JUSTIN UPTON & THE CUBS?

Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, HERE says that the Arizona DBacks and the Chicago Cubs were talking about a trade to get Justin Upton to the Cubs.  Damn You Epstein!!!!

According to Levine:  "... the Diamondbacks asked for two-time All-Star Starlin Castro in return for Upton. The Cubs, trying to build a solid base of young players in their somewhat depleted system, balked at trading a 22-year-old shortstop for a 25-year-old right fielder and cut off talks.."

(In Photo: Starlin Castro)
So this is a case where Kevin Towers wants good players back, but Epstein doesn't think dealing young stud Castro is a fair deal. I get it.  Hey, you gotta hand it to these guys, they protect their investments and want good dudes in return. That's why they are good GMs.  The other thing that you need to realize is Justin Upton has a no-trade list and on that list is the Chicago Cubs, plus the Red Sox, Mariners and Blue Jays. I wonder how that would have worked? Anyway... I actually don't know if the Yankees are on that list. I apologize, I'll check that out.

Look, my take on this when it comes to the Yankees and power hitters is pretty simple... Justin Upton is out there and available. Jason Kubel, another Diamondback and a lefty bat (and someone we wrote about here at BYB HERE) is available.

(In Photo: Jeffrey Loria and David Samson, a.k.a. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum)
Giancarlo Stanton, regardless of what Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum say, IS available. The Yankees just need to pull the trigger and make the right deal,  especially if they want that right handed bat with power.

That's right Cash... I'm holding you to that.

What do you  think? DO you think the Yanks will make any move? Comment.

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MICHAEL MORSE & THE YANKEES DILEMMA

Look, right now there is just a bunch of chatter about the Yankees and Michael Morse.  We don't know if the Yankees truly want the DC Beast, but we as Yankee fans know we do need to fill some pretty big holes and we haven't done much but go cheap.  That being said, I found it interesting that as soon as Adam LaRoche signed his 2 year deal with the Nationals (Read HERE), all eyes were on the Yankees to sign Michael Morse, who, if you follow the insiders, was and is expected to be traded "soon."  This in turn had Michael Morse send out a farewell "I need to take a break" note on Twitter probably because he didn't want to read thousands about Tweets about himself. Here is that Tweet:

The big thing we need to understand here is we all kind of jumped on this story today. Partially because it's a Yankee related story and possibly because Morse may actually be a great asset to the Yankees lineup.  One thing that has popped up though is Morse and his hesitation to be a full time Designated Hitter, read HERE.  I mean, you have to respect that. He's 30 years old. Do you really think he wants to go the way of the Designated Hitter so soon? Many players wouldn't at that age and I get it.

My take on this is simple; this is an outfielder and first baseman with power. You play him in both positions and you mix up the DH role as well. This give guys like Mark Teixeira a day off once in a while and you can rotate 4 outfielders. That's a lot of activity happening. He could end up being damn comfortable with that, I know I could.

And think about this for a second; Brian Cashman said this just the other day in reference to losing alittle power when Nick Swisher darted for Cleveland.  He said:  "We lost Swisher and Ichiro doesn’t hit homers like Nick… And we haven’t replaced Martin’s power. Hopefully, we won’t lose that much with [Kevin] Youkilis replacing Alex at third, but we’ll lose some.” (Read the article HERE.) In the end, he cautions, less home runs.  Well, with Morse, you don't lose that power.

While I like Cash a lot… that statement isn’t acceptable to me. We're the Bronx Bombers.  There are guys that teams are dangling with right handed power and we have seen nothing from Yankee brass this off season.  Big power guys that can come in trades... but nothing.

Now you can be honest with me and tell me that my "rooting" for the Yankees to snag a guy like Giancarlo Stanton is unrealistic and guess what... I tend to agree with you.  I would absolutely love Stanton to roam right field at Yankee Stadium, but the percentage of that happening is very low.  Michael Morse is much more realistic, though, he is not a great outfielder.  He is more like a Nick Swisher out there, he will do fine if we platoon him with Ichiro from time to time though.   And sure, a few weeks ago we asked What about Jason Kubel when Raul Ibanez went to Seattle, remember? And hey, what about Justin Upton?

