DODGERS SIGN YET ANOTHER RELIABLE ARM FOR THEIR ALREADY STELLAR TEAM

The Los Angeles Dodgers are at it again, like that one kid in your neighborhood Monopoly game who buys every property, throws down hotels, and then has the audacity to shrug when everyone else is bankrupt. This offseason, they're not just trying to win—they’re trying to assemble the Avengers of MLB. And sure, if it’s within the rules, there’s technically nothing wrong with it. But let’s be real: it’s absolutely infuriating.

Their latest moves? Signing lefty ace Tanner Scott for a cool four years and $72 million, and following that up by snagging Kirby Yates, one of 2024’s best relievers. Because, apparently, having a bullpen that’s merely excellent wasn’t enough. Oh, and don’t forget the rest of their historic offseason shopping spree: Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernández (re-signed), Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim, and Blake Treinen (also re-signed). At this point, the only thing missing is Shohei Ohtani pitching one inning while playing center field in the next.

But let’s focus on Sasaki for a second—because that one has rival execs lighting up group chats with conspiracy theories. The whispers are deafening: was there a pre-existing deal between Sasaki and the Dodgers? Was MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred asleep at the wheel? Rival teams are livid, and frankly, they’ve got a point. Sasaki’s decision supposedly “came down” to the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays, but everyone with a pulse knew this was ending in Dodger blue. And then, just hours after signing Sasaki, they drop the Tanner Scott deal. Coincidence? Yeah, and I’m a Cy Young contender.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ rotation now looks like it was assembled in a video game, their bullpen is untouchable, and the rest of the league is left trying to figure out how to even compete. It’s like the rich kid showed up to the sandlot with a golden bat and hired a personal trainer just to flex on everyone else.

The Dodgers are ruining baseball. Sure, they’re technically playing by the rules, but when the rules let you stockpile talent like you’re hoarding limited-edition sneakers, maybe it’s time for a rulebook rewrite. Until then, the rest of us will be here, rolling our eyes, praying for an underdog miracle, and watching the Dodgers parade their All-Star roster like a kid showing off his Pokémon card collection. It’s getting old, L.A. Seriously.

CHAPMAN WINS RELIEVER OF THE YEAR AWARD

There is no question... Aroldis Chapman should have won the Reliever of the Year award.  Anyway, ESPN has this:

"Closers Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers were named relievers of the year on Saturday...Both Chapman and Hader finished with 37 saves in the regular season, tied for third in the majors behind the 41 of San Diego's Kirby Yates and the 38 of Houston's Roberto Osuna."

There you have it. Good stuff.

THE BEASTMASTER!

When I was a kid, my grandmother took me to the movies to see Beastmaster.  It was one of the hottest sword and sorcery fantasy movies at the time and the Beastmaster, played by Marc Singer was big and bad ass and one of the toughest guys out there.  It was kind of like a cheaper version of Conan the Barbarian, but I always liked the movie because the Beastmaster meant business.

The Beastmaster was the stud, kind of like Gary Sanchez is right now.

Tonight, the Yankees did what they were supposed to do... beat Baltimore.  The best part was they beat them very well. And Gary Sanchez was a beast... a Beastmaster... out to prove that the Yankees are out for a final push toward the playoffs.  Sanchez let the team going 3-5 with 4 RBIs and a home run and double.  

Over all, the team had 18 hits behind Sanchez and they just looked energized and fresh behind he, Castro, Gardner and Teixeira.

Luis Cessa pitched wonderfully tonight as well pitching 6 innings and giving up just 5 hits and 3 runs.   The only other run was given up by Kirby Yates.

And over all, the Yanks did what they needed to do. Win... and win big behind the Beastmaster, Gary Sanchez.  He can't be stopped... and he helps make this new-faced Yankee team pretty damn exciting.

If the Yanks can continue to win each series, the Yankees will be in the playoffs folks.  If the Yankees continue to have a red hot Sanchez leading the charge... we got something even more special for the rest of this season, and more in the future.   I can't wait.

