IN THE LATEST SAGA OF THE METS WANTING TO BE THE YANKEES...

Steve Cohen and the New York Mets—baseball’s answer to that one person in high school who keeps trying to reinvent themselves to impress the cool kids, only to trip over their own shoelaces. The latest twist in the Mets' ongoing obsession with the Yankees? A desperate grab at bullpen pieces that might as well come with pinstripes stitched in for good measure.

According to Dan Bartels of the New York Post, the Mets are considering a trio of options for their bullpen, including Yankee fan-favorite Tommy Kahnle. Bartels’ tweet sums it up:

"If the Mets don’t spend big in the bullpen: David Robertson, Chris Martin, or Tommy Kahnle could be a fit, per @NYPost_Mets."

All former Yankees by the way.

Oh, the audacity! Kahnle, who practically breathes Yankee mystique, posted a career-best 2.11 ERA, fanned 46 batters, and boasted an absurd 59.8% ground-ball rate. Naturally, this would make him a tempting target for a team that has spent the better part of the last decade looking like they’ve been cursed by the ghost of Bobby Bonilla’s contract.

But wait—this is the same Mets team that’s already poached Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas, two former Yankees by the way. Did I mention that they were former Yankees? Are we seeing a pattern here? Maybe Steve Cohen isn’t building a team so much as he’s collecting Yankees like they’re Pokémon cards. What’s next? A monument at Citi Field dedicated to "Almost Yankees We Paid Too Much For"?

And then there’s the Juan Soto saga. Former Yankee. Cohen’s near-obsessive pursuit of the slugger reportedly included outlandish offers—rumored to flirt with a near billion-dollar price tag and a luxury suite for Soto’s family. Really? NEARLY A billion dollars? That’s Bezos money, not "we're still paying for Max Scherzer’s arm and Justin Verlander’s ghost" money.

But here’s the kicker: the Yankees and us Yankee fans couldn’t be happier about the Mets taking Soto off the market. With their rivals distracted, the Bronx Bombers were free to bolster their lineup and pitching staff, leaving Mets fans wondering if Cohen is secretly a double agent sent by Hal Steinbrenner.

If Cohen wants to mimic the Yankees, here’s a free tip: it’s not about signing players who used to be good in pinstripes. It’s about cultivating a winning culture, making smart investments, and, oh yeah, not treating your team like a vanity project. Until then, the Mets will remain what they’ve always been: the Yankees' shadow, forever chasing the light.

Good luck with Tommy Kahnle, Mets. Maybe he’ll bring some of that Yankee magic with him. Or maybe he’ll just bring another reminder that Citi Field is where pinstriped dreams go to die.

But I actually hope Kahnle comes back to the Yankees. I liked him there, and I know he loved being a Yankee.

SALTY & UNEMPLOYED CLINT FRAZIER

You know what the problem is with Clint Frazier? He's forgotten that playing baseball is a privledge and that it's a business.  He needs to stop running his mouth and do the best he can to stay on a roster. My opinion.

Sports Illustrated writes:

"Ahead of what was supposed to be his first appearance against his former team, outfielder Clint Frazier slammed the Yankees’ appearance policy that requires players to be clean-shaven with short hair.

“You had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that (Yankees) team,”

“If not, then you were like a really bad distraction, it seemed like. So I don’t miss being told how I had to look for the last five years,” Frazier said."

Frazier would suck in the military. I guess he doesn't understand what rules for organizations are. Look, I don't care for the hair policy either but it's tradition and that's how the Yankees run it. You sign with them you follow the rules. You don't? You go away. Clint went away and ran his mouth on the Cubs. Then this happened. MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Cubs announced a series of roster moves to reporters... outfielder Clint Frazier has been designated for assignment. The DFA of Frazier opens a spot on both the active and 40-man rosters for (Chris) Martin."

Frazier probably wishes he would shave right about now huh? Karma's a bitch.  Keep your mouth shut, keep working hard and be happy you have (or had) a job in baseball.  You sound privleged, Clint.  Stop it dude... bad look.

CITI SHOCK!

The Mets were blanked today by the Yankees who suddenly discovered how to hit and score runs.  Good for us.

Not only that, the Yankee pitching was truly exceptional.  7 pitchers combined with a 6 hit shutout.  4 hits were given up by Michael Pineda in 5.1 innings.  Chris Martin gave up the other 2 hits.  Seriously... just phenomenal pitching today. Combined with Yankee hitting and homers... it was terrific.

