A CRAZY STANTON TRADE SCENARIO THAT I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING ABOUT!

Here's a Thursday funny to give you a little pep in your step, I promise it is a good one! As the 2023 regular season winds down I have been reading through a lot of opinion articles from beat writers all focused on next season. We all know the Yankees have a lot of work to do to fix this team, and I keep seeing Giancarlo Stanton's name mentioned.

It's no secret, the Yankees have a history of giving some bad contracts, and Stanton's is no exception. His contract is crazy. He's still owed $128 million over the next four seasons which is hard to swallow for a soon to be 34 year old injury prone player with a full no trade clause. That just isn't an easy contract to trade, but NJ.com has an idea HERE that made me chuckle. 

I'm going to cut the story down a bit. First, NJ.com says Brian Cashman will need to approach Stanton and let him know that he would be a part time player if he's still on the team. That might encourage him to embrace a trade especially if it brings him home to Southern California where the Los Angeles Angels would be the perfect fit.

Yes, I said the Angels (which is why I start laughing). Since Shohei Ohtani will leave the Angels due to free agency, the Angels it will allow them to spend money on other players. So NJ.com suggests that the Angels will move on from their star pitcher and DH, so instead they would pivot to Stanton instead. Did they miss looking at the stats that show Stanton has a .190 BA and Ohtani has .304 BA? That's why I am laughing.

But there is more:

"The Yankees need to make it worth the Angels while to take Stanton at around 25 cents on the dollar. That would require eating $73.5 million, which is a big ask, but Steinbrenner can look at it as saving $24.5 million. What Cashman has to do is make it impossible for the Angels to say no. You do that by throwing in a good pitching prospect."

Sure, Cashman can look at that as saving $24.5 million but the Angels are sitting at an estimated $215 million in payroll now which is higher than they historically like to sit. There is nothing to suggest that the Angels would want to add that kind of payroll commitment, and if they would.... why would they do it for Stanton? It doesn't make sense.

The Angels have their own bad contracts, like Anthony Rendon, so I don't see them looking to add more on a player like Stanton. The Angels pay an average annual salary of $35 million through 2026 so this idea is a little bananas. Oh and....what good pitching prospect are we going to offer the Angels to "make it impossible for the Angels to say no"? The article didn't name one, and there isn't an obvious fit for a trade. It also doesn't help the payroll or help the Angels with their pitching situation right now.

I like thinking outside of the box, but this is a wild stretch. The Yankees have some bad contracts on the books, and the Angels aren't going to save the Yankees here. I'd bet money on that. 

So, there is your laugh.... carry on!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

SUNDAY TRADE RUMORS UNPLUGGED

Source: AP

As the MLB trade rumors continue to scorch, the hot stove is lit which means trades can happen at a moment's notice. Here is the run down of whose the talk of the trades and who is vying for the new guy in town.

Let's start with the Yankees and yes, of course DJ LeMahieu. According to a Tweet by Jim Bowdon, MLB Analyst & Insider for CBS Sports, "The #Yankees have made it clear that bringing back  2B D.J. LeMahieu is their top priority. As the negotiations grind on it’s also evident that LeMahieu preference is to return to the Bronx Bombers." That is the kind of Tweet that I want to hear and save with my favorites however Bowdon also notes that, "The wild card may be the crosstown Mets, who recently lost second baseman Robinson Cano to suspension. LeMahieu would be an ideal replacement, and new owner Steve Cohen has indicated he's willing to spend to win," reports CBS Sports.  Ugh. Delete that idea completely. Listen, LeMahieu has said he wanted to be a Yankee when he was not even guaranteed an everyday spot. There is mutual interest. This deal will get done. It is just a matter of when. 

Also heating up is the Washington Nationals interest in Kris Bryant. "Bryant, 29, is coming off a poor 2020 season and there has been speculation Chicago could non-tender him next month rather than pay him a projected $19 million or so salary in 2021. Despite his name value, the prospect cost to acquire Bryant in a trade could be relatively small given his projected salary and rough season," reports CBS Sports. After losing Anthony Rendon last season there has been an offensive hole in the lineup, so perhaps the Nats will go for Kris. The Nats have also expressed interest in LeMahieu. Delete that too. 

