RODNEY'S OPTION DECLINED. IS HE A YANKEE OPTION?

Looks like the Miami Marlins have declined reliever Fernando Rodney's option.  UPI.com reports:

"Fernando Rodney, who struggled in the second half after being named an All-Star, is a free agent after the Miami Marlins declined to pick up his $2 million club option...Rodney turns 40 on March 18. He has 261 saves and a 3.69 ERA in 767 appearances."

And to add to that, he's been a closer with many teams and has the experience. And with the Yankees unsure if they will retain Aroldis Chapman, would they consider a guy like Rodney? He's a cheap option, a closer and someone that in recent memory the Yankees would go for to see if they could find lightning in a bottle.

Trust me when I tell you, Rodney is exactly that, but I wonder what if the Yankees would reach out to this guy. I suspect, if they can't nail down Chapman, a call to Rodney would be very possible.

At any rate, let's wait and see. It was just an idea I'm throwing out there...

Talk amongst yourselves...

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF CANO CAME HOME?

Trades can be unsettling. We found that out earlier, and not just with the rookies that were sent away. It’s the Brett Gardner rumors. By now we’ve all heard them, and I don’t like them one bit. I mean, I like saying “Gardy goes Yardy” every time he goes deep. Besides, this pair of trades doesn't make sense in isolation. Then I got to thinking. What if this is just the first phase, setting up the next one. Most people said the acquisition of Aaron Hicks sets up the departure of Brett Gardner. In my last piece -  PIRELA AND MURPHY ... GONE!, I wondered aloud at how they can put a starting outfielder on the trading block and replace him with a kid who hasn’t proven himself yet. I’ve been thinking about this all day. Then a scenario came to me.

The rumor is that the Yankees are shopping Brett Gardner to the Mariners. What if they’re working a deal for Robinson Cano? I started to feel the adrenaline kick in as I kicked it around in my head. A couple of days ago, BYB reported that the Yankees had been quietly dropping Andrew Miller's name - ANDREW MILLER ON THE TRADING BLOCK. What if the Mariners answered the phone? With the bust and trade that was Fernando Rodney's 2015 season in Seattle, I'll bet the need for a closer is palpable. You know. Like the need for a serious bat in the Bronx. Like the need for a proven, major league second baseman. Seriously, can you think of a better person? Still, I could see where Miller would not be enough for Cano. I could see how the only thing approaching the need for a closer in Seattle is the need for a leadoff hitting center fielder with speed. Miller and Gardner for Cano?

I began to share my thoughts with some friends. Erica Morales, one of our brilliant writers here at BYB, was first to respond. "... Don't toy with my emotions" Then, "Erica would be a super fan girl if Cano came home". Yeah, you and about eight million other Yankee fans! The fact is we love him here. I was at a game this past summer with another amazing BYB writer Jeana Belleza hosting the Mariners. We both noticed a sign held up by fans in the middle deck above the visitors dugout that read "NY ❤ CANO". We do love Cano. My daughter Anastasia still cries at the mention of his name. By the way, that game was the one where Cano hit two home runs. I watched both of them sail over the fence. I remember feeling sadness that we couldn't keep him and have that kind of talent in our lineup. I never disliked him. I just disliked 10-year contracts where you pay a player $24M per year through age 41.

At any rate, Cano would be huge for the Yankees. Consider that Carlos Beltran led the Yankees in batting average among qualifiers with .276. Robinson Cano hit over .300 in seven of the nine seasons he played here. Besides, he's a better fit here. All I hear is how downtrodden he's been since leaving New York. This place suits him better. That's not to mention what Yankees Stadium would do for his power numbers. Since my boss, Mr. Casey, loves Sabermetrics (he doesn't - I like to bother him :)), I'll give this to you to chew on: his WAR has been above 6 in four of the last six years. A WAR of six, by some accounts, approaches MVP caliber.

Look, this would be a dream. Who knows what, if any, deal can be worked out. But the thought of bringing back a homegrown, beloved star is epic. Okay, Mr. Cashman. Get it done!

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






You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

BEATING FELIX IN THE BRONX... ME LIKEY

It was a close game the whole game, and that's because King Felix was pitching against us.  Now many of you were betting against CC Sabathia today.  I woke up knowing he was throwing and I gotta tell ya, I didn't think the worst... I thought maybe today would be his turn around day. 

