SEVERINO & THE CRAPPING OF ONE'S BED

Luis Severino may have been touted as the "next big thing" too soon.  Maybe it was the pressure of the Yankee fan base that forced Cashman's hand.  Maybe Cashman and Yankee brass really thought he would be amazing. And he still may be, but there is something very suspect about the way this guy pitches suddenly.  He's not Cy Young... he's not Stephen Strasburg... I don't even think he's Mr. Tobe, the old man that used the live down the street from my grandmother's house in old Whitestone growing up.

(In Photo: Not actually Mr. Tobe)
Tobe was known to play a great baseball game back in the day...

Bottom line, the pressure appears enormous, and I just don't know what to think about Luis Severino right about now.

The New York Times maps out the night:

"Severino departed in the third inning after being bombarded in his shortest outing of the season. But that may not have been the gloomiest news for Severino, the 22-year-old starter who fell to 0-6 with a 7.46 E.R.A. in the Yankees’ 7-1 loss.

After allowing a two-run homer to Jimmy Rollins, Severino threw one pitch to Jose Abreu before Manager Joe Girardi and the trainer Steve Donohue came out of the dugout. Donohue walked off the mound with Severino as disgruntled fans jeered his effort — two and two-thirds innings, seven runs with seven hits, four walks and one hit batter.

The Yankees later announced that Severino experienced soreness on the back of his right elbow. Severino had a magnetic resonance imaging scan after the game, and he was found to have a mild right triceps strain. He will not pick up a baseball for five to seven days and be placed on the 15-day disabled list."

And so, now we lose another player.  Maybe a player that isn't exactly outstanding, but still, touted as "The future".  Sure, injury happens, and sure, pressure can beat young players some times. But you gotta wonder if this is the case of a kid trying to live up to what he's not, or if he just isn't there yet.  

Whatever the case, Sevy is on the 15 day DL.  What else can go wrong? Tell me.

 
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CHASE UTLEY... HUH?

The Dodgers bullpen—for lack of a better word—sucks. They rank in the bottom of virtually every pitching category in the National League. So when it came time to make a trade for a postseason run, the Boys in Blue got…a second baseman?

That’s right. The Dodgers trader two minor leaguers to acquire Chase Utley from the Phillies. Utley—who is probably stoked to get the hell out of Philadelphia—will rejoin his former teammate Jimmy Rollins and take over second base duties for an injured Howie Kendrick who is expected to be out for over a month healing an injured hamstring.

So why make the trade for Utley when pitching is currently the Dodgers Achilles heel? The six-time all-star will fill a much needed hole made by Kendrick’s absence and bring a veteran presence to the locker room. Though the 36-year old is only batting .217 this year, he’s been on a hitting tear as of late. Utley has batted over .300 in the last two weeks after returning to play from an ankle injury. If he can hold those numbers his production will be much welcome to a struggling Los Angeles team.

So yes, a middle infielder is not what LA needs, but it helps them fill an immediate hole. And after making a trade that involved three teams and 13 players at the deadline to score five pitchers—not to mention the exorbitant $269 million payroll—if the Dodgers can’t cobble together a workable bullpen, then they probably deserve to lose (probably to the Cardinals) in the postseason.

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

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DODGERS ADD CUBAN SENSATION HECTOR OLIVERA

Hector Olivera has agreed to a six-year, $62.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers according to MLB.com.

Source: Cuban INF Hector Olivera has agreed to a 6-year, $62.5 million deal with Dodgers. $28MM signing bonus. Check http://t.co/mkcBse7p5i
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) March 24, 2015

The infielder will get a $28 million signing bonus once his physical clears.

Olivera was courted by many big league teams including the Yankees. The shortstop hit .341 and had 17 home runs last year in Cuba and looks to be an immediate impact player. Though his decision to don Dodger blue comes to no surprise to many baseball insiders, Olivera still has a couple hurdles to clear before he makes his debut in the majors.

One - Olivera might have issues with his throwing arm that could require Tommy John surgery. This would leave him out for a whole season. Two - he also still needs a visa—which could again hold up his debut in the big leagues.

