JON BERTI BACKS THE YANKS & TORCHES TRASHY DODGERS

Jon Berti isn’t here for the nonsense. And frankly, neither are we.

The Yankees may have come up short in last October’s World Series, but they earned their spot in the Fall Classic—despite what some classless Dodgers players had to say afterward. Berti, who gave his all for New York, wasn’t about to let the disrespect slide.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a championship team talk that much trash about the runner-up,” Berti said on Foul Territory this week. “It was like they didn’t even think we deserved to be there.”

Let’s get one thing straight—New York fought hard. They took the division, handled business against Kansas City and Cleveland, and battled their way to the biggest stage in baseball. Did they fall short? Sure. But let’s not pretend the Yankees lucked their way into the World Series.

Yet, instead of celebrating with class, certain Dodgers—like Joe Kelly chose to take cheap shots. Kelly called the series a "mismatch from the start." 

First of all, two elite teams make it to the World Series. That’s just how it works. The Yankees didn’t get there by accident. And second—win with some dignity. Berti didn’t have to say anything, but he stepped up and defended his squad. That’s the kind of guy you want in your clubhouse; the kind of guy Yankees fans will always appreciate.

Yes, the Dodgers were the better team in the series. That’s baseball. But running your mouth after the fact? That’s weak. Berti showed up for the Yankees, just like he always did on the field. He was a soldier in pinstripes, and we love him for that. We love him even more for calling out the nonsense.

Dodgers, enjoy the rings. But maybe next time, try winning with a little class.

$3.8 MILLION SAVED... $600 MILLION MORE TO GO!

The New York Yankees have non-tendered infielder Jon Berti, choosing to save $3.8 million and effectively signaling, “Thanks for your service, but we’ve got bigger plans.” It’s all part of the team's offseason strategy to hoard every penny they can for a potential Juan Soto spending spree.

Berti, 34, was brought in before the 2024 season to be the quintessential “do-it-all” guy. And to his credit, he did – when he wasn’t sidelined. A calf strain knocked him out for most of the summer, and a hip flexor issue ended his season before the Yankees’ playoff run. Admirable effort? Sure. Unlucky with injuries? Definitely. But this is New York, where sentiment takes a back seat to championship aspirations.

Let’s be clear: Berti was a good soldier. He hustled, played wherever the team needed him, and kept his head down. But at the end of the day, this off-season the Yankees are laser-focused on Soto. You don’t land a generational talent by pinching pennies on the big-ticket items; you do it by making the tough calls on smaller pieces like Berti.

It’s not personal – it’s business. The Yankees are looking to reshape their future with Soto, a left-handed bat so elite he could redefine the lineup. Soto is expensive. To afford that kind of game-changer, you cut costs wherever you can – even if it means saying goodbye to a guy who gave it his all. That's my opinion of course.

Stay tuned. The real fireworks are just getting started.

THOSE MUSTACHES DON'T BEAT THE ULTIMATE!

I am watching these Yankee games and I'm seeing dudes like Austin Wells and Jon Berti and I have to say, they have great mustaches... but none of them measure up to our guy Brendan Ryan when he was wearing his proudly with the Yankees.

Look, there's no question that Austin Wells and his mustache are a team. The guy has had that thing for a while. It's full, it's part of him and no question he takes care of it.  

Then you got Jon Berti's stache, and I felt like that thing just showed up.  I don't remember Berti to ever have a mustache... am I wrong?  I felt like he was looking at Wells one day and was like "I can do that" and just grew it.  Look, it works for him I guess, but it's not my favorite stache at all.

My favorite stache is Brendan Ryan's hands down.  First off, Brendan was for a while one of our faves in this Yankee house. When he was on the Yanks, my kid was a young baseball player, middle infielder and Ryan was the guy... he loved Ryan.   And it was right around that time that the stache was in full force. I think what was so special about Ryan was not only his athleticism in the field, but the fact that that mustache just showed up and was perfect from day 1.  

