IT'S TIME TO STOP BALKING & GET IT DONE!

Baseball is already a "GO".... just not here. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been playing games, and on Monday Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) will kick off its regular season on June 19th. Games will be played without fans in attendance, but even in a condensed season they are preparing to play 120 games out of the normal 143-game norm. It's encouraging for MLB fans to see that logistically it IS possible for baseball to return. Now if we could just figure out the financial parts of this we'd all be happy....but it's not sounding good.

Even outside of baseball, other sports have resumed or they are in the planning stages and we should be much further along. NASCAR is already back in action. The PGA Tour will be back in two weeks. The NBA is working on a July return, likely in Florida. Tuesday afternoon the NHL announced the leagues plan to get back to playing. The regular season is over but playoffs will begin likely in July and may be hosted in two different cities. Sports are on the comeback, just not baseball. The union and owners are still striking out in negotiations....and it is driving us all crazy!

On Tuesday, owners gave the players union their latest proposal on player salary. No more 50-50 revenue sharing plan that prorated salaries based on the number of games played, now owners propose a pay scale where the higher paid players will take a bigger salary cut and lower paid players will not take the same salary hit. That's a much better deal for maybe younger players, or those who earn closer to league minimum but big stars like Gerrit Cole for example, take a huge hit. ESPN gave a good breakdown on the salary scale HERE.

So we can probably all guess that this new proposal didn't go over well. In fact, two players tweeted about it and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark immediately shot down the proposal calling it a salary cap.

Brett Anderson isn't saying anything we've already talked about on BYB but Marcus Stroman's tweet hits me the hardest. We've all known this salary feud was going to be a challenge, but we have all been clinging on to hope. Blake Snell already said he was going to plan for 2021, and now Stroman says the 2020 season isn't looking promising and that he was going to look at "life after baseball" projects.

Players are balking and the more we see it on social media the more I wonder if 2020 will be a lost season.

I really hope that's not the case. If all of these other sports are playing and baseball isn't then shame on BOTH PLAYERS AND OWNERS. There has to be concessions on both sides. Why not consider a deferred compensation program? Seriously, it could work and it sounds like the players union will counter this in the coming days.

Here's the basic idea behind it....I'm not an expert but something along these lines might work.
I mentioned above that Gerrit Cole would one of the players that would lose the most amount of money under the owners new pay scale proposal.

He's owed $36 million in 2020. Instead of the 20% payment that the owners proposed, take a large chunk of the funds owed to him for this season and tack them on to the back of his contract.

Do I like the idea of paying Cole a lot more money later when he well past his prime (assuming he doesn't opt out)? No. However, this allows the owners not to pay a lot of money in 2020 where they will be losing a lot of revenue and pay it later. The players still get all of the money owed to them and owners have time to make some money back and pay it in the future. Players get paid their full contracted amount eventually and owners may not lose up to $4 billion in one season as Rob Manfred estimated last week.

Is it a perfect solution? No, but it might make the players a little bit happier in the long run and we could get baseball back sooner. Time is of the essence here....if baseball is going to start in July after a 3 week training camp a compromise needs to get done in the next few days.

If the 2020 season doesn't happen BOTH sides are to blame. I get it billionaires and millionaires don't want to listen to each other talk about money.....but neither do all of us. It's not a good look for baseball.

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

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS ANOTHER STARTING PITCHER

Source: Elite Sports

So, I was settling in on the idea of the five-man rotation of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, James Paxton, and CC Sabathia and then CC had heart surgery and I became unsettled.  Truth be told, I was never really sold on Sabathia being the fifth starter because of his endurance issues and re-occurring knee injuries, but now I am really out on it.  So, Santa Cashman, I am making a last minute request, "Can you please sign another starter for Christmas?" 

Source: Sporting News

According to the New York Post, "There are plenty of lefty starters still available in free agency: Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Derek Holland, Francisco Liriano, Brett Anderson, Wade Miley, Martin Perez, Jaime Garcia, Drew Pomeranz and Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi, plus Clayton Richards was designated for assignment last week by the Padres, and lefties such as Texas’ Mike Minor and perhaps Arizona’s Robbie Ray could be had in trades." 

Source: New York Post

Cleveland Indian Corey Kluber is being heavily pursued by the Dodgers whose blockbuster trade on Friday left them with a lot of salary to sweeten the pot for a stud like Kluber.  Honestly, I want in on him.  I know we are expected to get Jordan Montgomery back sometime in the early part of the season, if all goes well with his rehab from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees need insurance and actually, they need another big guy on the hill.  I would say Keuchel, Pomeranz or Kluber would satisfy my Christmas list.  Santa, please?

