COULD THE YANKEES REALLY BE IN ON VLAD GUERRERO JR?

The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. couldn’t come to terms on a long-term contract before Monday night’s deadline, which means the door is now wide open for other teams to make their pitches when he hits free agency next offseason."We didn’t get to an agreement," Guerrero says, through club translator Hector Lebron, "and now they’re going to have to compete with 29 other teams."

Once news broke that Guerrero Jr. and the Jays failed to reach a deal, MLB insider Jon Heyman wasted no time weighing in on the top contenders to land the slugger. His top three? The Boston Red Sox in the lead, followed by the New York Mets and then the New York Yankees—three franchises with deep pockets and a hunger for star power. It’s no shock that they’d be the biggest players in the mix.

Now, as much as Yankees fans might dream of Guerrero Jr. mashing home runs in pinstripes, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. A while back, Vlad Jr. made it crystal clear that he has zero interest in playing for the Bronx Bombers, famously saying, “Not even (when I’m) dead.” Talk about shutting the door with authority. He’s hinted at personal reasons behind his distaste for the Yankees, though he’s never gone into detail. However, one theory floating around is that it traces back to the 2003 offseason, when New York chose to sign Gary Sheffield instead of his Hall of Fame father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. Whether that’s the actual reason for his grudge or just a fun piece of baseball lore, who knows?

One thing’s for sure—wherever Guerrero Jr. ends up, the bidding war is going to be intense, and the drama will be worth every second.

PLEASE DON'T BLOW THIS YEAR'S HOF VOTE

If you’re a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and happen to be reading this, check your mailbox. Your 2016 Hall of Fame ballot was just mailed out.

And if you happen to be one of the many members who hasn’t covered or even watched a ballgame since Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth on the home run list (nobody knows exactly how many of you there are because the BBWAA refuse to say), PLEASE do us a favor! 

Baseball Writers at Polo Grounds 1911. (Pach Brothers studio/National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Chuck your ballot in the trash along with your junk mail from AARP, Depends and Fixodent. It’s both a shame and ironic the organization created more than a century ago to professionalize the press box can’t do better by the players they rely on for their copy than a selection process little better than replacement level.

You see, there’s seven former Yankees -- Jorge Posada, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, Tim Raines, Javier Vazquez and Lee Smith -- on the ballot this year. One homegrown, the rest adopted; all respected and appreciated by baseball fans everywhere. And we don’t want or need your old-school eye tests, your metric-phobia, your inability to access and analyze pertinent databases or even follow the sport via computer since the Sporting News went out of print, or any loyalties to old drinking buddies you used to “cover” throwing roadblocks in theirs or anyone else’s path to Cooperstown.

Because goodness knows the path is challenging enough just staying healthy long enough and playing well enough to even make it onto the ballot in the first place. Throw in the constraints of limited ballot slots, the narrow qualifying profile for voter eligibility and conflicts of interest associated with the designated voter pool, and the obstacles to induction resemble something akin to Bartolo Colon trying to leg out an inside-the-park homer on a hot steamy afternoon.

I’m not going to waste anyone's time or BYB’s space here laying out the pros and cons of anyone’s Hall of Fame bonafides. Far more knowledgeable and articulate baseball observers than I have already done so, and all you have to do is Google “Hall Of Fame Case” and peruse the players’ names and their work. Read up, revel in the diversity of the data that’s out there and howl with righteous indignation January 18th when the official tallies are announced. 

(Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times)

Your opinion is no more or less valid than a small group of baseball writers that won’t even tell you how many of them actually watch the sport or compel their members to publish their ballots. (Will the three drunken clowns who didn’t vote for Ken Griffey Jr. please stand up?)

I’ll just content myself with the knowledge that in the 80 years since the first Hall election, just 217 major leaguers have managed to crack the code for induction and 24 of them are wearing Yankee caps on their plaques. And this year, the Yankees have a half dozen players under consideration who have worn the pinstripes for all or part of their distinguished careers and did them proud.