The Diamondbacks have too many outfielders, we could use one. But let's be honest, we haven't heard any rumblings about the Yankees making any calls on either player. Again, the price may be too steep for the Yankees... who knows.  My point is this, when it comes to guys like Upton or Stanton, stop holding onto the minor leaguers we have if you're just going to let them die in Scranton Wilkes-Barre!  I say at least trade them and give them an opportunity for more playing time somewhere else.

(In Photo: Then Yankee Austin Jackson)
But no, Yankee brass has this unusual fetish with keeping out youngsters down until they are just about ready, and, much like Austin Jackson, after all the hype surrounding him is so high... what do they do?  They flip him and we miss out on another kid.  Well, my point is, if that's the way it's going to be, then keep the trend going and go get Stanton.  If not, make the call to the Nationals now!  Make an offer that is cheaper than it would be for snagging those other guys and get Michael Morse in pinstripes!

This isn't a desperation move.  This isn't a move to make a move.  This is a move that could actually be pretty beneficial for the Yankees and Morse.  I believe Morse will become an instant classic in the Bronx.

I believe the Beast will win over us fans. We wouldn't be calling him the DC Beast anymore, it would be the "Bronx Beast" and he'd do what he does best... crank out home runs and get the Yankees on the board.  But my feeling on this is clear, we once again have a decent bat starring us in the face... sooner or later the Yankees need to pull the trigger.  Will it be with Michael Morse? Well, if it is, I'm OK with that. I really am. 



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WILL THE YANKEES MISS THE BOAT ON JUSTIN UPTON?

The Yankees need a right fielder, or at least a powerful right handed bat.  That was why Cashman claimed to have passed on 40 year old Raul Ibanez right? (read HERE) Hey, there are guys out there that we can trade for, but we haven't done it. Why?

We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue mentioned the other day that the Arizona Diamondbacks are interested in listening to offers for Justin Upton.  Read DIAMONDBACKS ARE DANGLING JUSTIN UPTON... I'M IN for context on that.  Couple that with a guy named Jason Kubel that the D'Backs also have... and a piece were wrote titled WANNA REPLACE RAUL IBANEZ? TRADE FOR JASON KUBEL and once again... there are options, options the Yankees need to consider, options the Yankees don't seem too interested in.

Now, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, HERE, the San Diego Padres have jumped in and are seriously chatting with the D'Backs about trying to acquire either outfielder, Upton or Kubel and the Padres "would" give up Chase Headley.  That seemed alittle unbalanced to me personally, so I did more reading.

Then I found Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona who had written that the D'Backs are "unwilling" to trade Upton to the Padres, read HERE. There is no question though, the D'Backs are looking for offers.

Not only that, the Padres also engaged the Miami Marlins about Giancarlo Stanton. Seriously... another guy that I'd love to see in pinstripes (BANGING THE GIANCARLO DRUM). You can read the report about the Pads and Marlins from the San Diego Tribune, HERE.   Now, there doesn't seem to be anything coming out of that conversation, but my point is... why are the Yankees just sitting around watching all these guys walk by? Or are they? These are trade proposals, no free agents here so Cash should be engaged!  It almost seems like a no brainer to me. 

I'll keep an eye on these reports and if the Yankees DO in fact get involved... of course we will let you know...right here on Bleeding Yankee Blue. It's nice out on the east coast... go take a walk.

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THE HURRY UP & WAIT OF MY NEW YORK YANKEES

I, like so many of us feel kind of lackluster, exhausted, in a food coma and disappointed with the Yankee off season all in one. Christmas was magical, but now it's over. The Winter Meetings were here and they ended. I'm tired, I'm sick and as we wait for the New year, we wonder if Matt Diaz was the guy the Yanks have been waiting for this entire off season. Many of us Yankee fans say "that's it?", while others like my Twitter buddy Nick says to "be patient" as Yankee fans. Even some dude named Shawn, who I'm convinced is Brian Cashman, accused me of "boycotting" my Yankees, something I would never do. Will I stop paying to go to games and instead watch them on TV? For a little bit, Yes, but one thing is very clear with me; the non-signing of Raul Ibanez was much, much bigger than a 40 year old guy and all about this new small market mentality the Yankees have entered into...a kind of ball I'm not too fond of. Whatever the case, here we are on December 30th with Matt Diaz.

