DARREN O'DAY HAD HIS DAY... AND NOW IT'S OVER

I am sad to see that Darren O'Day is hurt and I am even more sad to see that he needs surgery. The Yankees have injuries up the wazzo!

The world famous Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record put this out a short time ago on Twitter:

It sucks. I was really hoping to see O'Day do damage this year. Instead he damaged himself.  Life goes on I guess, but I just have one thing to say...

Get well soon Darren. You da man!

YANKEES GET ELBOWED WITH THEIR FIRST MAN DOWN

Source: USATSI

Sigh. Injury. Sigh. Tough news coming out of Yankee camp on Tuesday and it will certainly impact their bullpen. 33-year-old relief pitcher Zach Britton will undergo surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow and will likely miss the first two to three months of the regular season. The Yankee pitcher will fly back to New York where he will have surgery in the coming days.

Britton went 1-2 with a 1.89 ERA and eight saves in 20 appearances during the shortened 2020 season. He is a treasured part of the bullpen and his presence will be sorely missed as the Yankees look to make a quick seize on the AL East in the early part of the 2021 season.

Source: SB Nation

"I appreciate the support from everyone. We all have daily challenges we have to overcome in order to reach our goals," Britton tweeted. "Just have to keep pushing ahead! I will get this taken care of during the upcoming week and be back as soon as I can," as reported by ESPN.

Britton actually has not made a game appearance this spring and only discovered the injury after a bullpen session that left the Yankee pitcher sore. He was looking to make up for lost time as he suffered from a case of COVID-19 that set him back in January.

Source: NBC Sports

The Yankees added depth to the bullpen this offseason by picking up former teammate Darren O'Day, and former Met Justin Wilson. Perhaps the blow won't be as bad given these deals but still, Britton has been consistent and a great stand-in when Aroldis Chapman is not available. 

Source: NY Post

Injuries are never welcome but perhaps this time, the timing is actually on point. Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela underwent surgery to remove a bone chip from his arm in December and after a couple months of rehab seems to be a full strength. We could see Britton in early June if all goes well and until then, the Yankee bullpen depth will have to get them through. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

JUSTIN WILSON ADDS DEPTH TO THE YANKEES ROTATION

Source: USA Today

With Yankee phenom Clarke Schmidt shockingly shut down due to elbow soreness, Brian Cashman pulls another rabbit out of the Yankee magic hat. The Bombers sign LHP Justin Wilson to a one-year contract on Tuesday with a potential for an extension in 2022. Adding Wilson gives the Yankee much needed depth to a new rotation which could prove to be a winning rotation if carefully managed.

According to MLB.com, "Wilson, 33, spent the 2020 season with the Mets, going 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA (19.2IP, 8ER) and 23K in 23 relief appearances. Overall, he held opponents scoreless in 18-of-23 outings, allowing more than 1ER in just two appearances." He could be stretched out and utilized as a starter, an opener or a long reliever, giving the Yankees some additional flexibility.

"I’m really excited about him. He’s somebody that I think we kind of early on in the winter time identified as someone that could potentially impact our club,” Boone said. “We think he’s going to be another good complement to what we hope is a really special bullpen," reported the Associated Press. Wilson will pair nicely with a veteran bullpen which includes Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Chad Green and newly signed Darren O’Day. 

The Yankees have made some key moves this off season, but will they be enough? The team needs time to gel of course, and the talent is there, so now it comes down to performance. Time will tell but hopefully the additional depth will give the Yankees an opportunity provide adequate rest for their pitchers leading to better outings and more wins. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

NICE MOVE! DARREN O'DAY'S A NEW YORK YANKEE!

Hey, it's not Trevor Bauer but stacking arms is always a good thing and Darren O'Day works well for the Yankees right about now. I am happy with this move.

The Bergen Record writes:

"The Yankees will sign right-hander Darren O'Day, pending a physical, according to the reports.

O'Day, who throws with a submarine motion, has played for five teams in 13 years."

And the New York Post writes:

"O’Day spent the last two seasons with the Braves. Last season, he allowed just two earned runs in 16 ⅓ innings over 19 appearances."

Look, the guy's 37, but he still has something left in the tank. And if it means alittle stability... I welcome it!