Source: Twitter

According to LA Dodger sports writer Howard Cole, "The Dodgers are getting some difference-making players this offseason. Corey Kluber is almost certainly on the team’s wish list (and at the top of mine). A real catcher (and perhaps J.T. Realmuto) is coming as well."  So, I have some competition for Kluber, not to mention I am thinking the Indians want to keep him, presumably and contend again.

Source: NY Post

If the Yankees want to truly contend, they need more than a robust infield and bats.  They need a lock-solid starting rotation and that means, another stud on the hill.  All I want for Christmas is another starting pitcher.  I can be patient...I can wait until January.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

ALITTLE BREATHING ROOM FOR THE YANKS

Photo: Getty Images

The Athletics lost last night, which means the Yankees are 1 and a half games in front of them for the wild card spot. It's kind of pathetic that we need to think this way right about now, but we do.

The New York Daily News writes this:

"Stephen Piscotty homered for the A's, who fell 3½ games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and 1½ back of the Yankees for the top wild-card slot."

In the end, the Orioles won and the A's starter, Brett Anderson didn't have it. And so what happens next will be major for the Yankees.  They are about to play the Blue Jays, and while they have had some success against them, this team is not consistent enough to pull is off... or can they? Can they now have a run of a lifetime and try and secure this wild card spot?

Not much more to report.  Another game tonight.  Root hard folks.

YOU KNOW WHAT? TYLER AUSTIN IS BETTER THAN YES SAYS

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

Twice this weekend and then again last night, I had to hear that Tyler Austin is in the slump.  Last night, before he blasted a two-run home run to bring the Yankees within one of the Washington Nationals, YES said (paraphrased not exact quote), "Never mind Didi Gregorius being in slump, Tyler Austin is 0-12, he's struggling lately."  Um, no, he's not in a slump and the 0-12 stat is a not completely accurate in that Austin hasn't been playing everyday.  In fact, he was absent from the lineup for multiple games over the last couple of weeks in favor of Neil Walker.

According to CBS Sports, "Austin will remain on the bench for the third time in the past four games as Neil Walker draws the assignment at first base. With left-hander Brett Anderson taking the mound Sunday, expect Austin to rejoin the starting nine for the series finale."  So, to say that Austin is in a slump is just not a fair statement to make.

Source: Bob Levey/Getty Images North America

I don't often agree with analysts when they make assertions like the one that YES made last night and John Sterling made a couple of times over the weekend.  Tyler Austin has earned his keep and to say that he is filling in for Greg Bird is also not accurate.  Sure, it may have started that way, but Austin has been making a convincing case to be playing everyday in place of Bird, who will have to earn a spot in the starting lineup.

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

According to Bryan Hoch's tweet before last night's game, "Tyler Austin, Gary Sanchez & Ronald Torreyes were among the Yankees out for early BP with Marcus Thames."  And it's not just his offense.  Austin plays an excellent first base, diving and stretching to make plays like a seasoned infielder.  At 26-years-old, the right-handed Austin is batting .241 on the season with six home runs, 19 RBIs in only 23 games.  To me, the guy is nothing less than a team oriented, gritty player who deserves the success he is receiving.

Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America

I have seen announcers give players an unfair shake from time to time particularly on the national level, but this one really irritates me because it paints the wrong picture for a player who has really given his all this season. From being unafraid to defend himself and his team in a Red Sox brawl to diving to make a play preserving Luis Severino's shut out game against the Houston Astros earlier this month, Austin is a guy who should be playing everyday, even when Greg Bird returns and despite Neil Walker's contributions to the team.  It may be just my opinion, but he's better than YES says he is. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

THE YANKEES ARE ABOUT TO STRIKE AGAIN...

 The money's going fast Robinson Cano... where are you? Geez... Cano just can't keep up...

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports just tweeted that the Yankees are in the running for yet another player. I'm not kidding.  There must me a ton of money stuff under Cashman's mattress...

Sources: Yankees among many teams showing interest in A's starter Brett Anderson. A's likely to deal him at Winter Meetings.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 3, 2013

A's starter Brett Anderson is on their list. Anderson is a solid starter and could do alot for the Yankees.

I mean look, when the Jacoby Ellbury signing came down, it was interesting, and mix feelings all around. But what I heard the most was, "But we need pitching!" We do.  We definitely do and this could help.

Hopefully this is a sign that the Yanks will start moving into pitching mode now.

Stay tuned...

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