Another third baseman on the market is World Series Champion Justin Turner. He is a free agent and could find a new team in 2021. The Dodgers have a keen interest in Colorado Rockie Nolan Arenado and have for some time. "It of course remains quite possible that Turner returns to the Dodgers, but if that doesn't come to pass then L.A. may have designs on another offseason blockbuster," reports CBS Sports. Hey, it would be interesting, but my mind is on Turner returning. We have a terrific wild card at third, Gio Urshela. No interest there. 

If I had my druthers, I would like the Yankees to wrap up the LeMahieu contract by Thanksgiving Day so they can go into the Winter Meetings a week or so later with more focus on pitching and catching. Being distracted by the LeMahieu situation compromises the Yankees decision making process. So, as the last full week of November approaches, let's just get this done and move on. The rest of the trade rumors are interesting but for Yankee fans we are only zoned in on one. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

EARPIECES, GET-OVER-IT-ISM & GERRIT RELATABILITY: A GUIDE TO LOVING BASEBALL IN 2020

Source: Newsweek

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity, really the privilege, to be in the right place at the right time.  I visited upstate New York, to snow shoe.  But, unfortunately, there was no snow to shoe in, so I hiked and then treated myself to a glass of wine.  But not just any glass of wine, The Thirsty Owl glass of wine, at a bistro in Saratoga, NY, that gets its wine from its winery by the same name in the Finger Lakes.  That glass of wine led to riveting conversation with the general manager and family owner of the Owl, who just happens to be the biggest baseball fan I have met (besides myself).  And this owner, Josh Cupp, inked a piece from his heart which I share in part here.  Give it a read, because it may get you thinking about the game you love and how you might need to love it differently in 2020.

"Pitchers and catchers report in just moments.  Chances are if you have gotten laid in the last decade and don’t refresh MLBTraderumors.com constantly, you won't be able to tell me where the big boys from FA Class 2020 signed outside of Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon.  

You might not be privy to the brilliant three hitter minimum rule (or keep on chuckin til half inning’s end) set to roll here in just weeks.  How good was/is Joe Girardi? We’re about to rediscover as the Phillies will challenge the Braves in the NL East and Rendon’s exit will have the Nats hemorrhaging wins.  These are just a few of the storylines that are all but lost to garbage can lids, cameras, buzzers, and impenitent athletes that have made our stomachs churn.  

Source: The Los Angeles Daily News

Collectively baseball fans can’t seem to shake the hangover.  The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to demand that MLB have Houston vacate the 2017 World Series.  Right.  Makes sense.  Council members, get picked last in kickball much 40 years ago?  Poor losing is a fashion trend worn well by no one; athlete, politician or fan.  Is Dallas spot on?  Are we owed an apology?  If you are unabashed enough to ask folks that make literally 1% of your annual income to bang on a garbage can lid so you can score an advantage, should we expect an apology from these ballplayers? Furthermore, said apology would be carefully crafted by an agent or team rep, wouldn’t be sincere, and it wouldn’t change a thing.

Let’s go the other way here.  We get it.  Most of us got it in the first place.  No Apple watches, cameras in center field, live feed spying, banging on garbage can lids, no whistling.  Now, I’ve not taken the hill in the bigs and I don’t pretend to know all the “unwritten rules” of this beautiful game.  Problem with those unwritten rules is the 750 players on active 25 man rosters don’t seem to know or agree on them either. However, I do love the game of baseball. Maybe too much.  Ask my exes.  If I cried as a nine year old when Carl Yastrzemski popped out to second base in his final at bat in 1983, I qualify to have an opinion and more than that I think it my responsibility to start a dialog on how to KEEP this game as something MY now nine year old loves and respects in years to come.  Got to fix it.  

But first, my question for the other teams is this: you didn’t know?  You couldn’t hear that lid, or the whistling?  Surely you noticed, so try better code your signs.  Too much work?  

Solutions are the way forward.  Here are two. 

1) Throw a few in Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve’s earholes come April or 

2) Figure out a way to give and receive signs in a more expeditious and efficient way that will also be theft proof.  Whaaaat?  You mean stop crying in my beer and make the game faster and easier to watch?  Onward and upward.

Source: Orange County Register

You folks ever watch an NFL game?  Those coaches on the sidelines, Offense and Defense coordinators up in the booths and the 6’4, 227 lbs quarterbacks on the field; do you see them flashing 1s 2s and 3s with while sporting fabulous florescent nail polish? Nope, they use radio communication.  Ear pieces for one coach/manager on bench, one for catcher whom also sports a microphone on the chin portion of his mask and he can actually dictate verbally the next pitch to his pitcher.  If the pitcher doesn’t like it, shake it off old school and try again.  The pitch call could be determined anytime between the previous and forthcoming pitch and not just when the hitter is settling in the box.  We’re not talking headphones, just a sporty little ear piece.  Teams could decide themselves whether to utilize this technology or not.  No sign stealing and quicker sequences the net result.  

Earpieces and Get-over-it-ism done.

Lastly, the one problem I have with baseball I don’t have a good answer for.  Players’ inflated salaries and trying to understand how I am meant to relate to the players that wear these hallowed uniforms. Quick stat/fact or two to explain my conundrum. 

Babe Ruth made $80k in 1930 (a paltry $1.1M in 2020 money), the highest annual salary of his career.  That was a lot of money back then, as the average annual individual salary in the US at that point was $1368.  That means Babe made 58x the average fan’s annual salary.  Last year Stephen Strasburg raked $38.3M while the average annual salary in the US sat at just over $58k.  That means Strasburg made 656x more the fan that’s asked to come support him at Nationals Park.  What does that fan have in common with Mr. Strasburg?  How relatable is the game now?  If ballparks keep selling out and folks watch on TV, why would owners, agents, players want to change a thing?  

I understand TV contracts, free agency and capitalism. I also understand that noble professions such as teachers and nurses do far more for the betterment of humankind.  However, the reality is the number of people that can throw a ball 100 mph or can hit that 100 mph pitch 450 feet is incredibly minute.  

Source: NBC

My initial dream scenario would be to scale back salaries so the best players in the game made $10M annually and not $40M.  Next, ticket prices cut by a third.  It shouldn’t cost half your weekly paycheck for a family of four to see a game in person.  Initially, I thought start a rallying cry and boycott one game out of 81 home games.  Maybe that’d get some traction.  Pipe dream.

I’m forever hooked on sixty feet and 6 inches, going first to third, and breaking in a new glove.  Not everyone loves this game the way I do, unconditionally.  Play it fairly, play it hard, play it quicker and show us you love the game as much as we do."

Thanks, Josh, for the wine, the conversation and the clever piece that helps ease the pain we all felt when the Astros cheated.  What are your thoughts, readers?  Anything to add?

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

NATIONALS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!

It's a better story than the Astros winning. The Astros always win. The Astros are more cocky... they have ego. The Nationals? They don't have that. They have a great pitching staff and a few old timers named Zimmerman and Kendrick and a bunch of scrappy young players.  A nice blend, a nice story... congrats to the Nats!

My best part of Game 7? When the homers happened. Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon launched some pretty timely homers to put Nationals ahead.



Once that happened, Joe Buck was no longer excited. Obviously because the Astros weren't winning.
I tweeted this... just because I think Buck may be the worst TV personality there is.

Buck’s so quiet right now it’s like the Nationals just opened the bathroom door and caught him jerking it to the Astros or something.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 31, 2019

I'm just thrilled the Nats pulled it off!

Congrats boys! Way to go!