Final: Yankees 14 - Orioles 4

YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL, EVEN IN THE RAIN

Sometimes a pitcher goes out there and his tits get lit up.  Sometimes he can't find the strike zone. Sometimes pressure gets to them. Sometimes, in rain, a pitcher can't grip the ball properly, their footing sucks and sometimes, rare, but sometimes... they blow a save. Sometimes the elements kick the crap out of you.  That's the game... and no one should ever give excuses... it's just the way it is.

MLB.com has the story about the Yankees and last night's loss:

"With the Yankees leading by one run and a runner on first base following a leadoff walk issued by closer Aroldis Chapman to Robinson Chirinos in the top of the ninth inning, the game entered into a three-hour, 35-minute rain delay, beginning at 10:40 p.m. ET. After the delay, Kirby Yates entered the game to pitch for the Yankees and couldn't secure his second career save, allowing a two-run single to Adrian Beltre and an RBI single to Elvis Andrus as the Rangers won, 9-6."

Fans can get angry all they want, but sometimes weird things happen, and last night, it was weird.

I saw this comment in our comments section of  YANKS MAY RESIGN CHAPMAN AFTER ALL.

"Sorry though. This guy melts in the rain."  -Dave
 

So I guess we just give up on Chapman. I mean, sure Dave, he did fail last night, and fans don't like to see it, but the elements weren't in the Yankees corner last night.  I mean, Kirby Yates hit 3 batters last night.  Think about that one. Chapman even chimed in on his performance:

"It's very wet out there... I was trying to find a way that would allow me to do my job. So I was doing the best I could. The ball was getting wet easily out there, so the best thing to do is keep asking for a new one and try to get a good grip and try to do a good job."

Think about that. He tried, there was a ton of craziness all around him, look at out lead photo!  All I'm saying is, while it stings, it was highly unusual and we as a fan base just need to move on.

Final: Rangers 9 - Yankees 6




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THE WINNING THAT IS THE NEW YORK YANKEES

When the Yankees win, it's what's supposed to happen. When we were losing last month, and everyone was in a funk, fans included, there is no reason to talk about the New York Yankees. We were all complaining  that Chase Headley sucked and everyone was on the DL and Jacoby Ellsbury was the worst contract in baseball history...

(I actually think Pablo Sandoval's is, but that's me) and blah, blah, blah.

Now, we're winning and everything is wonderful. There's unicorns running around my backyard, and I feel like I'm on the top of the world. 

Masahiro Tanaka set the tone tonight. 7 innings of 2 hit ball and he struck out 4.  Kirby Yates gave up the Rays only earned run and Aroldis Chapman shut them down after that. 

The Yankee run scoring went like this:

In the 6th, Brian McCann grounded out into a force and in the process, Brett Gardner scored.  Then, shortly after, Alex Rodriguez homered. It was 2 run shot scoring McCann.

Then Carlos Beltran homered.  He is unbelievable this season. Those are your Yankee 4, and like I said, the Rays scored one when Steve Pearce homered in the bottom of the 9th.

So yeah, the Yankees appear to be winning folks, currently in 4th place in the AL East and 5.5 behind the first place Red Sox.  Things are happening, and I'm very happy about that. You should be too...

Go buy a BYB shirt! Support us while you are loving the Yankees. The stores opened. CLICK HERE.

Final: Yankees 4 - Rays 1





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MAKING THE MOST OF A NEW SITUATION

CC Sabathia has never been a 5th starter.  Today he broke new ground.

Believers fight.  Believers take what they feel about their abilities, harness it and they push! They long for the thrill of victory... they dig deep and they push themselves over the hump.  What CC Sabathia did today was huge for him for many reasons, but in the end, he helped his TEAM and they helped him back.  You gotta love this Big Lug.

