BILLY MCKINNEY COULD PROVE TO BE A GOOD FIT IN NEW YORK... AGAIN

I've always been a big Billy McKinney fan. He's got the look, he's got the ability and years ago I was pretty annoyed that the Yankees let his get away from us.  In fact, I am one of the few that sees the decent athlete McKinney is.  Now back in 2018 the Yankees had him but traded him away for JA Happ.  Back then fans were slamming me because I called it a panic move. Read BEING A FAN IN THE WORLD OF DUNCE. Lucky for me, I documented the whole BS between fans that thought I was crazy and fans that just liked to bitch and moan.  Bottom line, the Yankees really didn't get much out of the Happ trade, did they? And in the end, McKinney is back in New York, this time competing for an outfielder's gig.  

Yup, you got it... McKinney is back. McKinney will start in the minors, but I can bet we will see him this year.  MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Yankees have signed outfielder Billy McKinney to a minor league deal, according to MiLB.com’s official transactions page. McKinney has been assigned to the team’s Triple-A affiliate.

...McKinney and Brandon Drury were traded to the Blue Jays in 2018 for J.A. Happ.

McKinney has played in each of the last five Major League seasons, suiting up at the MLB level for 263 games with six different teams. Only two of those games were in the Yankee pinstripes, which also marked the very first two games of McKinney’s big league career.

Once seen as a top-100 prospect and a possible future center fielder, McKinney has mostly settled into a role as a corner outfielder and even a part-time first baseman. "

And as we look at the depth chart, the Yankees could use a backup first baseman, and, they definitely need a left fielder and trust me, this stirs up some competition out there, between he, Hicks and Calhoun.

Whatever the case, dare I say I am thrilled that McKinney is back. Will he get a shot at the bigs again? Hey, we know he can do it, why not? I think the strategy however is to see him at spring training, let him get work in the minors and if they need a guy and believe he can contribute, we will see this guy on the big club... and that's the bottom line.

A NICE MID-ROTATION GUY FOR THE YANKS COULD BE GARRETT RICHARDS

The off season is fun because many sites are out there making guesses about players that should come to the Yankees.  You know what I want? I want one starting pitcher and DJ LeMahieu. In fact, that's all I want.  

But for the sake of the offseason and rumor fun... I was reading about a mid-rotation pitcher that could be a nice addition to the Yankees.  Garrett Richards.  

I cannot take all the credit on this guess. Pinstripe Alley intrigued me. Nice idea Tom Krosnowski. Check this out:

"Enter Garrett Richards. A rumored Yankees target since the mid-2010s, Richards is at a different phase of his career now. Entering his age-33 season and having made just 41 starts over the last five years due to two Tommy John surgeries... 

He has resurrected his career, most recently as a key piece to the 2020 San Diego Padres that resulted in his first MLB playoff appearance.

Now a free agent, Richards could fill that Happ role in the Yankees’ rotation as a cheaper and younger (and possibly better) option."

Now everyone is gonna look at this and say, well he's a broken down pitcher. If that's the case, just keep Happ. Personally, I think this is a good option if you can get him at a cheap price and just see what he has. Can't lose as far as I'm concerned.

Look... it's the rumor season. Let's have alittle fun. What do you think? Comment.

RUMOR: SEVERAL TEAMS ARE INTERESTED IN J.A. HAPP

It was a rocky season for J.A. Happ. He started off shaky, got better but also had some obvious frustration with his role on the Yankees. The Yankees were treading on a dangerous line of mediocrity so I wrote HAPP ISN'T HAPPY & I DON'T CARE because I was over the distraction. There was a lot of drama this season, and now it may continue into the winter.

The Yankees have several areas to improve on for next season, and pitching is an area of concern. Behind Gerrit Cole there is a giant question mark. Who are the next four starters behind him? After reading a weekend full of trade rumors I have to wonder....is Happ going to be part of the Yankees pitching plan? Maybe not.

The Angels are Rangers would be interesting landing places for Happ.

The Angels pitching staff finished with the third-worst ERA in the American League at 5.09 ERA. The Angels new General Manager Perry Minasian is familiar with Happ because they spent time together with the Toronto Blue Jays and adding another familiar face to the team could help the team move forward. The Angels are the team that can never get Mike Trout to the playoffs is constantly in need of starting pitching. Minasian said that pitching will be the top priority of the team so it sounds like their new GM is ready to make a splash, and if Happ is still upset about his usage during the 2020 season he may appreciate a new opportunity on the West Coast.

