NATIONALS WIN THE WORLD SERIES!

It's a better story than the Astros winning. The Astros always win. The Astros are more cocky... they have ego. The Nationals? They don't have that. They have a great pitching staff and a few old timers named Zimmerman and Kendrick and a bunch of scrappy young players.  A nice blend, a nice story... congrats to the Nats!

My best part of Game 7? When the homers happened. Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon launched some pretty timely homers to put Nationals ahead.



Once that happened, Joe Buck was no longer excited. Obviously because the Astros weren't winning.
I tweeted this... just because I think Buck may be the worst TV personality there is.

Buck’s so quiet right now it’s like the Nationals just opened the bathroom door and caught him jerking it to the Astros or something.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 31, 2019

I'm just thrilled the Nats pulled it off!

Congrats boys! Way to go!

WOULD THE YANKEES TRY AND SNAG DANIEL MURPHY?

This is speculation all day long here, but it's a very nice idea and one to share.

Chad Jennings of LoHud has this one, and it involves strong lefty hitting, the New York Yankees, and Daniel Murphy of the Mets:

"The most open spot in the Yankees’ lineup is at second base, they could use an experienced backup at third, and they like left-handed power hitters in Yankee Stadium.

For their consideration, Mets’ second baseman Daniel Murphy is putting on quite a show in the postseason... Does it make sense for the Yankees? Maybe. Maybe not. In theory, his left-handed bat and defensive flexibility fit the profile, but the Yankees already have Dustin Ackley in place (Ackley’s never played third base, but is another experienced second baseman who can play other positions). The Yankees also seem to have more need for a right-handed power hitter than another left-handed bat.

Hard not to notice what Murphy’s been doing this postseason, though. This year’s free agent market is pretty deep at second base — Ben Zobrist, Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera and Chase Utley also have expiring contracts — but Murphy’s putting himself on the radar in a big way."

Could Murphy be in the cards for the Yankees? I strongly doubt it. Ackley is there, maybe the Yankees go with he and Rob Refsnyder at second base for a platoon situation, who knows. As you know though, I love rumors and love to speculate players with all of you... even though I wasn't the one planting this story.

So, what do you think? Could the Yanks go after Murphy? Or do they stick with what they have?  Comment.

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CHASE UTLEY... HUH?

The Dodgers bullpen—for lack of a better word—sucks. They rank in the bottom of virtually every pitching category in the National League. So when it came time to make a trade for a postseason run, the Boys in Blue got…a second baseman?

That’s right. The Dodgers trader two minor leaguers to acquire Chase Utley from the Phillies. Utley—who is probably stoked to get the hell out of Philadelphia—will rejoin his former teammate Jimmy Rollins and take over second base duties for an injured Howie Kendrick who is expected to be out for over a month healing an injured hamstring.

So why make the trade for Utley when pitching is currently the Dodgers Achilles heel? The six-time all-star will fill a much needed hole made by Kendrick’s absence and bring a veteran presence to the locker room. Though the 36-year old is only batting .217 this year, he’s been on a hitting tear as of late. Utley has batted over .300 in the last two weeks after returning to play from an ankle injury. If he can hold those numbers his production will be much welcome to a struggling Los Angeles team.

So yes, a middle infielder is not what LA needs, but it helps them fill an immediate hole. And after making a trade that involved three teams and 13 players at the deadline to score five pitchers—not to mention the exorbitant $269 million payroll—if the Dodgers can’t cobble together a workable bullpen, then they probably deserve to lose (probably to the Cardinals) in the postseason.

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

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UTLEY TRADED TO THE DODGERS

Note about Chase Utley. He's no longer a Phillie.

According to several sources, and we'll go with Jon Heyman and also Hardball talk:

while deal hasn't been signed yet, sides have agreed on deal of utley plus 2M to LA for 2 minor leaguers.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 19, 2015

Hardball writes:

"Utley, of course, has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, where he has batted .282/.366/.481 in thirteen seasons. The heart and soul of the Phillies offense, he was the leader and star of teams which went to the playoffs every year between 2007 and 2011, winning the World Series in 2008 and another NL pennant in 2009... 

Now Utley, whose bat has come back to life since coming off of the disabled list, is back in a pennant race. This time with the Dodgers, where he’ll man second base until Howie Kendrick comes back and then likely assume a utility and pinch-hitting role."

Wish Utley well.  I never really thought he was a good fit if the Yankees were to trade for him to play second in the Bronx.  Hell... maybe now that Bird is on fire, the Yankees will continue with the youth movement and bring up RR.  We shall see.




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THE YANKEES ARE READY TO MAKE A DEAL

In the final stretch of the first half, the Yankees front office is wheeling and dealing for the final adjustments for the second half. The Yankees have their eyes on a few players, to fill some holes in the roster. While the Yankees are in first place, there are plenty of needs that need to be met if they’re going to go to the playoffs and compete well. The starting rotation is inconsistent at best, and more than half of them are recovering from serious injuries - something the Yankees can hardly afford. The bullpen is overworked, depending on only a few good pitchers because of disappointing trade acquisitions and rookie call-ups. The team is hitting .254 and holds the fourth worst fielding percentage in the league. Clearly there is room for improvement.

Let's start with the starters. We have reported the news that the YANKS ARE SCOUTING THE HECK OUT OF JOHNNY CUETO. I still wonder whether Johnny Cueto can handle the pressure of playing in New York, but all signs are that the Yankees are trying to decide whether or not they want to pay the inordinately high asking price. They are not the only ones. Somebody might flinch and cough up half the farm, but the Yankees have more cost-effective options. For instance, Jeff Samardzija. There’s something to be said about a starter that has a winning record on a last place team. He has a 0.9 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 7.5 K/9, and a career ERA of 3.92. If we’re worried about the bullpen, he is averaging just under 7 innings per start over 17 starts, and 10 of those were Quality Starts. He is on a 1-year contract, and the White Sox are in last place. If we offer them something competitive, and they can get something out of it, I believe he moves. 