I guess all this mustache talk brings me back to the Ryan days... 2013 to 2015.  No, the Yankees weren't the best, but for me in my life I was comforting, and I almost equate it to a simpler time, a positive time. The Yankees were right there, but in my life the kids were younger, there was less going on... my kids would hang out more.  These days everyone is grown... the two older ones are in college, my younger ones have reached that teenager age where they're too cool for their parents... and here I am sitting with my wife thinking about the way it once was, and when Brendan Ryan had the ultimate Yankee mustache.

Life moves pretty fast sometimes. Cherish every moment and soak it in, because before you know it... it all is just a memory.

Shout out to a simpler time... and one of the best dude's out there with one of the best mustaches in Yankee history... Brendan Ryan.

Hope all is well my guy! The best to you, Sharyn and the kiddos!

WILL THE YANKEES PLAY 'OCTOBER BASEBALL' LIKE THE BOSS WOULD WANT?

 
Source: Sporting News

I love October Baseball. It is like an extension of summer plus more baseball to love. The Yankees have not been great at October baseball more recently, but I think they have a hankering to change that with additions of Juan Soto, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and Jasson Dominguez to the lineup. So the question is will the Yankees play October baseball like they were built to and the way the Boss would want?

"Though they fell to the Pirates, 4-2, on Friday night in The Bronx, Jazz Chisholm Jr. announced the team’s lofty expectations once they get to October. “This was their goal all season, to get to the World Series, not just the playoffs,’’ Chisholm said. “This is only one stop and I feel in everybody’s heart in this clubhouse, we don’t think our stop is now. We’re not stopping ’til we get that ring,” reported The New York Post. Boss George Steinbrenner would like that optimism, but what he wouldn't like is the Yankees' inconsistencies over this up and down season. And over the last several years, since probably 2017, the Yankees' October has not added up to anything. But this time, they are the arguably the best team in the AL, so maybe that is enough swag to make the difference?

                                                                         Source: MLB.com

“It’s gonna be really fun to start here in The Bronx,” Carlos Rodon said of the postseason. “It’s gonna be electric. …We’re going to the postseason. That’s way different than last year,” reported The Post. Rodon is having a turnaround season after a lackluster one in 2023 with 16-9 record (tied for 3rd), an ERA of 3.96 (40th) and 195 strikeouts (tied for 13th). Rodon will likely be the second starter in the rotation, which I hope is only a three-man rotation. If I was picking it would be Gerrit Cole, Rodon and Luis Gil and leave it at that. 

Source: Sports Illustrated

Besides the starting pitching rotation, there are the fielding and offensive considerations, with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton all holding hot bats over the 10 or so games. Jasson Dominguez has gotten the start in left field over the last 13 out of 17 games since rejoining the team, and it looks like he will be the early starter with defensive relief from Alex Verdugo in the later innings. 

As The Post hints, "With Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base, Anthony Rizzo at first and Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera ready to come off the bench, it may be tough to find a path onto a postseason roster for DJ LeMahieu. Boone said Berti, who missed much of the season with a calf injury, likely would play Saturday and Sunday as he prepares for a playoff role. If the Yankees go with just three starters in the ALDS, it would open up another spot for a position player." With Rizzo questionable after being hit on the hands and suffering a finger fracture in Saturday's loss to the Pirates, there will likely be a pivot by the team. 

Source: AP

So is all of this enough to ensure that the Yankees are October-ready? It is really in their hands. If it was up to Judge, Chisholm, Jr. and Soto, they are all in. I'd like to be all in too, but it is just too early to tell. As the Yankees head into 162, I have a lot of optimism for what's ahead despite these ridiculous losses to the Pirates at home. And it is these kinds of losses that have hurt the Yankees all season. Let's hope they are just readying themselves or "tuning themselves" as Michael Kay suggested, for what's ahead and not that they are putting the cart before the horse. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

YANKEE BRASS FEELS THE PRESSURE, CALL UP DOMINGUEZ!