The Rangers also struggled with their rotation and finished near the bottom of the American League with a 5.02 ERA. The Rangers are in a rebuild mode and are still a few years away from being contenders again. 2021 will be the last year in Lance Lynn's contract and have to figure out what

to do going into the season. Adding a veteran like Happ to the rotation could be what they need to help rebuild their team and add some needed leadership.

We can't forget about the Blue Jays. Honestly they are the team I am going to watch closely this winter. They will probably be one of MLB's most aggressive teams this winter, and they are rumored to be interested in a reunion. Happ had two prior stints with the Blue Jays and was an All-Star for them back in 2018. The Blue Jays already addressed one hold in their rotation by signing Robbie Ray but they are still looking for more to add behind ace Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Blue Jays gave us a run for our money last season, and they think Happ could do it again. I don't think the argument of "they are in the same division it will never happen" matters as much as it used to. I think anything is possible especially now in a pandemic world - I just don't think the Yankees would want to give him up unless the Blue Jays are willing to stupidly overpay for him.

So will Happ still be a Yankee next season? I really didn't think about before. I guess anything could happen, but it's hard to imagine unless the Yankees make some good pitching upgrades. 

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

WILL OWNERS OPEN THEIR WALLETS IN 2021?

And I am not talking about the weather, necessarily. Some of you have winter months coming and the snow will return. Well, it will return for most of you. For me, it is still hovering around 100 degrees in the middle of freaking October.

But geography aside, baseball doesn't count because winter is still coming. The World Series is coming, which means free agency is around the corner and early predictions are calling for.....a long and COLD winter that will hit the sport we love hard, maybe harder than ever before.

We are all sick of the pandemic. I never want to hear the words "Coronavirus" or "Covid 19" ever again....but it's still sticking around. Even if it isn't making you or I, or the players sick (knock on wood), it is sticking around and its side affects will still be around when the calendar flips to 2021.

The New York Daily News breaks it down the best. We already saw how much slower the last two winters were, but now as owners deal with their financial losses it means that players will also pay a hefty price. I'm sure Gerrit Cole is happy that he isn't a free agent this season because that $324 million deal may not happen a year later. Instead, now we wait and see what is in store for DJ LeMahieu.

If the Yankees move on from all free agents: Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and James Paxton, that’s about $52 million coming off the books. That's a lot of money but the Yankees are already predicting an estimated $200 million loss (or more) thanks to the pandemic shortened season with no fans. LeMahieu has certainly earned his big pay day, but as the Yankees try and cut payroll can they offer him enough money to get him back? And if the Yankees do get LeMahieu back, will that be the only significant move that the Yankees move?

I hope not, but owners are already setting the tone for the winter. We have to prepare for anything. This could be the strangest winter we have ever seen. There could be many free agents looking for a home and for those players entering arbitration - what does that look like after a short 60 game season? 

I don't know what to expect this winter. We will have to wait and see how the Yankees and baseball in general respond to the market. Let's just hope we can get fans in the stands again for 2021. We all miss it and we need it.

 I know things will be different moving forward, I just hope winter won't be as bad as predicted.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

 BYB Managing Editor

 Twitter: @nyprincessj

BOONE THE BONEHEAD!

The last thing I wanted to do was try and get too crafty against the Rays, and we've done just that. It's been a long time since I have been critical of Aaron Boone, but I can't think of a better time other than right now. I don't understand what Boone is doing AT ALL. I'm all for keeping our opponents on their toes but....I think he's lost his mind. This is an experiment that has gone terribly wrong.

We've had a lot of struggles against the Rays this season, so strategy was critical here....and Boone folded.

Game one was good, and it damn well should've been with Gerrit Cole on the mound. The Yankees did what they needed to do and we won. But...I'm still stuck on game two and game three was just bad.

Look, the Yankees complicated the situation in game two with Deivi Garcia. There was no reason to try and treat this like an "opener" situation that the Yankees have done before. It worked with Chad Green in the past but, we've already had challenges this season with the Rays....why complicate it?