The run scoring was nice and clean.  In the first, Carlos Beltran hit a 3 run homer. Remember when I tweeted this last night?

I'd like to see Beltran put one out in Queens.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) September 18, 2015

I'm thrilled it happened today.

In the 6th, it was Brian McCann who was over due.  This home run was a 2 run shot.  Those are your 5. 

Pretty incredible day in Queens... and very necessary.  With that win, and alittle help from the Boston Red Sox who beat the Jays today, the Yankees are now 3.5 back in first place in the AL East.  You know what would be nice? A win tomorrow and a few more against the Jays in the next series.  It can literally set the tone for the rest of the year. 

Final: Yankees 5 - Mets 0

P.S. My dearest apologizes for appearing a bit absent on BYB lately.  When life hits, you run with it. Between my oldest competing in a pretty competitive baseball tournament this weekend and my other kids activities... I barely have the time to sit down and write. My hearts still in it, I'm just insane.  I'll try and do a post about my life real soon on BYB and explain everything. Thanks for understanding though... and thanks for your notes of concern.  I love you guys.  --Casey



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NOT THE TEAM I KNOW & LOVE

It was a disaster tonight.  Watching made me feel like I just couldn't be a fan of this club. Disgraceful. Overpowered. We are not supposed to go down like this!  It's the Blue Jays... THE BLUE JAYS for Christ sake. How in the hell is this possible?

First of all, you know they're good if they have Luis Severino's number.  This must be a fluke because the dude is just real good.  Tonight he went 2.1 innings, giving up 6 runs on 6 hits. I wanted to vomit.

The Blue Jays teed off on our pitching.  16 hits. 11 runs off of our lousy 9 hit, 5 run game.  We look old. We look un-energized.  We look like shit.

Chris Martin, Andrew Bailey and Chasen Shreve, who looks tired lately by the way, gave up the addition runs.  Just not our night in the pitching category.  Oh yeah... did I mention we couldn't score runs? OK. I will now...

We scored 5 off Price and company.  It went like this:

In the bottom of the 3rd, Brett Gardner sacrificed home Brendan Ryan.  In the 4th, with the score 8-1, Didi Gregorius singled home a run.

In the 6th, Didi then cranked out a 3 run homer to make it 9-5.  That would be all the Yanks would score.  The Jays would score 2 more after that.  In the end, if Didi Gregorius is your offense with a team with mad talent like we have... you have a major problem!  This game sucked.

Yankees lose, and drop in the AL race.  Not a good start to the 7 games against the Jays. It's damn sad actually.

Final: Blue Jays 11 - Yankees 5

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JOE GIRARDI'S IN A CATCH-22

The Yankees are in a bad Catch-22 situation right now, and it has to do with their pitching. Admittedly, there seems to be problems almost everywhere. But the recent injury to the closer Andrew Miller has enticed a lot of critics to come out with fingers pointing. The issue there is the reason for Miller’s strained forearm – fatigue. Is he being overused? Certainly Miller is not going to say yes. That would be a direct shot at his manager. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman are being somewhat quiet on the issue too. Can you blame them?

I am certainly not going to defend them if they are overusing their best pitchers. It is their jobs to make sure that the players are in the best shape and position to win. Are they overusing them? Joel Sherman of the New York Post sure thinks so (read HERE). Sherman cites a number of games when the closer should not have had to come in. These are games where the Yankees had huge leads and the pitching started giving up runs in bunches. Games where the 1-2 punch of the back of the bullpen – Miller and Dellin Betances – should have been spectators. Instead, Girardi has to bring them in to save the game.

Joel Sherman thinks it’s a trust issue. He doesn’t trust the rest of his pitchers and ends up overusing Miller and Betances. No disrespect to Sherman, but I think we all have trust issues with some of these guys. Would you have trusted a game to David Carpenter? How about Esmil Rogers? Sure he could have rested the stars. But then all of us – reporters and fans alike – would have blasted Girardi for letting games get away while Miller and Betances are sitting out there in the bullpen. This is the part of Girardi’s job that sucks – sometimes you just can’t win. But fixing this is still his job.

For the record, there is a real reason to be concerned about overuse of these guys. If we look at the first 58 games of the Yankees season, Miller has appeared in 26 games, 15 (58%) of those with 1 day of rest or less. Contrast that with the first 58 games of Mariano Rivera’s final season, where he appeared 24 times and 11 (46%) of those with 1 day or less of rest. It may seem small, but when it comes to rest, it matters. Here’s some more food for thought. Miller has faced 103 batters and thrown 428 pitches – 17% more batters and 29% more pitches than Rivera did during the aforementioned span. The story gets worse with Betances compared to Rivera – 21% more games, 82% more times with 1 day’s rest or less, 39% more batters, and 29% more pitches. Maybe it’s because Betances is younger, but you have to be concerned.