Well, he didn't get the win, but he did quite well, matching Felix and then handing the ball off to Justin Wilson to Dellin Betances and eventually Andrew Miller got save number 20. Boom... that just happened.

CC went 6 innings allowing 6 hits and 1 run. It  would be the only run the Mariners would get.

The Yankees scored only 1 run as well for a bit. That came when Carlos Beltran singled in the 6th, knocking in Brett Gardner.

Then, in the 8th, the tie breaker. Mark Teixeira hit a solo shot off of Fernando Rodney and suddenly, a 2-1 win and the Yankees win the series.

Things are great right now in Yankeeland. Me Likey.  With an off day tomorrow, it's the Orioles on Tuesday and now it starts to get damn important.  We need to beat our division rivals badly.  Hopefully momentum will take us there.

Final: Yankees 2 - Mariners 1




You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

CELEBRATING IS GREAT FOR BASEBALL. TAUNTS ARE NOT

There’s been a ton of chatter recently about good and bad sportsmanship in this great game of baseball. For several months, we've heard of different antics. You remember the Melky Cabrera crotch chop toward the Atlanta crowd when he was a San Francisco Giant and about Carlos Gomez when he flipped his bat last season?

That resulted in a brawl and a shiner on Travis Snider’s face and a lot of suspensions and Russell Martin wanting to fight the world.  Why did it really have to get that bad? We’re animals, aren’t we?

The latest comes from Junior Lake of the Cubs just the other day.  He hit a monster home run for the Cubs, down 6-0 against the Marlins. But then he watched it, and then he flipped his bat, and then, as he was rounding third, he looked in the Marlins dugout and told them to "shhhhh". That didn't go over too well. Here's the video:




A taunt. Kind of classless, and the bench clearing that followed... well, it's kind of expected with that behavior, isn't it?

Look, I love the celebration, but here’s what I hate; I hate when players crank one and are standing in the batter’s box just watching it sail away. To me, as your opponent, that's a showboat and I will go high and tight on you.  I hated when Melky Cabrera crotch chopped in Atlanta. It showed his immaturity. Hell, this isn't even a "celebration" but to this day, I still think that throwing Don Zimmer to the ground, no matter how crazy that old man seemed in that moment, was totally out of line. When you are in the moment, you really need to NOT let your emotions get the best of you. Be a ballplayer, show respect, show class.  Know the line when having your celebration, you know what I mean?

Celebrating in baseball has been going on for decades, and there is nothing better than true excitement sometimes. Seeing Joe Carter jumping up and down when the Blue Jays won is legit, justified, genuine and amazing for this great game.

I can even fall in love with the Rafael Soriano “Untuck”.  It’s the “Game over, we won  and I’m going home” razzing that I can get on board with. That's because these examples have essentially "ended" the competition.  If we didn’t have that type of celebrating, how much fun would baseball be? How much fun would any sport be for that matter?

Look at Ali and boxing for example. Muhammad Ali was a trash talker, but he put his money where his mouth was.  He intimidated his opponent. He taunted them, but he backed it up and yes, he was the greatest.  Fernando Rodney’s arrow in the air after a win and a save? Hey, I don’t personally like it, but it should be allowed... it's in the "Untuck" category.

You want to dance in the end zone after a big touchdown, I say go for it. But if you're pointing at your opponent, maybe giving him the “I’m gonna slit your throat” symbol, well, that’s gangsta shit.  Don’t do that. You will get your ass kicked.  Junior Lake and his "shhhhh" goes into that category... it's the same thing.

Celebrating in sports, in baseball… well, there’s a fine line. If you’re not threatening anyone, be it a fan, opposing team, go for it.  The moment you’re in someone’s face telling them you’re “gonna kick their ass" or taunting... it's just bad sportsmanship. It's JV.

That's why you  gotta love Jeet.  He was all class. I’m a fan of the fist pump. It's classic.  Derek Jeter did it a lot. It’s contained, meaning, it’s the feeling of celebration without shoving it in the face of the opponent. It’s a team achievement, maybe a personal one.  It's a stepping stone… one game at a time.  By the time the championship is over, go nuts. But if you're crotch chopping toward the other dugout, "shhhing" the other team to make an empty point, well... you’re an idiot.  In a championship, many times there are sad faces in the loser’s dugout. Some refuse to watch the celebration. Others will stare at it, sad, annoyed and wondering what went wrong.  But those guys know, that’s the game, especially after it's over.

