WE'RE NOT DONE YANKEE FANS! GET READY FOR MORE!

Okay, so I feel a little bit better about our roster now then I did before the holiday weekend. We got DJ LeMahieu back, and we added needed depth with Corey Kluber but we can't be done yet. Luxury tax aside, if the Yankees want the best chance to get back to the World Series we still have more work to do.

Now that we have DJ back we can all breathe a sigh of relief but now we need to more pitching depth. Kluber was just the start. The Yankees can't call it an offseason without adding more starting pitching. Once the season opens we already know Kluber and Gerrit Cole are penciled into the rotation and then we have some combination of Jordan Montgomery, Deivi Garcia and Domingo German who we haven't seen since 2019. It seems unlikely that the Yankees rotation will feature all of those names for Opening Day, and I'm not sure it should. 

I said the Yankees weren't done yet, because I think they will add another starter for some insurance especially since Luis Severino won't be back until summer. They could look at trades, but I think they will look at a free agent instead. There aren't a lot of attractive names out there but the Yankees should consider Jake Odorizzi.

It may sound a little crazy but I wonder what it would take to convince Odorizzi to sign a short term deal. I don't think he is going to get the kind of multi-year deal he wants. Maybe it is an opportunity to prove he's healthy and he can rebuild his value. At 30 I would give him a chance. I don't know what it would take to convince him, maybe $8-10 million a year? It's worth a look.

I just don't see the Yankees being done yet. I think the Yankees need another starter and still some bullpen help. If the Yankees aren't going to consider James Paxton or Masahiro Tanaka, it's worth a call. It definitely can't hurt.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

GOT DJ, NOW WHAT?

I was as relieved as you when word came through that the Yankees finally signed DJ LeMahieu on Friday.  Text messages came in as early as 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning and they all lauded the much needed move by the Yankees. But now what? How will signing LeMahieu and now Corey Kluber set up the Yankees for the success? What else do they need to do to position them to not only win the AL East but the World Series in 2021?

Source: The New York Times

According to CBS Sports, "Hypothetically, the Yankees could spend around $25 million and avoid that additional surtax. If they wanted to save around $10 million, for in-season additions and as a general rainy-day fund, then that number is closer to $15 million. The Yankees, then, could fit another Kluber-like deal into their budget with room to spare."

Who is that Kluber-like pitcher for the Yankees? Well it's not Masahiro Tanaka unless he is going to take pay cut which is not likely. It could be James Paxton but I know I am a little sick of his lackluster performance, but maybe the Yankees take another chance on him.

Source: Pittsburgh Gazette

"On the trade front, the most realistic option is Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove. The Yankees have reportedly also had past interest in Musgrove's teammate Jameson Taillon. Beyond them, the Yankees may have to gamble on someone without a great track record, like Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Vincent Velasquez," reported CBS Sports. Who do Bombers give up for one of these pitchers? Depends. Could be some built around Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar and even Mike Tauchman. 

Source: Corey Sipkin

As far as other free agents whose salary would be inline with the Yankees' budget, you could go with "Adam Wainwright, Jake Odorizzi, Taijuan Walker, Jose Quintana or Trevor Cahill," reports CBS Sports. I am in alignment with Joel Sherman that if the Yankees are going to stay under the luxury tax, they will have to get creative. And I will give Brian Cashman credit for being creative in his role as GM. 

So we got DJ, we got Kluber, what's next for the Yankees? We will soon see and hopefully whoever else the team adds, it will be more than enough to get over the World Series drought and then some. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

HAL STEINBRENNER: WE ALREADY HAVE A "VERY GOOD" ROTATION FOR 2020

I can appreciate a good poker face, it is definitely an art. I've said that Brian Cashman has a good one. Question is....what about Hal Steinbrenner? I'm not so sure. He's had a lot to say recently. Question is, should we take him at face value or is he just trying to trick everyone else?

Starting pitching has been a major topic for a long time now. Some of us are more passionate about it compared to others. Some may think we won't win without more "top of the rotation" guys. Even if you don't think we NEED an ace pitcher, we can all admit it would be nice to have one. Good pitching is key to winning championships right?

Right. Hal knows that, but does he think we already have what we need for next season? Read HERE and see if Hal has you convinced, too.

"If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time." Steinbrenner said. "We will have both Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery back. We now know that Domingo German can pitch effectively at this level.  And we know James Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, Jonathan Loaisiga, and perhaps Deivi Garcia at some point. A very good rotation."

