THE FOOLS OF QUEENS

The Mets are ridiculous. Who the hell is driving the bus over there in Queens? They are morons.

I was trying to figure out the reason why a team would want a 36 year old, broken down, PEDs using, second baseman that can now only play first base in Robinson Cano... and you know what? The only reason is because he's a name and a team is desperate.

The Mets are the freaking dumbest team in baseball. I hope this goes through. 5 more Cano years to mock them.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) November 30, 2018

I'm utterly shocked that the Mets would torment themselves with a player like Robinson Cano.  I'm not sure why they'd continue to beat themselves up and pay out more money to this aging star with barely anything left in the tank.

It's like signing Jason Bay after he was good... it's over and now you have to pay for it.  Hey, I wonder if they'd take Jacoby Ellsbury too? They'll never learn.

Look, the deal is "close" as I've been reading.  Maybe they are trying to get the Mariners to pay for Cano, or at least a chunk of it.  But what a disaster.  Jeff Passan tweeted this:

The blockbuster trade that would send Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz to the New York Mets for Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak and at least two top prospects is expected to be completed by Friday, league sources familiar with the deal tell Yahoo Sports.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 30, 2018

That's really the latest. And let's keep it real, this is not a "blockbuster".  Passan is being kind. This is an exchange of a bunch of broken down players.  The big get will be the prospects.

The Mariners will win in this trade.

The Mets are fools.  That is all.


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DUMB & LONELY IN SEATTLE

Money doesn't buy happiness. You don't believe me? Ask millionaire Robinson Cano, the guy with talent and money and nothing much else in Seattle.  Every Yankee fan called it when he signed his mega deal with the Mariners.  It's typical selfishness when it comes to free agency...Greed heads go for the money and never think anything through. It was crystal clear to you and I and thousands of other Yankee fans who were called "losers" when we bad mouthed Cano for darting for the money.  Well... now there is rapid speculation "Cano's no longer happy in Seattle" and "Cano is sad about his time with the Mariners."  Here's the thing, that speculation was predicted last season.  We all knew the it was a dumb deal.  We all knew 10 years was a long time, and I for one suggested then that that deal with Cano and the Mariners wasn't about Cano at all... he was just the puppet. It was about Jay-Z making a major deal for his Sports agency.  Read OH, I GET IT. THIS IS ABOUT JAY-Z, NOT CANO. That was from last November 2013. I wrote then:

"Over the past 48 hours, this “Deal” that Robinson Cano wants, isn’t about Robinson Cano at all in my opinion.  This is about brand new Sports Agent Jay-Z trying to make a name for himself. Not as a rap mogul or fashion designer or entrepreneur. No... he's done that already. This is about Jay-Z making a huge splash as a Sports Agent."

Cano was massaged and fell for it, not realizing it at the time, but he is now and it may be too late.

Yup, I just went for the throat; he's dumb and he's all alone in Seattle.  Seattle had a plan, to "bring a championship" to Seattle.  A Championship? Really? Cano's no Ken Griffey Jr.  Let's get that straight.  1 man does not a championship make... and Cano is not that franchise player.  He wasn't in New York and he sure as hell isn't out West.  I have to laugh because if he wanted to be "top dog", he could have been in New York. All he needed to do was sign a modest contract, stick around till Jeter retired and he'd be the guy.  We all saw that... not Cano though.

Now look, I can't pinpoint the speculation that Cano is truly unhappy in Seattle. I can tell by his body language.  He doesn't look like he wants to be there.  Then again, the guy never hustled, so he never looks like he even cares about baseball. But I've noticed the guy seems uninterested, especially the last 2 games we've played them.  Plus, couple that with a BronxPinstripes.com report that says this:

"Sources, including Michael Kay on his radio show on Monday, are speculating that Cano, just a year and a few months into his mega contract with the M’s, is unhappy in Seattle. The reasons include the lack of a Dominican population in Seattle, which is about as far away from the DR as you can get in the continental US. Because of their remote location the Mariners have longer travel than any team in the league (their closest road trip is still 2 hours by plane)..."

Now take that speculation with a grain of salt.  There is not 1 major publication reporting that story, just Bronx Pinstripes. Again, it's speculation from them. But wait... there's more...

The New York Post has a great nugget suggesting that maybe being is Seattle is "Jason Bay-ing" Cano. Interesting:

"'He’s a proud guy and when things got off a little slow for him, it’s easy to press, even out here in Seattle,’ Mariners hitting coach and ex-Met Howard Johnson said before the Yankees crushed Felix Hernandez and the Mariners, 7-2, Monday night at Safeco Field.