IF THE NATS HAVE A FIRE SALE, THE YANKS SHOULD GO SHOPPING

It's only May, so to hear talk of a potential fire sale seems premature. There's a lot of baseball left but I guess if the Washington Nationals continue to struggle it could happen. If they don;t rebound Joe Sherman seems to think it could possibly happen, read more HERE.

It's been an odd start this season. We saw the Mets come strong out the gate and now they are struggling. No, maybe tripping and faltering miserably is more like it. They did just get swept by Derek Jeter's Marlins. The Marlin's for crying out loud! It's rumored Mickey Callaway's job may be in jeopardy.

Then you have teams like the Red Sox who crashed and burned also until recently. The Rays have been overachieving all season thus far and the Yankees have been winning despite all of the injuries. Oh and the Twins look crazy strong while the Cleveland Indians look deflated. It's been a weird season so far.

So here are the Yankees, winning despite all of their own challenges. If the Yankees continue to stay within AL East contention could Brian Cashman look at a team like the Nationals to reinforce the team? Maybe.

The Nationals may be in fourth place in the NL East, but they are only 7.5 games out of first place, which is nothing to worry about right now. But if they don't work their way up names like Anthony Rendon and Max Scherzer could become available. Could....maybe.....big maybe.

The Nationals had their best chances for a championship with both Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper years ago. Now they are trying to change their identity. The Nats have talked to Rendon about an extension but if they doesn't work out maybe they would trade him.

Rendon would be a nice pickup for a team but Scherzer would be harder to trade. He's been everything that the Nats had hoped for even though they have never won a championship with him. He's finished in the top five for Cy Young in the last four seasons. The Nats love them as much as I do.

If the Yankees cold get Scherzer that would be a dream. A very expensive dream though. Sherman's article quoted an NL scout saying "If you ever took him to market, you would get an unholy haul for him." The prospects demand would be crazy and so would the cash that the Yankees would have to take on. The Yankees would pick up the remainder of his salary this year of about $14 million plus whatever portion of the $84.3M that is owed and can negotiate down through 2028. High dollars and prospects....that's an expensive firesale.

It's just a rumor, but a fascinating rumor. Who doesn't at least dream about Scherzer? It may only just be a dream, but if the Nats continue to under perform it's worth a call....even if it is a very short one.

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

BYB EXCLUSIVE: ROB SEGEDIN

I like Rob Segedin.  Sure, he's not a household name... yet, but he's a kid with a dream and I admire that.  I live in the Tri-state area and always root for the local guys.  For example, when I was in college there was a guy named Doug Cinnella who we all followed in my area growing up.  These days, it's Segedin.  Both guys have the will and determination to accomplish anything in the game and when one of yours makes it, it's something you root for.  It just so happens that these days Doug Cinnella runs a very popular baseball facility for kids in New Jersey and Rob Segedin is working his way up the major leagues for the New York Yankees. Both love the game, both will never leave the game because for these guys, baseball is their life.

I got to know Rob through another friend and Yankee, Ty Hensley and chatting with him, I realized that any friend of Ty's is a friend of mine.  We share the same values and the same love of the game.  The difference is I write about it and he plays it.  I became curious like I often do and reached out for an interview.  Rob accepted and I wanted to bring you guys up to speed about this young man... a man with a mission... to be on the pro side of the New York Yankees one day real soon.  You want to read about determination... read about Rob Segedin.  Enjoy this one... I sure did...

BYB: Growing up, did you ever think you would be in the farm system for the New York Yankees? Tell me your journey from being a little kid, playing for Old Tappan, Tulane and now...

Rob Segedin: For as long as I can remember, and as far back as home videos show, I have been drawn to baseball from the time I could swing a bat. I played it all growing up and never thought that I would play professionally until the start of my junior year of high school. I started playing with the Bayside Yankees, a travel team that plays anywhere from 65-80 games a summer all over the country. It was the first time I was exposed to elite competition, and I was able to hold my own. It wasn't until I started getting scholarship offers from big division 1 schools for me to fully grasp the idea of playing professionally. I chose Tulane because they were giving me an opportunity to start as a freshman. I continued to improve my skills in college and was fortunate enough to get drafted by the Yankees.

