YANKEES DUMP OTTAVINO TO THE RED SOX

And now it's pretty positive that Adam Ottavino is the best damn reliver the Red Sox have. No question actually. Yup... it's rare, but it does happen. The Yankees and the Sox have made trades before.

In 2014, it was Red Sox receiving Kelly Johnson and the Yankees getting Stephen Drew and cash.

In 1994 the Red Sox got money in the Scott Bankhead deal. 

In 1986, the Red Sox got DH Don Baylor and the Yankees got DH Mike Easler.

And it happened several times before that. all the way back to Babe Ruth.  So yeah... it doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen.  

But the biggest concern I and several others have is that we hope that Ottavino doesn't suddenly become a superstar and this trade screws us down the road. I guess you have to roll the dice on it.

Anyway... NJ.com writes:

"Ottavino was 2-3 with a 5.89 ERA in 24 appearances with the Yankees in 2020. He was stellar for most of the 2019 season, his first in a three-year, $27 million deal, but had a rough September and terrible postseason.

With most of Ottavino’s salary off the books, Cashman will be able to add one or two more significant pieces and stay under this year’s $210 million luxury-tax threshold."

So there you have it... Ottavino... GONZO. And life moves on.

CASHMAN DRINKS THE SCOTT BORAS KOOL-AID ONCE AGAIN

It is no secret that Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has been a HUGE proponent of anything and anyone that Scott Boras promotes.  Numerous articles have been written in regards to the somewhat weird man-love Heyman has for Boras’s clients.  He consistently provides inside information and written prose that borders on marketing material for anyone represented by the notorious sports agent. 

Such is the case with Stephen Drew.

In the months following the latest disappointing campaign in the Bronx, Heyman has promoted the return of the mannequin-like shortstop-turned-second baseman to the Yankees.  He provided an excuse for Drew’s tee ball caliber performance at the plate in 2014, saying that he didn’t have a Spring Training to build on.  The problem with that theory is the fact that Drew already had 39 games under his belt with the Red Sox by the time he joined the Yankees.  Further dismantling of Heiman’s philosophy was provided by Drew’s performance as the season progressed.  Instead of improving with more games under his belt, Drew’s batting average continued to plummet.

Now, in his proud announcement that the Yankees genius of a General Manager – Brian Cashman – resigned Drew to a deal that could go as high as $6 - $7 million and has $5 million as a base value, Heyman says that in spite of the player’s demise last season, he “hit .253 with 13 home runs, 67 RBI and a .777 OPS in helping the Red Sox to a World Series title the year before.”

“…in helping the Red Sox to a World Series title the year before” – yeah, right. 

That’s why the Red Sox not only traded Drew to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson, they added cash to the deal.  What Mr. Heyman fails to point out is that Drew’s average with runners in scoring position over the last three seasons has been: .215, .232, and .190.   He also neglects to inform his readers that the last time Drew played 150 games in a season was 2010.  That’s 5 seasons ago.

Enablers, like Heyman, will joyfully celebrate Drew’s status as a solid fielder.  Yeah, he’s solid, but at second base – where Heyman has concluded is Drew’s position in 2015 – his range factor (4.34) ranked 14^th in MLB.   Middle of the pack, nothing more, nothing less.  

So, Brian Cashman, in an effort to undo steps he had taken to make this team more energetic, youthful, and promising,  brought back a veteran player whose best seasons were in the previous decade and who is an average fielder with a pathetic talent at the plate.  Any new found respect I had for our GM is now gone.  He hasn’t changed a bit.

I had actually written an article daring to say that I liked what Brian Cashman was doing for our team.  He had made sound deals to bring in young arms and younger hitters with high ceilings.  In doing so, he went so far as to pronounce that second base would be a competition between two of our up-and-coming stars – Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder.  With a swirl of his poisoned pen, he has undone that hope and shown the true strategy for our minor leaguers;  they are only being developed as trade pawns. 

I feel sorry for any of the everyday players in our system.  Their journey to the “Show” isn’t being blocked by talent ahead of them.  Rather, their primary barrier is our General Manager. 

Stephen Drew might very well be a great guy and teammate, but even Peter Gammons pointed out in Twitter his surprise at how willingly thirsty people in the media (Heyman) are drinking Scott Boras’s Kool-Aid when it comes to the shortstop/second baseman.

