COULD THE YANKEES ACTUALLY GET YAMAMOTO?

Source: Yuki Taguchi/WBCI/MLB Photos

What does the #18 mean to you? It means Johnny Damon and Didi Gregorius to me and likely others. The last time #18 was worn by a Yankee is was when Andrew Benintendi played for the team. But to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, #18 could mean everything. As reported by SNY, "According to league sources, the Yanks have purposefully held the number 18 for Yamamoto over the past year. That is not only Yamamoto’s number with the Orix Buffaloes, but is traditionally considered the "ace" number in Japan." So could this small gesture lure Yamamoto to the Yankees? Let's drill deeper.

Source: NY Times

"Hiroki Kuroda, a onetime NPB ace, wore 18 with the Yankees. Masahiro Tanaka wore number 18 as an ace for the NPB’s Rakuten Golden Eagles before signing with the Yankees, but took 19 in New York out of respect for Kuroda, who was still on the team," reported SNY. God I love that Tanaka! He truly gave ace-like performance as a Yankee and could Yamamoto be next?

There are several teams linked to the Japanese ace right now including the cross town rival New York Mets. But guess what? #18 is about to be retired to honor Met favorite Darryl Strawberry. According to the New York Post, "Yamamoto, by all indications, would be the right fit for both the Mets and the Yankees. Which doesn’t mean he will end up here; there’s more teams with money to spend now than there’s been since the dawn of free agency in 1976, when the numbers were still low enough that even small-market teams like Montreal and Cleveland were big free-agent players. But when the bids begin to build, assuming Yamamoto is bullish on New York, he can do what precious few have ever done: Craft a full-scale bidding war between baseball’s two fiscal monoliths."

Yet to throw another wrench into the free agency mix, there's Shohei Ohtani who the Post calls "the biggest prize on the market." Although the Yankees and the Mets for that matter are longshots for a deal with Ohtani, Steve Cohen has shown how deep his pockets can go. He even tried to throw his hat in the ring for Aaron Judge. And we know how that went down.

So could the Yankees go for it? The asking price before a bidding war ensues is $200 million. And the bidding war could also include the Dodgers, Red Sox and Giants- all who have #18 available by the way. But if Yamamoto wants to be a Yankee and the Yankees are willing to go for it, we may have our modern day Tanaka come spring. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

STARTING PITCHING: A HISTORICAL YANKEE BLUNDER

Photo: New York Daily News

Okay, maybe not a blunder but it certainly hasn't been a "win" for the Yankees when it comes to recent free agent signings. It's certainly not exciting but it is accurate. Think about it...

The last time the Yankees decided to spend big money on starting pitching was the year we last won the World Series. Not to say that we need to spend big again on a starter or two to win, but we haven't made a big splash on a starter since.

Now do you miss the days of not only CC Sabathia but AJ Burnett? Yeah, there is a name you haven't heard in a while.

The Yankees haven't signed any big name starters since and have since signed one or two guys that they expected to make significant contributions to the rotation. Going back this far is going to sound like a history lesson but maybe it's an important one. Maybe the Yankees are about to do it again?

2009-10: Yankees acquire Javier Vazquez (again)
The Yankees reunited with Vazquez for a second time with Boone Logan after trading with the Braves. The Yankees were getting him back when his stock was high. Some baseball experts considered him to be one of the best starters in the game and was coming off one of his best seasons. It didn't continue with the Yankees though. I still remember the bad appearances, the 10-10 record with the bullpen demotion and the eventual release after the season ended.

2010-11: Yankees lose out on Cliff Lee
And now it doesn't seem so bad. At the time it sucked but the Yankees signed veteran pitchers Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to minor league contracts but it paid off big. At the time Ivan Nova was a rookie and had an impressive year. The Yankees got results out of three unexpected arms that helped them win the division.

Photo: New York Daily News

2012-13: Aces and failures
Yankee fans were happy to have Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda return but even back then the Yankees were trying to get under the luxury tax so their pitching additions stopped there and so did their postseason success. The lack of depth with CC's struggles and Phil Hughes failures ultimately made the miss the postseason for the first time in five years. Pitching wins (or looses) ballgames. You can never have enough pitching.....

Photo: NJ.com

2015-16: A risky move
With no rotation improvements the Yankees try to bolster the bullpen to make up for their starting weakness. The idea of a super bullpen of Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller didn't work as hoped though. The lackluster performances of Nathan Eovaldi, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino's sophomore slump doomed the Yankees. The offense didn't score enough runs so the super bullpen fell flat and Chapman was traded. The Yankees also sat home in October for the third time in four years.