Hojo believes Cano can use the entire field a bit more, the mindset Cano had his first year as a Mariner. Sometimes, he said, hitters get a little pull conscious.

'I think when you are used to hitting the ball out of the ballpark, you had the same thing with Jason Bay in New York,' Johnson said. 'Guys want to hit the ball out, they got numbers and stuff, people expect that and the human-nature side, you start to try to go for that as opposed to doing the things you did when you were successful: That’s be a good hitter first and home runs will come later.’

 Bay was a disaster with the Mets."

Whatever it is, the piling on has started.  Yankee fans are either smiling because of Cano's failures or feeling bad for him.  Me? I never hated Robinson Cano. But I don't like the greed aspect of the game and it's been going on forever.  Sure, I'm picking on Robbie alittle bit, but I'm trying to make a point here. Money doesn't always buy you happiness, and while Kevin Kernan of the Post writes in fairness that "...Cano has no second thoughts. He insists he made the right decision to come to the Mariners last year,"  I'm not buying it.  If you can't play well, it will get to a player. You not only start to beat yourself up, you start to blame everything around you.

Robinson Cano is NOT a .246 hitter... but he may be now and if that's the case... have a fun 9 more years in Seattle.

Hey, that's my take anyway.

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THE MINAYA HORROR SHOW

It’s October, which means if you’re team isn’t in the playoffs, it’s making big moves off the field. After a disappointing 2014 campaign which saw the Yanks end 12 games back of the Baltimore Orioles, a big move is certainly needed to get the mojo back in the Bronx.

Though many BYB fans would have loved to have seen the door hit Cashman on the way out, one name seems to be circulating to help with their scouting in Latin America... and he isn't actually the extra help we we looking for.  He could be described an actual downgrade. That name is Omar Minaya. If you aren’t familiar, Minaya was the GM of the Mets from 2004 to 2010.

His tenure with the club was a mixed bag—though Minaya was given ample cash to sign big talent like Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, and Carlos Beltran to the Mets roster, he also was criticized for depleting the Mets farm system and had some notable busts—as in the case of the $66 million outfielder Jason Bay, who left the lineup in his first season after a getting a concussion and never returned.

The most important metric though, is winning when it counts and bringing home the championship. And that is something the Mets were unable to accomplish under Minaya. After taking the team to within one game of the World Series in 2006, the Mets blew late season leads in the NL East and missed the playoffs in the years following their NLCS appearance.

Catcher Paul LoDuca, who played for the Mets in 2006 and 2007, did not have kind words to say about Minaya in a recent radio interview on WFAN stating, “The guy was an idiot. And he ended up making the franchise go backwards. Where the Mets have always made the mistake is they’ve always settled for mediocrity.”

After this season, one thing is clear—the Yankees do not need to be striving for mediocrity or moving backwards. Minaya’s reign at the Mets may not have been as awful as some make it out to be, but that doesn’t make him a fit for any solid position with the Yankees... scouting in Latin America included. The Yanks need proven winners, and the former Met just doesn’t seem to fit the bill.

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



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THE YANKEES, THE METS & SPENDING: A FAN'S TAKE

The metaphoric comparison for the Mets and Yankees spending habits over the recent years are best illustrated in Ernie Palladino’s headline in his November 25th article on CBSLocal.com:

Same Old Yankees, Same Old Mets This Offseason

What Else Is New? NYY Jump Right In While NYM Dip Their Toe in the Water

The Yankees performed their usual dazzling diving board plunge into the free agent pool so far. Brian Cashman’s Christmas came early, inking former rival outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, former Met Carlos Beltran, and power-hitting catcher Brian McCann.

All three signings helped cushion the blow of losing Robinson Cano to the Mariners.  It was also a comforting remedy for the Yankee faithful since missing the playoffs in 2013. It's important to note that it's only the second time in the last 14 years.

Anyway, this off-season splash of seismic proportions have sent ripples across the Major League Baseball. The New York Metropolitan fan base has been wondering for seasons when they will get to swim in the deep end again.

Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal tweeted this:

So the Mets have spent $27.5 million on major-league free agents since 2010. The Yankees have spent $238 million in the past two weeks.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) December 4, 2013

“I think it is an absolute joke that a team in New York spends like the Royals and Pirates,” said long time Mets fan Chris Higgins.  “It is tough to be a Mets fan these days, but I truly believe they will turn it around, when though I don't know.”