6 innings pitched today.  He gave up 4 hits and only 3 runs.  He struck out 3, walked 4 and the biggest number I saw was this; He gave up no home runs.  CC was the only one in the Yankees rotation to go 6 in his first start this season.  That means something.  That means confidence. It means rooting, meaning, Girardi was rolling the dice, but ultimately he knew he should watch him closely but let him throw the 6th, and so, he rooted as a manager.  It also means CC lives another day as a starter. You know what? Good for him.

On a day where Nick Swisher took headlines for signing a minor league deal with the Yankees, (Read NICK SWISHER IS BACK WITH THE YANKEES!), the story about CC's performance today will be missed, but it shouldn't be.  He kept the Yankees in the game, and allowed his offense to score runs.  It was a good day.

Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez had home runs.  Brian McCann was 3-4 today. Jacoby Ellsbury had 3 RBIs.  The pen of Yates, Shreve, Betances and Miller was able to only give up 1 more run by the Tigers.  In the end, the Yankees rallied and helped preserve CC's first win of the season.

I leave you will a quote from SABATHIA WILL FIGHT WITH DECK STACKED AGAINST HIM,
a piece I wrote this morning...

"Many will bet against him... I will not."

Final: Yankees 8 - Tigers 4




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CHAMPIONS OVERCOME ADVERSITY

 

The ‘tres amigos’ in the Yankee bullpen of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances had quickly dwindled down to un solo amigo...kind of. With Aroldis Chapman definitely to miss time while suspended and Andrew Miller now with a bone chip in his wrist, the crazy 1-2-3 punch has turned into just one. Yes, Miller has been cleared to pitch, but will the Yankees be that stupid? 

But one thing good teams, and in particular champions do, is overcome adversity. Even more, they are the BEST at overcoming adversity.

 

 

Let me first give you my glass half full points. Both Chapman and Miller will be back, this is true, and yes, the season hasn’t officially started yet and we still have All-Star Dellin Betances. So it’s better this happened now than in September, that's the bottom line.

 

The big negatives are obvious though as losing two of the three biggest pieces of the bullpen are going to be hard to replace. Nobody can argue that. It could be argued that Chapman and Miller are not only the two best relievers on the Yankees, but also the two best lefty relievers in all of baseball. But what good teams do is find the next man.

 

 

I’m a firm believer that the best way to become a star is to take advantage of your opportunities. Chasen Shreve, who had a great five months in 2015 before struggling in September, will now be the 'go to' lefty. The young man has had a great spring and should be able to hold down the fort well enough for the next six weeks or so.

 

(In photo: Luis Cessa)

As for the rest of the bullpen, Bryan Mitchell had been phenomenal and would be relied upon more so by manager Joie Girardi before the foot injury. But we move on... Off-season acquisition Luis Cessa now seems to have a path to the Opening Day roster as do Johnny Barbato and Kirby Yates.  I expect these guys to shine together.

 

The unfortunate circumstances also put more pressure on the starting rotation  though. It appeared the starters had to get through just the sixth inning on most days before turning the game over to bullpen, but now with the lack of depth and experience, the starters must dig down deep and be efficient in order to minimize the amount of innings the bullpen will be required to throw.

 

 

The depth that Brian Cashman has added and developed over the past two off-season’s is now more important than ever. Depth is huge and that point is clear before the first meaningful game has even been played.

 

With the bullpen using less experienced and unproven arms, it’s yet to be seen who will step up. Naturally there will be a couple guys who under perform and hopefully for the sake of the team, there will be one or two guys who take this opportunity in stride and force Girardi and GM Brian Cashman to keep them on the roster for the course of the season.

 

 

Plus the offense will have to win games on its own. That’s inevitable.

 

How the Yankees perform as the season begins will have a lot to do with the ability of some of these young men to step up and overcome their own adversity. Whether it be the nerves of pitching in front of nearly 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, or just simply facing the best hitters on the planet, each individual on a team needs to be better than the opponent more often than not.