Why not let Garcia go out there and pitch for longer and see what he had? If he tanked then sure, pull him but considering that the ALDS series has no planned off days, why not try and get some length out of your starters so the bullpen isn't overworked? The idea shouldn't change in the postseason.

But it did. I get it, Boone wanted J.A. Happ, the lefty out there to try and neutralize the Rays lefty heavy lineup. I understand the logic, but it didn't work and we didn't even give Garcia a chance to see if he could neutralize the Rays on his own. Boone pulled the trigger too fast....

And it backfired, terribly. Both Mike Zunino and Manuel Margot made Happ pay and then Austin Meadows hit a home run off of Jonathan Loaisiga. It was just a mess and Boone's pitching strategy just didn't work.

And last night I was really hoping for more out of Masahiro Tanaka. He is our proven and experienced postseason guy and he threw WAY too many sliders last night and the Rays just sat back and waited on it. Sure, Tanaka didn't pitch well but Boone also deserves some of the blame. As a manager he is responsible for making the decisions that put your team in winning scenarios. I really feel like he fails at this more often than not in the playoffs especially.

So now we are at a MUST WIN game four....or we sleep until spring again. Our fate lies in the hands of Boone and Jordan Montgomery and I don't feel so good about that. I still believe he can contribute to the Yankees but this hasn't been his year. He finished the regular season with a 5.11 ERA and his worst start came against the Rays on September 2nd. I hope he learned a lot from that appearance, because we need him now more than ever.  

I'm crossing every body part I have tonight, because I am not ready for the season to end. I'm ready to get Cole some backup because he needs it. I'm ready for the pitching to get their act together because Cole can't do it all, and I'm ready for Aaron Boone to stop being a BONEHEAD!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES NEED TO STEP IT UP IF THEY WANT A LONG POSTSEASON

If the Yankees want their postseason to last more than a few days, then they really need to step it up. The latest series against the Blue Jays has turned the team from the wild-card-round hosts to the wild-card-round visitors. This season has definitely been a rollercoaster ride with tons of highs and lows. However, ending on a low would not put the Yankees in a good spot to begin their postseason. 

“We obviously are going to have to play better if we’re going to advance in the postseason,” Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully [this] can springboard us into playing some clean baseball this weekend. Hopefully, get the bats going a little bit and head into the postseason.”

Another postseason concern for the Yankees would be playing most of it away from their home. It is proven the Yankees play better in Yankee Stadium, so it is a concern for the players.

“We always seem to play well at home and obviously on the road is a little more of a challenge. Playing on the road and then heading out to the West Coast hopefully [for the American League Division Series and Championship Series, it’s] definitely something we have to turn the page and try to block out. Play our best baseball no matter where we’re at,” said Brett Gardner. 

The Yankees are good enough to win and we as fans know that. However, there are a few Yankees that need to step it up for their team if they want to make it past the wildcard. 

To start off, Aaron Boone needs to get his team back into shape. They went from a 10-0 stretch of games back to the sloppiness that made us nervous to see. Boone needs to light a spark under the butts of the players and get them driven to finish off the season strong. 

Aaron Judge has hit .185 since returning from the IL with 10 strikeouts. He has not hit a home run, and only driven in one run. This is not the Judge we know and love. With only three games left in the regular season, it would be nice to see him show some resemblance of his former self. 

J.A. Happ seems most likely to pitch Game 3 of the Wild Card round for the Yankees...if they make it that far. After a rough start to the season, Happ got it together and has a 1.93 ERA in six starts. If he can continue staying hot, it could be really great for the team. Hopefully, with his past postseason experience, Happ can make it happen. 

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke

THAT'S 2020 BABY!

“That’s 2020, baby,” as Yankees Manager Aaron Boone has often said throughout the year. Now with just a few more games to go in this coronavirus shortened season, the Yankees face the postseason straight in the eyes. Will 2020 be good to the Yankees who were favorites heading into 2020? Let's take a look at their chances.

“Obviously it’s a little bit different because of no crowd, but in a lot of ways teams are built for their home ballpark,” said Boone, whose batting lineup is adept at taking advantage of the closer wall in right field in the Bronx," reported the New York Times. 