The real problem with those two are the ones that come right before them. David Carpenter, Esmil Rogers, and others have not delivered as advertised, and have justified any possible distrust Girardi may have. Guys like Chasen Shreve, Chris Martin, and Justin Wilson need to step up. The Yankees may need to get some avaiulable pitchers, or bring guys up from the farm who can help. Here at BYB, we have talked a lot about how important it is to develop the kids. Now the Yankees may need to accelerate that plan. It will probably be a month before we see Miller again. Leaning even more on Betances could be disastrous. With the American League East still lacking a clear front-runner, the Yankees may have some cushion to try out a few options. No matter how you feel about Joe Girardi’s trust level, the team needs to give him some better options.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row







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CLEANING OUR CLOCK!

It's fascinating to me to watch the Yankees, who at one time suggested Alex Rodriguez was the devil, suddenly use his 2000th RBI as a promotional tool and shy away  from the fact that the Orioles once again cleaned the Yankees clock. 

Yup. The O's beat them 2 times in 2 days... amazing.That can't be ignored... I don't care about the milestone! I want Yankee wins!

Alex Rodriguez is breaking records like mad. Tonight was a big one, he passed 2000 RBIs with a 2 run home run.  But even if you asked him these days what was more important, Alex Rodriguez would have said, "Beating the O's."  It just didn't happen and I'm not sure why.  We should be able to do it, but we're not.

CC Sabathia started for the Yanks. He went 5 innings, giving up 8 hits and 4 runs.  Nothing unmanageable.  Then came in Chris Martin who gave up 3 more, and then Sergio Santos... not much better than Esmil Rogers giving up an additional 2.  Not quite sure why we're rolling the dice on Santos.  There must be a reason somewhere.  What's next, Sergio Mitre?

The Yankees 4 runs went like this:

In the first, Mark Teixeria singled knocking in 1.  Then, Brian McCann doubled and Tex scored.

In the 6th, ARod hit his 2 run homer and tied  the game up 4-4.  That would be it for the Yanks. The O's would then turn it on and we'd lose by a large margin.

So why is this happening?  It's 2 in a row in Camden Yards.  Can we turn this terrible losing streak around?  We'll have to see... maybe tomorrow.

Final: Orioles 9 - Yankees 4

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SOMEONE'S FATE HANGS IN THE BALANCE....

The Yankees will have some big decisions to make....and they won't be easy ones. I often hear Joe Girardi talk about "good problems to have" and I think he would say that the starting rotation is a good problem to have. There are worse problems to have, but in the end someone is going to have to get the boot and be sent to the bullpen. It may not be "fair" either but I guess just like in real life....baseball isn't always fail, is it?

Soon the Yankees will have Ivan Nova back in action. I am looking forward to that and I want to see the guy back in action....but he is a starter, not a reliever. So someone is about to get a demotion and there isn't someone that I can pinpoint anymore. It is going to be hard. There has been a lot of shuffling in the rotation lately.

Obviously, when Masahiro Tanaka came back it wasn't hard to guess that Chris Capuano was going to be sent back to the bullpen because he was a temporary fill in. But now, the rotation is more stable and people are in their niche again. There has been so much talk about the Yankees could send Adam Warren back to the bullpen. He's been a reliever before and he has proven that he can handle that job....but this is where the unfair part comes into play.

Adam Warren earned his spot in the rotation. In spring training he stepped up and he proved that he had the tools to be a good starter. He got off to a rocky start, but his last five starts he turned it around. He has learned how to pitch deeper into the games and his last five starts have all been quality starts. He has been consistent, and that can't be said for everyone in the rotation. How can the Yankees possibly even consider demoting him? Sadly, it would be the more obvious choice. If that is the decision that is made again....that would be the unfair part. What to do?

Sometimes, being versatile is a downfall. It sounds weird but it is true! The Yankees aren't going to want to throw someone like CC Sabathia into a reliever role now just to keep Warren in the rotation. Yes, Warren has earned his spot but he at least has the experience to do it. Same could be said for Nathan Eovaldi because they will want to give him the opportunity to work through the growing pains.