It could be coming sooner than many people expected.  In June, Met’s General Manager Sandy Alderson proclaimed that the team should have a $90-100 million dollar payroll entering 2014.  Recently, Alderson finally opened the checkbook, and did a cannonball of his own.

Former Yankee Curtis Granderson traded pinstripes to rock the blue and orange for cool four years $60 million. Outfielder Chris Young inked a one-year 7 million dollar deal, and Bartolo Colon will help bolster the rotation with a hefty 2 year-20 million-dollar contract.

“It was something that had to be done,” said Andrew Baicher, a Mets season ticket holder since 2006.  “You had to restore credibility to a franchise that has been ridiculed for its frugal ways.”

In 2006, the Mets lathered with a $101,000.00 payroll, were on the brink of reaching the fall classic. They took the St. Louis Cardinals to Game 7 of the NLCS.  The Cardinals escaped from Queens with the pennant, and the Mets franchise has been on a continuing downward spiral of epic proportions ever since.

Citi Field has been a ghost town throughout much of its existence.  Nearly the entire farm system has auditioned at one time or another.  A fan can only go so many times for a tee shirt Tuesday door prize.

Much of the inability to field a competitive team can be attributed to numerous investments gone awry.  It’s hard to predict the future, but the Mets have been submerged in contract misery especially during the recent dark times.   Omar Minaya regretfully doled out over a combined 100 million dollars to out Jason Bay, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo.  The team found themselves waist deep in financial peril after falling victim to Bernie Madeoff’s Ponzie Scheme. 

There is no denying that when Alderson took the reigns as General Manager in 2010 he was already behind 0-2 in the count.  Alderson was tasked with shedding dead weight contracts and building a winner. Building a winner isn’t a quick fix with a financially hamstrung team that finished 70-92 to close the Omar Minaya era.  Worst of all, he was partnering with Wilpons.  The duo still finds themselves submerged in hot water with a dissatisfied Met fan base. 

How can they justify not spending in one of the most valuable markets in the country? 

Lifelong Yankee fan AJ Morebito has had the luxury of rooting for a team that has sustained excellence with a free spending blueprint.   While he agrees with Met fans being distraught, he knows better than anyone that spending the most doesn’t guarantee a championship.

“I would be mad if my owner wasn't spending money on top free agents but it’s a business. If you have the money you do what you want with that money, but more money doesn't mean the best team.”

According to Kevin Wells of the Washington Times, "In the last 18 years of World Series, the team with the highest player payroll has won four times." The New York Yankees "...did it in 1996, 1999, 2000, and 2009."

The Wilpons remain in the crosshairs of that fan base; but Alderson is slowly transforming his reputation.  Money may buy happiness, but it's only temporary when you don’t win.

--Jon Pino
  BYB Guest Writer & Philadelphia Phillies Fan




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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #8

Shane Victorino: The Red Sox are interested, and his ability to play all outfield positions would give them a lot of versatility. They aren’t the only ones interested though, the Rangers, Indians and Reds are also inquiring. Read more HERE.

Cody Ross:  In our last update, BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #7, we mentioned that the Phillies were checking in on Ross, read HERE. Now CBSSports.com reports HERE that the Braves also have interest in him. Torii Hunter’s decision could directly impact where Ross signs because the same teams are interested in both players.

Torii Hunter: There are new headlines on Hunter every day. Latest on Hunter is that he was in Detroit on Tuesday, and that both sides want to come to an agreement. Read the latest from Scott Miller at CBSSports.com HERE.  There is no contract yet, but it sounds promising.

Jed Lowrie: Several unknown teams have checked in on Jed and read about that HERE, but unless the Astros are overwhelmed with an offer they don’t have much reason to give him up. There are few shortstops that are available this year and he is under team control through 2014.

Jonny Gomes:  It looked like Gomes was headed to Oakland, but things didn’t pan out. Now that he is back on the market the Orioles are interested and could use him for DH and outfield duties. Read more on that HERE. 

Jason Bay: The Red Sox are a team that may be interested in a guy like Jason Bay and his services. Buster Olney tweets that HERE. Bay is looking for a job and the Red Sox know what he's capable of in Fenway.  I wouldn't give up on Bay just yet, I would just chalk up his problems in Queens as bad luck and nothing more. He's still solid.

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #2

BYB is going to do its best to keep everyone in the know with all the rumors, signings, and trades going around in Major League Baseball. In case you missed it, read BYB’s first player tracker piece titled BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #1.

