WHAT MAKES ANY OF US THINK WE CAN ACTUALLY GO DEEP IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH THIS UNSERIOUS FRANCHISE?

We can tout ourselves as being in first place (second place) and having a home run leader and number 1 free agent all we want, but if the bullpen continues to suck,  if the batters continue to not do their job and rely on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto... how the hell does anyone expect to even go deep into the playoffs in October to the point where we make it to the World Series. AND... if by chance we even get there... do you really have faith with this puppet loser at the helm who makes excuses for this players every single night? 

I have never seen a more incompetent manager in my life.  You may like him there, I do not.  I think he's pompous, yet stupid.  He's "in charge", yet a puppet.  He doesn't understand how to speak to the media, he gives his players a pass EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and there is no excuse for it.  And so again, I ask you... what makes any of us really think we can actually go deep into the playoffs with this unserious franchise?

I find Jomboy to be the most unentertaining product out there. I'm not a hater, I just find it painful and that's my opinion.  But he was right for calling out Anthony Volpe for sucking and it was ridiculous for Aaron Boone to sit there trying to defend the guy.

 

Boone's sitting there talking about how good he is defensively and that's fine, but we're not winning, and last time I checked a nice catch isn't getting runs across the plate.  THE YANKEES NEED PRODUCTION, WHAT IS BOONE NOT GETTING?

Face it, Volpe is not a good hitter, but we knew that when we brought him up.  He is at Shortstop because he's a very good defender, but that's about it.  Omar Vizquel was the same, but the only reason why Omar's remembered to this day is because he was around for 45 years (I kid). But longevity keeps Omar's name knocked around to this day.  I don't see Volpe as Omar. I see him as a guy the Yankees are trying to pass off as a star player.

The Guardians are better than the Yankees.  On paper for sure, but it was clear last night that they have better tools to win.  We do not. The bullpen doesn't work... and hasn't all year.  By the way, it's worth noting once again, that the Yankees only picked up a significant player this offseason in Juan Soto.  Sure, Alex Verdugo is there but he appears to be dogging these days and Jazz Chisholm was exciting for about 48 hours and now he's hurt.  But don't worry, Aaron Boone and the Yankees will stick with their guys, "cause they're about to break out any moment." THIS FUCKING GUY HAS BEEN SAYING THIS ALL YEAR! It's August 21st.  You cannot be serious.

When is the Yankees front office calling this Bozo out?  The New York Yankees are NOT a serious franchise.  We aren't, because if we were, Clay Holmes would no longer be out closer.  I mean wasn't it Craig Kimbrel that lost his job as a closer for not doing his job recently?

My point is we can't keep hanging out hat on Holmes was an All-Star. He's clearly not doing his job.  It's pathetic.

And so, I say, even if we get there, what are the chances seriously that we could actually be a World Series Championship team?  The answer? We won't. We're awful... 

I went to one game this year. I got the tickets for 20 bucks each and watched the Yankees lose to the Rays by a lot.  I went to the food court and ate and drank and watched on the televisions.  It was so bad; I left in the 6th and didn't turn the game on when I got home.  Why? Because the Yankees are awful.  That's why.

We need change folks.  I have never hated a team I've loved all my life as much as I do right now.  They are not serious, and I see no end in sight.

BASH BROTHERS RISE, BUT CAN THE YANKS GO DEEP INTO THE PLAYOFFS WITH THIS TEAM?

Joey Gallo has arrived. And with the help of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and even Anthony Rizzo, these guys could do real damage as those dinger kings going down the stretch.  Now if we can only find some consistency with our freaking bullpen, we'll be alright. But if you look at this Yankee formula right now... this is not a team that can go deep in any playoff run.  That aside, let's celebrate the dingers...

AP writes:

"Joey Gallo hit a two-run shot in the 10th inning for his second homer of the game, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Chicago White Sox 7-5 in another back-and-forth thriller Saturday night...