We are baseball fans. We are savages, but we understand the game of baseball and what competition is.  We love our characters, but we also respect the game.  What started out as a bat flip from Carlos Gomez last year turned into a mess. It didn’t have to be.  Next time Junior Lake homers... let's hope he remembers to respect the game and respect the opponent, or I'm pretty sure he'll get one between the numbers.

Celebration is fine. It's the arrogance, the taunt that I just don't get.

I don't know... I just needed to get that off my chest I guess.

 


You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T SHOWBOAT

(In Photo: Grant Green)
It seems as though Fernando Rodney forgot one of the fundamental rules of baseball on Sunday night; "It ain’t over till it’s over."

The Seattle Mariners reliever was closing in on his 200th save when he entered the game with a 5-4 lead in the eighth against the Angels. Rodney pitched out of the inning and did his signature bow-and-arrow performance—only this time he directed his theatrics at the Angel dugout instead of center field.

Rodney—who had a lackluster stint with the Angels from 2010-11—was apparently upset that the fans had booed him when he entered the game and took his chance to gloat after he got out of the inning stating, “I did that for the fans, because when I came in, they booed me. It's part of the game.’’

But while Rodney was doing his best Katniss Everdeen impression, there was more baseball to be played and the Halos took notice of their former teammates diss and used it as motivation for a little ninth inning revenge.

Mike Trout kicked things off with a lead off walk and scored from first on a double from Albert Pujols. The duo immediately began flinging their own arrows at Rodney and they went on to win after a walk-off base hit from Grant Green (you can watch the gratifying moment below):






Now Rodney is a quality pitcher and All-Star and you can’t blame a player for getting excited when they perform well in a clutch situation (though I can blame him for not wearing his hat properly). But Rodney’s antics weren’t just about excitement—it was cockiness and the Angels used his brash stunt as motivation.

His mistake provides a great lesson—be confident, not cocky. And remember how many outs you have to go before you begin celebrating.

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!

CROSS FERNANDO RODNEY OFF THE "WISH LIST"

Big news out of Seattle... Fernando Rodney is going to be a Mariner.

According to several reports, but we'll pick Matt Snyder of CBS Sports for this one, Rodney has agreed to a contract with the Mariners:

"...a two-year, $14 million deal... Rodney will slide in immediately as the Mariners closer in all likelihood, with Danny Farquhar and Tom Wilhelmsen getting setup duty."

I wonder if Rodney is going to come up with another routine or if he will continue to shoot the imaginary bow and arrow.  He can't shoot the Trop roof anymore... maybe he'll use his imaginary bow to shoot the arrow at Cano... I'm kidding... chillax.

For those of you that wanted Rodney on the Yankees... forget it. It's becoming clearer and clearer that David Robertson will be the closer in 2014 for the New York Yankees... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Who's left for a closer job anyway?

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

FERNANDO RODNEY RUMOR FLOATED, BUT NOT BELIEVABLE

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe does this... he suggests things could happen that are not necessarily in the cards just to see if it sticks.  What happens next is we, the bloggers, the writers... snatch it up and report it as "his story" because lord knows... I just don't buy the "Fernando Rodney to the Yankees" rumor just yet.  It doesn't make Cafardo a bad guy, he obvious knows what works in this Internet world... I just don't think I buy it, but that could change as this rumor gains steam.

That's right... it's being written by Cafardo that the Yankees and Rodney may be connected... and by connected, I mean, maybe there is a marriage in the works... MAYBE:

"There’s a feeling that a team like the Yankees may pluck Rodney, or someone of his ilk, to ensure they have another closer in case Dave Robertson breaks down or isn’t up to the task."

It's a theory, a suggestion... because not every fan is 100% sold on Houdini as the closer.  I am though. I think Robertson is ready to be handed the keys.  Rodney would be a nice pickup and I have admired him for a while now, but my feeling is, if the Yankees were to get a closer, I think they would have done it already.