Zack Greinke: The Greinke rumors are beginning to pick up. The Texas Rangers are reportedly high on him (Who isn’t?) after offering Hamilton just a 3-year deal, read HERE. In that post, Jon Heyman notes that the Angels are still the favorite to re-sign Greinke. The Nationals could also be in on Greinke as General Manager Mike Rizzo asked “What’s not to like?” in regards to the 29-year old right hander. Read HERE for that.

Nick Swisher: Swish recently declined his qualifying offer, via Mark Feinsand HERE, which is no surprise whatsoever if you’ve been following the situation. Now the question is where will Swish end up? In that tweet, Feinsand also mentions the Rangers and Mariners as possible suitors. Jon Heyman, on the other hand, notes that the Orioles, Phillies, Giants, Braves, and Nationals are also interested. Read more right HERE.

BJ Upton: As expected, BJ Upton declined his qualifying offer he received from the Rays, read HERE. There hasn’t been too much word on where he could end up next year (He’s not expected to comeback with Tampa), but there are some rumblings that the Phillies could be a player for Upton as they’ve talked to his agent already, read HERE.

Mike Napoli: Napoli did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers, so it won’t cost a draft pick when someone signs him. A team that has Napoli on their radar is the Boston Red Sox. Read HERE. The Yankees could also target Napoli if Russell Martin walks, but I’m skeptical.

David Ross: Ross was eyed by the Yankees recently, per Ken Rosenthal HERE. Ross is regarded as the best backup catcher in all of baseball, and at age 35, that’s all he is: A backup.

Jason Bay: Bay and the Mets agreed to a deal to part ways, read HERE. Bay will be owed his entire $21 million salary, although some of that is deferred. The Red Sox could be a possible destination for Bay, as reportedly the 34-year old left fielder is “very interested” in rejoining the team. Read HERE for more.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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MELKY NEVER HAD A SHOT IN THE BRONX

Joel Sherman had a good piece in the New York Post yesterday.  It involved Melky Cabrera and the fact that the New York Mets could target him this offseason. It makes sense, he could be helpful.  

Sherman writes: "The Mets need outfielders and don’t have a ton of money to address their severe needs there. So if they could bag Cabrera as corner outfield insurance against Jason Bay and Lucas Duda, it could make sense, especially if they are unable to retain Scott Hairston. Probably at his worst, Cabrera would be a motivated fourth outfielder who always could hit righties well, with the possibility he is more than that if any of the improvements of the past two years are real." Read HERE.

He goes on to say that the Yankees never considered Melky Cabrera to be a negative force in the world of Robinson Cano, writing: "Yankees officials never viewed Cabrera as a negative influence on Robinson Cano, as some outside the organization did." I am one "outside of the organization." It's a nugget I'll expand on.

This is my take and you can disagree and I respect that; Sure, Yankee officials aren't going to look like they dislike a player publically, why would they?  I believe they saw possible trouble brewing with Melky, after all, Melky and Cano were the best of friends. As far as I know, they still are.

I even laugh when I think about Melky cranking out that home run in the All-Star game and as he circled  the bases and stuck his hand out and Cano just grinned. They're buds!  Look, I know from a very good friend who lived in the same building as Robbie and Melky in Edgewater when they first game to the Bronx.  They had a very very good time while they were there, let's just put it that way.

In the end though, the Yankees saw mad potential in Robinson Cano and the idea of a "trouble maker" bringing Cano down may have hurt their investment. So, in the spirit of upgrading the franchise, they flipped him to the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vasquez.  It looked like a legitimate business deal, after all, the Yankees needed pitching, so it all worked out. Once he was gone, Cano could blossom...and he did.

Now sure, the Yankees did offer a minor league deal the Melky in 2010 after the season ended. But you know how minor league contracts go with the Yankees.  9 times out of 10, those players are usually released...i.e. Russell Branyan, Jack Cust.

I don't ever see Melky coming back to the Yankees.  As Sherman writes of why the Yanks may not bite on Melky after this season when he's a free agent, "Cano ended up being smeared with allegations this season because of the association, so the Yankees might be hesitant to reunite the pair."

Now, in the end, as I've stated in MELKY CABRERA OFF WORLD SERIES ROSTER SENDS A MESSAGE, once this season ends, Melky has a clean slate with me, so does he deserve to get a fair shake with the Yankees and any other team? Damn right.  But the Yankees reuniting with Melky? Well, let's just say I never see it happening and it's probably better for everyone that way.

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WHY TRADING BURNETT FOR BAY MAKES SENSE

(Photo: Getty)
The New York Daily News Stan Chrapowicki had a great piece about the Yankees struggling AJ Burnett and the Mets struggling Jason Bay and asked the very interesting question, would you swap the two? Read about it HERE.

He writes: "It's obvious he's no longer the Bombers' No. 2 starter, and he wouldn't be one in Flushing either, but he wouldn't have to fill that spot in the rotation. Until Johan Santana returns, he could pitch pressure free as the Mets' No. 5 behind Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and R.A. Dickey."

Stop right there. This is totally true and while I love Chrapowicki thinking out of the box, to me, AJ Burnett being moved down in the rotation on the Yankees would make just as much sense as perhaps trading him to the Mets for Jason Bay. But look, the world hates AJ Burnett right now. I even wrote WHY BURNETT SEALED HIS FATE after his last horrendous pitching performance and i was convinced, CONVINCED he pitched his way out of the rotation. But he has Joe Girardi wrapped around his finger and was given 1 more shot against the evil Red Sox this upcoming series. Why? Because, while AJ Burnett is a loser, he's not a total loser, he can still pitch in the bottom of the rotation somewhere if not on the New York Yankees. Now, Stan's right, the Mets make sense. Especially in a field like that where nothing leaves the ballpark. He may even turn into a star.

Then Chrapowicki brilliantly ties in Jason Bay. He writes:

"Not only would Bay be back in the league in which he had a career year (2009 with the Red Sox), he would be playing his home games at Yankee Stadium, which has been a launching pad since it opened three years ago. In his year and a half with Boston, Bay proved he could handle baseball's most intense rivalry (remember his game-tying blast off Mariano Rivera two years ago), so putting on the pinstripes should be no problem for him."

Right on Stan. Jason Bay was a star with the Red Sox and he could also be at Yankee Stadium with the way it's built. Lord knows no one is hitting home runs out of Citi Field, right David Wright? Bay provides a big bat in the lineup as a DH and an outfielder on platoon days. Make sense? It kind of does.
Once we have a bat like Bay in the lineup, we can finally utilize our young pitching and stop wasting a spot for Burnett. Look at Ivan Nova, right? He just won number 14 yesterday. We just wrote about Nova in THE RISE OF NOVA, THE FALL OF BURNETT. At this point, I'd take Nova in that #2 role over Burnett any day of the week. Maybe next season Phil Hughes gets right too, he could be #3. How about the kids on the farm, could they then get a fair shot? See what I mean? The pitching falls into order nicely and no headache of Burnett.

I applaud Stan Chrapowicki, great piece, I hope everyone gets a chance to read it. I loved it.

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WHY THAT'S BASEBALL

(Photo: Getty)
If you told me that Mariano Rivera would blow a save against the Mets today after the streak the Yankees had been having, I would have laughed in your face. But that's exactly what happened, so you have to tip your cap to the Mets and just move on. The worst part of it all you ask? Freddy Garcia pitched a wonderful game...and it was wasted.(Photo: Star-Ledger)
Freddy Garcia was able to keep the Mets held down, pitching 7 innings, allowing 6 hits and just one run. To see him get that win today would have been nice for the veteran... it's a shame.

Both Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher, who's hitting like mad right now, both knocked in runs for the Yanks and it seemed as though that's all they would need, our bullpen had been working it's magic for weeks and we all know that when Mariano comes in, it's over. The guy's a machine and for crying out loud, I just wrote WHY MARIANO IS A MACHINE a few days ago saying he's so automatic, you just know the games over when he comes in. Guess what? The game wasn't over, the Yankees lost today.

With 2 out in the ninth, Mo gave up the tying run. At that point, it wasn't the Yankees day, plain and simple. Luis Ayala was hit with the loss today, because he put a guy on with a walk. When Boone Logan came in, he was able to strikeout Beltran, but Ramiro Pena had an error so that loaded the bases. The Next thing you know, Hector Noesi came in and Jason Bay got the game winning hit. Full story HERE.(Photo: New York Times)
The play of the game for me had to be Brett Gardner chucking the ball home to nail Lucus Duca at the plate after Pena let the ball go between his legs. His arm has been incredible so you need to give him props.

Final Score today: Mets 3 - Yankees 2. Tough loss today but tomorrow we come back swinging as we enter Cleveland to play the Indians. Jeter is scheduled to be there. Back to the American League boys, let's take that awesome streak against the National League and keep it going in the AL.

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