Well, in fairness to the Yankee organization's wallet, bringing up Jasson Dominguez will sell more tickets these days considering Aaron Judge has slowed in hitting home runs.  

I mean, the outcry of Yankee fans everywhere was the reason for the move.  Brian Cashman saying that their team thought it was smart to leave Dominguez down was just him trying to get ahead of it, suggesting they made the right choice. But in reality, it was a colossal mistake to leave Dominguez down and clearly someone with a brain in their head convinced Hal to bring the kid up.  And guess what, they did. Case closed.

The New York Post writes:

"Jasson Dominguez has been called up, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed, ahead of Monday’s series opener in The Bronx against the Royals.

Jon Berti also was set to be activated, with Duke Ellis already optioned Sunday.

The Yankees also placed infielder DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 6., with a right hip impingement."

Now that idiot Aaron Boone will come out at some point today and say that "the decision to bring up Dominguez was already in the works", or "I don't get involved in those decisions" or something stupid like that.  Trust me, any beat reporter that asks that moron anything deserves to get a word salad answer.  Ignore that guy. The fact of the matter is the Yankees felt pressure to do the right thing.  Someone in that building knew that the entire Yankee universe wanted Jasson up.  It was a social media frenzy. It had to happen.

And once again the Yankees do what they do best, mess up and then gaslight us into believing it was all them. The truth is the Yankee fans are running this team when it comes to personnel decisions whether you believe it or not.  Now if we can just get players to start hitting and winning consistently... then we'd have something.

YANKEES ADD INFIELD STABILITY

The Yanks have been busy all year, with wins and ways to improve. I like it, I like it a lot. It's much better than last season.  Too bad Boone's still manager.  Anyway... here's some news. The Yankees have acquired JD Davis.

The Sporting News writes:

"The New York Yankees acquired infielder J.D. Davis and cash considerations in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, the team announced Sunday.

In exchange for Davis, the Yankees sent infielder Jordan Groshans, a 24-year-old with a .590 OPS in 50 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels with the Yankees this season...

Davis was designated for assignment by the Athletics on June 17, but the Yankees clearly wanted to make a move to acquire the veteran.

A corner infielder, Davis appeared in 39 games with the Athletics this season. He has a .236 average with four home runs, five RBI, nine walks..."

Now this is hardly a major move, but this will at least provide some stability with the idea of Rizzo out and Ben Rice at first and DJ LeMahieu is hardly lighting it up, Cabrera around when needed and Jon Berti on the 60 day IL. Love the Yankee Depth Chart... it's awesome. So, what expect to see here is hopefully a new team and new energy from Davis and now the Yankees have more options. 

Nothing major but could prove to be a nice piece.  We shall see.

THE SEASON STARTS NOW FOR DJ LEMAHIEU!

Source: The Trentonian

The Yankees are about to get some infield relief and hopefully another lethal bat in the lineup as DJ LeMahieu makes his official 2024 debut after three misstarts. LeMahieu came to spring training and played in games up until he took a foul ball off his foot on March 16th. Then LeMahieu began his first rehab  attempt on April 23rd, only to pull back after one inning when he still experienced soreness. After some games with the Rail Riders, where things went a lot smoother, DJ LeMahieu made his way to Anaheim to join his team. Finally, on May 28th, DJ is back. Yes, the season starts today for DJ LeMahieu. And I am rooting for him. 

"Manager Aaron Boone has said LeMahieu will be the Yankees’ starting third baseman, taking over for Oswaldo Cabrera (and the now-injured Jon Berti), who did a solid job filling in over the first two months of the season. The Yankees will still likely ease LeMahieu back into full-time action, but his arrival should make the Yankees’ lineup even deeper as he slots into the seven- or eight-hole," reported The New York Post. 

Source: NY Post

I think Boone is aspirational if he thinks LeMahieu will be able to take over for Oswaldo Cabrera who has been absolutely stellar on the hot corner for the Yankees. Cabrera has also played some first base and filled in for Gleyber Torres who quite frankly could take a seat ahead of Cabrera in my mind.

