SANCHEZ SURVIVES YANKEES FIRST CUT

Source: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

If you have not heard the news, the Yankees parted ways with Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and Rougned Odor on Friday. But somehow, Gary Sanchez was spared. Yet as the New York Post points out, "The Yankees clearly recognize they need to mix up their pool of position players, with Miguel Andujar and Luke Voit joining Sanchez on the endangered species list between now and the Dec. 2 non-tender deadline. Sanchez stands out because, as a catcher, he is the hardest to replace." Will the Yankees part ways with Sanchez? I hope so, but if not him than who?

Here is an interesting and innovative way to address the problem: What if the Yankees take the opener strategy in pitching and apply it to catching; meaning why not have an arsenal of catchers, well not an arsenal but carry three or four, who can play other positions as well. This idea is not that far off base.

"The thin free-agent group of catchers includes Roberto Perez, who performed poorly for Cleveland last season, and old pal Austin Romine, whose health and performance struggles the past two seasons validated the Yankees’ decision to keep Kyle Higashioka over him. Romine might have to settle for a minor league deal. The Yankees should make Higashioka a co-starter behind the plate and deploy their trademark arbitrage skills that just last summer unearthed Nestor Cortes Jr., Clay Holmes and Lucas Luetge to locate the other co-starter, be it one of the aforementioned free agents or someone else," reports the Post.

Source: Associated Press

Interesting. Right? Co-catchers which might give the Yankees more confidence in moving away from Sanchez slowly. Also part of the free agency is Yan Gomes from the Oakland A's who on paper is not much better and in some cases worse than Sanchez. "Gomes, 34, tallied a .723 OPS, seven points lower than Sanchez, as he split his 2021 season between the Nationals and A’s. His July (1.078) actually topped Sanchez’s June, if with far fewer plate appearances. More to the point, while his April (.556) ranked lower than any of Sanchez’s months, he exceeded .694 in three of the six months, adding a fourth (.646 in August) that surpassed Sanchez’s third-best month, April," reported the Post. 

Source: NJ.com

The most important takeaway from the Gary Sanchez saga or experiment is this: The Yankees need to pledge more of their resources toward player development than trying to fix a deficit that was clearly theirs. Home growing your players is the best bang for your buck and if you can't do that well, consistently than you will continue to "buy" your way into the playoffs, or just be ok with how things have been. 

The Yankees lack of synergy, athleticism and chemistry has been their undoing. So really this conversation isn't about who Sanchez has become but rather it's about who he could have been had the Yankees dedicated the time and resources necessary to help him realize his potential. Now we are left with platooning him with two or three other catchers and see what fits. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

FROM SAVAGE TO SUCKAGE!

This is what low feels like, and I don't like it. I don't like it at all....not one bit. This team is unwatchable. This team is looking for an identity and a spark and with 20 games left, I just don't know if they are able or even WANT to find it.

I had high hopes going into this long Labor Day weekend. Seriously, a series at Camden Yards should mean great potential for a winning streak and for their luck to change. It could have happened, but it didn't. It didn't bring the optimism or hope we have been looking for....instead it brought shame.

I still can't believe that we lost three straight to the Orioles. I can't believe we are now 6(!) games back of the Rays. We WERE tied with the Blue Jays for SECOND place. I can't believe the Blue Jays are where they are right now and we are THIRD in the division. That makes me violently ill right now.

We used to be so SAVAGE. Do you remember those days? I do, and I miss them. It's amazing to think about what a difference a season makes and just how bad we have looked in a pandemic shortened season. We were one of the favorites for the World Series months ago. Now it is even hard to imagine a postseason berth let alone a World Series appearance considering how bad we are playing.
But we are better than this. We SHOULD be playing better than this. Last year we were better than this. 

I've never missed Austin Romine more than I do right this minute. I've never been more disgusted with Gary Sanchez than right now. I don't want to talk about him, I don't want to read about him and I don't even want to hear his name....I just want to make him disappear at this point. I don't care that he's only 27 or any of the other arguments at this point. I just don't think he has it. He's not the answer the Yankees are looking for. It's time to move on.