And whether any or all of their Hall credentials are ultimately deemed extraordinary enough to warrant induction or not, as a fan of this ball club I get to watch some pretty extraordinary players make history every year, and I've got Monument Park. 

Trust me... that's good enough for me.

 --Barry Millman
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter:  @nyyankeefanfore

  

THE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES WERE NAMED

The names have been announced.  The names shouldn't surprise anyone really, even though I'm kind of shocked.

Mike Piazza
Ken Griffey Jr.

These men will be elected into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and well deserved even though I disagree.  BYB Senior Writer Ike Dimitriadis put together his list yesterday in his post MY HALL OF FAME BALLOT AT HIGH NOON. Here it is:

Mike Mussina
Lee Smith
Ken Griffey Jr.
Curt Shilling
Gary Sheffield
Trevor Hoffman

BYB Writer Alexis Garcia gave her opinion for why Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall and you should read her thoughts on why in  BONDS & CLEMENS DESERVE COOPERSTOWN.

If you are asking me, I agree mostly with the voting, although I'm not so sure that Piazza should be in, at least right now. I'm shocked actually.  Then again, there can be an argument for making it as well.

I would have also chosen Mike Mussina for his great work a a Balimore Oriole more than with the Yankees, Griffey, Tim Raines, Billy Wagner, Trevor Hoffman and Roger Clemens.

I would have written in Pete Rose and if I was a member of the BBWAA, I would do it every single year. I do not care that he bet on baseball... his play needs to be recognized in Cooperstown. It's a wasted vote, I understand that, but it would have to be done. It would put my mind at ease.

I would have also written in Don Mattingly even though there is virtually no shot he will ever be a member of the Hall... his time may have passed.

Congrats to the inductees. Looking forward to the ceremony.




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MY HALL OF FAME BALLOT AT HIGH NOON

A family member sent me this news clipping from June 14, 1939

This Wednesday, January 6th, the National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the 2016 inductees. I am not a member of the BBWAA, so I will not get to contribute to some deserving players’ 75% of the vote. Like most of us, including my fellow writers, I have strong opinions on who I think deserves to get in. I am also a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA), which organizes and promotes the growing online baseball media and serves as a digital alternative to the BBWAA. We have our own Hall of Fame vote, and I wanted to share my votes for who I would put in the Baseball Hall of Fame and why. You already read my piece on Mike Mussina: MIKE MUSSINA BELONGS IN THE HALL and Alexis Garcia's piece on Clemens and Bonds: BONDS & CLEMENS DESERVE COOPERSTOWN.  Here are the rest of mine.

Ken Griffey Jr.: For nearly a decade, he was the most feared hitter int eh American League. Four times he led the American League in home runs. Four times he had an OPS over 1.000. For 5 consecutive seasons, he hit 40+ home runs, 100+ runs, 100+ RBI. He is 6th on the all-time list with 630 home runs, 15th on the all-time RBI list with 1836, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a 13-time All-Star. This is a no-brainer.

Gary Sheffield: Over the course of a 22-year career, he was a feared hitter who hit for power, hit for average, was a threat to steal, and mastered defense at multiple positions. He is 25th on the all-time HR list with 509. He is 27th on the all-time RBI list with 1676. He won a batting title in 1992. Six times he finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting. Unlike most power hitters, he never struck out more than 85 times in a season. Sheff has earned his spot in Cooperstown.

