SLIGHT UPDATE ON MANNY MACHADO

We here at BYB promised we'd report info on Manny Machado and not crap.  That's what we're doing now.

The Yankees have an offer in. You know that already. Do you know how much? Well reports are it's a "lowball offer" when it comes to years. As far as money, it could be as high as $200 million.  The other piece of info comes from Hardball talk who is quoting Ken Davidoff, whom we love and trust...

"Davidoff mentions five-years, $130 million, but it’s not clear if he’s just speculating or if that’s what someone has told him. Either way, it sounds like New York’s interest is good on the average annual value but poor on the length and guaranteed dollars..."

So what does that mean for the Yankees and the other teams? The Phillies have apparently made another offer to Machado. Mainly because he hasn't decided yet and the Phillies are looking to really bolster their team for 2019.

Photo: Yahoo Sports

As far as the White Sox, Jon Jay went there but that means nothing as far as Machado goes, even though they are friends.  If I followed my friends around, I'd either be in jail or dead.  I kid... but my point for saying that is the "friends connection" story is old and ridiculous. That's been written about for years... insert the free agent.

And finally… my favorite headline of the day Yanks will regret it if they don't get Manny from MLB. The story had nothing of significance in it.  And will the Yankees really regret it? No they won't.

Manny's a great player, but the Yankees are staying in their comfort zone, and that's what negotiation is.  Manny is solid, but also lazy and a dirty player.  I could care less if Manny signs with the New York Yankees or the Carolina Belly Buttons. Life goes on.  Sometimes you really need to think about what a guy is truly worth and roll the dice.  Have faith in Cashman either way.

That's it. It's literally all we have.  And we continue to wait.

SPECULATION HELL WHEN IT COMES TO MACHADO

This tweet sums up the entire Manny Machado sweepstakes...

Manny Machado’s barber is the second cousin twice removed of the street cart vendor in the Bronx who sells Aaron Hicks a hot dog before every home game so therefore Machado is signing in NY.
You can’t dispute facts like this.

— Allison Case (@ThatNYYChick) January 6, 2019

The whole thing is insanity, isn't it?  No one knows where Manny will go and you all just have to sit back and wait. And that's it.  No baseball insider knows... if they put out anything... IT'S A GUESS. And here's the best part for them; In the social media world, there is zero concern about getting it right or wrong. It's a cesspool of stories to peak interest and no real source attached. If they get it wrong, they don't lose their job, they aren't reprimanded and they don't have to apologize... it's chaos.
If they get it right, they're the "I called it" guy and they are superstars among their peers.  And you know what I think? It's destroying the world of journalism. It's destroying integrity and respect and the owning solid stories and having pride and character in your work. It's about being first and if they're wrong? Oh well... life goes on. They aren't docked pay... nothing.

That's why I kid about using the words "high industry sources" instead of just "sources". Sounds important... it means the same thing... I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING... but you think I do.

That's why Jon Heyman says "Someone familiar with the situation".  Because that someone could be a real baseball guy or the milkman.  No one knows... and that's how Jon likes it, because it protects him in this loose world of ridiculousness. And Heyman's thinking? People are dumb anyway... they'll click on that. Fact.

And here's the topper of the day... the New York Daily News... and their headline...

"Manny Machado's good friend Jon Jay signs with White Sox, joining Yonder Alonso: reports"

This is a real story folks. And I guess that headline was designed to get Yankee fans crazy, and trust me, it will work!

Photo: Chicago Tribune / Jon Jay

OH MY GOD, JON JAY SIGNED WITH THE WHITE SOX...there goes Manny. It's up for interpretation, and Yankee fans will interpret it as bad... and that's what the paper wants.  They want you to read it. They want you to click it.  Be smart. Don't waste your time!

I'm gonna be honest with you, because I'm an independent thinker... I don't care if Manny plays with the Yankees or the Albuquerque Balloon Knots. Wait to report it and then we'll report it here on BYB.

We have gone insane as a journalistic society.  Twitter is shit now.  Facebook is not much better.  There's no safe place to write good, solid stories and get people really thinking and engaged.

Thank god for our smart, BYB freaks.  You get it.

For now, this is what is known as fact when it comes to Manny Machado... NOTHING.

Carry on.

WHAT THE YANKS ARE WILLING TO DO TO GET RID OF ELLSBURY

The Yankees are still determined to try and get rid of Jacoby Ellsbury, but are they desperate enough to do what it takes?

Kathy Willens/AP

According to Jon Heyman HERE the Yankees are willing to eat at least half of contract. Keyword here appears to be "at least" and even if that is just a starting point for negotiations it's not enough. The Yankees are having a hard time finding anyone that is interested and the clock is ticking....

The slow moving market is making a tough challenge even harder. There are still a lot of free agents out there, namely some big name outfielders like J.D. Martinez and Lorenzo Cain who are younger and don't have the declining track record that Ellsbury does. It's not hard to see why the Yankees can't find that obvious trade partner.

