A RARE YANKEE-METS TRADE COULD BE A WIN-WIN FOR BOTH TEAMS!

The Yankees and that other New York team have always been rivals on the field, but this winter that has also played out in the free agent market. Now, the Yankees and Mets might be able to help each other out by a mutually beneficial trade.

It's no secret, the Yankees want to get rid of Marcus Stroman. It's easy to see he is the SIXTH best rotation option, and the Yankees just don't need him....and especially not at the $18 million price tag. The Mets on the other hand, are really looking to bolster their starting rotation. Right now, that is a major weak point on their roster. Too bad Juan Soto isn't like Shohei Ohtani and can pitch, also.

I never wanted Stroman, but pitching is always in demand and even though he doesn't "fit" on our roster anymore, he certainly would on many other teams. So, I'm not giving up on the Yankees actually moving him. The Mets need pitching, and the Yankees have something we would like to have. Here's where the win-win comes in.....

The Mets have Jeff McNeil, and also some young talent that they would like to bring up and use instead of McNeil. Here's where things get interesting.... McNeil can play second, third or left field and these are all areas the Yankees could use some extra help. The Yankees have been looking for another infielder, and that would give some extra versatility in the lineup. It's a fit for both sides.

I know McNeil isn't as flashy of an option as some other names we have talked about, but he's got two years left on his contract and at $15.7 million the next two seasons he's more affordable than any of the bigger names the Yankees have been tied to. McNeil has a career .289 BA even after a "down" year last year where he hit .238 BA but he's durable and has averaged at least 120 games since 2021. He's not a power hitter, but he's won a silver slugger and was an All-Star in 2022. The Yankees don't need a roster full of power hitters.

He's also a nice insurance to DJ LeMahieu who is not a viable everyday option. Strategically, it gives the Yankees a lot of possibilities without spending a ton of money. The Yankees would get another infielder (at either position!) that they need, and the Mets get some more pitching. The real question is.... would the Mets be interested in a reunion with the Stroman?

The Yankees want to get rid of Stroman....this is one way to do it. Honestly, I don't care how they get it done, just do it!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES DOMINATE IN BYB'S MLB FRIDAY ROUNDUP

Source: Charles Wenzelberg- NY Post

With the Yankees off as the Tampa Bay Rays make their way to the Stadium for a three game set this weekend, baseball continued to please fans across the country with exciting plays and intriguing stories throughout the MLB this week.



Kicking things off with baby bomber Gleyber Torres seems a good place to start this week's highlights as Torres made it clear that Gleyber Day is here to stay in the Bronx.  Torres hit three home runs during the Yankees double header sweep against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday evening. The 22-year-old’s performance joined Joe DiMaggio as the youngest Yankees to have a three-homer day.

"It's really good," Torres said. "In a doubleheader, we felt really tired in the second game for sure, but you just focus and do the job to help the team. I think there's no better feeling than when you do the job and you help your team,"reported MLB.com.

Source: USA Today

Aroldis Chapman also came in clutch during the doubleheader, pitching scoreless innings and earning his 10th and 11th saves. It was a great week to be a Yankee!

Source: NY Daily News

The Mets are well...doing Mets things such as Michael Conforto suffering a concussion after colliding with Robinson Cano on Thursday. Jeff McNeil also leaving the same game with lower abdominal tightness.

“We had some tough things happen today, but we’re not going to give up,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “Those guys in there definitely will never quit," reported the NY Post.

The Mets are on their way to Miami which will helpful help the team get few wins after this disaster.

Speaking of Derek Jeter's Marlins (10-30), the team is currently on pace for the most losses in a season since 1899. Not a record you want to break. After trading away their biggest players, Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, things have gone straight downhill for the team. I thought maybe getting rid of that terrible home run statue/fountain/nightmare in the outfield would maybe help the team but I guess it isn’t that easy.

Source: CBS Sports

Keston Hiura, the Brewer’s number one prospect (15th overall in MLB) learned he was headed to the majors less than two years after being selected by Milwaukee.  Hiura did not disappoint and finished the night 2-for-3, becoming only the fourth Brewers player to reach base three times in his debut, the first since 1976.

“It wasn’t nerves; it was more just soaking in the moment,” Hiura said. “The lights are brighter, grass is greener, dirt is nicer; everything just stands out to you. I was really just soaking it all in. It hasn’t really hit me yet, but I’m quite sure it will sometime soon," reported MLB.com

That’s all for this week! Here’s to hoping out teams continue to improve and we have another exciting week of baseball.  Let's sweep the Rays and the Orioles in the coming two series.