Brian Cashman is in a tough spot. I think I'm the only one in America not blaming him.  He's the marionette in this mess. I think he truly has no power to sign anyone like it was stated in that Wall Street Journal piece a while back. Read BEFORE YOU BLAME BRIAN CASHMAN, READ THIS. It was a year where Cashman didn't walk into the winter meetings with a boat load of money. Why? Because Brian Cashman suddenly doesn't have say.  Brian Cashman suddenly needs permission and "clearance" to do things these days and it seemed to have really started a few years ago, when the Yankees overruled Cash and went out to grab Rafael Soriano.

Now, in the end, Soriano made a name for himself in Yankeeland, but the Bronx was a temporary stop for his next "official" closer gig...the one he's currently looking for.

Then I got to thinking about all the guys I want in New York to help our team win in 2013 and there are so many looking for big contracts and I know for a fact it's just smart to not shoot from the hip.  Shane Victorino? He went to the Red Sox for what? A 3 year, $38 million deal? Um, the Sox can have him. Cashman was right to not throw that kind of dough at him.

Sure, the world knew that Nick Swisher in right field would have been the right move for the Yankees, but not at 4 years and $56 million.  Plus, Swisher needed to test the free agent waters, he deserved it, you can't fault him...and you can't fault Cash for not offering that.  He was smart in that regard.

For me, it all goes back to Raul Ibanez.  Not the fact that he wasn't signed as much of the fact that he contributed in the clutch last season and that alone should have gotten him an offer. But the Yankees never made an offer and that surprised me.  Raul Ibanez is exactly what the Yankees have wanted, guys who can contribute but are "cheap".  Eric Chavez was another one, there's no denying that, but nothing happened with him either. Look, I get it, we turn the page, but my only point is, if the Yankees want to go in that direction and state that they are... then they don't... isn't that a big fat contradiction?

So if you can't find a free agent, you find a trade, Right? The Yankees have pulled them off before... some aren't always fan favorites, like when Jesus Montero went away, and some we love, like Ichiro Suzuki.  But at this point into the Yankees off season...well, that's what you end up with. We wrote about a simple solution to losing Ibanez, trading for Jason Kubel, read WANNA REPLACE RAUL IBANEZ? TRADE FOR JASON KUBEL  Smart idea and one the Yankees should consider.  How about this? Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote something that I've been writing here for a while about and I was crucified for it for weeks.  

He wrote today that many teams have reached out to the Marlins about Giancarlo Stanton and Ricky Nolasco even though the Marlins have stated that Stanton was off limits. The Yankees are in on that, I know it.  My take has always been no one is "off-limits."  Not superstars, not youngsters...no one in this world of greed and baseball is.  It's all business and at the end of the day, if there is a fit... if there is a team willing to give up new players for a guy, a deal gets done... always.  Nick Cafardo wrote about the Yankees interested in Stanton back in November, read HERE. No one said a thing.  I write SNAGGING GIANCARLO STANTON WOULD PROVE CASHMAN GENIUS, and I'm the idiot. Then, couple all that with a great piece from a blog I check out from time to time, Fish Stripes from right around that time suggesting why Stanton "can't be traded" and you have to think, many in Miami are "uneasy" right now.  I get it, I totally get it, Yankeeland is too. But again... here we are, December 30th, still talking about Giancarlo Stanton.

Finally, I'll throw this out to all of you.  While the Yankees have a great team on paper, you have to know that that was how we looked last year too....great on paper, great bats, great arms.  Yes, we made it to the playoffs in 2012, but we didn't have enough to get over the hump.  Plus, that's when the Blue Jays and Red Sox stunk.  Well, the Blue Jays and Red Sox made big changes this off season to become competitors again.  The Yankees have not.  Anyone with logic knows, you don't just watch your competition improve while you sit silent.  No... things will change in Yankeeland, things have to...for the better of the Yankees, the happiness of the Yankees fans and the pleasure of our boys in pinstripes.

At the end of the day, come Opening day, we root for our guys no matter what, but sitting around wondering and waiting isn't the way I thought it was going to be this off season. That's my take.

Happy Sunday... enjoy it.

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WHO'S THE RIGHT FIELDER THE YANKEES WANT?

If you read Mark Feinsand's Tweet, it's clear the Yankees want to do something, but what? Feinsand's tweet reveals that Yankee brass want a righty outfielder.  Not a lefty who's 40 apparently.

But what are the options? Not too many, unless you want to trade players away and pick up big salaries.  Look at Vernon Wells for instance.  The Angels have suggested they would trade him, but the Yankees talk out of both sides of their mouth.