YANKEE FRUSTRATION, O'DAY, CHAPMAN & THE GREAT PETE CALDERA

When it was revealed that Jeff Samardzija signed his deal to pitch for the Giants, read SAD BUT TRUE for more, I came to the realization that the Yankees were most likely not gonna do much as far as starters and free agents go. Couple that with Pete Caldera's piece in the Bergen Record today (Thrifty Yankees won't splurge at Winter Meetings) and yup, the Yankees won't splurge.  He would know, Caldera covers the Yankees better than anyone.

"Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s off-season marching orders can be summed up in two words: get creative."

And that's really where we're at. Being creative. Wonderful. 

I guess if Cash can figure out a way to bring in a starter via trade, an upgrade if you will, he'll do it.  I just don't know who though.  Caldera brings up Carlos Carrasco of the Indians as a possible idea. He's a starter that would need to be acquired through a trade.  Another one, and a guy I  have always liked is Scott Kazmir.  I know, you groaned just now. Hey, you know I love my lefties.

When he was working his way back to the majors a few years ago, I even suggested this lefty would be a huge asset in the Yankee pen.  Read WHY THE YANKEES ARMS RACE HAS STARTED from 2011. It was there that I wrote:

"...Scott Kazmir: Yes, I believe his starting days are over right now and I have this ridiculous idea to bring him into our pen to face a few lefties once in a while..."

Whatever the case, I love where Caldera's heads at and be sure to read his piece in the Record today, it's great.

But if the starter stuff doesn't work out, may I suggest bulking up that Yankee bullpen a bit.  May I suggest, the Yanks should try and snag Darren O'Day.

Now, word on the street is the Yankees are NOT even attached to him at all. You gotta wonder why. I say they should be.  According to Hardball Talk though, it may be too late:

"Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reported earlier this weekend that the Nationals were the favorites to sign O'Day, but the O's must have stepped up their offer. The terms of the deal aren't known at this time, but O'Day was expected to net a four-year deal for around $30 million. He's put up a 1.92 ERA across 263 innings over the last four seasons with Baltimore."

If that's true, shame on Cash for not jumping in. A perfect opportunity to "get creative." 

And what about Aroldis Chapman?  The guy's a freaking stud. Well, Caldera brings up a great point about Chapman:

"Pursuing Chapman might only make sense if the Yankees were to utilize closer Andrew Miller in a separate trade for a controllable, young frontline starter."

Look, clearly my wheels are spinning.  In this off season of nothing, clearly we want something, but none of us know what the hell is going through Cashman's mind.  Yes, it's clear they want to keep the kids, and that's great... but we still need to upgrade somehow.  Who will it be?

P.S. Read Pete Caldera every day.  It's good for your brain...



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3 RELIEVERS I'D LIKE IN THE BRONX

There's always ways to improve a ball club.  The other day I was looking at some of the relief pitchers that will be available in the off season with free agency. Relievers that could really help the Yankees out next season.  I wanted to share my picks of guys I would try to snatch up before the 2016 season begins... check it out:

Darren O’Day:  O'Day will be a free agent this off-season... just in time to be signed in the Bronx. The past 2 seasons, he's kept that ERA around the 1.60 mark going 1.52 in 2015 and 1.70 in 2014 fro Baltimore.  He's a competitor, a unique pitcher and a team player.

From what I hear around Baltimore, O'Day is a good teammate, has a terrific work ethic and willing to do whatever it takes to get their team a win. He also likes playing for Buck, but is curious what his free agency will bring.  A combination of he, Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller would definitely be unstoppable.  I think overall, he's the guy I'd like to pursue.

Tony Sipp:  Sipp's a pretty good pitcher and I hadn't paid close attention to him until these playoffs.  Sipp is a middle reliever and a lefty, something that is always intriguing to me.  While we already have lefty Wilson, I can definitely see batters off balance with a Sipp and Wilson lefty combo and then go with the fire in Betances and Miller.  In 2015 for the Astros he had a 1.99 ERA in 54.1 innings pitched.  Some one to definitely think about.

Tyler Clippard: Clippard is familiar with the Bronx, but didn't get enough time there to develop.  The Yankees let him go in December of 2007 for Jonathan Albaladejo.  It was ridiculous for the Yankees as Albaladejo eventually faded away, and Clippard developed into an important tool in Washington and then in Oakland. 