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

NEW YORK'S GRITTY GUYS!

When Suzie Pinstripe recommended this topic to me she said, “write about the gritty guys on NY teams.”

At first I truly thought she was talking about Gritty the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, to which I was very confused. Obviously, she meant to talk about out grittiest and hardcore players that aren’t afraid to get down and dirty and not Gritty (thank god).

One player for the Yankees that stands out is Luke Voit, who is off to a hot start this season. Currently on the road, Voit hit his fifth homer of the road trip against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. That plus his run in the eighth sadly were not enough for the Yanks to get a win.

Source: Newsday

Voit still stayed positive after the loss. “I feel like we hit a lot of balls hard tonight, just got unlucky,” Voit said to the Daily News. “They made some good pitches today, and unfortunately we didn’t get the job done. I think we have to take the positives, a good road trip, [with] injuries for us to still win six games is pretty good,” Voit said. “I guess take this off day as a fresh start. I think we get some guys back this weekend and go from there.”  

The Yankees kick off a home stand with the first place, red hot, Minnesota Twins so they need more this game play by Voit, who also has a 41 game on base streak, the longest active streak in the majors and longest by a Yankees player since Mark Teixeira reached base in 42 consecutive games in 2010.

Source: Newsday

For the Mets, Jeff McNeil is absolutely unstoppable. McNeil had another four-hit game Tuesday night to which Pete Alonso gave him a four-star review and said, “He looks like Ted Williams out there.” Nicknamed the “Flying Squirrel” by past teammates, McNeil has continued to belt out hits since he got called up last summer.  With 100 at bats through 28 games, he is hitting .370, second in the NL. His goal isn’t a batting title, but isn’t ruling it out. 

“I think if it happens, it happens,” McNeil said. “But I know I’m a kind of hitter that hits for average. So when you put the ball in play, good things happen like that. I’m just going to keep trying to get on base and at the end of the year, if that wins the batting title, it wins the batting title," reported Newsday.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Both young players have come out of the gate with bats a-blazing and have absolutely been dominating the game. These are the guys the Yankees and Mets need! They play the game the way it was meant to be played, hard core, gritty whatever it takes baseball.  These guys are going to go out there and hit and make the plays that get wins. Hopefully they can bring this energy to the rest of the team and we can start getting more W's from both sides of town.

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

THE INFIELD IS CROWDED SO IT'S SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Source: New York Post

It’s safe to say that the Yankees outfield has it on lock. Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton will definitively guard the outfield with ease. But what about the guys who are closer to the action or at least home plate?

The Yankees had a pretty busy offseason and added quite a few new infield players. Who’s actually going to be the lucky few to play? Since we don’t have Didi Gregorius as short stop to play until June, the Yanks brought in Troy Tulowitzki. If he stays healthy and plays well, will Gregorious have to fight for his position back? A battle may also ensue over who’s on first? Greg Bird wasn’t quite working out with the team last season, but new edition Luke Voit just might.

"Luke Voit has earned the right to be that guy," Aaron Boone said. "It's impossible denying the impact he had, just how consistent he was for us really the final couple of months and when we had some key guys out," reports ESPN.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Another addition to look out for is DJ LeMahieu, three-time Gold Glove second baseman. Although, I believe Gleyber Torres will start, LeMahieu can definitely take over if needed or platoon at third based with Miguel Andujar.

Like the Yankees, the Mets have definitely stocked up on infielders as well. Robinson Cano will definitely be playing second base on Opening Day. But then there’s Peter Alonso, Jed Lowrie, Jeff McNeil...ummm we’re starting to run out of positions here. It does seem like the Mets will be utilizing McNeil’s talents in the outfield.

“A majority of McNeil’s playing time is going to come in the outfield,” said Mets manager Mickey Callaway “We are going to want to get him as comfortable as possible out there so he can concentrate on those at-bats when he’s up at the plate and we want to see him out there,” reports Forbes.

Lowrie could be on third, giving Todd Frazier a backup role. Frazier could get some play time at first, but will have to fight for it with Alonso, Dominic Smith, and J.D. Davis.

The first month or two of the season, I think we will definitely see these players shifted around a lot to see who will fit best where. 

Figuring out which players will make up the Yankees and Mets infields is going to be crucial for the 2019 season. A solid group of guys that can stay healthy and make the least amount of errors, is really going to allow the teams to win as much as possible. It will be up to these guys to show they are ready to work hard and get as much playing time as they can.

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