Ellsbury has $68.5 millon left on his contract that ends in 2020, even if a team does bite and take him for half that is still $11.5 million a year he is owed. If I am any other major league team I can see the current talent in the free agent market, recognize it is better than Ellsbury, not much more expensive and I get more for my money. Jay Bruce just signed for three years and $39 million. I'd rather sign and pay him, the younger and better player.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Yankees are fighting an uphill battle in a slow moving market. There are other "Ellsbury like" players out there like Heyman said. Other free agent outfielders Carlos Gomez, Jon Jay and Jarrod Dyson offer teams the same speed element and they are still waiting for a job. Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in 4 weeks and until the market starts to move, Ellsbury will sit stale on the roster.

If I am the Yankees and a team does come around willing to make a deal I may sure to have the right game plan. The Yankees should go in and say they will pay half, but be ready to pay more. It would be nice if half got the trade done but it isn't likely. If the Yankees want to move Ellsbury the price tag will likely be more than they want to pay. At this point, the Yankees need to decide if they pay a little more and get him off the bench....or do they pay for him to be a seat warmer?

I know it's not my money so it's easy to say I'd pay more to get rid of him but I hate the idea of paying him a bunch of money to sit in the dugout. It's a bad contract that the Yankees and fans need to move on from. His roster spot is too valuable to just waste away.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

WILL WE BE STUCK WITH ELLSBURY?

Photo: New York Post

All of this Jacoby Ellsbury possible trade talk recently has been driving me nuts! It makes perfect sense for the Yankees to try and move him. They have too many outfielders and all of them are better options than Ellsbury who is expensive and not needed to be blunt. It makes sense for the Yankees to try and move on, but for Ellsbury it makes no sense to leave.

Photo: New York Post

Now don't mistake me here...I WANT Ellsbury to be moved. I just think all of this trade talk hasn't been as advanced as some sources may like for us to believe. The best outfield for the Yankees would be based around Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and....Brett Gardner? If he truly isn't the one who is trade bait here. Let's face it Ellsbury has the job security here compared to Gardner and Hicks just continues to improve so the Yankees aren't ready to give up on him either.

Through out all of these Ellsbury talks I have always had a hard time believing that he would be AS WILLING to waive his full no trade clause to play with the San Francisco Giants as rumors have stated. Sure, I can see him waiving it because he is a fifth outfielder and would be a bench warmer. I can see his desire to want to play would be a great motivator to be traded but....to the Giants?

If you break it down, the Giants were a bad team last year. It's hard to go from a contending team who have even higher expectations this year to go play for the last place NL West Giants. Maybe another appeal to get him to go would be to play with an improved team now that they have Evan Longoria and be back in an everyday role since they need an outfielder. Or maybe the idea of playing so close to home would be intriguing too since the Giants spring training home is in Arizona and Ellsbury has a home there.....but maybe once again, it makes more sense for one side than the other.

On paper, Ellsbury and the Giants match up well but the Giants have been chasing two other options. The Giants have been talking to Jay Bruce for awhile now and now according to MLB Trade Rumors HERE the Giants and Reds are active in talks that would send Billy Hamilton to the Giants. I could see why the Giants would prefer Hamilton. He is one of the best defenders in the game and he has speed. He could cover a lot of ground in AT&T Park and be a great fit. On paper, he may be an even better fit than Ellsbury especially since the Reds have interest in one of the Giants prospects.

I think it is going to be even harder to trade Ellsbury than we already knew it would be. If Ellsbury is traded it won't be until late in the off season after all of the outfield free agents like Lorenzo Cain, Carlos Gomez, Jon Jay, Jarrod Dyson, and Austin Jackson sign. Any teams that miss out on those guys could check in on Ellsbury and see how much salary the Yankees are willing to eat but by then they likely won't have any extra money to spend and stay under the luxury tax threshold. I guess at this point the Yankees just have to assume that they will still have Ellsbury at the beginning of the season.

This contract sucks and it is going to be harder than hard to get rid of.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

MLB CUBA GOODWILL TOUR PLAYERS ANNOUNCED & MORE

The MLB is about ready to go to Cuba for the first time in 16 years. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, Chief baseball officer Joe Torre, and special advisor to the executive director, MLBPA, Dave Winfield lead the group of baseball players in the tour which will include children's clinics and charity events.

The players headed on the tour includes Cuban-born Jose Abreu, Brayan Pena, Yasiel Puig and Alexei Ramirez. Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera, Nelson Cruz and Jon Jay also join the. This goodwill tour is an incredible opportunity for the players, and the league itself. It allows them the opportunity to enlighten and encourage children that would otherwise not have that opportunity.


The MLB will also provide Friends of Carita Cubana with a $200,000 grant. They are a US based, non-governmental provider of humanitarian, social and emergency services. A piece on the MLB site described the organization.

"Caritas Cubana focuses on assisting Cuba's most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, children, single mothers, people with disabilities and people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to conducting programs for these populations, Caritas Cubaa distributes medicines and provides emergency relief as needed."

The organization is also included as one of their stops during this Goodwill tour.

I like the idea of taking the game of baseball to other places. The MLB going to Cuba is huge. It's been 16 years since the last time since the Baltimore Orioles played against the Cuban National team in an exhibition game. Baseball is huge in Cuba. I think it's smart to make this trip to Cuba now. It opens up new ventures for the MLB and brings a new perspective to the game for those in Cuba.


 

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804


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