DANNY SALAZAR IS A NEW YORK YANKEE

 

The Yankees are in a groove, this is true, but why not add an arm?

It's being reported that Danny Salazar is now coming to the Yankees and it's gonna be a minor league deal.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"Salazar, 32, was signed as an international free agent by Cleveland back in 2006. He climbed up the ranks of the minors and made his MLB debut in 2013. He had a tremendous four-year run from his debut through 2016, making 85 starts and throwing 484 1/3 innings. His ERA was 3.72 in that time, along with a 26.7% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate. He made the American League All-Star team in the last year of that stretch."

After that he has surgery on a hurt shoulder. in 2019 he had low velocity and a groin situation. In other words, it's been one thing after another.  So, if you're asking why a minor league deal? That's why.

Anyway... welcome to the Yanks Danny. I hope you can find your mojo.

THE YANKEES DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN....BUT IT PROBABLY WILL

Photo: Newsday

I hate thinking about the Wild Card, but given how we have overachieved this season I should be happy with that possibility. I just don't like to settle. I do like playoff baseball though. Assuming the Yankees get into the postseason and win a Wild Card game the Yankees are likely to match up with a VERY dangerous opponent...

The Cleveland Indians are absolutely dominating baseball right now. A 21 game winning streak is abso-freaking-lutely nuts! These guys are on a mission and they aren't taking any prisoners. I really don't want to be in their path but right now we are likely going to be. The Indians want the World Series ring that the didn't get last ear. The Yankees are going to really have to optimize their strengths here to neutralize this team.

I like optimism and Andrew Marchand thinks the Yankees have a chance against the Indians if they follow their current formula. It's going to be hard though. Last year I really think the World Series could've ended differently if Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco would've been healthy and pitched. They had a disadvantage without those guys, and now they are back. Oh and of course the Indians have the guy I still miss a lot Andrew Miller and he is ready to pitch for that ring again.....or is he?

Photo: CBS Sports

The Indians have a stronger rotation this year with Corey Kluber leading the way and stealing mentions of a possible Cy Young award over Chris Sale. Add Miller back into the equation and these guys look scarier. That is assuming Miller is going to stay healthy. The lefty has had two stints on the disabled list this ear due to tendinitis in his right knee. The Indians are supposedly ready to activate him on Thursday and will use him for a quick inning of work if needed and then rest him again for a few days after to see how he feels afterward. If Miller isn't 100% if and when the Yankees and Indians go head-to-head it could give the Yankees the upper hand.

The Indians have a stronger rotation, but the Yankees have a bullpen of superstar studs. If we assume the Yankees starter is Luis Severino and he lasts five or six strong innings and the offense actually shows up and HITS then Tommy Kahnle and company can finish the job.

Let's face it, if  Chad Green, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman can come in and shut the door.....I hope. This isn't going to be easy at all and if it comes down to the Yankees and Indians I may create a trench in my living room from pacing back and forth nervously. 

Nothing is impossible and of all the teams who have wild card potential and could also be in our shoes they just don't have our bullpen. We may be the underdog, but we have a damn good bullpen and the best chance to beat the Indians. I'd like to have those bragging rights.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

RISK VS. REWARD: AROLDIS CHAPMAN

Tired of Chapman talk yet? Here's my latest...

When the Yankees acquired Aroldis Chapman on Monday, the Yankees, as a baseball team, became much better. Off the field and in the eyes of some, the allegations that Chapman choked and shoved his girlfriend before firing eight gunshots in his garage, gave the Yankees a bad image. While the PR issues are serious concerns, the Yankees are much better on the field today than they were on Sunday and the rewards outweighed the risks when it was all said and done.

As of last Thursday, no charges have been filed against Chapman and in America we are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If it comes to light that he is convicted or admits to the domestic violence allegations, he deserves a punishment for sure and NOBODY in their right mind condones domestic violence. He also made a terrible decision to discharge his weapon in his garage, not far from his girlfriend and child. That is also a terrible decision that deserves repercussions if found to be true.

With all that being said, from a baseball perspective, GM Brian Cashman made a terrific move to improve his ball club. As he stated, the Reds asking price was modified due to the allegations and in layman's terms, the deal was too good to refuse.

The addition of Chapman gives the Yankees one of the best bullpens ever assembled. Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, the three relievers in all of baseball with the most strikeouts in 2014, may all just be a phone call away for Joe Girardi.

It's also been reported that if Chapman is suspended and misses a certain number of games, he will not become a free agent until after 2017, instead of after 2016, giving the Yankees another year of team control. That is a potential bonus of the possible suspension.

The trade itself gives Brian Cashman some wiggle room in terms of potential deals. Chapman replaces Justin Wilson in the bullpen as another power arm from the left side. It also allows a bit of a safety net for the bullpen if Cashman gets an offer for Miller, who is still under contract for three more seasons.

There are three scenarios that could happen, in my opinion, over the next season. First is the Yankees have three stud relievers taking a burden off the starting rotation that has a ton of question marks, but also a ton of upside. The starters will need to go just five or six innings before turning the game over to Betances, Miller and Chapman. I'm sure Girardi isn't upset with that!

(In Photo: Danny Salazar)
The second scenario is Cashman finds a deal he likes before Opening Day, presumably for Miller, which brings a controllable, young MLB ready starter to the Bronx. Some media reports have suggested the Indians Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco, while others have mentioned the Nationals Gio Gonzalez or the White Sox Jose Quintana as potential trade targets. That's just speculation though.

The third scenario, which I could see as very plausible, is that the Yankees play out the first half of the 2016 season and come July evaluate where the club stands. If they are not a contender, they could try a fire sale and get rid of Miller and others, perhaps Teixeira to a team wanting to rent a power bat (since his contract expires after the season). With Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran due to become free agents, acquiring more young players to build for the future could be a great course of action to take.

The risk that the Yankees took with the allegations is a concern. There is no doubt about it. I'm not defending Chapman in any way when it comes to the off the field issues, but what the man can do when given a baseball is something special. The Reds made their decision to part ways with Chapman for a huge discount and once the price dropped to the point where the reward outweighed the risk, Cashman and the Yankees jumped on it.

Whatever happens off the field is MLB's and Chapman's business and the Yankees know that they have to accept the repercussions. That's their risk. It's unfortunate but once that situation is resolved, Chapman can just be a flame throwing reliever again. That's the reward.

Purely from a baseball perspective, this is a tremendous move.



 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia



 



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GARDY TO THE INDIANS? WHO REALLY KNOWS ANYMORE

There are too many sports blogs out there and not enough actual sources.  That's because they all have you fooled.  This is why I love the Bleeding Yankee Blue audience... you're smart. We here at BYB will let you know if there's something solid when a headline comes out.  I'm tired of the crap, we all are.   The Rumor season is fun, but how fun is it if 99% of the rumors are false? Seriously.  You know... they're called rumors for a reason.  Yet... folks still click.  Whatevs man...

The latest is that the Yankees and the Indians are talking about a trade for Brett Gardner, possibly for pitching in return.  That comes from somwhere and then MLB guy Danny Demilio tweeted this:

#Yankees #Indians discussing Brett Gardner for a pitcher (Salazar, Carrasco) per @jonmorosi

— Danny Demilio (@MLBDemilio) November 18, 2015

I'm gonna be honest, I can't even confirm it further. Now look, getting a pitcher for Gardy would be a good idea, but are the Indians the right team here?  I ask you, can do better for Gardy? He's a sparkplug, a valuable piece to any team... I think we could do better.

Fansided wrote: "...starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar might be heading back to the Bronx in exchange for outfielder Gardner" but break it down for a second. First off, they say "might", that's because no one knows. Second, the Yankees have 100 starting pitchers, now we're getting 2 more?  Does it even make sense?

Look, I find this interesting, especially because Gardy has been pretty valuable for us for a while now, so the departure could be a sad one, but I just don't know where this story is coming from and if it's even legit. Just being honest.

Take what you will from this. I'm not so sure this is on the level yet.

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