Photo: Getty Images

2016-17: Saving it for the end
Chapman came back to the Yankees as a free agent but once again the Yankees made improvements to the bullpen while the starting rotation was still in need of help. Finally in July they traded for Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia which helped the Yankees get within one game of a World Series berth.

(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Garcia will be long gone, but Gray is back to see what this season will bring. If history teaches us anything it's that if we don't land a starter before spring training kicks off it's "normal" for the Yankees and it's not time to panic. There's still time though. Just like Cashman says the market could change and a deal can still be done.

Anything is possible, but if a deal doesn't happen the Yankees still have a long season and a lot of pieces to pull off a successful season. History doesn't scare me. We've still got this.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

THANKSGIVING DAY RUMOR: OHTANI IS ON THE WAY!

First things first, HAPPY THANKSGIVING from all of us at BYB to all of you. We hope that you spend the day with friends and family making memories, enjoying all of your family traditions and eating a lot of good food. The holidays are OFFICIALLY here now.

So now that the holidays are here we all probably have a wish list item or two. At the top of my Yankee wish list this year would have to be making an exciting free agent splash. What would be a more exciting splash then signing Shohei Otani? Or....is it Shohei Ohtani? Whatever the spelling, he's an exciting wish list item for any team.

I am trying not to get ahead of myself here but media reports everywhere are running with the Yankees as the "favorite" and likely team to sign him. The more hype I read, the more excited I get. Look at ESPN, and New York Post and the NY Daily News stories. ALL of them say insiders are giving the Yankees the best odds. Rumors can be wrong, but man....let's hope this one is right on the money!

ESPN says that cities that have a large Japanese population might have a greater chance is signing him (duh) and other Japanese players could be great ambassadors for their teams. It will be interesting to see if or how those factors will play a role in any of this.

I love the confidence that scouts have with Ohtani signing with the Yankees but the Dodgers are another good fit for him. Can you imagine a starting rotation led by Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw? That would be a devastating 1-2 punch. The Dodgers certainly have that Japan tie working in their favor with Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda and even Hiroki Kuroda too before his Yankee days. The fact that he would also hit in the lineup easily could be appealing to him.

I wouldn't count the Seattle Mariners out either. They need pitching and have a history of signing Japanese players. They have ambassadors in Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Iwakuma but not as much money to sign him and aren't as competitive as other interested teams.

What about the Texas Rangers?  They need the pitching and they have the most money available to sign Ohtani but not by much. Maybe the small difference in money and the promise of being part of a contending young Yankees team will convince him to come to the Bronx.

I hope all of these expert reports are true and maybe Masahiro Tanaka can recruit and make this a done deal!

Happy Thanksgiving BYB family!

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKS ARE SCOUTING THE HECK OUT OF JOHNNY CUETO

I know, I know, you don't think he'll be a good fit in the Bronx and maybe the Yankees don't this so either, but they still need to go down all avenues before they make that determination. After all, the trade deadline is fast approaching and they want to be contenders.

According to several sources, but we'll go with Joel Sherman of the New York Post on this... the Yankees scouted Johnny Cueto yesterday.

#Yankees #Orioles #Bluejays had scouts in to watch Cueto last night #Reds

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 8, 2015

Notice the Orioles and Blue Jays are attached as well.  Both division rivals. Both looking to compete against the Yankees down the stretch.  The Yanks would be fools to NOT show up and scout him, that's all I'm saying.

Now, if you're asking me my opinion on Cueto, I think he's a good pitcher and could help the Yanks, but I am always alittle weary of NL pitchers coming over and pitching in the American League. I just feel like it's much different.  We shall see...

Oh great, my phone's buzzing... it's probably Hiroki Kuroda telling me I'm wrong about that whole, NL to AL thing.

OK fine... he was the exception. Relax Hiroki.

Stay tuned...

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GETTING CREATIVE WITH THE YANKEES

It's the off season.  It's slow sometimes.  When that happens people do stuff to entertain themselves and others.  Enter Bleeding Yankee Blue's Facebook friend John Sacino, who made some pretty cool artwork that we wanted to feature here.  Thanks for the clearance Mr. Sacino:

Here's the first one and this is my favorite. The Departed. Derek Jeter. Mariano Rivera. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte. Hiroki Kuroda. Jason Giambi.  Gotta love the way these are done. I would love to see something with just the Core Four. We gotta think of a move with a good ring to it!

Love it! Anyway, here's the second one:

Hilarious.  ARod. Carlos Beltran with that 80's style Vice feel.  The only thing missing is a shot of ARod shirtless on the Miami beach.  I just threw up in my mouth alittle bit...