Whatever the case... I thought this was interesting.  Again though... I just don't know how much truth there is to it... we shall see.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

IN THE FREE AGENT WORLD... WHO'S LEFT?

Charlie Wilmoth of MLBTradeRumors.com put together this list of some of the unsigned, relevant players still looking for homes this off season.  I see a few guys on that list, pitchers in particular that I’d love to take a chance on and would probably bolster our rotation in the back end. Check out his list:

“Unsigned:
5. Masahiro Tanaka
6. Ervin Santana
7. Matt Garza
9. AJ Burnett

11. Ubaldo Jimenez

14. Stephen Drew

17. Nelson Cruz

23. Bronson Arroyo

25. Grant Balfour

28. Kendrys Morales

32. Fernando Rodney
36. Suk-Min Yoon
43. Paul Maholm
46. Jesse Crain
48. Jason Hammel"

Hey look, Bronson Arroyo is still available.  Jimenez is too.  Would the Yankees have an AJ Burnett reunion? Probably not, but he’s out there.  And of course, there is Matt Garza.  One name that popped out at me was lefty reliever Paul Maholm. 

Now I have stated many, many times that I love having 2 lefty relievers in the Yankees pen.  It makes Joe Girardi’s job easier and when the Yankees had Boone Logan and Clay Rapada in the pen together, it was much more comforting to me than just having Logan there.  Options… I like options.

But again, the starters that are looking for deals are decent and still available.  Plus, don’t we have like a gazillion dollars after we didn’t re-sign Robinson Cano? Brian Cashman probably has stacks of money in his office.  Let’s spend it! 

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

THE "BALFOUR ON THE YANKEES" RUMOR IS BACK

Look, the idea of Grant Balfour on the Yankees has mixed reviews.  Many like the guy. Others find him inconsistent and yet others believe that the idea of having a live wire like Balfour as our closer is not only the complete opposite of Mariano Rivera... it's also just not the right fit.

Now we all know what happened with the Orioles and Balfour.  Everything seemed to be going great, there was definitely an idea that Balfour would be an Oriole in no time flat. But then... nothing. In fact, there was concern about Balfour's shoulder, and in the 11th hour, the Orioles pulled out.  That made Balfour mad.

 Balfour and his agent then came out with a statement insisting he was healthy. Check this out:

“Grant is completely healthy and that was told to us today by Dr. Koco Eaton, a well-respected club physician. Dr. Eaton’s opinion is based upon the fact that the MRI which was taken today is the same as the MRI which was taken in 2011 as a condition of the 3-year contract that Grant signed with the A’s. Dr. Tim Kremchek, another well-respected club physician, reviewed the Orioles’ medical report and advised that he is remarkably impressed that there has been little change in Grant’s arm for almost 10 years. Now factor into the equation that Grant was a 2013 All Star, pitched 65 games and another 3 scoreless innings in the post season with a 94-95 mph fastball. The only reasonable conclusion is that Grant is healthy and the Orioles at the last moment changed their minds.

“Grant is an ALL STAR CLOSER who has converted 55 of 58 save opportunities. Talent wins at the end of the day and if a club wants to win then they need Grant coming out of the pen in the 9th inning”

And where are we now? Well, the Orioles have moved on, now aggressively pursuing Fernando Rodney, and the Tampa Bay Rays are looking closely at Grant Balfour.  Which now raises the question, are the Yankees going to go after a closer like Balfour, or are we going to hand David Robertson the keys?

I did some research, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that Balfour, "... is attracting notice from several deep-pocketed potential contenders, including the Tigers and Yankees, according to a major-league source. Other interested teams include the Rockies, Angels and Balfour's former club, Tampa Bay."

In other words, the idea of the Yankees pursuing Balfour is "back on."

Let me state that I have no idea is Grant Balfour is truly healthy. I mean, the Orioles saw something that suggested Balfour wasn't so, unless the Yanks can get an inside look at those medical records, as well as getting some type of guarantee that he's not hurt, I'm not so sure this is a good idea. But then what? Are the Yankees even looking at a closer? Until Slusser's piece, I didn't see much about the Yankees looking for a stopper.

So, is Balfour a good option? Should the Yankees go for it, or is there another pitcher we should be looking at instead? It's a very good question, I mean, besides 2012, the Yanks haven't been without Mariano Rivera for a long, long time.  It's almost unsettling if you think about it.