Source: David Butler Ii/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

The Yankees will be in one of the MLB Playoff bubbles with their fate of who they will face to be determined. The lack of time in between games will certainly impact pitching and the amount of rest the position players will receive. This may be too taxing on the Bombers who have been ridden with injuries again this season.

Source: USA Today

Yet on the bright side of things, Luke Voit and DJ LeMahieu have carried this team throughout the month of September, making the absence of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton more bearable. In addition, the starting pitching of J.A. Happ, Masahiro Tanaka and Gerrit Cole have also made an impression on this team and their ability to fight off competing offense. 

The Yankees need have the right mindset to go in and take games from opponents, create fear and dominance at the plate and be at their best to fend off any team. "Now we are getting back to being the Bronx Bombers and I don't think anyone wants to play us in the playoffs," said Luke Voit. Adam Ottavino shared this sentiment about clinching a playoff spot this weekend, "Just get your foot in the door and go from there." All the right kinds of statements the Yankees need coupled with staying healthy and focused on winning. 

Could 2020 be the year for the Yankees who have not won a World Series since 2009? They will have to get passed their AL archenemy the Tampa Bay Rays to get there. Let's hope they have enough muscle to get there and Boone's "That's 2020, baby!" will hold even more meaning for the Yankees.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

DELLIN BETANCES LEADS YANKEES TO WALK OFF WIN!

Source: Corey Sipkin, New York Post

I have never been so disappointed in a performance in my life. Friday's double header against cross town rival Mets was something to forget.  Between the injuries and replacement players I actually forgot who was playing the Mets. If it was not for some of the heroic efforts of Luke Voit and Clint Frazier, I would be completely devastated.  Saturday's game could have gone the same way; down the tubes for the Bombers. Yet, a beautiful disaster exercised by former Yankee now Met reliever, Dellin Betances gave the Yankees the walk off and end of a seven day losing streak the injured plagued Yankees needed.

"Betances walked Frazier to start the ninth, struck out Brett Gardner looking and gave up a soft single to Jordy Mercer that put runners at the corners for Kratz. At 0-1, Kratz showed bunt on his own and Betances’ pitch was too high for Ramos to handle as Frazier scored," reported the New York Post. Betances lack of control and inability to hold runners set up the perfect storm for the Yankees whose bats could not give their starter JA Happ a win.

Source: Associated Press

"Happ, meanwhile, was excellent. The left-hander has publicly called out the Yankees, accusing them of skipping his starts in an attempt to avoid his vesting option of $17 million from kicking in next season. Asked about the situation — and Happ’s accusations — before the game, GM Brian Cashman stated Happ has not pitched well this season or in 2019. Happ responded with 7 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in the 90-pitch outing," reported the New York Post. 

Source: YES Network

Distractions like contract extensions cause teams to pull apart. And with the injuries overwhelming this team once again, worrying about money when there is a season to play is just not considerate. If Happ is missing starts it's because the Yankees are trying to win and put the best team on the field every time. Happ's performance, outside of Saturday's, has left much to be desired. Ironically, the same reason the Yankees shipped off today's "winning" pitcher, Betances, out of the Bronx; Lackluster and focused on money. 

A win is a win and the Yankees got one, to break a losing streak that was quickly becoming one of the worst in 50 years. The Yankees need to focus on one thing: winning. Any other distraction will lose them more ball games, which in this sprint of a season, is just not welcomed. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

HAPP ISN'T HAPPY & I DON'T CARE!

The Yankees have a lot of drama right now, and I'm not just talking about the division race. That's frustrating right now, but so is a newer feud that is brewing now between the Yankees and J.A. Happ.

So what's the deal? Basically, Happ isn't Happy about how he is being used this season, read more HERE.
Happ has been skipped in the rotation, most recently after the postponement  of the Yankees-Mets Subway Series and he's unhappy with how often he is pitching because it will directly effect how much money he makes. Happ has a $17 million vesting option for next season if he makes 10 starts or pitches 61 1/3 innings which is the prorated amount due to the pandemic shortened season.

At this rate, he isn't getting to that benchmark. Happ has made three appearances, pitched 12.2 innings and has a 6.39 ERA. The media has asked him if he thinks his lack of work is related to his vesting option....and this is what he said:

“You guys [in the media] are pretty smart. It doesn’t take too much to figure out, sort of, what could be going on.”