 

 

It’s not necessarily easy, but just like every other team, the Yankees will have to overcome adversity. 

 

The Champion come October will be the team that overcomes adversity the best.

 

 

 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia




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THE YANKEES 'LITTLE' MOVES ARE ADDING UP

(In Photo: Tyler Olson)
The Yankees have made a bunch of under the radar, unimpressive moves over the past couple of weeks leading to some of us fans cracking jokes at their expense. Comments like "Another game changer" or "Look out, the Yankees are making moves!" have come up. I'd have my fair share of laughs reading some of these comments, which are mostly made in fun, but what they are doing is beneficial to the organization as a whole.

(In Photo: Kirby Yates)
The Yankees made trades to obtain LHP Tyler Olson and utility man Ronald Torreyes from the Dodgers and RHP Kirby Yates from the Indians, plus signed RHP Anthony Swarzak, INF Donovan Solano and Jonathan Diaz to minor league contracts. They even snagged Lane Adams.

(In photo: Anthony Swarzak)
I honestly had never heard of any of these guys! But what they do bring is depth to minor league system. Plus you never know, one of these guys could be a diamond in the rough! I'm not holding my breath but you never know!

(In Photo: Donovan Solano)
As important as it is to obviously add depth to the Major League roster, it's equally as important to add depth to the upper echelons of the minors. By doing so they can leave some of the younger players still developing at the level they belong rather than promoting them out of necessity.

I know it's tough for us to swallow as Yankees fans that they aren't making blockbuster deals day in and day out. In the back of our minds we are awaiting the breaking news of the blockbuster trade or the big time free agent signing but that's not the way they are operating now. I've mentioned in several other pieces that we very well may have to wait a year or two for the large contracts to begin to expire.

With that being said, there are still several free agents that could fall into the Yankees laps. Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes, for example, remain unsigned and teams seem unwilling to offer them long-term deals. Several outlets have speculated that they could be signed for a one-year deal with the hope that next year's slimmer free agent class would allow them to earn their pay day.

So for you fans hoping for that big name to come through, there is still hope!!!

What Brian Cashman has done however is created one of the league's best bullpens, added a young Aaron Hicks, who has some big upside, brought in some young power arms to the minor leagues via trades and not spent much money at all. These moves will all allow the organization to continue to get stronger as a whole, even though the Big League club shows modest improvement from last year, minus Aroldis Chapman and Hicks.

I am excited for the future and also excited to continue to watch the youth movement develop. The off season is not over and I'm sure Brian Cashman is still taking calls regarding trades. Maybe they'll surprise us, maybe not.

But all in all, these little moves add up and the Yankees organization, from top to bottom, is stronger now than it was this time last year.

As I wait out the winter, I'll (impatiently) take it.

 
 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia




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YANKEES SIGN KIRBY... I'M NOT KIDDING

Quick note, and yet another signing by the New York Yankees.

It's being reported that the Yankees signed Cleveland Indian and former Tampa Bay Ray Kirby Yates to a deal. He's a big right hander and clearly a guy who will be competing for a spot in the Yankee pen.

Jack Curry Tweets:

Yankees have purchased Kirby Yates, a LH reliever, from the Indians. He had been DFA'd. He's 1-2 w/ 5.27 ERA in 57 career games (w/ Rays)

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) January 8, 2016

Nice. And yes, while Curry says a Kirby's a lefty, he recognized he made a mistake in a followup tweet.  That's why I love the Curry, not afraid to admit a mistake.  Good egg.

Anyway, According to Hardball Talk: "Yates also has a 2.33 ERA and 162/44 K/BB ratio in 112 innings at Triple-A, so he should get a chance to compete for a middle relief spot in the Yankees’ bullpen during spring training. However, as an extreme fly-ball pitcher he’s seemingly a poor fit to call Yankee Stadium home."

Nice nugget.  Good to know.

Welcome Mr. Yates.

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