"Torres’ defense remains polarizing — he makes some terrific plays but also has seven errors, including a crucial one Sunday that turned into a four-run inning in the 5-2 loss to the Padres. “After every error, you have to clean it up,” Torres said. “It’s a long season,” reported The Post. 

I see LeMahieu, if he can get himself going and stay consistently healthy, playing more second base and giving Anthony Rizzo some days off at first base. To make the decision to replace Cabrera at third base without any data to support that is to me, ridiculous. And certainly, he should not displace Anthony Volpe as the leadoff batter with Volpe batting over .300 with a hitting streak. Although I don't think that is even on the table. 

Best case scenario, LeMahieu kicks off his three-game series with multiple hits and impactful defense complimenting the Yankees already strong lineup. Worst case scenario, the Yankees rethink how they will use LeMahieu and keep playing the players who have been contributing to this Yankee "dawg" momentum. But for now, it's opening day for LeMahieu- wishing him luck and hoping for the best!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

WHY OSWALDO CABRERA NEEDS TO PLAY EVERYDAY

Source: AP

I have been impressed with Oswaldo Cabrera since he first stepped into the big leagues. Firstly, his smile is contagious but secondly, and more importantly, he can play baseball. He has speed, he has good defense and a consistent sweet swing. And he has had an incredible start to the 2024 season. So why does Boone keep him on the bench instead of playing him everyday? Your guess is as good as mine.

"Between his critical long ball on Saturday afternoon and his run-scoring double in Game 2 of the doubleheader, Cabrera is hitting .333 (13-for-41) on the season with a .973 OPS. In 11 games played, Cabrera has 11 RBI. Only superstar Juan Soto — who also homered on Saturday — has more (15). “He’s a big part of this team in this offense right now,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “We love to have him here,” reported NJ.com. 

But like the Aaron Boone of the past, Cabrera sat for games when he was hot with the bat. Instead Boone opted for Jon Berti in his place. And of course Cabrera would have been sanctioned as the utility man if DJ LeMahieu was healthy. Yet, his teammates like what they see in Cabrera, which might keep him in the lineup even when Berti and LeMahieu return from the IL.

“Talk about somebody that comes to the field every day and gives everything he has,” catcher Jose Trevino said. “The definition is Oswaldo Cabrera. Watching him grow, watching him come up, watching him play the game, how he handles himself, how he handles his teammates. It’s top of the charts for me,” reported NJ.com.

Source: AM New York

The challenge for Cabrera is to stay consistent and keeping up with the pitching across baseball. It takes a lot of work to stay sharp and focused, night after night. And as a young player he needs to see more pitches to continue to grow and improve. Cabrera's defense may keep him in the lineup as Gleyber Torres continues to tumble both at the plate and on the field. Torres' defense has been abysmal as of late. And it is a free agent year for Torres, who started the season at the top of lineup and has since moved down to the 6 or 7 slot.

Cabrera is certainly making a case to be an everyday player for the New York Yankees. Will his campaign win him a place once LeMahieu comes back into the fold? It's anyone's guess, but if it was my choice, I would be damn sure Cabrera got as much time in the lineup as possible, so he can demonstrate his value and perhaps find a place in the lineup permanently. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

MINOR YANKEE MOVES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

Not a ton of bells and whistles here, but stuff is going on. 

First off, remember Josh Maciejewski? He was with the Yankees for a hot minute. He was designated for assignment.  

Secondly, Jon Berti showed up for the Yankees and he's already on the IL.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

" Utilityman Jon Berti has been placed (retroactive to April 11) on the 10-day injured list due to a left groin strain, and left-hander Josh Maciejewski was also designated for assignment."

And finally, Ron Marinaccio, we all love Ron, he was called up.  Good.

Last night the Yankees couldn't do a thing offensively against the Blue Jays.  Let's hope today being a new day brings some change.

That is all. Carry on.