankees farm system.

Someone mentioned an unusual scenario today:  Curtis Granderson, "and prospects" for Justin Upton.

Silly? Maybe, I mean Towers will need to have his mind blown to unload Upton. So the question is, what prospects?   Well, I have a few ideas and people will scream at me and tell me I'm nuts...the same Yankee fans that told me just how glorious Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos were.

 (In Photo: Manny Banuelos)
Remember the Killer B's? Yeah, Brackman's out of a job these days and Manny had Tommy John surgery and won't be back until 2014.  Dellin? Well, let's just say he's mediocre. No, look, it's clear the Yankees have good intentions when we try and raise talent on the farm, but we need to face facts...we're not good at it.

If I needed to ship a few guys over to the Diamondbacks for Justin Upton, I'd quickly ship Curtis Granderson, David Phelps and Slade Heathcott. Not sure if that would suffice, maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. Hey, maybe it would also look like were overpaying, but look, there are so many pluses with Upton, the only downside for me personally is giving up Granderson, but this is business, so let's get real.

I love Granderson's bat. I love his fielding ability, but I hate his strikeout increase and truth be told, when the guy hits a slump, HE REALLY hits a slump. He's also 31 years old... Upton is 25.  Upton also hits a decent amount of homers each year. Plus, Upton's average is better than Grandy's as well. Since Curtis has been in the Bronx, Granderson can't get his average over .262 in 3 years. Sure, he's hitting homers, but he's not running enough for my taste, plus, again... 195 times...too much. Anyway, it's something to think about.

Many are pissed that I would even suggest David Phelps, but I need to be honest, I don't care for the dude and I feel like the Yankees are hyping him up like they have Manny Banuelos. I'm not buying it.  I really don't see Phelps as ever being a solid starter on the New York Yankees.  On the San Diego Padres... Or the Diamondbacks, yes. It's true, when we needed Phelps to step up, he did, but I see him as filler, not a "go to" guy.

And finally... there's Slade Heathcott. Yes, Yankees fans love him, as do I, but I wonder if he really is the future of the Yankees. Don't forget, the Yankees once touted Kevin Russo a future star on the Yanks, and now he's a minor league free agent most likely on his way out. My take on Slade is simple; We all like him, but sometimes you need to give away guys you don't necessarily want to flip. You roll the dice... I would.

What we get in return is Justin Upton, a guy that would be welcomed to the Bronx with opened arms. In fact, I remember back in 2011, we ran a poll here on BYB about who you readers wanted most in a trade.  Justin Upton was the guy. Read WHY YOU WANT JUSTIN UPTON IN A TRADE. The point is, you guys have your heads on straight and you aren't stupid.

Now, would my little scenario happen? Probably not, but I was also told by "baseball insiders" that Ichiro would never be a Yankee... Just saying...never say never.

 Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.