Curt Schilling: Put down the gun. If you’re evaluating him purely as a pitcher, there is no question. He pitched for 20 seasons and he knew how to win. Every team for which he was a regular starter went to eh playoffs. It is shocking that he never won a Cy Young though he came in 2nd three times. He was a 3-time 20-game winner, twice leading the league in Wins. Three times he threw over 300 strikeouts and a fourth time he threw 293, twice leading the league. He is 15th on the all-time list with 3116 K’s. He was notoriously durable, leading the league in IP twice and Games Started three times. Think durability doesn’t matter? Remember what happened when he went 1-4-7 in the World Series? Or the time he pitched with a bloody sock? Speaking of playoffs, he holds an 11-2 record with an ERA of 2.23, WHIP of 0.968, and a K/9 of 8.1 over 19 career postseason starts. He is likely the most deserving of all starting pitchers on the ballot.

Trevor Hoffman: The only reason people weren’t talking about him more during his career was that he had the misfortune of pitching at the same time as Mariano Rivera. He is second on the all-time saves list with 601 (to Mariano’s 652) and with 40 or more saves in nine of his 18 seasons. He also came in the top 3 in the league in saves nine times. He actually came in 2nd twice in the NL Cy Young voting and top 10 twice in the NL MVP voting, which is remarkable for a reliever. Aside from a Scott Brosius home run to dead center field, his resume is spectacular. Relievers get a bum rap in Hall of Fame Voting. It needs to change, starting here.

Lee Smith: This might sound surprising, but only if you never actually saw him pitch. He is third on the all-time Saves list with 478, and he was int eh Top 4 in Saves in 14 of his 18 seasons.  He was a dominant closer in an era when the value of a closer was just being discovered. People forget he was #1 on the career list for Saves the 13 years before Trevor Hoffman. This will be his 14th time on the ballot, and he should get more votes than he’s gotten in the recent past.

So that’s it for me. This Wednesday’s announcement should be exciting. There will be lots to talk about the winners and about who got robbed. Mike Mussina better be in the winners’ circle.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon







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AROD AT FIRST? NEGATORY

Remember when the Yankees were thinking about putting Alex Rodriguez at first base some games this season just in case they needed to give Mark Teixeira a rest, or if he was hurt, and this way he'd get alittle playing time rather than just being our regular, full time DH.  That's not happening.

Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record has the story:

"'I just don’t think Alex is ready to do it,' said manager Joe Girardi. 'Maybe if it were in an emergency or if he worked at [the position] for a couple of weeks, he might be comfortable doing it. But I don’t see that he’s comfortable there.'

General manager Brian Cashman wasn’t comfortable with A-Rod as a first baseman, either. The GM voiced those concerns publicly, though he conceded Girardi’s need to consider outside-the-box options with Mark Teixeira sidelined indefinitely due to a badly bruised right shin.

But A-Rod essentially has been a designated hitter all season and 'he has not had a lot of work' at first base, Girardi said."

I applaud the Yankees on this move.  Sure, you can throw ARod out there, but there hasn't been much work in that spot, plus you have Greg Bird there and he's handling first wonderfully.  Hey, once in a while, give Chase Headley as day off at third and throw ARod there... or don't. Whatever works, but if you don't need ARod at first, don't put him there.  Remember Gary Sheffield at first? Me too...

Some things you just don't do.

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BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME XI

Here we are again; another week in the pre-season hunt for pitching and, another starting pitcher is again out of our reach.  Max Scherzer is headed off to DC for many years in a deal that smells a lot like a Mets Bobby Bonilla contract.  "The deal is for $210 million with half deferred, according to multiple reports. Scherzer reportedly will receive $15 million annually for 14 years. The deal also includes a record $50 million signing bonus, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press."  Yikes... check out Bonilla's contract. According to the website Celebrity Worth, "Bobby Bonilla hasn't swung a baseball bat professionally in over a decade, yet every year on July 1st The Mets cut him a check for $1.2 million. That's more than any current Mets outfielder will make in 2013."  How?  Well, here is how it happened.

According to CBSSports, "The deal was signed by the Marlins in 1996, but Bonilla was traded to the Dodgers in the 1998 blockbuster that involved Gary Sheffield and Mike Piazza. Bonilla was later flipped to the Mets. He then only played 60 games in 1999, hitting .160/.277/.303, so the Mets saw fit to get rid of him before the 2000 season instead of paying him $5.9 million that year. And now they'll be paying him a bit more than four times that -- just stretched out over 25 years."  Bonilla gets paid $1.2 million dollars through 2035 for doing absolutely nothing.  We don't need contracts like that, making lofty deals to pitchers who will be well into their twilight years or gone from the sport entirely.  Scherzer will be 44 at this point before the Nationals are done paying him on this contract.

I bring this up, because although we all thought we wanted Scherzer, we did not want that inflated contract.  Good luck with that, Washington.

"A source had earlier told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Nationals wouldn't have the financial flexibility to sign the right-handed Scherzer unless they have a trade in place to move starter Jordan Zimmermann and possibly shortstop Ian Desmond. As of Saturday, the source told Stark, the Nationals did not have trades in place for Zimmermann or Desmond," reported ESPN.com.  So, who might be interested in these guys?  I know, I would!  There is also talk that the Nationals could trade Stephen Strasburg or Doug Fister.  I'm open but again, we are not going to spend big dollars on these guys.

And Stark also reminds fans that the Yankees, although a team never to be ruled out of any deal including a deal with James Shields, have a clear focus and purposeful message.  "They've been all about getting younger and loading up on bullpen depth. And Shields would contribute to neither. Not to mention that his career ERA in the new Yankee Stadium is 6.35."  Nope, not interested.  

Interestingly enough, in this market of free agency and gluttony, as long as general managers keep feeding the beast, they will keep demanding the big money.  According to Stark, "I can't imagine he gets less than $80 million over four [years]," said one exec. "There's someone out there. You know that. I just have no idea who that is." Lots of teams have had interest in the Shields, but no one has stepped up officially.  Many say it could be any day.  

To end this week's Hot Stove, a word about Johan Santana.  According to Jon Heyman's Twitter feed, the Yankee, Padres, Blue Jays and about six other teams have shown interest in Santana.  Santana is currently 35-years-old and some say he could be a bull pen asset.  I don't know.  It is just too risky.  But, it could happen, so brace yourself.  

That's it for this week's Hot Stove.  Fingers crossed for some good news for us this upcoming week. Only 29 days 'til pitchers and catchers!


 

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JASON GRILLI SIGNS WITH ATLANTA

Quick note... only because we were trying to figure out where Jason Grilli would end up.  Turns out, the Yankees are not the team... it's the Braves.  I guess Gary Sheffield just goes to the teams he played on until he finds one that will take his client.  I kid, I kid... if I didn't explain that that was a joke, Shef would find me and kick my ass.

According to Ken Rosenthal, it appears that Grilli and the Braves have a deal:

Source: Jason Grilli to #Braves.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 24, 2014

We have Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances ladies and gentlemen.  Do we need another tough reliever on the Yankees? You tell me.

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REVISITING EERIE SPECULATION ON DROB

 "I've watched how the Yankees have operated in years past, and I just don't know if a long term deal with DRob is something the Yankees want to do. "  

--Robert Casey, THE YANKEES MIGHT BE WILLING TO PART WITH DROB

That was written on these pages, August 8th, 2014. Needless to say, we all kind of knew it was over then, but as a fan, you hold on hoping the Yankees would spend alittle, offer something to a guy like David Robertson.  That didn't happen, and DRob is long gone by now, wearing his black pinstripes in Chicago.

And now we look forward to what happens next with the Yankees pen.  Right now there is Dellin Betances and newly acquired Andrew Miller.  Both are qualified to handle to closing role.  But what are the Yankees thinking?  Who will be the closer?

(In Photo: Mike Stanton)
It's my opinion that they should have had that solid closer with Miller and Betances and almost build their bridge as they did during the dynasty.  Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Graeme Lloyd, Mariano Rivera anyone? It was solid and it was a bridge that kept all hitters on their toes.   We seemed unstoppable back then.  Can we get back to that?