There is another diamond in the rough that the Yankees should be looking at, and the name should be familiar. Ian Kennedy is on a 1-year deal and should be available for the right, but not crazy price. Right now he’s 4-8 with a 4.84 ERA, which sounds downright dreadful to the untrained eye. First, smart scouts learn to ignore win-loss records when the team is hitting .239 behind him. Second, Kennedy had 3 bad starts in May that blow up his stats. Take a look at his starts since June 1. In seven starts - five of them Quality Starts - he had a 2.63 ERA, 8.12 K/9, and 1.98 BB/9. Before you point out that he only had two wins during that stretch, note that he had 2 runs or less of support while on the mound in 6 of those 7 starts. Look, I hated it when we gave up on him at age 24, and I still think he has potential.

It’s time to beef up the hitting as well. The most obvious way to improve the hitting is to replace our second baseman, and I am liking Howie Kendrick. He is in his contract year and has gotten some attention from scouts. Nevertheless, while all eyes wanting a second baseman are on Ben Zobrist, the Yankees may be able to pull off a deal here with a little less competition. He’s hitting just under .300, his OPS is just under .800, and his fielding percentage is .991. At age 31, this would be a good deal.

There are a lot of good deals out there if the Yankees are looking in the right places. The obvious risk is that they will be tempted to give up too much. With a rich farm system, everyone is demanding a huge return. Still, we get the feeling that we are going to see some good moves before the trade deadline. More to come.

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






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DODGERS ADD CUBAN SENSATION HECTOR OLIVERA

Hector Olivera has agreed to a six-year, $62.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers according to MLB.com.

Source: Cuban INF Hector Olivera has agreed to a 6-year, $62.5 million deal with Dodgers. $28MM signing bonus. Check http://t.co/mkcBse7p5i
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) March 24, 2015

The infielder will get a $28 million signing bonus once his physical clears.

Olivera was courted by many big league teams including the Yankees. The shortstop hit .341 and had 17 home runs last year in Cuba and looks to be an immediate impact player. Though his decision to don Dodger blue comes to no surprise to many baseball insiders, Olivera still has a couple hurdles to clear before he makes his debut in the majors.

One - Olivera might have issues with his throwing arm that could require Tommy John surgery. This would leave him out for a whole season. Two - he also still needs a visa—which could again hold up his debut in the big leagues.

The Dodgers also have plenty of infield talent. They traded away arguably one of the most promising infielders in Dee Gordon this offseason to get Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins in the middle infield. If Olivera is to see any playing time this year, he will probably split duties with Juan Uribe at third base. But Rollins and Uribe’s contracts are up after the 2015 season which could give way to a permanent home for Oilvera in the infield.

I like the deal because it gives the Dodgers flexibility to make some roster moves down the road. They have a crowded outfield and will need to deal some players (like Andre Ethier) to make room for developing talent. Having another card to add to the deck will only strengthen the Dodgers negotiating position. It’s also a promising sign that the new front office is serious about building a balanced lineup that gives the team the best chance to win a World Series.

Now if we could just get the games on TV.

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







 
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YANKEES ARE EYEING HOWIE KENDRICK

News from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that the Yankees like Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick.

Heyman writes: "The Yankees and Blue Jays are among teams that have called about Kendrick...The Yankees have long liked Kendrick, a noted Yankee killer, and have issues at second base, shortstop and third base. But at present the Angels, who have already done a lot of work this winter, acquiring pitching prospect Nick Tropeano and lefty reliever Cesar Ramos, still believe they are more likely than not to hold onto Kendrick."

You gotta wonder what the Yankees will do at second base.  Kendrick is 31 and makes sense for the club, but don't forget, Rob Refsnyder has received much praise and the Yankees at one point announced they'd like to see Refsnyder possibly play second next season.

Here's the thing, there is also a ton of chatter from BYB's source that suggests that Refsnyder could be on a list of prospects drawn up by the Rockies to swap for Troy Tulowitzki. Read SOURCE: ROX WANT "A LOT" OF TOP PROSPECTS FOR TULO for more on that.

You also have to wonder if someone like Kendrick is even worth it. After all, Martin Prado can play second base as well.

Bottom line, there's a whole lot going on right now... no easy solution for any of this. But it is the Hot Stove season... you gotta wonder when things are going to go down.

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LOOK AT THE BIG GUNS ON YOENIS CESPEDES!

This is why you never EVER give up on a play!

Hoping to overtake the Oakland A’s atop the American League West, the Los Angeles Angels found themselves tied 1-1 against the Athletics in the bottom of the 8th on Tuesday night in Anaheim. That’s when Angels slugger Mike Trout stepped to the plate and launched a 2-1 pitch deep down the left field line giving Howie Kendrick a chance to score from first base.

A’s left fielder Yoenis Cespedes initially misplayed the ball off his glove—an error that would have easily allowed the go-ahead run to score—but then recovered to make a laser beam throw that nailed Kendrick at the plate. 




With that cruise missile Cespedes recorded his eighth assist of the year and currently leads the MLB in that category. Despite the clutch play, the Angels ended up persevering in the bottom of the 14th inning thanks to a walk-off home run by Collin Cowgill. It’s the fifth consecutive win for the Halos who now sit 2.5 games back of the Athletics for the lead in the AL West.

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



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