BYB: What's it like to be a member of Team USA?

Rob Segedin: My college coach was set to coach Team USA in 2009.  After my freshman year in 2008, he told me that he wanted to bring me the trials to compete for a spot. However, I got hurt during the summer of 2008 and didn't get invited to the trials because I missed the 2009 collegiate season.  I was healthy by the end of the season and one of the third baseman, Anthony Rendon, hurt his ankle right before trials. So my coach ask if I could take his spot. I went into the trials without seeing any live competition for almost a year, but showed enough to the coaching staff to make it as an alternate. I stayed with the team until they left the country and finished the summer in Cape Cod. To be able to represent your country is an incredible experience that I will never forget. You got a bullseye on your back so you want represent your country and yourself with class. 

BYB: Growing up, who did you idolize and why? 

Rob Segedin: I grew up a Yankees fan and started watching baseball when Derek Jeter was a rookie. He is what the Yankees are about in every aspect. The way he plays the game, the way he represents himself on and off the field. He just does everything right. It was fun to be able to watch him growing up and then be in the same locker room with him.

(In Photo:  Rob Segedin, Ty Hensley and Anderson Feliz)

BYB: You've spent some time with Ty Hensley in Tampa. You know we love that kid. Tell the audience about your friendship and climbing the ranks together. 

Rob Segedin: I met Ty right before I was scheduled to get surgery. Ty and I got surgery on the same day. He was first, I was second. So we have been through the entire rehab together, pushing each other, and helping each other out along the way. It was good to have someone go through the rehab with. He is a great kid, he works hard, and has a bright future. He will come back next year better than he was when he was drafted. 

BYB: Where do you want to be in 2 years? Describe the scene. Who will be there and what will be going through your mind. 

Rob Segedin: Playing in Yankee stadium trying to win a championship. Growing up so close to the stadium, I could see a bunch of family and friends at my first game. My wife will definitely be there as she has been so supportive of my career. I would think that I would be a little anxious to get my first at bat, first ground ball,etc.  But it is the same game as I been playing my whole life, so I will be ready if the Yankees call on me.

BYB: In baseball history, tell me who the 3 people you'd love to have a pint with and what is the 1 question you'd ask each of them. 

Rob Segedin: I have been fortunate enough to have conversations with Jeter, Mo, and Pettitte. Those Would be my initial three but I will expand. Yogi Berra would be one. I would love to talk baseball, have him share on his experiences back in the day as well as stories about his Yogi-isms.

Cal Ripken would be two. I would like to ask him how he was able to prepare himself to play everyday and compete at a high level. Barry Bonds is three. I know he gets a lot of negative publicity, but he still put up crazy numbers throughout his career. We would talk about hitting and approaches at the plate. 

BYB: Tell me how you are progressing with your hip injury from this season.

Rob Segedin: My hip injury was truly a blessing. Hip injuries get a bad reputation because it is uncommon in baseball.  The surgery that Ty and I got is going to get us to new levels in our game. Pre-injury, I could not rotate my hips efficiently and had to compensate with other parts of my body. I feel like a new man now. My hips are more explosive and should be able to elevate every level of my game as a result of the surgery. 

BYB: What New York Yankee have you not met yet, but can't wait to meet and why?

Rob Segedin: Yogi. He is a classic Yankee and I would love to just chat with him.

BYB: How's that BYB shirt treating you?

Rob Segedin: Awesome. It is in my locker at the complex. It is one of the shirts I wear in the gym to workout. 

BYB: Final question. Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue?

Rob Segedin: I stay away from reading Yankee blogs because I don't like getting caught up in 3rd party opinions on the Yankees farm system. I do read the Bleeding Yankee Blue player profiles that you write.

Rob, you need to read this one... it's all you bro!

I thank you and BYB readers thank you as well.  Thanks for bringing us inside your world... and we look forward to seeing you in the major leagues soon!