Since 2011 injury, Stephen Drew .220/.301/,377/.677. Never has there been a more insane media campaign to view what may be the end
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) September 29, 2014

It would appear that our General Manager is also filling his cup with what Boras is offering.

I truly thought that our team had turned a corner.  Sure, the youngsters (Gregorius, Pirela, Refsnyder) might stumble a little out of the gate while they get their “sea legs” in the Major Leagues, but would they really be worse than what Drew is going to provide?   What is the purpose of throwing up to $7 million at a guy who won’t play the entire season, won’t hit his weight, and isn’t going to save any games with his play in the field (he’ll make the basic ones, but that’s it).  At what point will the realization hit Cashman that this Yankees lineup can’t afford the addition of an automatic out in the name of making one or two more plays in the field?  This isn’t the 1998 Yankees.  Hell, it’s not the 2010 Yankees for that matter.

Jose Pirela was given the opportunity to join the club last September, and in 24 at-bats he hit .333.  Yes, before the Drew family jumps in to say how that’s a very, very small sample, I merely point that statistic out because during ALL of 2014, Stephen Drew didn’t have a 24 at-bat period where he hit .333. 

Once again, just as the sun was beginning to peek out from the clouds on our franchise, the perfect storm of Scott Boras (the dealer), Jon Heyman (the enabler), and Brian Cashman (the hopeless buyer) has doused its warmth. 

(In Photo: Jose Pirela)
I can only hope that Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder leave no doubt in Manager Joe Girardi’s mind as to who the better players are this spring.  Should they do so, perhaps our owners will open their eyes to the money their GM is flushing down the toilet.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

  
 

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REPLACING DEREK JETER

OK, our captain is now gone and we have an off season to ponder what to do next in regards to our shortstop situation.

Already some out there have suggested the Yankees just bring Stephen Drew back and put him into the position he played for virtually his entire career before the Bombers tried to make him a second baseman.

I say go ahead and do that if you are OK with mediocrity.

I have nothing personally against Stephen Drew.  I’m sure he’s an outstanding person and teammate.  There is little doubt that he gets along with the media given the way many of them have pined for his tenure in pinstripes.  I just don’t get it.

Last season he hit .176 with a .989 fielding percentage before joining the Yankees (in a trade for Kelly Johnson).   Once in the Bronx, Drew was promptly put at second base and hit .150 with the Bombers (didn’t think it would get WORSE did you?) with a .971 fielding percentage at second and a .969 (again, didn’t imagine it would be WORSE at his NATURAL position) percentage at shortstop.

Why in their right mind, would anyone suggest bringing Drew back? 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests that Drew has suffered from a lack of spring training.  That implies that he thinks with more games Drew will be serviceable at the plate.  Here’s the problem I have with that:  Drew played in 85 games in 2014.  His average by month was: June - .143, July - .206, August - .153, and September - .147.  He didn’t get better the more he played, Joel.

I think the Yankees have an opportunity to fill our vacant infield spot using resources “in-house”.  Jose Pirela, the infielder called up in September who hit .333 over the seven games he played in “the show”, has over 300 games at shortstop under his belt.   He was called up to fill an occasional role at second base and DH because he hit .305 at Scranton.  The 24-year-old can flat out hit.

One player not called up in September (curiously)  is Rob Refsnyder, a second baseman for the RailRiders.  He has been on the fast track through the Yankees farm system and hit .300 over 77 games at Scranton.  The 23-year-old is our future at second base.

I suggest the future is now.

They may be young, and have virtually no experience at the highest level of baseball, but both Pirela and Refsnyder represent immediate upgrades over Stephen Drew in spite of what people like Joel Sherman might think.

Our captain, who recently hung up his spikes, was just 22-years-old when Joe Torre and Gene Michael decided to give him a shot – knowing full well that his best years were ahead of him.

Rather than continuing to ignore that model of success and disgrace the very strategy that gave birth to a Yankee icon by bringing in a player whose ceiling has collapsed upon him, Brian Cashman needs to trust our own talent.  He should embrace what his predecessor used to create baseball’s  most recent dynasty, and put his faith in successful players within his minor league organization.

You don’t honor the legacy of Derek Jeter by trying to replace him with a 30-something player unable to hit his weight.  Instead, you pay tribute to what Jeter was by giving the next line of youth their chance.