What about the bullpen set up anyway? It is stacked with lefty relievers. We haven't had this many lefties in a long time. Right now the Yankees have newly recalled Chris Martin and Esmil Rogers as the long man for right handed relievers. No offense to Rogers, but I really don't have a lot of faith in him but that is a whole other story. The Yankees would benefit from having another right handed reliever that can also give some length and he's done it before.

Sometimes you have to make decisions based on what is best for the greater good. Will it suck if the Yankees decide to send Warren back to the pen? Yes, but it won't be because he was demoted for poor performance. All isn't always fair in life, love and baseball but either way I know Warren and the Yankees would make it work if that is what they decide. I have faith and you should too.



 
 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ  




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WHAT TO DO WITH THE YANKEES ROTATION?

The Yankees rotation has been effective so far in the first six weeks of the season (although the team has been struggling as of late) but there are changes coming. Ivan Nova is closing in on his return to the Bronx from Tommy John surgery, Masahiro Tanaka is rehabbing and should return soon and Chris Capuano just returned. With only five (or perhaps six occasionally) spots to fill, what do the Yankees do with their starting rotation?

When Tanaka went down, Chase Whitley was thrown into the mix and pitched well but has underwent Tommy John surgery. That really sucks. All of us here at the BYB family are wishing Whitley a speedy recovery. That injury essentially opened up a spot for Chris Capuano to jump in though. And jump in he did... for three whole innings while allowing four runs. Yikes.

Ivan Nova is progressing and should return sometime next month or so, the same with Tanaka. So that leaves CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, Adam Warren, Chris Capuano, Ivan Nova and Masahiro Tanaka vying for spots in the rotation. So how does this play out? Who is in and who is out?

Let's start with the guarantees, assuming there are no other injuries in the near future. Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka are certain to be in the rotation. I'd bet the bank on that. CC Sabathia would probably be next on the list of a guaranteed rotation spot. His history, salary and overall ability to eat innings should solidify that. Ivan Nova is returning and has had some productive years for the Yankees, and at one point was probably their best starter. He will be in the rotation once he returns. He's earned it.

So who is the fifth starter? The top candidate is Nathan Eovaldi who is sporting a 4.73 ERA over 45.2 innings. He's young and has a ton of upside. He has been decent with a lot of room to improve, but the Yankees didn't trade for him to be a relief pitcher. As hard as he throws though, perhaps he could be? I doubt it out of the gate, but you never know. Adam Warren has a 4.26 ERA over eight starts and has not been bad, but he could be a very good candidate to return to the bullpen and take some innings from David Carpenter. Carpenter has struggled and our skipper here at BYB, Mr. Casey, has spoken up about that! Warren could possibly be moved to the minors as well and stay in the rotation down there to keep him stretched out.

So it likely leaves Capuano and Warren as the odd men out of starting rotation jobs. Eovaldi could be transitioned to a reliever, with Warren staying in the rotation, but I doubt they give up on him as a starter after just six or seven weeks. Although I respect Capuano, he is just not deserving at this point. He is a long reliever and spot start option or maybe even just released.

Warren earned his keep in the bullpen and although he is a respectable fifth starter, he could fill a void that the bullpen has. Really it's the bullpens only void! But that does make a bit of a cluster in the pen. Now as it rolls downhill, what happens to the bullpen? Justin Wilson has underperformed and with Chasen Shreve pitching well (2.30 ERA over 15.2 innings), he could be an odd man out. Esmil Rogers has also pitched well over 13 appearances and is sporting a solid 3.12 ERA, but could be expendable if need be. Chris Martin has also performed well over 15 innings and is averaging more than a strikeout per inning and has a 3.55 ERA, but may be another guy that could be moved somehow or another. I don't really want to see any of these guys go, however I would like to see Wilson and Carpenter pitch better though!!

So come the time when Tanaka and Nova return, Joe Girardi is going to have to make some tough decisions. It's better these good problems, in theory, than not having enough pitching! It is no fun when the team overall is succeeding (until the last week) and some pretty drastic changes are going to have to be made though. So what do the our BYB followers and the Yankees Universe think? Let us know @BleednYankeeBlu or me personally at @DManLucia. This could be interesting and fun to debate!!


 
Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 


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EARLY RUNS & STRONG PEN KEEP THE DOMINATION GOING

It was the second game of a 4 game series against the Orioles, and the Yankees made another strong appearance. The last time he faced the Yankees, Miguel Gonzalez dominated, holding them to one run over 7 innings, striking out 10. This time, not so much. The Yankees got to him early and often, scoring five runs off him and chasing him after only 4 innings.

The bottom of the first started with Jacoby Ellsbury reaching on an infield single and a Brett Gardner double, followed by a sacrifice fly by Alex Rodriguez. Two batters later, Brian McCann sent a 3-0 fastball over the right field fence for his third home run of the season, staking the Yankees to a 3-0 lead. They did not stop there. In the third inning, starting with the top of the order, the Yankees loaded the bases. In what must have felt like finding Amelia Earhart’s plane, Carlos Beltran found his stroke and drove the ball to the fence for a 2-run double. The inning might have continued had Brian McCann tried to slide into home. Trying to cross the plate standing up, he became an easy target for a tag and the third out. I admire his bravado in going for that third run, but if you are going to do it, do it right. No one complained because the Yankees had a 5-0 lead and practically had the game locked up. Right?

Yeah, not really. Adam Warren did not have his best stuff tonight, though he did get help from the seven guys behind him and the guy in front of him. Oriole batters reached base in every inning, they reached base in each of the first two innings. Had it not been for Brett Gardner’s throw to nail Manny Machado at home, we might not be celebrating. By the fifth inning, the Orioles finally got to him. They scored twice off Warren before Joe Girardi went to the bullpen with two outs, just missing eligibility for the win. On the upside, Justin Wilson came in and struck out Chris Davis with men on the corners, ending the threat.

Chris Martin’s struggles continued, as the weak link of the Yankees’ stellar bullpen let the Orioles scored twice in the top of the sixth. He did get out of the sixth and held down the fort in the seventh before handing it off to Dellin Betances. Betances and Andrew Miller – the Twin Titans of the Yankees bullpen – slammed the door, retiring all seven batters they faced.

A few highlights from tonight. In a post-game interview, Girardi was asked if Andrew Miller is now the closer. After a few joking remarks, he all but conceded that Miller is the closer. It’s not like we didn’t notice. Alex Rodriguez was the latest Yankee to continue this year’s tradition of the Year of the Triple, snagging a 3-bagger in the bottom of the fifth. Tonight’s win guarantees that this series is the seventh consecutive series the Yankees will win or split, it maintains their 3-game lead in the division, and it gives them the third-best record in baseball.


Final: Yankees 5 - Orioles 4

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row







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WHITLEY GEM WASTED

You didn't expect this, but at the same time, the Blue Jays never roll over either.  But it wasn't so much the Jays last night as it was Chase Headley, who admitted... that bad throw was on him.  That was the difference.

Chase Whitley went 7 innings, gave up only 6 hits and no runs.  The Yankees were one their way.  They were up 1-0 because of a Garrett Jones ground out that scored a run. 

Then in the bottom of the 7th, both Chris Martin and Dellin Betances gave up runs, and a Russell Martin single to Headley who ended up throwing the ball away.  It darted from Garrett Jones, and just like that, the Jays were up 3-1.  It stayed that way... the end.  You know what? It happens.  It sucks, it's stinging, but it happens. Move forward now.

The Yanks have been playing good ball lately and there are alot of fans starting to rank on Garrett Jones lately and I am not exactly sure why.  This is a guy that's not playing consistently.  How do you expect him to get into any type of groove?  Back off... Jones is one of us... a dude with a Yankee fan family just wanting to contribute.  Let the guy work it out, he'll get there.  Last night... that was on Headley and even Chase admitted that. Stop the bickering, new game today.

Final: Blue Jays 3 - Yankees 1

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TWO IN A ROW AGAINST THE SOX IS NICE

I have always loved Fenway Park.  Believe it or not, it may be one of my favorite ballparks ever.  I know, I'm a Yankee fan.... I shouldn't say that, but I just did. It's a fact.  I love it more however when the Yankees win in Fenway.  That's when it's a perfect day.  

When they win 2 in a row... it's more perfect!  I hate to get ahead of myself... but a sweep tonight would be delightful... that's just me spitballing...

The Yankees won again.  Nathan Eovaldi, who's been pretty great for us went 6.2 innings, striking out just 2, but giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits.  The Yankee pen, who's been spectacular, held down the Sox bats after that.  The combo of Chris Martin, Justin Wilson and Dellin Betances struck out 5 combined and only gave up 1 hit.  I like that.

The Yankee run scoring went like this:

In the 3rd inning, Brett Gardner doubled and knocked in Didi Gregorius.  Then in the 5th, it was Brett Gardner again, this time singling in 1.

For insurance, in the 9th, Chris Young homered.  Mets fans hate Chris Young right now... he's exactly what he wasn't in Queens... good.

Final: Yankees 4 - Red Sox 2




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