I miss 2019 Gleyber Torres so much. I was hoping moving to shortstop wasn't going to be a tough transition for him, but it has. This season hasn't been easy for him at all and before Torres hit the injured list he led the league in errors at shortstop and had a .231BA with only one home run and 6 RBI's. Where has 2019 Torres gone? I miss the guy with the .278BA, 38 home runs and 90 RBI's. The Yankees need to find a way to get his 2019 version back.

But you know who I miss the most right now? I miss roof bangin Brett Gardner. Yes, I said it. Last year people were calling on Gardy to knock it off, but now I am saying SHOW ME SOMETHING. This team needs a fire lit under them. I called them robots several times in the past when we were not playing to our potential. I wanted to see they were feeling as much emotion and frustration as I was and eventually we saw that from Gardner. THAT was savage and it made a statement. We need a statement right now other than the WE SUCK.

And Aaron Boone's denial and "we've gotta play better" quotes do nothing for me. The season is slipping away fast and he's giving us all robot quotes that just make me want to slap him silly. Remember when he was ejected from a game against the Rays last season for arguing balls and strikes? That epic rant was born, "my guys are f****** savages in that f****** box, right?" was born. Get that angry again! We know the injury riddled Yankees story again.....but what are you gonna do about it?

The Yankees have 10 of their last 20 games of the season against the Blue Jays. If the Yankees want to save the season they need to get their heads out of their BUTTS and show us their savage side again. Time is running out....so is my sanity.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

SANCHEZ EARNS EARLY PRAISES FROM COLE

Source: NJ.com

I make it no secret that I am not a fan of Gary Sanchez.  I always found him lazy and overrated.  Yet, despite having a cold start to a shorten season, he has found favor with Yankee stud pitcher, Gerrit Cole, who he sees him as "on his game."

“I think it's going great,” Cole said. “He's always finding me in between the innings, communicating about what pitches he liked. He picked up on a couple tips in the batter's box [on Monday], which I thought was really helpful. He's been on his game behind the dish, especially pitch-calling and picking up some tips here and there,” reported the YES Network.

Source: NY Post

Sanchez's plate performances have been abysmal; he's 2-for-25 (.080) with 14 strikeouts this year. He has been robbed by the shift, but he needs to get over that hump and be the player we need.  With Austin Romine not there to back him up, Sanchez needs to be the same leader behind the plate, at the plate.

“He had a couple of the games in the Boston series where I thought he was better,” Boone said. “He’s kind of chasing that hit a little bit. He's just got to continue to trust that he can control the zone and really stay in his legs. When he does, that will take off,” reported YES.

Source: Sports Illustrated

The Yankees take on a double header against the Phillies at Citizen's Bank Park beginning this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. They will need to get ahead early as the first game will be limited to seven innings, per the new rules during this COVID-19 plagued season. Let's hope Sanchez, who will likely play just one of the two games, gets things going and adds the value we need offensively to be a part of this powerful lineup. 

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof

SECRETLY THE YANKEES DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HIGASHIOKA

Look, I love that Kyle Higashioka as one of the Yankees catchers, but it was very evident to me that the Yankees don't have confidence that he can take the reigns as their back up or even top catcher if someone like Gary Sanchez gets hurt.

And trust me, with Gary's track record, he's gonna get hurt.

The Yanks came out and said they were satisfied with Higashioka in the backup role, but then, remember what they did? They picked up a crap load of catchers, many veterans with that experience of a backup… Erik Kratz, Chris Iannetta and Josh Thole.

To me, that's a red flag. To me, that's the Yankees saying they're not comfy with Kyle back there.  Hey, it could be me speculating, but I think I'm right about this one.

Anyway, I love Kyle's confidence regardless, and I know that he can probably prove the doubters wrong and I appreciate and respect that. George A. King III of the New York Post writes a great piece on Higashioka and here is some of it:

"Romine’s departure ensured Higashioka, 30, would be Sanchez’s backup in 2020 and, barring a spring training injury, he would be on a big-league Opening Day roster for the first time in his career on March 26 in Baltimore against the Orioles. 

'[March 26] would have been my first major league Opening Day. But, to be honest, I didn’t really think about it during the day,’ Higashioka told The Post’s Ken Davidoff for a Yankees diary entry in March...

Like Romine, Higashioka has a good relationship with pitchers and worked smoothly with Gerrit Cole in the right-hander’s final spring training outing March 10. The true value of a backup catcher is solid defense, because hitting in the big leagues is hard enough for everyday players, never mind those who play once a week. 