The current Cashman model has made the Yankees a stale, 85-win team.  It’s time to once again infuse this team with young, ambitious players that have proven themselves at the minor league level.  The talent is there, we just need a GM with the guts to give it a shot.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


 


 
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IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST

I’ve just about had it.

I’m tired of watching old players well past their prime breaking down and leaving unfulfilled promises in the hands of our medical staff.  I’m tired of a manager’s misguided loyalty to his players that results in the same lineup letdowns day after day, and I’m tired of watching a win slip away while that same manager seems to be oblivious to the obvious.

It’s all about trust.

We are fielding one of the oldest, if not the oldest, teams in Major League Baseball simply because our general manager would rather try to catch lightning in a bottle with players whose glory years are a distant memory, instead of looking to what we have in our minor league system.

He simply doesn’t trust the youngsters. As a result, we are left with a band of broken part-time players.

Our GM has a strategy of trying to harness a rebirth of former stars.  He throws money at them like it was soft candy at a geriatric parade, and we get stuck with a bevy of mid-to-long term contracts for players that spend more time worrying about what surgery to have next rather than what their approach should be with the next at-bat.

Brian Cashman’s strategy has become as worn as the players he’s acquiring, and it needs to stop.  Start trusting what you have developing in the minor league system Brian.  Why not give a shot to a young outfielder instead of signing Carlos Beltran to a three-year deal?  What would you have lost?

Beltran has appeared in 107 of our 149 (as of this writing) games.  He’s hitting .235.  Tell me how one of our prospects would have done worse.  I’d struggle believing you.

One player Cashman brought on board that isn’t a geriatric (he’s 31), but who plays like one is Stephen Drew.  The GM traded Kelly Johnson to the Red Sox for him on July 31^st.  I’m not altogether sure what “Cash” saw in Drew, given that he was hitting .176 in Boston at the time.  I know he was trying to fill a void at second base because the former superstar second baseman that the GM signed during the off-season – 36-year-old Brian Roberts – hadn’t worked out, but Drew’s last truly good season was in 2010 (I’m being nice) and he had never played second base.

Yet another gamble to rekindle the past has failed miserably, as Drew is batting .135 with the Yankees. He currently ranks 307^th (yeah that’s not a typo) in the American League in hitting, and of those around him in the rankings, only one – John McDonald of the Angels – has played in more than 70 games (McDonald isn’t a starter).

(In Photo: Jose Pirela)
All the while the club has had TWO second basemen at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre who have far out-shone anything Drew has displayed in the Bronx.  24-year-old Jose Pirela has hit .305 with 10 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 60 RBI at Scranton.  His play at second has been decent with a .979 fielding pct (Drew’s is .971).   If Pirela doesn’t “float your boat”, the RailRiders have another choice in 23-year-old Rob Refsnyder.  The baby Bomber hit .300 with 8 home runs and four stolen bases in half a season with the club.  During the first half of 2014, Refsnyder pounded out a .342 average at Trenton.  In the field, the former outfielder held his own with a .988 fielding pct.

(In photo: Rob Refsnyder)
My only question is what would either Pirela or Refsnyder have done that could be worse than Drew?  Why didn’t we give at least one of them a chance?

Since we are on the topic of Stephen Drew, it brings me to my issue (well, primary issue) with our manager Joe Girardi.

As I mentioned, Drew isn’t exactly burning good memories into the minds of Yankee faithful with his play in the Bronx, yet Joe Girardi continues to put him into the starting lineup.  To date, Drew has appeared in 36 of the 42 games played since he donned pinstripes.  In spite of his anemia at the plate, Girardi puts Drew in the seventh spot of the order, and he’s even batted as high as fifth in the lineup.

Does Girardi feel “obligated” to put Stephen Drew in his daily lineup?  Or, is Girardi an extension of Brian Cashman, believing that Drew is going to have a rebirth soon?  I think it has to do with loyalty.  Our manager is loyal to a fault.  Look at how many times he turned to David Huff in the middle of the season before realizing that the lefty “specialist” was hurting more than helping (that’s just one of several examples).