“We’re a team that doesn’t give up,” said Aaron Judge, who had four RBIs. “We continue to fight until the last out.

’We witnessed that in the cornfield and even here. It was two teams that didn’t want to go home a loser.”

Judge’s solo shot off Craig Kimbrel put New York ahead 4-3 in the eighth, but José Abreu tied it with a two-out solo drive in the ninth against Chad Green (7-5).

Judge then singled in automatic runner Brett Gardner to start the 10th. Gallo followed with a towering shot to right as New York tagged All-Star closer Liam Hendriks (7-3) for the second straight game."

A team that doesn't give up. Judge is right, but bats can't carry a shaky pen all season, and we will continue to see that with this team if Aaron Boone can't find the formula. HE MUST! 

Boone was quoted as saying "this team has heart" and they do...alot of it. But consistency needs to happen and that bullpen is atrocious. Yes... we will enjoy the win Boonie, congratulate Abreu on his save, but Boone must fix it, or we don't have a shot in the playoffs, trust me.

WE'RE NOT REPLACING CHAPMAN. DON'T BE RIDICULOUS

Fansided's John Buehler wrote a stinging piece today blasting Aroldis Chapman and offered replacement options for the guy. Now look... I know Chapman's having some trouble lately, but have the seen the Yankees? They need an overhaul in general. Start with firing the manager.  I will never blast a major league player for have a struggle window. That happens to all of them and Chapman is NOT DIFFERENT. He's in a slump yes... we lost games we should have won YES, but Chapman needs a reset, not a replacement. I find this ridiculous.

John writes:

"The 33-year-old, left-handed fireballer from Cuba may have 16 saves on the season, but has not recorded one in half a month. Chapman has a 4.71 ERA and a 1.430 WHIP in 32 appearances for the 2021 Yankees. His last three appearances out of the Yankees bullpen have been disastrous. They are still in fourth place in the AL East standings. New York may need to make a move here.

If the Yankees do want to move off Chapman at the trade deadline, they will have some options...
Richard Rodriguez could be available, but he will not come to New York cheap...

Ian Kennedy could be exactly what the Yankees need the second time around...

Craig Kimbrel is the perfect half-season rental the Yankees are in dire need of..."

Now Buehler had some explanations for each of these 3 guys. All these pitchers are solid and all would do a good job. There's only one problem... none of them are better than Aroldis Chapman, and that's the bottom line.  

Why spend more on Rodriguez if we already have an awesome closer. Kennedy? We tried that already... it didn't work.  

Kimbrel? I mean sure he's good, but NY would crucify him.

Instead of panicking... maybe Chapman needs a reset, a break. I mean honestly, as this point it wouldn't hurt the Yankees who are already 10.5 out.  I mean, give the guy a few mental days and try it again this weekend.  Whatever man... it happens.

Chapman doesn't need to be replaced... he just needs some time to figure it out mentally... and trust me, that's it.

"THE RUMOR SEASON IS CRAZY"... STARRING GIANCARLO STANTON!

It's the offseason, and there is no baseball fan out there that isn't dreaming up ideas about how to improve their team. I do it all of the time with my Angels fan husband. Baseball insiders also dream up ideas too, but sometimes their dreams are pretty far from reality.

Maybe you have seen Joel Sherman's recent piece, if not you can read it HERE. Nothing wrong with a little creativity, but I think some of these are a little too outside of the box. Sherman ranks the Yankees offseason priorities as re-signing DJ LeMahieu, strengthen the rotation, and look at a possible shortstop replacement so Gleyber Torres can go back to second. All good ideas but he says "BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE" the Yankees should try to trade Giancarlo Stanton even though it could be a "non-starter." HUH? Why waste time on a "non-starter" and risk missing out on LeMahieu or anything else far more realistic?

That's a crazy approach to the offseason but anyway, on to his trade proposals! 

Proposal #1: Send Stanton and a prospect to the Padres for Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers.
The Padres will be contenders moving forward, and the Padres GM likes big names (like Manny Machado) as they continue to build a championship caliber team. The Padres would actually benefit with a bit of savings if this were to happen. Myers and Hosmer will make $40 million over the next two seasons, so they would shed some payroll while the Yankees would actually add more. The Yankees are responsible for $19 million of Stanton's salary, while the Marlins pay the remaining $10 million. The Yankees are rumored to be looking to shed some payroll, not add to it.

And besides the payroll factor, it adds more complication to the Yankees roster. Hosmer adds a valuable lefty bat, but Luke Voit is a much cheaper option and still has a potent bat. Then what about Meyers? He's an outfielder and we have plenty of those. Why spend the extra money when the Yankees have cheaper options already. If the Yankees really needed an outfielder they could just bring back Brett Gardner at a much better price or sign a cheaper free agent. 

Proposal #2: Send Stanton and prospects to the Cubs for Yu Darvish, Jason Heyward and Craig Kimbrel

I don't see why the Cubs would agree to this. The Cubs have other pitchers that are hitting free agency, and Yu Darvish is probably their best starter. If the Cubs know they are likely to lose other starters over the winter trading away a trusted asset doesn't make a lot of sense. There isn't a lot of great pitching on the market this winter, so it makes more sense to hold him and not spend money on a market that isn't as attractive.

Then there is Heyward. First, I am not a big Heyward fan. He's too inconsistent and he's all or nothing. His stats the last few seasons are a roller coaster. I'd rather the Yankees just stick with their options they already have in house, they have a lot of them. As far as Kimbrel goes, he's an expensive reliever who isn't reliable anymore. He used to be good, but those days are gone. If the Yankees needed a reliever, there are better options that cost a lot less. 

I have a hard time with this option because it really doesn't make the Cubs any better, so they have no reason to say "yes" to this trade.

I can't say that either of these options really make sense, but I like to talk baseball. I like trades, rumors and crazy ideas like these. I will read them all, even if I don't agree with them. I like Sherman's creativity, but I think he's lost his marbles with this one.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE AROLDIS OPT-OUT DEBATE BEGINS

Now we can all start getting anxious and excited about the trade deadline. The Yankees have sixteen days left to make some moves for the remainder of the season. We all know Brian Cashman wants another starting pitcher, but what about another closer?

Another good starting pitcher would put the Yankees in a much better position for a postseason run. But adding another closer could set the Yankees up beyond 2019, especially if the Yankees are worried about keeping Aroldis Chapman long-term.

In case you missed it, Ken Davidoff had an interesting piece this weekend about Chapman. He has an opt-out option coming at the end of the season. Question is....what are the odds that he takes it? If he does, is it bad news for the Yankees?

At this point I think the odds of Chapman opting out are 60/40 that he does. Even with the last two off seasons being incredibly slow, it's possible. Who isn't motivated by the idea of more money? A lot of players (not all) are looking for the most money at the end of the contract. Sure shorter term deals with more money per year are nice but the grand total can be more enticing especially for guys that are older.

The real question is does Chapman want to test free agency after watching the last two off seasons move so slowly? Some say he may never get the type of contract that the Yankees initially gave him. It could be another Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel saga from this past winter. You also have to
consider that Chapman would be one of the most attractive arms available. Right now he has 2 years and $34 million to last until he is 34. He could keep that or opt out and try to get a three year deal for more money at age 31. Considering he is still coming off of a very good season, it's possible he gets it if he doesn't collapse down the stretch or suffer an injury. It's hard to say he wouldn't opt out in this scenario. A big second half for Chapman could make the opt-out possibility more likely. If Kimbrel got 3 years for $43 million after missing 1/3 of the season there's a good chance that Chapman could beat that offer on the open market.

It's also possible that the Yankees don't wait for him to have a chance to opt-out. I could see Chapman's situation being something similar to CC Sabathia. CC had an option to opt out years ago but the Yankees gave him an extension to his existing contract to convince him to stay. Granted, CC has a tenure with the Yankees and unmatched leadership that the Yankees have loved and respected throughout the years but, a good closer also cannot be overlooked or easily dismissed.

Chapman said he hasn't thought about his opt-out option. No surprise there, all players say that. Maybe he stays after all. We all thought Masahiro Tanaka was going to opt-out of his contract back in the 2017 off season and that didn't happen either. So who knows what will happen, but no matter what happens I am sure the Yankees will be prepared for any scenario.

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

KEUCHEL IS A BRAVE. THEY CAN HAVE HIM

He didn't want to shave the beard. It's sad that it came down to that.

CBS Sports writes this about Dallas Keuchel:

"A night after Craig Kimbrel signed with the Chicago Cubs, the other big-name pitcher remaining on the free-agent market has found a home of his own: left-handed starter Dallas Keuchel has reportedly agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves on one-year deal worth $13 million..."

And there you have it.  Have fun with that.

A KEUCHEL SIGNING IS LOOMING

It only took until June, but Craig Kimbrel finally has a job. Next up....Dallas Keuchel.

Duh, right? That's a no brainer. The only part that leaves us all stumped is which team is going to sign him. If you heard Mark Feinsand on WFAN HERE, he feels confident that the Yankees are the favorites AND that he has no problem shaving his beard. I'm glad to hear he has no problem with it because last time I checked the Yankees haven't changed their policy on that.

But back to the whole "favorites" thing. It's always nice to hear that the Yankees have an edge when it comes to signing players but haven't we learned not to get overly excited and give our hopes up? I can think of two recent players the Yankees were labeled "favorites" for. One was Shohei Ohtani who went to the Angels who isn't mourned for much. But then there is Manny Machado and I'm sure there are still some people out there that are mourning for him.

At the end of the day as much as I would like to sign Keuchel we have to remember that Scott Boras is his agent. He will use the Yankees for leverage if he can and we know he's trying. It's what he does. He's still looking for the multi-year deal for Keuchel but that ship has likely sailed now that we are in June, but that's what Boras does. If he could convince the Yankees to make that multi-year offer then his patience would pay off.

The Yankees are interested, but not as interested as Boras would like them to be. The Yankees have drawn a line in the sand, or so it seems. They aren't willing to go that long. The Yankees are interested at a one-year deal for a pro-rated qualifying offer that was $17.9 million, read more HERE.

That deal would make a ton of sense for the Yankees. At this point, all he costs is money. No prospects, or a draft pick. Madison Bumgarner has a higher price tag, and I'm not sure he's a better upgrade. If the Yankees can get him on a pro-rated it would be well worth it. He may not be the Cy Young pitcher he once was but on a contending team like the Yankees, he's an easy number three starter. We need that right now with Luis Severino still out, CC Sabathia has his own legitimate health concerns and Domingo German will have a limit on his workload.

If Keuchel does want to win again then the Yankees should be his favorite not the Braves, or the Cardinals, Twins or Tampa Bay Rays. But favorites don't always come out to be prize winners.

Keuchel will make his decision soon.....hopefully it is the Yankees.

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

A 19-YEAR OLD JUST OUTSMARTED THE MLB DRAFT, CHANGING THE GAME AS WE KNOW IT

Baseball is in a period of change. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been on a quest to make improvements and appeal to a younger generation.....but 19-year old Carter Stewart just threw him a curveball that Manfred surely wasn't expecting.

We talked about baseball's challenges earlier this month in MLB IS FAILING ALL THANKS TO ITS FAILING LEADER and one of the common themes we have seen in the past two seasons is how free agency is for the birds. It's not what it used to be and teams are not spending big money to go after quality guys like Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, who are STILL unemployed (though not for long). Carter Stewart has chosen a much different path.

Multiple sources have the scoop, but Jeff Passan at ESPN has a good story on it HERE. We won't see Stewart in a MLB uniform for a while. Instead, Stewart has SHUNNED the draft and according to sources he will sign with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League by the end of the month. His deal will be a six-year contract worth $7 million plus incentives and it will be a groundbreaking deal that could have long-term consequences for Major League Baseball's amateur and professional affiliates.

Stewart could have signed a deal last year with the Atlanta Braves and gone the traditional route.
"Stewart, who was chosen by the Atlanta Braves with the eighth pick in the 2018 draft out of a Florida high school but did not sign after they reduced their signing-bonus offer due to an alleged injury, was expected to be chosen in the early second round of this June's draft. By signing with Fukuoka, which has won four of the past five Japan Series, Stewart would guarantee himself significantly more money than he would have made with a major league organization -- and could theoretically join the major leagues as a 25-year-old free agent."

Even first round drafted baseball prospects rely mostly on their big signing bonuses before working through the minor leagues on very low salaries. Once they get to the majors, players still don't make much until they become arbitration eligible or sign an extension like Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks did this off season. So really a players long-term future is a gamble. An early-career injury (like one the Braves were concerned about with Stewart) could prevent even the most talented players from getting more money. Stewart no longer has to worry about this.

So it's no wonder why Stewart's agent Scott Boras wanted to avoid all of this. For years he has manipulated baseball. You've probably heard someone somewhere say he is "bad for baseball" but he's helped players score deals in MLB and has tried to use the lure of taking a player to an independent league in hopes to gain leverage. It's never really worked until now.

So who knows what happens next in Stewart's journey. At 25 he could choose to come back to MLB based on the posting system or we may not ever hear about him again. For now, we wait and see what happens to Stewart. Does he succeed in Japan? Does he regress or is he just a bust?

Time will tell. Baseball is changing, and Manfred doesn't have an answer for this yet. Good thing  Japanese teams are only allowed to have four foreign players on their rosters, so it's unlikely that Stewart started a big trend but he certainly could be the example.

Stewart has a much bigger deal than Major League Baseball was going to offer. Looks like he outsmarted everyone.

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

MLB IS FAILING ALL THANKS TO ITS FAILING LEADER

I love baseball. I can't get enough of it but the passion I have today is different then the passion I used to have. There's an obvious change in the game and I'm not digging it. It bothers me that it is just being overlooked and swept under the rug. Here's what I mean....

The last two offseasons have been incredibly frustrating. Free Agency is not what it once was, in fact I would say that FREE AGENCY IS FOR THE BIRDS. I have a feeling that Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel would agree with me at this point. They have become casualties to Rob Manfred's delusional and failing world.

Teams today are so focused on keeping their draft picks, rebuilding, and staying under the luxury task. Are there enough teams out there that actually CARE about winning at this point? Isn't that the ultimate goal? It should be to win the division, beat other teams in the division and championship series and then win it all in the World Series. At least, that's how it was. That's the old world of baseball that I loved and became so passionate about.

But times have changed. Do teams still care about all of that? Sure. Do they care enough? No, and all because Manfred doesn't care. If teams cared, two of the best players from the free agent class wouldn't be unemployed in May. If Manfred cared, he would acknowledge the problem and fix it! These guys should both have jobs right now. Free Agency has failed them....and commissioner Rob Manfred absolutely failed them. He disagrees that Free Agency is broken. His failure to recognize the broken system makes HIM a failure.

Here's where we are at now. In a month, Keuchel MIGHT have a job. Some team out there may decide to sign him after the draft ends, read more HERE. One of those teams MAY be the Yankees. If the stars align and Keuchel is a still a free agent after the draft ends, teams won’t have to cough up a compensatory pick to the Astros who made him the $17.9-million qualifying offer he rejected. Just like I said, teams want to hold on to their draft picks.

Next month if Keuchel remains unsigned a team WILL sign him because he becomes cheaper and teams keep their precious draft picks. Why is it okay for baseball to become THIS?

You may love Keuchel or you may think he is overrated. That's fine. Fact is he deserved more than this. He may not be the Cy Young caliber pitcher he once was but he's still an asset to any team out there. He had a good 2018 with a 12-11 record with a 3.74 ERA and 153-58 strike to ball ratio across 204.2 innings. That's still better than average in the American League and he's an innings eater!

There is nothing so wrong with Keuchel's record right now that he should be unemployed. This is a FAILURE on Manfred's part and he needs to own it plain and simple. I wasn't Bud Selig's biggest cheerleader but right now I'm wishing he was still the commissioner.

There is a problem in the sport I love so much. Instead of fixing the broken free agent system Manfred is worried about limiting mound visits and putting in pitch clocks to make baseball more appealing to younger viewers. He wants to make the game FASTER. How about we make baseball FUNCTION again? He's focused on all of the wrong areas. He's a failure.

This may not be a popular opinion with fans, but I'm sure guys like Keuchel and Kimbrel have their own similar opinions. We already heard J.D. Martinez give his opinion so how can Manfred deny that there is a problem here?

No matter how you look at it both of these guys SHOULD have jobs somewhere. Free Agency is broken, and Manfred is failing. The the Commissioner of Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts. How can you succeed at these things when you don't understand all of them? Until he stops denying free agency is a problem, the labor aspect of his duties will never function.

Manfred is failing. He's failed the players within the sport for the second year in a row, he's failing the fans and until he fixes these issues he will never achieve his own personal goals to help improve the sport. Baseball needs a leader, Manfred hasn't proved that he's the right guy.

I love baseball, but I'm starting to think Manfred is destroying it.

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

OPENING DAY IS HERE!

Finally! It's been a crazy long winter. It's a long time to miss baseball and think about how close we've come the last two seasons. Now, it's time to finish the job. The third time is the charm and the Yankees have the team to get the job done.

It's not easy accepting that after a 100 win season it's not enough to win the division. That's crazy, actually. That was good for second place and a wild card spot. Aaron Hicks had it right when he said he's tired of losing and Aaron Judge is already thinking beyond Opening Day. He's thinking about winning the division and then the World Series, read more HERE. I like the hunger and determination.

So here we are, Opening Day and the start of winning that division title. I hope Judge hits the ground running with that intensity and desire to get back on top right away. Sure, it is early and you don't win a World Series in April but if you fall behind early you can lose it. The Yankees have a good team, but what does the rest of the division look like?

Toronto Blue Jays

The most interesting thing about the Blue Jays are some of their young guys that will contribute throughout the season. They aren't built to "win now" and they lost their star power now that Marco Estrada and Russell Martin are gone. They don't have great hitters, defenders or pitchers. On paper they look boring. The only exciting names here are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who will be up at some point  after he recovers from an oblique injury and Elvis Luciano. The Blue Jays got Luciano in the rule 5 draft this winter, he just turned 19 years old, never pitched above rookie ball but made it on to the Opening Day roster!

Tampa Bay Rays

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Rays this season. After winning 90 games last season you would think they would look to make some moves, add some payroll and be more competitive but they didn't do that. They added Charlie Morton to their rotation and he gives the Rays a strong top three in the rotation now, but they still don't have the bullpen or bats that the Yankees and Red Sox do. The Rays will be pesky as always, but it would take a perfect storm for them to take the division at this point.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles lost 115 games last season with big names like Manny Machado, Zack Britton, Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones. All of those guys are gone now. The Orioles are just starting a long term rebuild that started this offseason with a brand new manager and GM because after 115 season loss you definitely cant keep them around. It's going to take some time to rebuild. The Orioles are starting with changes to organizational leadership, not the players. There's really nothing exciting to watch here, except maybe some easy wins when they play the Yankees.

Boston Red Sox

Its weird that the defending World Series Champions didn't have much of an offseason. All they did was re-sign Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce which is boring. They should have re-signed Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly. They still could but to be starting the season without them is a bold decision and makes it seem unlikely. The bullpen is the biggest weakness this team has and Kimbrel is an elite closer so it seems dumb on Boston's part. They will still score a ton of runs with their potent offense and they still have a very competitive starting rotation. They will eventually make improvements to that bullpen, but until then the key is to keep the games close and knock the starters out as soon as possible. The defending World Champs can't be crazy enough to have the highest payroll in the game and a weak bullpen, right? I mean....we wouldn't do that but if the Red Sox want to gamble let them! They may have an advantage with their starters, but our offenses are both definitely stacked but anyone can see our bullpen is far superior. I don't think the Red Sox win 108 games again this season but they are still going to be a thorn in our side.

I think the Yankees have what it takes to take the division this year and get back to the World Series. We're also hungry. Now we just have to be hungrier than everyone else and win series to get there. It's going to be a LONG season, but let's start it off right with a series win over the Orioles! Thank goodness baseball is back.

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

FREE AGENCY IS FOR THE BIRDS

Times are definitely changing. Not long ago players looked forward to the day they became a free agent, especially if you were an "elite" player. Elite players look forward to those elite contracts with the extra years and extra dollars. Or should I say looked forward to? The last two winters have shown us that free agency isn't the same anymore.

Do players even embrace the idea of free agency anymore? Seriously, the last two winters have been miserable. Here we are one week into spring training and there are still 45 major league players without a job. But the 45 unsigned players isn't the only glaring problem in baseball. What about the 77 players that signed one-year deals? They will once again have to go through the undesirable free agency process in hopes to find a job. The number of one-year deals is concerning.

Several teams have all but given up on signing free agents. There are 10 teams out there who have not signed a free agent for at least a $6 million this winter. So far, Patrick Corbin and Manny Machado are the only real winners in free agency, and Machado just signed! A "generational" talent didn't get signed until after spring training started. Are we really supposed to believe Rob Manfred when he says baseball free agency isn't broken and it doesn't need to be fixed? Come on!

I think Manfred's blatant denial of the issue has only made it worse. Now we have guys out there like J.D. Martinez who have recently been through this frustrating process calling free agency "embarrassing," read that HERE. Martinez has been in both Machado and Bryce Harper's shoes, but he signed for MUCH less money that Machado did. He got a five-year $110 million deal that was much less than what he was predicted to get heading into free agency. His contract does include opt out options after years two, three and four but based on current trends there's no incentive for him to do that. There are ZERO guarantees he would get more money. Free agency definitely go according to his plan, so maybe players are taking notice.

Why would a player want t be a free agent now? I wouldn't. So are contract extensions the way to go? It certainly looks like it.

The Yankees are jumping on the extension bandwagon. On Monday the Yankees announced an extension with Aaron Hicks for seven years, $70 million. The deal keeps Hicks signed through 2025 with a team option for 2026. Now he won't have to worry about what will happen to him at the end of the season when his contract expired.

The same can be said for Luis Severino. He signed a four-year $40 million extension two weeks ago. That sounds like a much better deal than his alternative scenario. He was just minutes away from an arbitration hearing where he was likely to get just north of $5 million for a one year deal. The Yankees dangled a carrot in front of him that was eight times that amount and that's all it took. If he performs to his potential he'll be worth more than that $40 million.

So what's next for the Yankees? Rumor has it the Yankees are working on extensions now with Dellin Betances and Didi Gregorius, read more HERE. If that's the case, the Yankees will be making smart moves to keep their young core in tact and these guys will have a guaranteed contract and a chance to win a championship without the stress of free agency.

When baseball has guys like Harper, a veteran starter like Dallas Keuchel and an elite closer like Craig Kimbrel are still without jobs there is a problem that needs to be fixed. I don't know if Manfred is blind or just delusional....but this is broken. No one wants to be a free agent anymore. It's too risky. It frustrates the fans which in fact is bad for baseball.

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