And finally, here's the third:

New guys. New Yankees. Brian McCann. Chase Headley. Looking forward too seeing these guys help lead the New York Yankees.  We need a leader now more than ever!

Great stuff John.  Hope the BYB readers enjoy these.  Maybe I'll ask John to make some more to share on BYB. How about a sarcastic one... the Dream Team from the old 80's movie starring Michael Keaton...

I'm thinking Carl Pavano and Dale Berra go on that one.

Enjoy your Friday!



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HIROKI KURODA & "MAD LOVE" FROM THE PADRES

Remember when Hiroki Kuroda decided he was going back to Japan to play for the Carp? We wrote about it in KURODA'S GOING HOME the day after Christmas.   Now comes word that the San Diego Padres pushed hard to get the guy on their club.

According to UT San Diego:

"The Padres were making a serious push to sign Hiroki Kuroda before the 39-year-old right-hander opted to return to Japan last week, a team source said. While a report that the Padres’ offer was as high as $18 million, topping pushes by both the Dodgers and the Yankees, may have been “a little high,” the source said, the team’s interest in another one-year buy further illustrates Preller’s intention to win now."

It's interesting, although, truth be told, I'm not a fan of these stories, especially because it's after the fact.  Bottom line, the story ended on December 26th... Kuroda had chosen... and it was Japan.



 
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KURODA'S GOING HOME

And I don't mean the Bronx... or his former home, Los Angeles.  He's going back his former, former home. He's going back to Japan for the 2015 season.

It was revealed by ESPN that Kuroda, who was a solid New York Yankee, has decided to go back to his homeland, ESPN says he is going to pitch for the...

"..Hiroshima Toyko Carp, an official with knowledge of the move told ESPNNewYork.com, confirming Japanese media reports."

Maybe this is him deciding to wind down his career. Him wanted to be close to family, who knows.  It's not exactly a shocker.  It makes sense, I guess.

Whatever the case, Kuroda will be missed. When the Yankees' backs were against the wall, in 2013 and even parts of 2014, Kuroda went out there on his turn and did his job.  I never liked the idea of him coming to the Yankees, and felt dumb when he did more than any of us could have asked for. He proved me wrong. In short, he will be missed.

Good luck pal.

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IS CHRIS CAPUANO THE BEST WE CAN DO?

It's a typical "Cashman Bargain", eh?

I have to wonder if Brian Cashman does any real research, or if he just chooses to not remember the recent past when plunging into his “Bargain Basement” off-season signings.

His most recent “Steal of a Deal” was the signing of left-handed pitcher Chris Capuano.  It’s the typical venture Cashman has trademarked in his tenure with the club.   While Capuano the person is a great guy and great teammate, what he brings to the Yankees isn’t much – in my opinion.

We’ve been down this road before with our GM.  He finds a 35-year-old with little recent activity due to injury or irrelevance and hopes to capture “lightning in a bottle”.  With Capuano, I’m sure the fact that he is a southpaw immediately caused dreams of sugar plums and jolly elves to bounce their way around Mr. Cashman’s mind.  Nothing better than a lefty on the mound in Yankee Stadium, eh Brian? 

Well, actually there’s plenty better.

In 12 starts last season with the Bombers, Capuano gave up exactly 4 runs six times.  That’s a 4-run yield every other start.

For a team struggling to put 2 or 3 runs up every game, that’s not a good thing.  Proof lies in the fact that in only two of Capuano’s starts did he exit with a lead. 

Looking further at what the left-hander did in the Bronx reveals a flaw in Cashman’s “we need lefties” philosophy.   Since Yankee Stadium has a rather famous (infamous) short right field porch, the thinking is that left-handed throwers can limit damage that left-handed hitters will do - given the mouth-watering distance down the right field line.  So how did our newest “CC” do?   Lefty hitters batted .330 against Capuano and hit a home run off the hurler once every 14 at-bats.  Ted Williams hit home runs at that clip.

With the recent trade of up-and-coming pitcher Shane Greene, our rotation is rather thin and full of question marks.  Ivan Nova won’t be ready until at least mid-season, Hiroki Kuroda is debating retirement, no one really knows just how healed Masahiro Tanaka is, and we all wonder if CC will ever be CC again.  Only Michael Pineda and one of David Phelps or Adam Warren are near-locks to begin the season in the Yankees rotation.  Bringing Chris Capuano on board to potentially fill one of the five starting spots isn’t making things any rosier.

Already Cashman has implied that the Yankees are not in the running for Max Scherzer (and for what Scherzer is asking, I don’t blame him), and more than likely that means we won’t be landing James Shields either.  But, does that mean Chris Capuano was the best he could do?