Joe Girardi has shown himself to be resistant to change.  In previous seasons he used Boone Logan until his arm virtually fell off, and he continues to throw Beltran and Mark Teixeira into the heart of the order in spite of the fact that neither is hitting above .236.

As I sit here pondering our situation, I can’t help but think that maybe the problem with the Yankees is that our management team lacks “creativity”.  They have become so set in their ways that the Bombers are now stale.  The close-mindedness of our GM and manager has snuffed out the candle of yet another season.

(In Photo: Chris Stewart)
I want to believe in Girardi.  After all, I still think last season was perhaps his finest as he kept the team in the playoff hunt until the very end while having to use the likes of mannequins Lyle Overbay and Chris Stewart.  Only, in watching this season I’m starting to think that maybe he just “lucked into” that playoff chase of a year ago.  I think I’ve lost my trust in him.

Unfortunately, our owners have all but pledged to bring back the men responsible for the product we see on the field every day.  They have a blind trust in Cashman and Girardi.  Or, maybe they just don’t care.

I’ll keep hoping that we turn a corner, but with the age of this team and the mentality of those that run it, it’s becoming a struggle to even watch on a daily basis.

I will enter 2015 with no expectations.  It’s a feeling that I haven’t had in quite some time.  We’ll see what the off-season brings, but it will be on the field where this team will have to regain my trust.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


 
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ENERGY VS. COMPLACENCY

I wasn't expecting much and to be honest, anytime the Yanks are on ESPN, it takes way too long, it's annoying to listen to the commentators and I just get way too tired.  But, because I still love my team, I take a peak now and then and tonight, I watch more than I thought I would.

The pitching duel between the Yankees and O's was a good one. It actually means alot to me because we are head to head with the first place Orioles, and my thinking was, if we can get a split from this 4 game series, I'll take it. I thought wrong. 

Hiroki Kuroda started and went 7 innings pitched, gave up 6 hits and only 1 run.  Dellin Betances and DRob followed and Houdini was shooting for his 37th save.  Applaud this kid, despite losing it for New York tonight. DRob will get 40 before the season's over.  That's big.

Look, the game was tied at 1 most of the game.  Martin Prado hit a home run in the 2nd inning. Then, in the 9th, Brian McCann put the Yanks ahead.  Many thought it was over then, but even the not-so-smart baseball mind knows the Orioles are believers... they never give up.  They are relentless.  They will keep going when the other teams slow down.  That's why they're in first.  That's why we're not. 

DRob didn't look right tonight. He looked like he was missing his spots. He did with Nelson Cruz and did with the rest. When Kelly Johnson came up with a 2-2 game, I said out loud, "Another former Yankee is about to crush my season." The next pitch, Kelly Johnson walked-off. Orioles win. 

But as I watched DRob walk into the dugout, I wasn't mad.  As a baseball fan, not a Yankees fan... I was proud to see a team full of energy celebrate their win on the field. Call me crazy, but that's how I felt for a moment.  Sure, I am NOT an Orioles fan, I never will be, but much like I've been speaking about energy and passion in this great game... well, I saw it in the Orioles tonight. They looked like they wanted it more.  I know it's unfair to say, but there is something strange that happens with the Yankees and it has all year when it comes to scoring runs. They get "just enough" and look complacent once they do.  I don't know what it is, but I do know this; If I had amnesia and I didn't know the O's from the Yankees, but I needed to pick a winner based on body language... let's just say I'd know who to pick.  The O's are full of excitement... it was evident in this entire 4 game series.

Final: Orioles 3 - Yankees 2

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HEY HAL, LESS TALK... MORE ACTION!

Yankeeland is outraged.  We need a change and we need it now.  Top reason why we can’t get it together? Energy is stale and the offense can't knock in runs.  We have an older, broken down bunch of players not capable of changing routines.  We have Yankee brass not willing to make drastic changes to “light a fire”, and I don't mean signing new life, I mean making a statement with what we have.

Now, Hal Steinbrenner has come out and said the offense needs to step up, and that's fine... I guess. He said this about the team's production:  "They have to. They know that... They're professionals and the talent is there. But they've got to step it up and they know that. ... Look, my job is to be an optimist, and I am confident."