But is it good enough? We can't really count on Garcia yet, he didn't even get a September call-up when rosters expanded. It's good to have Jordan Montgomery as an option now, but can he bounce back and be that reliable guy? And Happ fell apart. The guy we saw in 2018 didn't come back and was moved to a reliever role for the postseason. We have a collection of arms, but is it the right collection of arms?

I don't buy it. This winter will have some of the best free agent pitchers we have seen in YEARS. I'm not talking just starters, but also relievers. There is some grade A talent out there and the Yankees are ready to make a splash. Passing on Manny Machado was no coincidence last winter, even if some of us didn't want to see it at the time. I really don't see the Yankees just sitting back and watching other teams make upgrades. Even if the Yankees aren't willing to spend on Gerrit Cole, they have guys like Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner and Jake Odorizzi out there. There are some guys out there that would make this pitching staff even stronger.

Hal isn't saying he's ready to make a move, but let's be real.....this free agent market is too good to pass up, see the full list HERE. They aren't going to sit back and watch good arms just go off of the market and rely on Happ to have a magical bounce-back season.

I' not going to worry about what Hal said. The Yankees missed out on pitching last winter and at the trade deadline, it's hard for me to believe they will miss out again.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @NYPrincessj

TWINS HAVE "TRICKS" FOR YANKEES IN GAME THREE

Maybe you are laughing like I am right now. I know Halloween is coming up because let's be realistic here, whatever "tricks" the Twins have planned for the Yankees aren't going to "treat" the Twins to a guaranteed game three victory. Can you smell the desperation?

"We've talked about him adding some -not getting too specific- but some tricks. Some things he hasn't really done a ton in the past."

THIS is what desperation sounds like, courtesy of Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. I guess a do-or-die game three is as good of a time as any to experiment with tricks. I wonder if it will be like a Moneyball type of approach but that didn't work well for the Oakland A's. Or maybe Jake Odorizzi will literally try to pull of a magic trick on the mound. Maybe he will create a new pitch. Who knows.....but it sure sounds funny.

I'm not trying to take anything away from the Twins, they had a great regular season and they are a much better team then the Yankees have seen in years. It's just funny to hear the Twins talk about pulling out "tricks" in a possible elimination game after they were so confident that they were going to "slay the dragon" and finally beat the Yankees. I don't see that working against Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius or DJ LeMahieu. This team is dialed in right now, they need more than just "tricks" to beat the Yankees.

I'm not sure what "tricks" they could really be thinking about here. Maybe Odorizzi will rely on his off-speed pitches and stay away from fastballs because the Yankees have proven to be good fastball hitters. Either way, Baldelli says "Jake has the answers to anything that he’s going to see out there" but hopefully he has no answers for the Yankees offense. Tricks are for kids, not for champions.

Let the Twins pull out everything in their bag of tricks, it's funny but you have to admire them for not going down without a fight. Their fight just happens to involve tricks. As long as the Yankees continue to play good baseball then no trick is going to keep them from advancing to the ALCS.

Slay the dragon has turned into tricks now....but whatever. Game on.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE TWINS!

"There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent." -Lao Tzu

History is just that....history. I know we are all excited about postseason baseball. It's nice that we are finally division champs again. It's been a long time. It may be nice to face the very familiar Twins to start the postseason, but some people are too complacent. Confidence is good, but like ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, never underestimate your opponent.

The Yankees have a long successful history against the Twins....but that's all it is, history. It doesn't matter anymore. I've heard a lot of people talk about THESE stats:

2003 ALDS: Yankees win series 3-1
2004 ALDS: Yankees win series 3-1
2009 ALDS: Yankees win series 3-0
2010 ALDS: Yankees win series 3-0

2017 AL Wild Card Game: Yankees win eventually, but the Twins did jump out to an early 3-0 lead.
*The last time the Twins beat the Yankees in a postseason game was 15 years ago on October 5, 2004 and the Yankees have gone 10-0 against Minnesota in October since then.

Those are all nice historical facts, they are nice confidence builders. The Yankees have success against the Twins but they are a good team too. These aren't the same TWINKIES anymore. They hit home runs like the Yankees do, in fact hit one more than we did for the season. The Yankees and Twins match up on paper in many ways. Not only do they hit home runs, they have a good bullpen, they have the same concerns with their starting rotation as we do AND they are banged up just like we are.

This is going to be a battle of two very evenly matched teams, it's not going to be a walk in the park for either team. The Yankees won the regular season series with a 4-2 record and both teams hit a ton of home runs this season, so we shouldn't expect the ALDS to be any different. The Yankees will have to be strategic pitching against Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver all of these guys hit over 30 home runs whereas the Yankees only had Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez hit more than 30.

The pitching is going to be key here. The Yankees have a strategy in mind for the first three games even if we don't know it yet. I wonder if the Twins rely more on an opener after Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi. The Yankees need to win games one and two at home, it takes off a little bit of the pressure. This will probably be a tighter series than some think it will be. Tight games will be decided by pitching mistakes, and both teams know how to hit dingers. The Yankees have been hurt this season by home run mistakes, so hopefully we don't make many of them and are able to overcome them.

The start of the postseason isn't going to be easy for the Yankees just because we have a consistent record against the Twins in the past. The Twins are hungry, just like we are. Remember, they are ready to "slay the dragon" so we have to show them what happens when they poke this dragon. We have to be hungrier and live in the present, not the past.

If we are hungrier and play better baseball, then we win. Simple as that. Stay hungry, Yankees.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

A VERY EARLY LOOK AT THE YANKEES BIGGEST NEED

Pitching, of course.

Summer is coming to an end soon. Labor Day has come and gone. Pumpkin spice is everywhere. A co-worker of mine from Montana said her hometown got their first dusting of snow yesterday, it will be the first in a VERY long fall and winter season. So soon the postseason will be here and then it will be gone. Hopefully it ends with a Yankees championship but no matter what free agency will be here soon after.

So I am already looking at potential Yankee targets. The Yankees need more starters and we all know this. Question is, did Yankee brass learn a valuable lesson after not signing Patrick Corbin? Time will tell. Lucky for us, there is a pretty good free agent market to look forward to.

1. Jake Odorizzi

The Yankees checked in on Odorizzi in the past but after 8 years in the majors he's had a breakout year. Odorizzi made his first All-Star team this year and has a 3.60 ERA through 147.1 innings. He will be thirty in march and could get a big contract if he ends the second half strong, and does well in the postseason. He could be a good middle of the order guy for the Yankees.

2. Zack Wheeler

I really don't want to even think about this name but...the Yankees were tied to him just before the trade deadline read more HERE. He hasn't handled pressure well in Queens and it seems questionable that the Mets would even extend a qualifying offer according to reports before the trade deadline. I don't see Wheeler as an upgrade but maybe the Yankees see some potential there somewhere. I'd be okay passing.

3. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Ryu has spent all 6 years of his MLB career with the Dodgers. He has a crazy 2.45 ERA which as good as that is, his ERA was lower earlier in the season. He's stumbled recently and even had one bad outing against the Yankees. He has the talent, but this is his first season pitching more than 150 innings since 2014 and at 32 years old his injury history is something to consider. Thankfully none of his injuries have involved his arm or his shoulder. The Yankees should be cautious when considering contract length if they want to make a run at him. 

4. Madison Bumgarner

No secret here, the Yankees have been connected to Bumgarner for a long time. We know what he is capable of. We know what he can do in the postseason and that experience is invaluable. That could be a huge asset to the Yankees for years to come if he stays healthy and consistent. Those are big "IFs" but any team will give him consideration this season. Question is how interested are the Yankees and how interested should they be?

5. Stephen Strasburg

This could be a bit of a wild card but rumor is Strasburg is considering an opt-out of his contract after this season, read more HERE. He could opt out for more leverage in getting a bigger deal, we've seen that before. The 16-6 record and 3.50 ERA could help bring him a bigger payday. 

6. Gerrit Cole

The Yankees have been chasing Cole since they drafted him back in 2008. His 16-5, 2.73 ERA and 281 strikeout this season make him a priority for every major league team, especially the Yankees. He's an ace on a stacked Astros rotation and would definitely be the same for the Yankees. He's durable, he's dominant and going to get a big payday. Hopefully it is the Yankees that finally get him they've been chasing after him forever. I love the idea of him in a Yankees uniform.

The Yankees passed on Patrick Corbin over the winter, but with a more attractive free agent class coming this winter I doubt they pass on pitching again. Who would you like to see the Yankees sign?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES HAVE 'CHECKED IN' ON THIS PITCHER...

WILL VRAGOVIC | Tampa Bay Times

And no one saw it coming... except for Ken Rosenthal of course. The Athletic writes that the Yankees have looked into the possibility of adding Tampa Bay Rays righty Jake Odorizzi. OK then.

"The intentions of the New York Yankees, who have checked in on Odorizzi at various points, are less clear. The Yankees’ rotation seemingly is set with Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Gray, CC Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery. But the team has been trying to trade center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to clear money for other pursuits, including a possible run at Darvish...

Photo: Tampa Bay Times

Odorizzi finished with a 4.14 ERA and allowed 30 home runs in 143 1/3 innings last season, missing time from July 26 to Aug. 9 due to a lower back strain but producing a 1.72 ERA in his final six starts."

There's not a lot there, but what is there is the Yankees continued intent to try and get an extra arm in that Yankee rotation that is not overly expensive, BUT still reliable.

We will have to see what happens here, but it's an interesting nugget, and you know I love nuggets.

THE YANKEES & FINDING THEIR WAY TO THE FINISH

My recaps are the same every single night.  Either I'm telling you the Yankees lost because there is absolutely no run support, or they won a game and I'm suspicious of being too excited about it.  I'm a Yankee fan in purgatory and it's killing me.  The passion isn't there ladies and gentlemen, and for the first time in my life, I'm being honest about the rooting situation and Yankees inconsistency.  Does it make me a bad fan? Nope. It does however make me cautious.

Look, you and I and millions of other Yankee fans had the perfect 2014 scenario in our heads back in March.  We win the championship in Derek Jeter's last year.  I mean, it's supposed to happen that way... right? On paper, we're the killer team that can beat anyone.  In reality... we're not that team.  Tonight however, the mighty New York Yankees are finding their way to the finish... somehow... some way.

We won a game. Shockingly, Mark Teixeira ran his nuts off and got a go ahead triple hustling.  Don't worry, he probably strained something.  Give a tip of the cap though, he went balls out tonight.   Mike O'Hara, did you catch it?

As Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes:

"Down by four runs after Chris Capuano managed to record only one out in the first inning, the Yankees struck back for six unanswered runs against Tampa Bay starter Jake Odorizzi, chasing the right-hander in the fifth."

Life is good when the Yankees are able to score.  Not only that, have you noticed Brian McCann is actually hitting lately? He cranked out his 18th tonight.    But I'm getting ahead of myself. See? One Yankee win and I'm getting all giddy and I need to control it.  You know the Yankees... they build you up one night, just to rip your heart out the next... That's the motto of 2014.

Anyway... first off, Chris Capuano started and literally shit the bed tonight.  0.1 innings pitched, he gave up 4 runs and 4 hits.  He was followed by 5 pitchers.  Chase Whitley being one of them and he did his job after Cap, going 2.2 innings and giving up only 1 hit.  Preston Claiborne and Adam Warren looked good as well.  Then the boys,  Dellin Betances and Esmil Rogers were able to shut down the Rays.

The Yankee run scoring went like this:

McCann hit his solo shot in the first.  In the 3rd, McCann singled driving in 2. In the 4th, Chris Young homered.  In the 5th, Tex legged out a triple and McCann scored.  Shortly after, Chase Headley knocked in Tex.

In the bottom of the 8th, Ichiro doubled and Headley scored.  Then, Chris Young doubled and Ichiro was able to score. Those are your 8.  EIGHT RUNS!

Life is good when the Yankees win.  But, there's one important part of this puzzle... come closer... closer...
WE NEED TO WIN ALL OF THE GAMES THE REST OF THIS SEASON AT THIS POINT!

Final: Yankees 8 - Rays 5

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KANSAS CITY ROYALS TRADE FOR SHIELDS IS "BIG"

The Royals have wanted and needed pitching for a while now and finally, they got some.  The Tampa Bay Rays have traded James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals for top prospect outfielder Wil Myers, Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi and Patrick Leonard.  Read about it more HERE. No one in Kansas City wanted to see Myers go, but you need to give something to get something sometimes.

Hey look, it's baseball and this move is good for baseball, it helps make the Royals competitive.  The Rays will be fine but with everything going on right now in the American League East, you have to wonder if the Rays pitching can handle the powerful Blue Jays and Orioles... maybe even the Red Sox in 2013.

Congrats to the Kansas City Royals... I always liked Shields, he's a competitor.

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