If they want to take this stance that the Yankees are being "smart" and picking up "cheap" options, and then they "check in" on Vernon Wells, it's kind of a contradiction isn't it?

How about Logan Morrison? He was a guy that was connected to the Yankees for a total of 3 minutes very early in the off season.  One problem, he's a lefty. He's also 25, so in the grand scheme of things, does right handed power truly matter if you're exchanging it for youth? Plus, let's be honest, if the Yankees really wanted a right handed outfielder, why did they let Andruw Jones walk? Sure, he wasn't the greatest option, but he was what they wanted, a "cheap" right handed bat with power.  Again, they talk out of both sides of their mouth.  WHAT IS IT THEY REALLY WANT?

We here at BYB suggested replacing Raul Ibanez with a guy like Jason Kubel. Read that HERE.  We'd have to trade for him, and to be honest, it's a smart trade scenario and I accept it. It makes sense. There is now chatter that Kubel would be a better fit for the Rangers, read HERE. I will bet you he slips through the cracks for the Yankees, just because they'll claim he bats lefty and that's what the Yankees DON'T want.  But seriously, I don't think the Yankees really know what they want, do you?

I always go back to my fall back, the most impossible guy we could ever snag, but a guy I truly want in pinstripes and someone that Yankee fans would fall in love with, Giancarlo Stanton.  Will he be a Yankee? Probably not, but in the back of my mind, I am always thinking the way I think the Yankee brass would think.  What I mean is, they are ass backwards.  They say they want to save a few bucks and Cashman is constantly saying they need to see "what kind of money they have left-over", yet, they don't sign guys "within the budget". Then, POW, a surprise happens and they have figured out a perfect trade scenario. But they are all over the map, I mean, is that because they are trying to work out a trade or sign a younger free agent or what?

It's all highly annoying and why should I care at this point, right?  Like I stated clearly in YANKEE FANS REVOLT: "ENOUGH'S ENOUGH!", I've had it trying to figure out the next move.  They don't exactly care about the fan here and I guess I'm done trying to place players in pinstripes.  Christmas has come and gone, and as predicted, we haven't gotten anything for Christmas.

Enjoy today Ladies & Gentlemen, it's a beautiful Christmas morning on the East coast today. I hope it is wherever you are.

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WANNA REPLACE RAUL IBANEZ? TRADE FOR JASON KUBEL

A lot of Yankee fans were disappointed when Raul Ibanez bolted the Yankees to go back to the Seattle Mariners. However, I was not one of those fans. I felt Ibanez had a good run in New York, but it was time for the two sides to part ways. He hit some insanely huge home runs in both the regular season and postseason, but other than that he was pretty average. Average is something the Yankees don’t need, the Yankees need a middle-of-the-order bat that still has plenty of gas in the tank, and one target the Yankees could go after is Jason Kubel.

Kubel, 30, has quietly been a very solid player for the last several years with the Minnesota Twins and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over the last six years (five with Minnesota, one with Arizona) and 3115 plate appearances, Kubel hit .270/.337/.474 with 124 home runs and 486 RBI. With ARod out for who knows how long, it would be great for the Yankees to fill the void with a power bat like Kubel, who could really benefit from the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium. Also, with Arizona recently signing Cody Ross, there are already reports that Kubel could be on the move.

Teams that have been linked to Kubel include the Yankees, of course, via Buster Olney, HERE. There’s no word whether the Yankees have asked the D’Backs about Kubel, but with Ibanez signing with the Mariners, I’d have to think Brian Cashman would at least ask Arizona about Kubel if he hasn't already. Kevin Towers is the D’Back GM, and in fact, he was in the Yankees’ organization just a few years ago as a scout. Perhaps he likes some of the minor league players the Yankees have and they could work out a deal. Either way, Kubel shouldn’t come at a lofty price; he’s a DH with one year remaining on his contract, so it’d be hard to imagine the two teams not coming up with a deal, unless Towers asks for the moon in return, or if Cashman completely low-balls an offer.

Maybe you have read this Kubel-to-the-Yankees rumor on other Yankee blogs, but BYB is throwing this idea out there because it makes sense. Though Christmas is around the bend and these two sides haven’t been linked yet, I’d have to think talks could heat up here pretty soon. Stay tuned with this one, Kubel could very well be your 2013 Yankee DH.




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


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