Look, I know that a 1-year, $5 million contract is just a drop in the bucket for the Yankees, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it.  It’s still throwing $5 million at a pitcher who is a mediocre 4^th starter at best.  If our lineup was a little more imposing, I might understand the deal better – but it’s not.  Right now we have a batting order that isn’t going to strike fear into any pitcher.  There aren’t going to be any “unintentional intentional walks” handed out.  We are going to continue to struggle to put up runs and play a “small ball” style.  That means we need our pitching to be our strength.  We need starters who can go deep into games and keep the opponent below 4 runs.  Chris Capuano never made it past the seventh inning as a starter last season, and has done so only twice in the last three years. 

Now that we’ve signed him, I – like Brian Cashman – do hope that we can somehow harness the best that Chris Capuano has to offer.  I really do want him to succeed for my team, really.  Unfortunately, I find myself with this kind of less-than-realistic hope every season that Cashman mans the helm as GM.  At some point he’s going to realize you get what you pay for.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

  




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THINK WE HAVE A SOLID STARTING ROTATION? THINK AGAIN

This a a short portion of a very good piece by George King III from the New York Post.  In a nutshell, the story talks about how Brian Cashman just couldn't find the right deal during the Winter Meetings. But don't worry, Cashman was quoted as saying "...There is a long way between now and Opening Day. I will keep conversations alive.’’

Oh goodie Brian. I can't wait.

But to my BYB audience. It's back to that short portion from King's piece that will sum up the Yankees starting rotation.  When I read them, I became annoyed... then angry. Here it goes:

"CC Sabathia’s right knee is a huge concern. Ditto Masahiro Tanaka’s right elbow. It could be June before Ivan Nova returns from Tommy John surgery, and even if that’s the case, he will still be Nova, a hurler prone to inconsistency. 

Cashman has been in contact with Hiroki Kuroda’s agent, but the right-hander isn’t a lock to return. David Phelps and Adam Warren have been told they will be worked as starters during spring training. Bryan Mitchell is in the mix..."

Geez, dude.  How do you like our chances now?

Pretty damn slim.


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WHO'S STAYING & WHO'S GOING

The World Series is over.  My last image of the series is how Madison Bumgarner held his team together to beat the red hot Royals who had a Cinderella post season.

The Royals are a team filled with youth and heart and I think they will be a team to contend with next year.  Enough of this... let's get to the really important stuff.  As my mind now shifts to other things, the biggest question for me and perhaps you is who is staying with the Yankees for the 2015 season and who is on his way out?  

I have my eye on Dellin Betances as our new closer.  He has big shoes to fill but I think he's the guy to fill them.  So the biggest question for me is, will David Robertson accept an offer from the Yankees to stay?  I think the Yankees will offer him something, but will he take it?  I'm not sure.  He may want to test the waters of free agency.  Robertson did pick up 39 saves in 44 attempts and could prove valuable to any team.  Not sure he will accept the Yankee offer, but according to NJ.com, "The Yankees will almost definitely extend Robertson the $15.3 million qualifying offer. He'll take it because that's more than he'll get in a single year elsewhere and because rejecting it will hurt his market value. (John Munson/The Star-Ledger)"  I guess we will wait and see what happens.  My prediction is he goes. 

I am so upset and afraid to say this but I think Chase Headley is on his way out.  I can't blame him. With ARod coming back, unfortunately, he is too good to sit the bench behind Rodriguez.  He wants to play third base everyday.  And he should.  I would like him to be at third as I have been really impressed with his skill set and drive.  The Yankees will offer, but I am not sure he will bite unless he's going to play everyday instead of back up to ARod.  

I also think we will lose Ichiro Suzuki because we under use him.  He still has a lot to give but we don't give him the chance.  According to NJ.com, "Ichiro believes he's capable of filling a bigger role than the Yankees gave him in 2014. The Yankees? Not so much."  I for one will be sorry to see him go.  He has grit and we are sorely missing that on the team currently.  

As far as starting pitching, Hiroki Kuroda has pitched his last baseball in the major leagues.  I think he will retire, leaving a void in our rotation.  Will the Yankees fish for one of the big three free agents in Max Scherzer, James Shields or Jon Lester?  I hope so, but who knows.  My favorite of the bunch is Scherzer as I feel like Shields is overrated and Lester belongs back in Beantown.  I also think we keep Brandon McCarthy. He has proven himself during a very dismal Yankee 2014 season.  He was consistent and steady.  And we need that kind of person on the hill.  

Just so much to do this off season as far as rebuilding.  I am hoping the farm system produces some guys who will make the team and bring some youth to the aging Yankees.  They truly are our future and that's where the biggest investment has to be. 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof


 




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