However, being Sanchez’s backup the past three years also entails stretches as the No. 1 catcher. Romine handled that well and was considered among the best backups in the game. Now, it’s Higashioka’s turn. 

'He has improved every year and has worked hard at it,’ an NL talent evaluator said. 'Each year he does more. He has a little power and receives the ball well. This past spring training he threw better than he did last year.’"

Look, here's the real situation when it comes to Higashioka. Spring is an early experiment. No harm if things doesn't work out, that's why those other catchers are there. If Kyle does well, those other guys eventually fall by the waste side. If Kyle flounders, you got guys like Thole or Iannetta that can jump in at any moment with that veteran grit.

In the back of my mind I think that Higashioka can prove that he's a terrific back up and hey, maybe even eventually be a starter.  Not sure about the Yankees, but somewhere.

Be sure to read the rest of that King article, it's great.

Happy Friday everyone. Be safe.

WHAT POSITION WILL CHUBBY GARY SANCHEZ END UP?

There has been plenty of talk about Gary Sanchez and if he's the right catcher for the job for the New York Yankees. I do know this... the Yankees love him, but I think the truth of the matter is he may not be the catcher they thought they were getting.

Now don't get me wrong, the dude is a solid hitter, but when it comes a his catching, while I love his arm behind the plate, the bottom line is... he's slow. Some would call him lazy behind the plate. I have.  In fact, in my podcast on BYB Media with Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa, our Managing Editor here... we spoke about just that



Now comes word that maybe his future isn't behind the plate at all.  Maybe it's first base or DH in the near future? Now, while this is obvious... I just wanted someone else to say it... not us.

NJ.com writes:

"We talked to a long-time major league scout this week who saw the Yankees a lot this spring to get a fresh scouting report on Sanchez. Here’s what the scout, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, had to say: The Yankees are trying to alleviate stress on his back and everything else by dropping him down on one knee. I get it. He’s been hurt a lot. But watching Sanchez catch like this, I’m thinking, ‘The only guy who was very successful catching like that was Tony Pena.'...

"It’s easy to see why the Yankees are worried about Sanchez’s health. He’s a thick-bodied guy who uses his legs to hit home runs and to hit in general..."One knee or not, Sanchez is the same guy for me behind the plate. If I’m a pitcher, I’d hate throwing to him because of balls in the dirt."

“It’s a concern. Sonny Gray didn’t want to pitch to him two years ago. He said it. He wanted (Austin) Romine catching him every game. Sanchez is a catcher because he has a great arm. You don’t want to waste that. But he’s hurt a lot and you want his bat in the lineup, so do you make him a DH or move him to first base?"

Very interesting isn't it?  Now obviously this scout doesn't want to get crucified, so his name wasn't given, but look... it's not something that hasn't been said before. It's just more interesting that a writer isn't saying it, but instead, a scout.

Wow. Anyway, I just wanted to share that. enjoy your day.

THE YANKEES, GARY SANCHEZ & NO TEST FOR CORONAVIRUS? WHY?

Source: SNY

Spring training is for working out the kinks, taking some pre-cautions and planning for the season.  Now, with the coronavirus scare plaguing the US and beyond, you can't be too careful.  With locker rooms and dugouts offering close quarters and stands packing in crowds, the threat is heightened. And with Gary Sanchez down with the flu, concerns continue to mount for the Yankees.

"Sanchez said he was feeling a "little tight, a little uncomfortable" in the lower and middle parts of his back on Sunday, as he sat out both split squad matchups the Yankees had. The catcher also missed Monday's game against the Phillies," reported SNY.

Source: USA Today

According to the Lindsey Adler, a writer for the Athletic, "Gary Sánchez tested positive for the flu, Aaron Boone said. He wasn't tested for coronavirus. Will be away from the team until Friday."  Why not test him for COVID-19?  I mean, if the team is trying to be cautious and keep guys off the IL, why aren't the Yankees testing one of their players for a virus that is spreading rampantly after he tested positive for the flu?

"Because coronavirus testing kits are in limited supply, patients are first tested for the flu, and if that comes back negative, they go for additional testing. Since Sanchez tested positive for the flu, he was not tested for coronavirus," reported CBS Sports. This case will be monitored, but it seems a bit worrisome.

Since coming up for his first season back in 2016, Sanchez has never played a full season.  He has made multiple trips to the IL, five to be exact.  He has had calf and groin pulls.  He had a terrible shoulder injury in 2018. And the Yankees need him to be healthy in 2020.  There is no Austin Romine to back him up and although the Yankees are hopeful that Kyle Higashioka can fill that void, but that remains to be determined.  This is either going to be Higgy's year or it's not. And if it is not, are the Yankees done for?

So, although the Yankees have another issue to monitor with Sanchez out for the flu, the bigger picture is that Sanchez can't stay healthy for an entire season.  This is more of the issue.  I know the Yankees have gone all in for Sanchez, but there needs to be a contingency plan.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

CASHMAN DOES IT AGAIN! YANKS ADD MORE DEPTH!

It's not a big splashy move, but it is a low risk move and I can dig it. The Yankees just signed ex-Mets catcher Josh Thole to a minor league deal.

The New York Post writes:

"Thole, a career .242 hitter, joins Chris Iannetta and Erik Kratz as the Yankees’ catcher signings since Austin Romine signed with the Tigers. The Yankees are likely hoping none of them make the major leagues and will provide insurance behind Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka."

Thole would make $600,000 if he makes it to the majors. Thole has not played in the major leagues since 2016 and has since spent time in the minor-league systems of the Tigers, Dodgers and Angels. The Yankees hope they won't have to use him but they definitely aren't taking any chances with their catching depth....and they shouldn't. I think the Yankees are going to miss Romine, he did play in 72 games last year because Gary Sanchez couldn't stay healthy. I like that the Yankees are being extra cautious now.

The Yankees should explore all options behind the plate. Romine's departure means Kyle Higashioka is most likely the Yankees new backup catcher unless something crazy happens in Spring Training. If he is, that leaves a lot of holes in the minors and adding both Iannetta and Kratz gives the Yankees the depth they have been lacking and Thole would be extra insurance. The Yankees filled a major need, so Brian Cashman just made another smart signing.

And who knows....maybe the Yankees aren't sold on Higashioka as the backup catcher all year. It's hard to imagine anyone besides Romine there honestly, so if nothing else this just creates some healthy competition for the season. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, it will keep the guys hungry. We all have high expectations for this team now, so a little extra motivation can't hurt.

The Yankees are rebuilt, retooled and ready for a championship this season. Cashman is doing everything he can to give us the tools we need to succeed and I dig it. Nice move, Cash!

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

SMART SIGNING! YANKEES GET IANNETTA FOR CATCHING DEPTH!

Not a huge get, but a very smart one. I love this actually.  Chris Iannetta just scored a minor league deal with the Yankees.

The New York Post writes:

"With Romine gone after serving as Gary Sanchez’s primary backup, Kyle Higashioka is expected to take over that role, but Iannetta and Erik Kratz — a 39-year-old the Yankees also signed to a minor league deal — will provide depth at the position and could play at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Iannetta has played 14 seasons in the majors, most of them with the Rockies, including the past two. He was designated for assignment by Colorado in August with a .728 OPS in 52 games."

I've always been a fan of this guy. And yes, he's a veteran and that means that he will not only be working toward a job, but he's there to teach and make the young guys better.  But there's one more thing...

Clearly the Yankees don't have their heart set on Kyle Higashioka. I knew it man.  It just didn't seem right to me. The kid's good and fun to watch, but I don't see him in a Yankee uniform in the Bronx for a full season.  Adding guys like Erik Kratz... Iannetta is a smart move and makes competition for the role behind Sanchez significant and smart.

Brilliant Cash.

AS 2020 BEGINS, WHAT'S LEFT FOR THE YANKEES TO DO?

Source: USA Today

As the clock struck 12, and New Years revelers popped open champagne to ring in 2020, there's another group of guys who are looking forward to ringing in a new era, and perhaps dynasty in 2020.  The New York Yankees have been in 40 World Series, winning 27 of them, and as they embark on the journey to toward 41 and potentially 28, I ask this question, "What's left for the Yankees to do before spring training 2020?"

Source: Newsday

According to Bryan Hoch via MLB.com, "General manager Brian Cashman said that he remains open to anything that makes sense, but after adding Cole, the Yankees’ heavy lifting appears to be done. If Torres begins the season as the everyday shortstop, as anticipated, the Yanks may look for someone capable of pushing Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade for the backup infield role."  If I am being honest, I have no interest in Wade and if I am being really honest, the Yankees need to be in the hunt for a catcher.