True, and I appreciate the talk, Hal.  But talk is now cheap. Yankeeland is frustrated. We have told the offense all season they needed to step up... and guess what? They haven't. Plus, we have questions now about conditioning of pitchers, and what about bringing up our youth? Where's the energy on this club? Why are we not shaking up the lineup? Why is Kevin Long's job safe? Is Joe Girardi or Larry Rothschild on the chopping block? Now we need action...we need hard choices.  Make a God damn statement and prove you're serious about the team needing to step up!

The Yankees are like Congress these days… low approval rating.  We pay for solid play as fans and I mean, we are the Yankees, we’re supposed to be winning, not losing the way we are!  On paper, we appear to have what it takes, but let’s face it, Brian McCann has turned out to be a dud and we traded for a great defender with no bat in Stephen Drew for a guy with no bat and an OK defender in Kelly Johnson.  But let's be honest? Is there really an upgrade with someone like Stephen Drew from someone like Brian Roberts before him? I can’t believe how disgraceful the second base position is right now.  Robinson Cano is laughing his ass off.  

One quick fix that we can all agree on is Rob Refsnyder needs to be brought up now!  I know we have Drew at 2^nd, but it’s not working. Bring up Refsnyder, bring up that youthful energy and let's get it going!  He batting .300 right now… the guy is ready. Let’s do this.

Energy gets a team going.  Look at someone like Yangervis Solarte.  He was so excited to be in New York and his energy has now translated to San Diego. He's fun to watch.  You know who else was like that? Derek Jeter. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte. Bernie Williams. Mariano Rivera.  Homegrown kids who made it to the show and never looked back.  The kids need to be sprinkled into this crippled Yankee roster now.  Cut the fat, bring in the young ones.  

We are 8 games out of first place in the American League East, the hardest division.  Despicable.  We can’t score runs.  Read IT'S BIZARRO IN YANKEE GAMES THIS YEAR.  The Stats don’t lie… we are a pathetic bunch.  Sure, accuse me of being harsh. I’ll accuse you of not truly understanding what the word “collapse” means.  It’s us.  

You know why the Baltimore Orioles play so well? It’s because Buck Showalter breaks rusty routines and motivates a club.  Those players WANT to run though a brick wall for Buck, because they know they’d do it as a team.  We don’t have a team these days… we have individuals unable to perform together.  It’s baseball ladies and gentlemen… not high school wresting.  We need to get it done together.

The solution is simple; inject youth and energy into this club now! Bring up Rob Refsnyder… not as a September call up, as a player on this club in August! Inject life into our lineup... Shake it up. Bench players who aren’t performing. When they ask why, be honest, say “Because you suck!” Yankee fans are fed up!  We want life in the pinstripes now! If we don’t do it in August, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye.   

You think the media was harsh on the Yankees in 2013 after we didn’t make the playoffs? Wait until you see what happens if we don’t make it in 2014. Armageddon.  The Yankees, the brass and management will get crushed. The fans, as much as we love our team, will leave. The fan base will turn their back on them.  And yes, Cashman made a splash in the offseason with guys like Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, McCann… but they don’t carry a club.  We need everyone, ALL 25 to make it work.  We don’t have the hunger to win. We have tired, old players who can’t understand why their not hitting anymore.  Well… it’s their job to figure it out.  If they can't bench them, send them down, trade them. And if you want… consider new life… consider Rob Refsnyder.

It’s the youth moment… and we’re calling for it here at Bleeding Yankee Blue… we need a change, and energy and a shake up... Who’s with me?

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STEPHEN DREW FOR KELLY JOHNSON... UM

I don't understand this trade and I'm not sure I ever will.

As my friend Lisa Swan just posted on Facebook:

"I see Brian "Supergenius" Cashman strikes again. Drew's slash line is .176/.255/328. Kelly Johnson's is .219/.304/.373. And Drew is making $10 million this year; Johnson $3M. Oh, and Drew has never played any other position than shortstop in his career. Any time you can get a player having a worse year than your current player, plus he makes $7M more per year, plus the only position he knows how to play is the one currently filled by a retiring HOFer, you gotta make that deal!"

I'm with you Lisa.

 The Red Sox and the Yankees have made a swap. We get Drew and they get Johnson.  I like Drew, but I really like his defense. I don't like his bat.  Oddly, wasn't that what we went into today looking for? Any idea what the frig Brian Cashman is thinking?