The Dodgers also have plenty of infield talent. They traded away arguably one of the most promising infielders in Dee Gordon this offseason to get Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins in the middle infield. If Olivera is to see any playing time this year, he will probably split duties with Juan Uribe at third base. But Rollins and Uribe’s contracts are up after the 2015 season which could give way to a permanent home for Oilvera in the infield.

I like the deal because it gives the Dodgers flexibility to make some roster moves down the road. They have a crowded outfield and will need to deal some players (like Andre Ethier) to make room for developing talent. Having another card to add to the deck will only strengthen the Dodgers negotiating position. It’s also a promising sign that the new front office is serious about building a balanced lineup that gives the team the best chance to win a World Series.

Now if we could just get the games on TV.

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







 
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DAVID ROBERTSON SAYS GOODBYE

David Robertson and his wife Erin will forever be part of the Bleeding Yankee Blue family.

This nugget got lost in the shuffle of getting ready for the Christmas holiday and the recent moves made in major league baseball, but it's important to bring it to our audience because, truth be told, we have no beef with David Robertson.  We appreciated him in Yankeeland and he and Erin have been nothing of supportive of what we do here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  They are incredible people with a lovely family and they deserve the best. That's not me kissing ass.  That's me being sincere.  They know that, I hope. 

David's a good egg.  He posted this on Twitter:

New York, I can't even put into words how much I've enjoyed and appreciated my time there. Thank y'all for an incredible 7 years.
— David Robertson (@DRob30) December 11, 2014

Stand up guy.

It falls in line with other great players doing the right thing lately. Saying goodbye to their fans is important. Jimmy Rollins thanked the Philadelphia fans while he was with the Phillies, writing:

That's beautiful.

Matt Kemp said farewell to Dodgertown too:

“It is with a lot of emotion that I say goodbye to the city and the fans who have been there since the beginning of my career. You have given me so much. Your faith and support for the last 9 years through good times and bad, homestands and home runs was showcased through the volume of your cheers and the love for your team. I'm thankful to the Dodgers organization for taking a chance on an Oklahoma kid. I believe we control our paths. The paths we take, control our destiny. I'm excited for the future. God Bless”

Look, Baseball is a business.  The fans know it, but sometimes it's hard to understand why a player leaves.  After all, we pay their salary and we feel like we deserve "ours" once in a while.  We're fans, that's understood.

In the end, life goes on, baseball goes on and we'll see DRob again.  This time though... we need to beat him.  He knows that and so do we.

That's what makes baseball great.  At the end of the day, we still respect the players and the players still respect the fans. Nothing is more true about that, than what your just read.  Gotta love it.

Good luck to DRob and Erin. We loved you guys in New York.  Good luck in Chicago... except of course, when you're playing the Yankees.

Merry Christmas!


 

 
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HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE DODGERS TRADE FOR ROLLINS

I'm a Dodgers fan... Now that that's established...

The Dodgers have a habit of signing players past their prime to overly-generous contracts before they are put out to baseball pasture (see: Manny Ramirez, Jason Schmidt, Nomar Garciaparra, Andruw Jones, et. al.)

So when the Dodgers made their first notable move at this week’s Winter Meetings, I wasn’t surprised that they were in contention to sign another veteran to their roster in Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. What does surprise me though is that trade actually makes sense for the Dodger’s current lineup.

In his 15 years in the City of Brotherly Love, Rollins has established himself as one of the game’s top shortstops. Rollins, who is 36, is a two-time All-Star and 2007 NL MVP and is well regarded in the Phillies clubhouse and community. And after losing Hanley Ramirez to the BoSox, the boys in blue are in dire need of a quality middle infielder that can be an immediate impact player in the lineup.

While the Dodgers have young talent in Corey Seager, the infielder is still a year or two away from being an everyday player in the Bigs. Rollins has one year left on his contract and is expecting to be paid $11 million in the 2015 season and can act as a bridge until Seager’s major league debut. Compared to some of the horrible deals the Dodgers have made in the past few seasons, Rollins seems like a deal. The team gets a reliable hitter and a seasoned veteran in a locker room that’s been described as dysfunctional at best.

It’s not yet clear who the Dodgers will be trading in return for Rollins, but the deal seems to indicate that new GM Andrew Friedman may be a little more savvy that his predecessor Ned Colletti when it comes to using the purse. While the Dodgers have been rumored to be suitors in several blockbuster trades including Jon Lester, Cole Hamels, and Andrew Miller, Friedman has refrained from any major deals until today’s acquisition of Rollins.