As Eli Manning said good bye to the NY Giants this past weekend, he said very bluntly to the media, "I don't want to be a back up."  Perhaps that is what Austin Romine said, as he exited that role earlier this month for a chance as starting catcher for the Detroit Tigers.  But I cannot feel comfortable without having a serious back up and potential replacement for Gary Sanchez, who is simply not fit enough or agile enough to stay healthy for an entire season.

Source: NY Times

"Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman believe Kyle Higashioka can fill the vacant position with ease, and he did impress at times in 2019. Still, the depth at the position isn’t substantial, and Sanchez, when battling through inconsistent play, is a different player entirely," reported Empire Sports Media last week.  I think the Yankees are taking a tremendous risk going with Higashioka as their primary backup.  There are no real standout catchers available (peruse the list if you will), but they did pass on JT Realmuto last year, which could have helped them immensely, particularly when Sanchez's bat went cold and he visited the injured list multiple times in 2019.

What's left for the Yankees to do?  Sign Josh Hader and somehow groom a catcher to take on the reigns as needed when Sanchez goes down and he will go down.  He will head to the IL at least twice next season and I guarantee you that his bat goes cold or does not warm up all that quickly as the Yankees begin their 2020 season in Baltimore on March 26th.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

DON'T WORRY, THE YANKEES GOT ERIK KRATZ

This is a nice little story and a guy many of you probably don't know a lot about. But I'll tell you something. He'll prove important in 2020.

Erik Kratz was actually in the Yankees organization before, with Scranton.  Well now, because Austin Romine is gone, because Gary Sanchez is lazy and because Kyle Higashioka is the Yankees back up and alittle inexperienced... this gives us some security.

Kratz has signed a minor league deal with the Yanks. SNY writes:

"Kratz, a 39-year-old catcher who previously had stints with the Yankees and their Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre between 2017 and 2019, returns to a team that is in need of potential catching down the line. 

Kratz spent seven seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2010 for the Pirates. Since then, he has bounced back and forth between the minors and majors, and has played for eight organizations in his career -- including multiple stints with the Pirates, Phillies and Yankees."

Yay us! (Sarcasm can be fun.)

WHO IS NEXT ON THE YANKEES WISH LIST?

So the Winter Meetings are finally done, and the Yankees already got their most wanted Christmas present. No lump of coal for us, but what comes next now that the Yankees finally got Gerrit Cole? There's still work to do.

1. What about Dellin Betances?

I like the idea of Josh Hader, but I also like what I am familiar with....which is Dellin Betances. Obviously, last season was lost but we know what he is capable of. We've seen it before. We know he can perform in New York but we don't know if Hader can. Right now, if any of these rumors are true like THIS ONE from Joel Sherman it sure sounds like the Yankees have moved on from Betances faster than I have.

I have to say I do like Hader, it's hard to look at his stats and argue otherwise. Hader has been dominant but Milwaukee abused his arm a little the past two seasons. Over that time Aroldis Chapman and Hader have had a similar workload but Hader has thrown almost 70 more innings. I have to question how the Brewers let him go from 47.2 innings in his first season to 81.1 innings the next. They never stretched him out, he was never a starting pitcher, he went right to a relief role. He's young but, they never conditioned him and that could be a problem going forward.

Why wouldn't the Brewers wait until the trade deadline to send Hader to a contender that needs a good reliever? They should be able to get even more for him at that point. I mean, as it stands right now Hader is going to cost more than other trade proposals I have read about. We posted A TRADE THAT COULD GET HADER TO THE BRONX! BUT...Luis Gil and Miguel Andujar are unlikely to get that deal done. Hader is only 25 and he is under team control through 2024. He's been an All-Star for the last two years, if the Brewers were willing to trade him so easily and for so little talent in return we really should be asking "WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?" because otherwise the proposed trade as is does not make sense.

Should the Yankees really be ready to move on from Betances so quickly?

2. What about a backup catcher?

Austin Romine's time in a Yankee uniform is over. He was a good backup catcher, so now who should the Yankees look to fill that role? The Yankees have Kyle Higashioka. The Yankees like him because of his receiving ability and he does have some pop in his bat, but he hasn't hit much in his limited big-league experience. He's at least worked with some of our pitchers but is he ready to go from minor league catcher to big league backup? Higashioka is out of minor-league options and they do not have MLB ready catching depth otherwise.

But the Yankees also have interest in Martin Maldonado who caught Cole and worked well with him. Cole had a 1.57 ERA in 10 starts with Maldonado catching him so that surely peaked Brian Cashman's interest. But Maldonado has been a bit of a journeyman, he also caught for the Royals and Cubs in 2019. He doesn't provide much offensively, so he's what you expect form a backup just like Romine was. Difference here, he was successful working with the best pitcher in all of baseball....so how do you ignore that?

So should the Yankees give Higashioka a chance in the big leagues or give Cole his personal catcher?

Truthfully, the backup catcher role doesn't concern me much....but the Hader interest does. I like what we see on paper, but I have to question if Hader is conditioned or ready to play for us. Can he be a better option than Betances? I think the Yankees should still be engaged with Betances. He is going to be a difference maker somewhere.

I guess we will have to wait and see. If you had to pick between Hader and Betances, who do you pick and why?

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

HAVE THE YANKEES RE-KINDLED THE EVIL EMPIRE CONVERSATION?

As Gerrit Cole claimed his pot of gold, Brian Cashman found himself defending the Yankees lack of spending in previous years saying that they always had the ability to lay down the hammer.  The perspective across the country is quickly mounting as naysayers see the Yankees' force rekindled but that force has been more of a dark, evil side force, from a certain point of view.

Source: Howard Simmon

“I always thought that was a false narrative,” Cashman said. “We have been a very aggressive franchise forever, it seems, under the Steinbrenner family. We’ve been at the highest-level payrolls on a year-in, year-out basis and one of the best teams year-in, year out, competing for a championship, so all those boxes get checked. We’ve been acting Yankee-like despite people speaking to the contrary," reported Newsday.

The Yankees have appeared frugal over the last several years, but what Cashman is saying is that the Yankees always had the money to spend, they just chose to be selective.  In many ways, the Death Star attack across the league is not something unexpected and the possibility of these kinds of attacks were eminent.  

Source: USA Today

“A lot of things in this game have been set up to prevent the Yankees from being what they were under George Steinbrenner,” Cashman said. “George Steinbrenner couldn’t be George Steinbrenner in this existence as he did in the ‘70s and into the ‘80s," reported Newsday.  Cashman added, "They’re (Hal and company) putting a team together that contends for a championship on a year-in, year-out basis, at super-deluxe salary levels. That can’t be ignored. Those are facts that are real.”

The Yankees have been contending but as we have experienced as fans, fallen short for one reason or another over the last decade since our last championship in 2009.  You can include the Houston Astros cheating citations as one of the reasons, but the fans that have watched the games saw the deficiencies and most of those fall in the starting pitching category.  Having a starting rotation at full strength, will be interesting to see, at least for the first month or so of the season.  Many debate that if the bats were at full strength in the playoffs of late, the Yankees would have their championship.  I have to disagree on this one point: if the starting pitching were doing their job, across the board, giving the Yankees a good opportunity to put runs on the board early without having to come back again and again and again, the pendulum might have swung differently in the 2017 and 2019.  

Source: AP/Gregory Bull

It is as important to note regarding the rekindling of the Evil Empire...is it the Yankees who should hold that distinction or the agents, like Scott Boras, who's pay day is closing fast on $1 billion?  The Yankees are paying for the right players at the right time to close the loop.  The asking price of these players are astronomical.  But when in Rome...The Yankees have to be in it.  And for the last few years, they have been unwilling to jump at players whose asking price was above what they were willing to pay, even though they could have paid it.  "The Yankees made no secret of their goal to get below the $197 million luxury-tax threshold for the 2018 season in an effort to reset their rate after paying a total of $341 million over 15 straight years," reported Newsday.  

Let's hope that the chemistry in starting pitching headed by a new pitching coach in Matt Blake gels, that the absence of CC Sabathia, Didi Gregorius and Austin Romine do not hurt the Yankees in their quest for gold in October and that the defense is solid and bats hot against opponents seeking the same prize.  The force is definitely with the Yankees, now let's start the battle and take it to the bitter end.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof