PITIFUL EX-ASTRO PLAYS THE VICTIM CARD AFTER CHEATING

One thing that I really haven't liked about this Astros cheating scandal is that ex-Astros who are now playing for news teams are getting off easier than others who are still playing in Houston since 2017. I mean, sure we are watching Jose Altuve get booed everyday and George Springer is being humiliated at the plate as he strikes out...but ex-Asstros need to face the humiliation too, and they aren't.

Guys like Ken Giles, Dallas Keuchel, Marwin Gonzalez and now Collin McHugh get off easy...and they shouldn't!

We've covered what the other ex-Asstros have said but now Collin McHugh is finally talking and he sounds like he is playing the victim card, and that isn't going to fly.

"Looking back, I don't know what we could have done as pitchers," McHugh said. "It wasn't really our territory. Maybe we could've gotten together and somehow tried to stop it. Yeah, it was tough watching that. You feel for guys out there who are working their tails off, whether they're on
 your team or against you."

That's a load of bullshit. Your "territory" is to protect the integrity of the game and play it the right way....and you didn't. You knew what was going on and you still kept quiet. That's not a leader or a person with integrity.

This is 100% NOT a quote. It's BYB mocking the crappy Astros team.

"You've got to be willing to stick up for what you believe in and what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong.  And I think a lot of the guys on that team, including myself, are looking back now and wishing we had been as brave in the moment as we thought we were beforehand."

So the guy also has no balls, great. What a fantastic rolemodel!

Newflash: If you don't try to fix the problem, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! McHugh is full of crap.
He had no moral dilemma in any of this. I'm sure the pitching staff was heartbroken over getting more run support too, right?

He should've reported the cheating, but he couldn't because he didn't have the power to stop anything. Gimme a break. He wants us to believe that he is a victim, just like all of these guys do. All of these guys who played for the Asstros in 2017 are insufferable and I am sick of it. McHugh could've
reported the cheating, but he didn't....and since he CHOSE not to then he is no less guilty than Carlos Beltran is for his mastermind scheme. It's called guilty by association....not powerless victim. You do
not get a "pass" and a giant bowl of sympathy for this.

Now McHugh can try and move on with another cheating team, the Red Sox. Because that's another good place to try and move past a cheating legacy. No one is buying your "victim" speech McHugh, you should've had the balls to come forward.

I am tired of this. These are the guys that disgraced the game and made a ton of money in the process. They've also disrespected you and I as fans and they just continue to get away with it. Especially guys like McHugh who now play for new teams so they can hide in the background. NO! They may not get booed everyday but we will remind them of what they did.

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

THE LATEST DIRTY ASSTRO APOLOGY IS BEYOND STUPID!

The Houston Astros "We are sorry we got caught cheating" apology tour is about to ramp up. We heard the first fakeass apology from Dallas Keuchel, read NO ONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT DISGRACED DALLAS KEUCHEL'S FAKE APOLOGY and we have many more "apologies" to come. We asked who was going to be next and we finally got our answer.

It's Marwin Gonzalez ladies and gentlemen and he had a lot to say HERE! He is apology number two with more to come after ASSTROS cheating owner Jim Crane meets with the rest of his team today to discuss strategy according to the latest report HERE.

So we know more apologies will be coming. I want to give him credit for his apology coming BEFORE the team meeting today but I just can't. I feel like he is more sincere then dumbass Keuchel's PR stunt, but if these guys were truly sorry they would've owned up to this a lot sooner.

"I’m remorseful for everything that happened in 2017,’’ Gonzalez said, “everything that we did as a group. And the players that were affected directly by us doing this and other things. That's what I feel the most regret over, and I am remorseful."

This man should feel incredible remorse and GUILT too. Have you looked at data that Astros fan Tony Adams was able to verify? Check it out HERE. The data is compelling, and you can see he benefited from the Astros cheating methods more than ANY OTHER PLAYER ON THE TEAM! It's disgusting really. The infamous trash can banging was verified on 147 out of 776 pitches when Gonzalez was batting at home, so 18.9% of the time he was tipped off about which pitches were coming next. Oh and because of that Gonzalez had the best year of his career with a .303BA, a career-high 23 homers and 90 RBI's. Much easier to hit the ball when you know what is coming, huh? Congrats, your career year is TAINTED.

I don't understand cheating at all....on any level. The Astros have a ton of talent on that team and will likely win the AL West again. He even KNOWS how talented they were. So why the cheating? They had the talent to still win with integrity! He even said "I still think we have one of the best teams in the last decade. A great talent." So when you have such great talent and you are confident in your skills and you work hard you don't NEED to cheat. The Astros great talent and one of the best teams in the last decade as he put it, now is remembered for their controversy, not their accomplishments. They are known for a title they did not earn. They disgraced the game.

It's all famous last words. Gonzalez also said that he realized that his former teammates were going
to have to deal with their bad reputations following them on the road. He said it's going to be rough but "that's how it is unfortunately. It's how it is, they're going to get booed. Hopefully they can get through that." 

Notice it's THEY as in his old teammates but not him because he is a Twin now....or so he thinks. The baseball world does not forgive and forget so easily. He should and will get his own fair share of boos. He deserves them. This isn't going away. This scandal is still going to be hovering over his head and all other current and former players. He will have to deal with this next week in Spring Training, next month, their first road trip and for a long time to come.

Play stupid games and win stupid prizes, Marwin....but thanks for the "apology." Which tainted and dirty cheater is next on the ASSTROS apology tour?

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

VERLANDER POKES FUN ABOUT THE ASTROS CHEATING & FAILS

This is the dopey face of a player whose team got away with cheating and he knows it.  Rob Manfred set a bad tone for Major League baseball moving forward.  Disgusting.

The Houston Astros just keep digging themselves in a deeper hole. We already got a fake "apology" from former Astro Dallas Keuchel, and now we get an ill-advised attempt to make a joke about the Astros cheating scandal from Justin Verlander. Great....

Verlander was at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America banquet on Saturday to accept the 2019 Cy Young award. The even is pretty routine and winners will give an acceptance speech, but instead of saying thank you and not adding more controversy. I assume he tried to make a joke out of it by complimenting the Astros by saying "as everyone knows, they're very technologically and analytically advanced" which resulted in a mix of awkward laughter and boos from the audience. It also didn't amuse Cody Bellinger or CC Sabathia who were also in attendance.

I could be wrong, but it looks like Verlander is trying to lighten the mood and make a joke about all of this. Whether he is or isn't though....he is the LAST guy who should be sending this message that the Astros did not cheat. He is a walking, talking hypocrite. He is first guy to try and throw another player to the wolves and he has been very vocal about how much he dislikes cheating of ANY kind.

Remember Robinson Cano's PEDS scandal from 2018? Yeah, he was quick to blast him on twitter about that.

And what about back in 2017 when he was still with the Tigers? He was all fired up about sign stealing back then. He gave an interview about it HERE.

“We don't have somebody, but I'm sure teams have a person that can break down signals and codes and they'll have the signs before you even get out there on the mound.”

“It's not about gamesmanship anymore. It used to be, 'Hey, if you can get my signs, good for you.' In the past, if a guy on second (base) was able to decipher it on a few pitches, I guess that was kind of part of the game. I think it's a different level now. It's not good.”

And then magically a couple of months later he is traded to the Astros and then he changes his mind and becomes part of the scandal? This guy has no integrity and it pisses me off. It's bad enough that you cheat after you've spent YEARS complaining about it....but now it looks like you tried to make a joke out of it. Grow up.

The only joke here IS YOU, Verlander. We are laughing, but AT you not with you.

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

NO ONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT DISGRACED DALLAS KEUCHEL'S FAKE APOLOGY

Someone has finally come out from hiding! It's about damn time ladies and gentleman. These players have been running and hiding for too long. It's come to come out and face the music, cheaters! We have our first "apology" and it comes from cheating former Cy Young Dallas Keuchel.

Multiple sources are reporting this so-called "apology" but I am going to go with MLB.com HERE. All news outlets are reporting this as an "apology" but I heard no apology. I heard a "sorry not sorry" and here is how I interpret some of his quotes:

"I think first and foremost, apologies should be in order ... for everyone on the team. When stuff was going on, it was never intended to be what it's made to be right now."

Literal translation: I am ONLY SORRY THAT I GOT CAUGHT. Now that I am with the Chicago White Sox I don't want to be a distraction. My new team probably expects this from me. Oh yeah...Jim Crane said he expects me to apologize too even though I don't play for his organization anymore. I'm trying to not make people hate me forever. The cheating was only supposed to be a temporary thing but we just couldn't stop. I didn't think I would be part of a huge baseball scandal!

"It’s just what the state of baseball was at that point and time. Was it against the rules? Yes, it was. I personally am sorry for what’s come about, the whole situation. But it is what it is, and we have to move past that. I never thought anything would have come like it did, and I myself am sorry. We have to move on.

Literal translation: This is how the game is played now. I only helped contribute to that. I disgraced the game. I AM a disgrace, but that's how the game is played now. I am not sorry for what I did, only that I got caught. I don't want to talk about this anymore so can we change the subject? K Thanks!

"But during the course of the playoffs in ’17, everybody was using multiple signs. For factual purposes, when there’s nobody on base, when in the history of Major League Baseball has there been multiple signs? You can go back and watch film of every team in the playoffs. There was probably six out of eight teams using multiple signs."

Literal translation:  My gosh, stop picking on the Astros! It's not like we were the only ones cheating. Other teams were doing it too! I just can't say anything that will take the focus off of my team cheating...but you should go check it out, k? Everyone cheats, you just want to focus on the Astros!

"I could tell you, not every game there was signs being stolen, not like every game we had everything going on."
Literal translation: Oh my gosh, shut up! It's not like we cheated EVERY GAME. It was only A LOT of them. I mean, we only did it at home AND for big match-ups AND for Sunday Night ESPN games, AND against division rivals. That's all I swear!

"You are pushing 185, 200 games, and it sucks to the extent of the clubhouse rule that was broken. I mean, that’s where I’ll go with that. I don’t really have much else to say about Mike."

Literal translation: DUDE, Mike Fiers broke "the code" and now since he opened his big mouth I have to try and run damage control. You suck, Fiers! We aren't cool anymore. You should know better and thanks to your big mouth I am in trouble!

You get the point. But honestly....Keuchel you are a pathetic human being. So is Bob Nightengale again too because he was stupid enough to try and defend you after he tried to defend Carlos Beltran. This only proves....you can't make some things up!

Of course, I had to respond:

Do we want to take bets on who "apologizes" next? Bottom line here is Keuchel is a pathetic, cheating human being and he can keep his fake-ass apologies to himself. Oh and Bob Nightengale wears egg on his face again for his stupid tweet!

I'm all for someone standing up, admitting fault and accepting consequences for their actions....but that is not what Keuchel did. No respect for this circus show. Will anyone give a sincere apology? You know there is more to come....and we won't stop covering this.

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

THE PARROT FLIES TO THE WINDY CITY

A quick note...

Edwin Encarnacion and the Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement on a one-year deal for $12 million. In 109 games last season, Encarnacion batted .244 with the Mariners as well as the Yankees. With just the Yankees, he hit .249 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in 44 regular season games.

His new deal also includes a club option for 2021 at $12 million, coming after Chicago signing of 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel.

Nearing his 37th birthday, Encarnacion is still capable of top-notch hitting. Even though Suzie Pinstripe says, "the White Sox are the team players go to to die," could this be what the team needs to add some power to their line up?

What do you think? Are you sad to see him go? Comment.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

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.

CRAZY IDEA: YANKS COULD SIGN A PITCHER & TRADE FOR ONE

I didn't expect that headline but I am seeing it everywhere. We've been talking about signing a pitcher on BYB a lot lately, but I did find an interesting little rumor floating out there. Would you think I was crazy if I told you there is speculation out there that the Yankees could not only sign a new pitcher, but ALSO trade for one, too?

Considering how mindful Hal Steinbrenner has been with the luxury tax for awhile now this certainly hasn't been a popular idea but SNY is floating an interesting idea HERE. It has to make you scratch your head even if it is just for a minute.

It's an interesting idea. One that may make more sense then we thought especially when you consider how conservative the Yankees are probably going to be in regards to Domingo German and his workload. I know I would be if I was calling the shots. The Yankees have been hit pretty hard this season with injuries as we all know. Position players got nailed first, and now so are pitchers.

If SNY sources are correct and the Yankees have "in the neighborhood" of $20 million before they exceed the second luxury tax bracket and are taxed again then maybe it could happen. We know the Yankees have exceeded the first tax bracket, but they could still make some moves without getting hit by a second tax.

One of those move could be adding Keuchel. I'm not in love with Dallas Keuchel, but if he is willing to take a one-year pro-rated deal it's not a bad move. A pro-rated $18 million contract would be about $12 million paid to him and that's not horrible. It's nowhere near what Keuchel's production is worth but it is still a nice chunk of change for him and additional insurance for the Yankees rotation.

So what about the trade idea too? Well if the Yankees are interested in a Marcus Stroman, Trevor Bauer or Zack Wheeler also it's a similar scenario. If the Yankees acquired a pitcher at the trade deadline they luxury tax hit would be less than half of the salary.

For a guy like Stroman that could be a bargain and great insurance. I would pull the trigger on that move in a heartbeat if the Blue Jays were willing to give him up. The Yankees should be interested in any of these guys.

When you break the numbers down the idea of signing a starter and trading for one also is appealing. Will the Yankees want to get this close to another tax? Maybe not. But if they want to win and need that extra push come July it could happen and if it works it would be money well spent.

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

YANKEES SCOUT KEUCHEL, NOW WHAT?

The Yankees have some holes in their rotation and as Dallas Keuchel's value increases, so does the Yankees interest. Next week the free agent will have a job, you can bet on it. Question is, will that job be with the Yankees? Maybe.

The Yankees are looking at their options at this point as every contending team should be. An interested team can sign him after Midnight next Monday without worrying about losing a precious draft pick. All he will cost is money at that point. Sounds silly to say that all he costs is money but it is true. If teams didn't have to sacrifice a draft pick he would've signed with a team in the winter. So if the Yankees decide they want him, all they have to do is decide that they want to spend the extra money. We all know they have plenty of that.

And maybe they should spend the money. The Yankees have endured a lot this season, but when you look at the starting rotation getting hit with injuries now it wouldn't hurt to have another arm. Hopefully we get good news about James Paxton returning this week but he may deal with discomfort for the rest of the season, read more HERE. Then the Yankees still have CC Sabathia to still worry about. He recently got a cortisone shot and lubricant in his surgically repaired knee, which is a scary thought. We also have Luis Severino still out and hopefully his rehab continues to progress and we get him back shortly after the All-Star break. Fingers crossed.

That's a lot of injuries to consider. So we shouldn't be surprised to hear that the Yankees did scout Keuchel this weekend in California, read more HERE. There have been rumors on why the Yankees have not seriously pursued Keuchel before, HERE is an example of a good one. The Yankees do love their power pitchers. Keuchel has been known to be a ground ball / strike out pitcher which in my book is a GREAT thing to have at Yankee stadium BUT not when ground ball and strike out rates are on the decline. Even so....Keuchel could still be a valuable asset to the Yankees.

I think the Yankees are at the point where even if they aren't sold on the declining Keuchel, we are at the point where the Yankees should be taking a harder second look. J.A. Happ is not the same guy we saw last year. He definitely looks like he is in a decline. The Yankees have struck gold with Domingo German, but you have to wonder how many innings they are going to let him pitch. He's young, and last year he pitched 85.2 innings, his highest ever. It's likely they are going to hut him down between 130-150 innings.

There's still a lot of baseball left this season, but there are enough concerns between workload limits and injury concerns that adding more rotation depth seems like a necessity at this point. The Yankees may not have ever been "all-in" with Keuchel, but he is the best option out there with a growing need for pitching and the easiest move to make. Oh and the Rays are reportedly interested in him too so, there's that. It would be nice to keep him away from them.

I guess we will wait and see what happens.....but maybe Keuchel will become a reality after all.

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

WHY THE YANKEES DIDN'T JUMP TOO QUICKLY ON KEUCHEL

I just thought many of us knew this, but it's worth explaining.

Now, let me say that as far as Dallas Keuchel is concerned, I always thought the Yankees should have just gone for him months ago. It just made sense to me. But you know what?  We fans, at least some of us just don't realize just how important draft picks are. And so, the reason why the Yankees weren't digging in the get Dallas was because of that.

And so a BYB fan wrote me a note and ask me simply this:

"You have said a few times in your posts that the Yankees should go for Keuchel. Why haven't they?"

Well, here's the real reason why.  I actually love the way Gotham Sports Network explains it... so here it is:

"Dallas Keuchel has regressed from his Cy Young form but is still a reliable lefty who likely has something to prove. After hoping for a long term deal this off-season, nothing materialized for Keuchel. He has said he will not take less than what he is worth. He turned down the Qualifying offer which was just under $18 million for one season, so that will still be the bar for whenever he signs. The magic date is now June 3rd, the date of the MLB draft. 

Once the draft passes, Keuchel will no longer be attached to draft pick compensation. Rumors are that the Yankees are favorites to land him and that he may sign on June 4th."

Make sense? Sure, to regular fans you don't realize the impact of draft picks. I mean... I don't care personally. But the Yankees do... and  that's why they're waiting.

I love Keuchel and think he'll reinvent himself with the Yankees.  He could also shit the bed by the way. That beard is his intimidation factor. You remove that, do you remove his balls?

We'll have to see how it all pans out.

Stay tuned...

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