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






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ROLLINS TO WEAR DODGER BLUE

For the majority of Yankee fans, we dodged a bullet!  Jimmy Rollins is in blue, but not with the Yanks, with the Dodgers instead!  Many are rejoicing in Yankeeland.

A deal has gone down to deliver Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for 2 minor leaguers.  That report comes from Comcast Sportsnet's Jim Salisbury:

"The Jimmy Rollins era is over in Philadelphia.

A source has told CSNPhilly.com, the Phillies on Wednesday traded Rollins, their all-time hits leader, to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Signs point to the Dodgers' sending a pair of minor league pitchers to the Phillies in return for the 15-year veteran shortstop."

The move was essentially done to replace Hanley Ramirez at shortstop.  You gotta wonder if it will improve the Dodgers, or just be a holding place until they find someone younger and better, but whatever it is... the deal's done.

What does this mean? Well again, if you're a Yankee fan, you are probably relieved.  The report on Rollins personally is that he's a nasty teammate and not a good guy. Athletic? Sure, but older these days and he's slowed down considerably. I hate to sound rotten,  I'm just telling you what I've read, but anything close to that means one thing to me as a Yankee fan... not in my clubhouse.

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ROLLINS ISN'T AN OPTION. WE HAVE BETTER...

"Jimmy Rollins is a bad teammate" and "Rollins is a poison in the clubhouse" is what I heard when we wrote A SOLUTION AT SHORT: JIMMY ROLLINS.Sweeny Murti was suggesting Jimmy based on what's left on Rollins contract, and the needs of the Yankees. It made sense to suggest that it could be a perfect fit.  Well, Yankee fans don't want it, and hey, that's good enough for me. I'm with you all!

Now it's pretty much being confirmed that the Yankees are not interesting Rollins. That comes off a tweet from Jayson Stark:

Multiple sources say #Yankees talked to #Phillies about trading for Jimmy Rollins. But asking price was so high, Yanks moved on....
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 26, 2014

The asking price it too high. That makes alot of sense.  Plus, it plays into the whole Troy Tulowitzki thing as well.

The Yankees like Tulo, but don't LOVE Tulo, not for the price the Rox are asking for. 

It comes down to Yankee youth, or at least that's what I'm hoping. You need to hope that the Yanks are opening their eyes and smartening up a bit, not willing to give up our prospects we have for broken down players or players with attitudes and huge contracts.  You need to hope they are being smart.

And so, we stay pat.

We have Martin Prado, Jose Pirela, Rob Refsnyder.  That could be a damn exciting infield by the way... full of young energy. The type of energy to wake up a stale hitting squad.   I'll put my eggs in that basket. How about you?

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A SOLUTION AT SHORT: JIMMY ROLLINS

Sweeny Murti of CBS wrote a good piece about the Yankees and some of the holes that need to be filled.  One of which is shortstop.

I found 1 thing he said very interesting:

"...the more I think about it, the more I’m fascinated by Jimmy Rollins. He turns 36 next week, but has only one year left on his contract in Philadelphia for $11 million. He’s realistically only slightly above average at this stage, both offensively and defensively. But Rollins is also a veteran with leadership skills and some swagger. 

 Those qualities will serve him well as the guy “replacing Derek Jeter.” It’s not a long-term commitment, and if the Yankees are willing to take on the entire salary it might not take a lot in prospect cost to get him..."

As much as I don't want a 36 year old shortstop, this idea makes sense.  It also buys the Yankees time if they're looking for a younger shortstop.

Now personally, I would rather a Elvis Andrus type of player, but only if the Rangers are willing to take a lot of that salary.  If not, maybe Rollins would be a smart, temporary choice...

We'll see.

What do you think?




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BYB HOT STOVE: VOLUME 1

We are beginning a new feature here at BYB called BYB HOT STOVE. Every Wednesday from now until the start of the season, we will focus on hot news items and rumors in and around the MLB with a focus, of course, on the Yankees.

Anxious to find a shortstop to fill the void on the left side of the field vacated by Derek Jeter, the Yankees could go after Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.  According to Sporting News, "Andrus has been an outstanding defensive shortstop (though his 2014 defensive metrics slipped a bit), he’s solid at the plate for the position (career .272 average, .335 on-base percentage, average of 32 stolen bases a year) and he’ll be just 26 heading into next season. Plus, he’s already locked into a long-term deal. He’s not cheap — the eight-year, $120 million extension he signed in April 2013 kicks in for the 2015 season — but the deal would provide position certainty for a long time." Not loving the longterm deal prospect but I am loving his youthfulness and the speed he could bring to the team.

There is also some buzz around the possibility of Troy Tulowitzki checking out of Colorado for some New York baseball.  But, in order to secure someone like Tulowitzki it's going to cost us some pitching prospects. According to NBC Hardball, the shortstop is talking to the other New York team about joining their club. After scoring Michael Cuddyer on Monday, the Mets are looking at Tulowitzki.  He has a big contract with the Rockies through 2020.  Frankly, I would pass.  He hasn't been healthy for several years and we can't afford no longevity and quick fixes at shortstop.

Both New York teams have shown an interest in Phillies' shortstop Jimmy Rollins.  The Mets were on the horn with Philadelphia just yesterday according to ESPNNewYork.com.  "Rollins, as a longtime Phillie, has full no-trade protection. He will earn $11 million next season, then is eligible for free agency," states the report.  According to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, "If it is ever the right time, I will have the conversation, but Jimmy will be the one who decides where he is going.” 36-years-old, bad attitude and work ethic issue are not what we need here in the Bronx.  The Mets can have him. The Phillies do have the biggest for sale sign up this off season, so look for movement of veteran players as the team rebuilds.

How about some Pablo Sandoval?  Will the Red Sox jump on the possibility of picking up the third baseman?  According to CBS Sports, "As expected, third baseman Pablo Sandoval rejected a qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants worth $15.3 million, according to the Associated Press. Sandoval -- now a free agent -- is seeking a six-year contract, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He batted .279/.324/.415 over 588 at-bats last season."  Six years is a long time but reportedly, he will be meeting with the Red Sox next week.

That's this week's BYB Hot Stove.  Got a rumor, tweet us @BleednYankeeBlu.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof




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ROLLINS CONTEMPLATES MOVE. COULD IT BE TO THE BRONX?

When you have a job, it is easy to look for a job.  At least, that is what people who look for greener pastures say when they get the itch to move on to something new.  Perhaps, Jimmy Rollins is ready to entertain some greener pastures in the Bronx.  The newly crowned all-time hit leader "left the door open to the possibility" of a trade, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com following his recording breaking night on Saturday against the Cubs.  I guess that's the first step to changing uniforms and perhaps even leagues.  Will Rollins make a difference in New York?  I'm not sure for the better.  I think he is pompous and self-centered.  I also think he doesn't offer much in the way of leadership and frankly, we don't need that.  We are rebuilding and now as we enter the second half of June, about a month before the All Star break, we are gelling as a unit.  I see red hot bats in Brian McCann, Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury. And perhaps equally important, I see this synergy between veteran and rookie players.  I don't want to see that get wasted with a trade for a veteran shortstop who has shown me drama much like that of Alex Rodriguez. 

Rollins, who passed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt atop Philadelphia's hit list Saturday, told reporters that he would consider waiving his no-trade rights if the last-place Phillies "blow everything up," according to ESPN.com.  Blow everything up?  Really, Jimmy.  Frankly, the Fightn' Phils have not done much since they "blew everything up" in 2009.  Sure, they won it in 2008, but since 2011, they have hung out toward the bottom of the National League East.  They have a lot of veterans who have not done much to move their team forward.  That kind of record could give a group a players a bad attitude, but that kind of behavior is for little leaguers not major leaguers, especially those who hold multi-million dollar contracts like Rollins.

So, as Rollins contemplates a move to another team, another challenge and another city, I keep my fingers crossed that the Yankees are not in his sights.  Not interested, Jimmy, but I would consider pitcher Cole Hamels and perhaps your counterpart, Chase Utley.  According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phils owner, David Montgomery stated that "the idea of trading either player (Rollins or Utley) this summer is complicated." Complicated for him, maybe, but for me, it is very simple- Utley is in and Rollins is out. 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof


   
 
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