But this tops it off for me though.  In my busy day, I casually asked around to a few of my writers to see if they could post the Drew story for all of you.  My funniest response back was from Mike O'Hara who wrote me:

"I am not home. I am at an audition, waiting and hating the news I am getting."

Yup... that's about right.

Wake up Cash... wake up.
 

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WHY WE SHOULD ALL MISS SOLARTE

It's been a couple of days since the Yankees trade Yangervis Solarte away and I've been thinking about it a lot. Now usually when the Yankees trade away a young kid usually you find me on here ranting. I admit, it is what I do. This time I am ranting....but maybe not for the reason you may think. This time, I just want people to see there were some "high" moments during his short time with us. The season is long, and it is easy to fit. So I guess this is me being a cheerleader.

Usually I am the staff writer standing on my soap box and ranting about how Brian Cashman is damaging the farm by trading away young kids for expensive veterans. I'm not going to do that this time. Instead, I just want people to reflect back to the first two months of the season. Sure, it was a very short time span but he was a huge asset to this team, he wasn't a waste. Do we want to imagine where we would've been without him? I don't. No offense but that would've meant more Kelly Johnson and I couldn't be more opposed to that idea.

The Yankees took a lot of chances this year, and they had to. With Alex Rodriguez out the left side of the infield was a scary thought. When you have a contract hog like ARod on the team, the life of a minor leaguer is bleak. You know you aren't going to get the playing time and stockpiling backup isn't going to happen because as a player you don't want to go play for a team where a superstar is blocking your path. Nobody wants to be a career minor leaguer. I really think that is why draft picks haven't wanted to sign here for so many years, hopefully that changes soon.

As the days have gone by that is how people refer to Solarte, as a career minor leaguer. In all fairness, I can understand that to a point. Solarte was with the Minnesota Twins for 7 years and never got an opportunity there. That says a lot. But life is all about seizing opportunities and it is about the journey we take. The Yankees had a lot of opportunities this year....and Solarte was lucky enough to seize one of them.

How else do you explain Solarte and Dean Anna beating out Eduardo Nunez for a spot on the team? The Yankees saw something in him. They saw his drive, his will to succeed and his passion. How can you not like that? The Yankees could have easily stuck with what was safe and familiar in Nunez, but they didn't and if they hadn't given Solarte the opportunity then we would've missed some great moments.

April and May had some amazing moments for Solarte, and he carried the team for awhile. I remember the game on April 8th Solarte hit two doubles, and became the first player since 1900 to hit 6 doubles in 7 games. That's a huge victory right there! Think about all of the amazing hitters in this game....and a career minor leaguer accomplished that and not a seasoned veteran?

What about Solarte's game winning homerun against a very tough Milwaukee Brewers team? He drove in three runs that ended up being the deciding factor to the game. That's called being clutch. He was making things happen at the plate when no one else was. And what about his homerun during the Subway Series at Citi Field? Anytime you can do damage against the Mets means it is a good day. It's a moment he is never going to forget and neither will I.




I have to admit though my favorite moments were playing against the Rays at Tropicana field. How many times as a fan do you get to watch a 5-4-3 Triple Play against your rival? He started that play! As if that wasn't enough in the same game he comes back and hits his first big league homerun against Grant Balfour. If that isn't a storybook ending I don't know what is!

Solarte was the April and May superstar for not only this team....but in the American League. In May he had the highest batting average in the league and was also amongst the leaders for best on-base percentage. He was playing great baseball. If he didn't have that run there is no telling where the Yankees would be right now because he was feasting while others were struggling. It's how the game works. Was it fair to expect him to keep this up all season? No, especially not when seasoned veterans weren't doing it. He slumped at a bad time and we needed production at third base.

I understand why the Yankees went out and got Chase Headley. I can't say I won't miss having Solarte on the team. I loved the passion he played with. He is more than "a career minor leaguer." He is a kid looking for a chance. We are all looking for that shot in life. If the Yankees weren't going to give him another shot then I am glad he may have that opportunity in San Diego.

We all dream big, and it's his time to shine and I believe he is going to when a team gives him a shot. So thank you, Solarte. You helped carry the Yankees for awhile and we haven't forgotten that. I wish you luck, because I believe you have a bright future and I only hope I don't  see you years from now having success against the Yankees because then I really will have to rant about it.




 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


 
 
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