Now, it's my guess that the silence the past week means the Yanks were indeed interested in perhaps making David Robertson be the guy. Some think that's great, others don't feel that he's ready.  And Balfour? Well, I would suggest that if he is truly healthy, the teams pursuing him this late in the off-season could have an interesting bidding war... I guess we'll just have to see.  My biggest concern though is who will fill Rivera's shoes?  Without him, it's a tightrope of uncertainty, something we're not used to.

Stay tuned for this one... that's for sure.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

SQUEEGEE HAS THE OFF-SEASON CHECK LIST FOR THE YANKS

Most of you know who Luigi Squeegee is.   Luigi was part of the New York Yankees historic championship run and beyond as a clubhouse attendant, from 1998 to 2005. Connect that with the fact that the Yankees were tied for 3rd place in 2013 and I thought it would be a nice touch to get Luigi's thoughts on what the Yanks should do this offseason.  Well, he wrote an opened letter on his Facebook and I thought I would share it... so here is what Luigi Squeegee would do...

Dear Yankees organization,

Here are some solutions to your problems.  Forget about lowering payroll,  it wasn't the Bosses style...

Anyway, this is what I would do. First, sign Carlos Beltran for right field. Then, sign Fernando Rodney has the experience in that role. 

He even won a championship with the Dominican Republic this year! Also, keep Dave Robertson as the set-up guy for Rodney. 

Next, resign Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain and then trade them in a package for a starter.  Then, get some relievers. Trust me, there are some teams out there that will love to have Hughes and Joba because they still throw hard. They just might be more successful elsewhere. It's a fact though that they've can't do it here.  Take advantage now... they are still young and you can still get great talent in return.

Keep Derek Jeter at shortstop and let him finish his career off with class. He deserves that.  In the catching role, sign Brian McCann. Oh and stop it with Ivan Nova "competing for a job" in the rotation. Trust me, he has proven he can do it.  Give him confidence and let him go into Spring training knowing he has a job. 

Next, don't let Tony Pena walk away.  He helps Joe out more than you know and they make a great couple.

And last but not least... lower the ticket prices so you can let the real fans in. We make energy happen in Yankee Stadium! We can help get that old feel back from the old stadium. Hey, it might fire up the team! 

Your welcome!

Sincerely Luigi Squeegee

An interesting take... it's short, sweet and to the point.  Maybe that's the approach we need. By  the way, be sure to pick up a copy of Luigi's book, "Clubhouse Confidential." It's a great read! 

Thanks for sharing Luigi!

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

TROP FLOP FOR YANKEES!

The Yankees had it in the bag.  I was convinced.  I declared that the Price was wrong, stealing it from my friend Rosemari who wrote on Twitter just a few hours earlier.  It was clear the Yankees wanted this game and when they went up 2-0 in the 5th, we all felt good.

Then, suddenly Evan Longoria decides to just be incredibly annoying and he single-handedly beat the Yankees tonight 4-2.  The game was fast and in the 6th, after the Yankees were able to score 2 off of Price, the Rays came right back and battered CC Sabathia. 

Tonight Sabathia went 6.1 innings, gave up 6 hits and 3 runs.  He did strikeout 7, but that darn 6th, he struggled.  The man is a competitor and the man has struggled this season.  It doesn't mean it's over, it means this season just may not be his.  It happens to the best of pitchers... Don't get down on CC, the guy is a gamer!

The Yankee runs went like this:

In the 5th, Austin Romine walked with the bases loaded and Alex Rodriguez scored.  Next, Ichiro Suzuki grounded out and Vernon Wells scored.  But "ground out" doesn't describe that play because it was much more dramatic than that. Ichiro was strategic in his placement using the turf to his advantage slapping a high bouncer.  With that, Romine was able to do some fancy base running to be safe at second and with that, the run was able to score. 

It was well done.

But yeah, that was it, the excitement ended for the Yankees right then.  Evan Longoria beat the Yankees tonight going 3-4 with 2 RBIs and a homer. Then Fernando Rodney closed the door and shot that stupid arrow in the air.

Final: Rays 4 - Yankees 2

We need a win tomorrow... this is it.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.