He's frustrated and that's understandable. But the SMART observation here also is the fact that he's just not getting the job done. I know he would rather have $17 million rather than the $6.3 million he will make if the option does not vest but to get the extra money....you have to earn that, and he hasn't.

After we picked Happ up at the 2018 trade deadline he made 11 starts and impressed everyone. That's what got him a $48 million contract after, but he hasn't been productive since. He pitched to a 4.91 ERA last year and so far this year he's been worse. He got off to a bad start and was embarrassed by the Phillies and the Orioles early in the season. He did look much better in his last outing against the Red Sox, but it's hard to get excited about that outing because the Red Sox offense sucks and even then he was still pulled after 5 2/3 innings and 75 pitches.

The story here isn't that the Yankees are purposely trying to save money by not allowing Happ to pitch, that's crazy. The story here is the Yankees have a very unfavorable schedule right now and will play 20 games in 17 games starting tomorrow! The Yankees NEED Happ to pitch right now and Aaron Boone will probably be forced to give him a start on Saturday....but the problem is they NEED him to pitch more than they WANT him to pitch. 

So I agree with Happ....we need another guy to pitch every five days besides Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka. We need someone to step up and perform on this incredibly difficult schedule going forward and we all would like him to pitch every five days but the problem is it is hard to justify giving him that opportunity instead of someone else.

Sorry Happ, we can't trust you to pitch every five days right now. I wish it were different, but if you want to pitch you need to show us that you can still be trusted to pitch and help us win games. If you pitch well, you play more games and you earn more money. It's that simple.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES OPTION FOR MONTGOMERY IS ALL ABOUT STRATEGY!

I'm not worried about the Jordan Montgomery move at all....and neither should you. It's not a shocking move, actually. This is nothing but a strategy move, and it says nothing about how the Yankees feel about Montgomery. Monty is absolutely part of the Yankees plans THIS season. This isn't a demotion, it's just smart strategy.

There's no reason to panic here, and I won't even call this a demotion because it is not. It's just a strategy and MLB.com explained it best, "The move to option Montgomery stemmed from the club's decision not to use a fifth starter during the first turn through the rotation. It is expected that Montgomery will be recalled prior to the Yanks' sixth game of the season, the July 29 home opener against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium."

Simply put, the Yankees don't need him right away. Due to the off day on Friday they won't need Monty until game 6 (as MLB.com mentioned). The Yankees have an off day tomorrow, so there is no real need for a fifth starter until a second time through the rotation. We have expanded rosters for the first few weeks, there is no point clogging it with a starter that isn't going to pitch right away. It makes sense to carry the extra bullpen arm right now.

Aaron Boone has hinted at doing a bullpen game and starting with Mike King, or someone else. It's not a surprise, we saw it work well last season with Chad Green and because of that the Yankees have confidence in this strategy. King also pitched well against the Mets this weekend. Boone has had success with it, so there's no reason to believe it can't be done again, especially after a good summer camp. It's also not a bad idea to have an extra reliever at the beginning of the season.

The Yankees also want to play it safe with Monty. He's coming back from Tommy John and missed a lot of time. There's no reason to push him too much when the Yankees have additional arms that they can use for the first couple weeks. Monty will be close by in Scranton, and will likely get additional tune-up work and maybe even a simulated game and if MLB.com is right about starting in Philly, we won't miss him for long.

The Yankees can take their time with Monty, he has options and they can send him to their alternate site for a short time and if it is just for a short time it won't even affect his service time. It's a win-win for both the Yankees and a player coming back from injury. They can't take this same approach with say J.A. Happ. The Yankees were always going to use him because they can't send him down. Looking at the starting rotation, if the Yankees were going to make this temporary adjustment then Monty is the right choice.

The Yankees know what they are doing. This isn't about Monty not earning his spot on the team. He has and he knows it. Monty is the Yankees fifth starter, just not for opening week and that's not a big problem. This isn't a demotion at all, so we shouldn't call it one. The Yankees have an expanded roster, numbers say he fits but not for week one when the Yankees don't need an extra starter. We will see Monty soon....in fact, I will even bet money on it!