Now with the Mets, he's found a home with a very competitive team, but will he remain there this off season?  I'm not so sure. Personally, I feel like it all depends on if the Mets win the whole damn thing. Down the stretch with the Mets, he was 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 2 saves.  While we have Andrew Miller to close, the idea of throwing Clippard into the mix with Betances and Wilson could prove to be a pretty significant bridge.  But Clippard's a closer and who knows if he'd even do that. We shall see.  If I had to choose between someone like he and O'Day... I think I would personally go with O'Day, based on experience and the variables surrounding Clippard's closer experience. That being said, seeing Clippard in pinstripes could prove to be a lot of fun.


Do you like any of these guys? Do you have a better idea? Let us know... comment.

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THE AROD STORIES NO YANKEE FAN SHOULD READ

Look, I'm not a mean person, but I read the press sometimes and I laugh. That in no way makes me superior. I've told you time and time again that I just speak my mind, give you my opinion and I'm one of many out there, I'm just having fun...I'm a Yankee fan bringing you the side that doesn't get talked about, and we're slanted and biased and you know what? I'm good with that.

But when I read certain pieces, I can't believe it. When it comes to Alex Rodriguez, the press tries to "out-do" each other, it makes me sick. At the end of the day, Alex is a human being and sure, he may be alittle quirky when it comes to speaking with the media, but he's still a person that deserves alittle respect...that's not an Alex thing, that's a life thing.  Make sense yet? Maybe not... so keep reading.

Dave D'Alessandro wrote a piece titled Alex Rodriguez not so happy to be pinch-hit for this time as Yankees fall to Orioles.  Sure, the title is provocative enough, I mean, ARod was a lightening rod this week. But let's be honest, Alex Rodriguez, a guy I really like and always have, has not produced.  I see this headline and I immediately think "What the hell do I care if Alex is "not so happy" about being pinch hit for? It not only isn't his decision, it's the managers and if Girardi needs to make a move, he needs to then."

Now in fairness, D'Alessandro breaks down Alex and his at bats against Darren O'Day, who no doubt owned him, but there were plenty of nuggets D'Alessandro could have added to his piece, but didn't. For instance, the fact that ARod is a team player and how in the 24 hours since Raul Ibanez made his history 2 home run journey to beat the O's, everyone of Alex's teammates that were interviewed complimented Alex on his "hard work" and willingness to give up his spot to help the team...none of that was written about, yet, for a Yankee fan, that's really the story of the ALDS after Raul did his thing.

How about this? How about the human side of Alex? ESPN's Wally Matthews and Andrew Marchand got to the heart of the matter HERE, quoting Alex: "...I keep telling you guys, this is not a story about one person, this is about a team. We have some unfinished business. Our objective is to win one game and keep this thing moving...Without question... As you know, with 27 outs a lot can happen. I'll be ready from the first inning on."  Yup, that came from Alex before Game 5.  A team player, yet, the only nugget that was honed in on in the D'Alessandro piece was that Alex wasn't happy.  It's boring, of course he's unhappy...how about we humanize Alex in the press for a change?

But I'm not about to truly compliment Matthews and Marchand so fast.  I was disappointed with a Rapid Reaction piece they did from October 8th, where the headline in one of the nuggets was "KKK-Rod." Now look, I get what they were trying to do, but are you freaking kidding me ESPN? How disrespectful and insensitive are you? Use your head.  ESPN must have felt the heat, because they changed the headline and ignored the criticism, but we captured it:

This is Sad. HERE is the corrected post.

Look, I'm not the media police and no, I'm not officially blasting Dave D'Alessandro. He does a good job for the Star Ledger. I just get sick and tired of the negative press for Alex. That KKK-Rod headline is disgraceful and ESPN must have lost it's mind and the best part is, the mainstream press didn't call out ESPN...the blogs did and I tip my cap to them, good work!

Bottom line, as a fan, Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees did what they needed to do to win Game 5.  Alex wasn't in their plans, everyone, including Alex could agree on that. But there are a few other parts to this; As a fan, I don't care about a player's "feelings" when they don't produce and complain about not being in the lineup, and I sure as hell don't care to read about it, especially when there's actually more to the story that they conveniently left out. 

I do care about how these media outlets kill Alex Rodriguez in the press all day long without any regard for the toll it takes on ones self.  I commend Alex for staying calm since he came to New York, anyone else would go nuts... I know I would.  It's almost unfair at this point, all this piling on.

So what's my hope? I hope Alex comes to the plate in the ALCS and shuts these guys up, because enough's enough.

Enjoy your Saturday, I look forward to tonight.

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