The Yankees were reportedly looking at Jason Grilli at one point. But now, according to the New York Post, they are no longer interested:

"The Yankees have not said they are done adding pieces to a revamped bullpen, but it doesn’t appear veteran reliever Jason Grilli will be joining the cast.

'We talked to Cash [Brian Cashman], and he said ‘not at the moment,’ ’ said his agent, the former slugger Gary Sheffield, when asked if the Yankees were interested in the right-handed Grilli, who has 50 career saves. 

'We will sit back with the offers we have and wait.’ Referencing the 38-year-old Grilli’s ability to pitch in multiple roles, Sheffield is puzzled why the Seton Hall product isn’t in the Yankees’ plans."

It's a good question.  I don't know the answer.  Grilli is no doubt qualified to be the closer for the New York Yankees, but the price has to be right. It's evident the Yankees don't want to spend big either. Or, maybe they are looking to hold onto big money for a guy like James Shields... a starter, and a guy that could definitely help out our rotation, but who really knows... this Yankee off season is a big puzzle.

Many are suggesting that Dellin Betances should be the guy. The next Yankee closer. Well,  I'm going to take another angle on this.

Based on experience in the Bigs, and the Yankee still grooming Betances a bit, I think Andrew Miller should close. Yup, I said it.  Keep Betances where he is... keep him dominant there.  Then, when the 9th inning hits, bring in the lefty to close and shut down the competition. 

Look. Everything happens for a reason, and it all started with David Robertson leaving the Bronx. Now doors open and there are some interesting questions about who gets that closing role.   I say Andrew Miller. Who do you say?

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THE REAL STORY BEHIND JASON GRILLI & THE YANKEES

If you read the headlines today around the Yankee blogs, or even legit publications, Jason Grilli and the Yankees are getting cozy.  Well, this is how rumors start.  That's not the case at all.   Read the original content first... then then you'll know the true story. 

The reality is, Sweeny Murti of CBS Sports floated the idea of Jason Grilli coming to the Yankees... but there's 2 things that you need to know when you read it. For 1, it's a scenario or a back up plan... for 2, DRob's a priority:

"Should the Yankees end up losing Robertson, they will be looking for another bullpen arm, even if it’s not specifically as a closer. There will be a long list of names to consider should that happen, especially once the non-tender guys hit the market next month. One name that has already been discussed by Yankee brass and likely will be again if necessary is Jason Grilli.

Grilli is a well-traveled 38-year old right-hander who was an All-Star closer for Pittsburgh in 2013, but tailed off and was traded away in 2014. Grilli, a local boy from Seton Hall, pitched for the Tigers against the Yankees in the 2006 Division Series. He faced just one batter in the entire series, retiring Gary Sheffield on a ground out in Game 1. Why is that even slightly interesting? Because Sheffield is now Grilli’s agent."

THAT'S IT. No truth to the rumor that the Yankees are interested. In fact, the Yankees are interested in bringing David Robertson back but understand he needs to check out the marketplace, read HERE, and read Cashman's quotes:

"The one thing we do have a feel for is how good of a player he is, how good of a person he is, how great of a competitor he is. In the New York environment, he’s not afraid. He checks every box off. He came in behind Mariano Rivera. [It was a] seamless transition. That’s certainly no easy task. All those things obviously went into our level of comfort, despite being a reliever, of offering that type of number. Great deal of respect and obviously we’ll engage him now in the marketplace.”

So, I ask you... you're a Yankee fan, you're smart.   When did we suddenly take a leap to Grilli? Sweeny floated a backup plan. This isn't a rumor with legs ladies and gentlemen.  DRob is still in the mix, let's not give him an exit so soon. Let him go through the Free Agent process... THEN, if things don't work out, we look elsewhere.

As far as I'm concerned... DRob's the priority... Grilli's the fallback. Write that down...

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