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES PLAYERS WILL HAVE TO TAKE A PAYCUT TO PLAY AGAIN

Before COVID-19 hit, the Yankees were set to dominate the 2020 season as one of the favorites to make it to the World Series. Now we don't know when baseball is going to start or if it will ever start. We just know that there are plans being put in place to try and make it happen.

The MLB and the MLBPA have put together a 67-page health proposal that covers limiting the number of players in a dugout to no spitting being allowed. Another issue being faced is pay cuts.

Everyone involved with baseball is losing money this season: owners, players, businesses, employees, etc... This is turning out to be hard to negotiate as players and owners can't agree on what they should get paid. I can understand wanting to get paid for your job, but most of these players would still be getting millions of dollars for only playing a part of the season.

Here are what the players would make after the pay cut:

• Gerrit Cole would go from making $36M to $8M
• Giancarlo Stanton: $26M to $6M
• Masahiro Tanaka: $23M to $5.5M
• JA Happ: $17M to $4.5M
• Aroldis Chapman: $16M to $4.25M
• Zack Britton: $13M to $3.5M
• DJ LeMahieu: $12M to $3.4M
• Aaron Hicks: $10.7M
• Luis Severino: $10.5M to $3M
• Brett Gardner: $10M to $2.95M
• Adam Ottavino: $8.8M to $2.7M
• Aaron Judge: $8.5M to $2.5M
• Gary Sanchez: $5M to $1.64M

These players will be making less than a quarter on their original agreement, yet are only playing on a proposed 82 game slate. On the other hand, these players are now risking a lot more. They are risking getting sick and have to stay away from their families in order to play. Players are most likely going to get the virus between being in the clubhouse, buses, and planes where social distancing will be difficult.

The league has already determined that if a player does test positive, they will not shut down the team unless it is a larger percentage of the team that also test positive. The player will then be allowed to rejoin the team after testing negative twice in a 24-hour period, rather than quarantining for 2 weeks.

What do you think? Is the pay cut fair with of the risk of COVID?

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

THE YANKEES ARE THE BIGGEST BENEFICIARIES OF PROPOSED BASEBALL REALIGNMENT

Source: USA Today

I am as happy as you are with this headline.  You had me at Yankees are the biggest beneficiaries!  Yes, believe it or not, the Yankees are topping the ten teams in the new Eastern Division in early projections. Their closest kins are the Washington Nationals, which gave the Bombers a tough time last season.  The projected Yankees success boils down to three main reasons: 1. Starting Pitching; 2. Mashing Lineup and 3. Bottom Feeding Teams.

Let's start with Starting Pitching.  Yes, Starting pitching is a strength of the 2020 Yankees, headlined by the biggest free-agent signing of all time.  According to the Washington Post, "Gerrit Cole, their new ace, is expected to be the most valuable pitcher in baseball per FanGraphs’ calculation of wins above replacement. Cole will join a starting five that should also include Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery. Only the Nationals, also in the division, are projected to have a better starting rotation." Despite losing Luis Severino to Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are primed to take down teams with their starting rotation.  If everyone stays healthy and sharp, there will be a number of great pitching duels in the newly aligned Division.

Source: N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

A Mashing Lineup.  I kinda like the way that sounds.  Even without Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, the Yankees have performed well above average with their "second string." But now that second string is the first string and after a banging season that saw guys like Brett Gardner having the season of his career, they are just getting warmed up.  "Second baseman DJ LeMahieu, shortstop Gleyber Torres, catcher Gary Sánchez, outfielder Brett Gardner, first baseman Luke Voit and third baseman Gio Urshela round out a lineup expected to be among baseball’s best," reported the Washington Post. Recall that this lineup contributed to the 306 home runs last season, one shy of best in baseball posted by the Minnesota Twins.

Lastly, with the realignment brings a number of lower-level, sub .500 teams in the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Yankees could easily top the Division if all goes well as long as they can hold off nuisance teams like Tampa Bay and maybe even the New York Mets.

With the season still a question mark, it is exciting to at least see some plans come together, particularly those that give the Yankees a favorable chance to win. Considered part of the home park proposal, the Eastern Division could prove to provide just enough competitive action to keep the Yankees sharp while giving them the advantage they need to top the Division and take the road toward the World Series.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof