THE POTENTIAL SOTO DEAL WITH THAT ADDED GOODIE

It looks like this "Juan Soto to the Yankees" deal is almost done, but not yet.  We all know the importance of Soto to the Yanks and Cashman knows it more than anyone. His ass is on the line. 

I wasn't able to tune in the YES today for this big announcement, so I asked my buddy Mike what happened...

"We get Soto or what?"

"I didn't see it. Maybe Jack Curry jumped the gun with that announcement or maybe he was lied to. Either way... I think we're gonna get Soto."

As a fan, I want to believe it. We all do.  And what do we give away? I'll tell you what they're talking about. Guys like Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and Higgy.  All good dudes, good soldiers for the Yankees, but how else do you get Juan Soto? You gotta give to get.  But not only do we get Soto... there's more.

Did you know who we are getting in addition to Soto if it works out as it appears? Trent Grisham.

Empire Sports Media writes:

"Trent Grisham’s addition to the deal makes the outfield picture a lot clearer, as it seems that he’ll be a defensive substitution and fourth outfielder for the Yankees. He’s in the top five in both DRS and OAA among centerfielders since joining the Padres in 2020, and his reverse splits should make him the starter for Verdugo when the team faces southpaws." 

It makes our 4th outfielder pretty damn solid if you ask me. He's athletic. Sure he's stumbled with the bat sometimes, but I am not down on this guy yet.

Now many are down on Grisham for a bad year however. Rotoballer writes:

"The 27-year-old Grisham will become a fourth outfielder for the Yankees if the trade is completed after hitting under .200 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 154 strikeouts in 555 trips to the plate over 153 games played..."

But what sticks out to me was how hot he was in the playoffs in 2022. I know 2023 happened right after that, but 2022 always suck in my mind. 4-8 against the Mets with 2 home runs... against the Dodgers, 4-13 with a home run and yes, he sucked against the Phillies, but the reality is this guy can be an impact player when he wants to be. I truly believe that if the Yankees secure Soto and Grisham, Grisham can be a "change of scenery, change of energy" guy in the Bronx. Hopefully I'm right.

I leave you with this. It was just reported that Bob Nightengale is trying to rain on the Yankees parade by tweaking that no deal was complete, and the Yankees' Cashman and Boone are headed to the airport.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone just left the winter meetings hotel and are headed to the Nashville airport with no Soto deal finalized yet

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 6, 2023

And Inside the Padres writes:

"Since late Tuesday night, after the Yankees' trade with the Boston Red Sox for Alex Verdugo, it seemed that a Yankees-Padres swap for Soto was inevitable.

While that could still very well be the case, the two sides weren't able to finalize it before leaving the Winter Meetings..."

Let's hope we didn't just get Cliff Lee'd here.

THE YANKEES - RED SOX RIVALRY FEELS REAL AGAIN!

Source: The Boston Globe

Between the orange haze, the Belmont Stakes and my own travel schedule, this Yankee-Red Sox series just snuck up on me. And guess what, just in time. Sure, we are playing without Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, which just feels wrong, but I have to say, this rivalry really fires me up. And maybe it is keeping my mind off of the potential that we may not see Judge in the Lineup until after the All-Star Break. 

"Since Judge bruised and sprained his toe against the Dodgers, Boone has cautioned that the Yankees won’t have a set timetable for his recovery until Judge’s swelling goes away. He received a PRP injection in his toe earlier this past week, a shot designated to promote healing in the area. They need to let that injection do its thing before reassessing the situation," reported NJ.com. 

Source: Fox Sports

In fact, it must be killing Judge not to be in the lineup, “It doesn’t feel great,” Judge said on Thursday regarding his injured toe. “If it felt great, I’d be out there.” I know Derek Jeter absolutely loved playing the Red Sox, facing them more than 300 times in his 20 year career. 

Alas, to focus and perhaps keep me fired up, earlier this week I got a message from my son in preparation for this weekend's match up against the Sox. He sent me this Tweet from a Yankee fan which bears repeating, 

"I will now be suffering from an acute case of "F the Red Sox brain for the next 72+ hours. It's a serious condition so be re2spectful. Please direct all solicitations for rational thought to my secretary. We'll get back to you Monday at the earliest." That is exactly the feeling I have. Even though we are not at full strength, it feels good to be playing the Red Sox and engage in this heated rivalry that has been building every year, even before I was born.

The Red Sox-Yankee rivalry has had a healthy reprise in the last several years after a short hiatus. This hiatus likely stems from the successes from the Rays and Blue Jays and the Sox drop in the standings in recent seasons, but there's nothing like a weekend with the Red Sox in the Bronx. But as the Boston Globe points out, "There’s been a genuine sense of surprise here at Yankee Stadium that it took this long for the Red Sox and Yankees to meet for the first time in the 2023 season, that 10 weeks had passed before the longstanding AL East rivalry resumed with a three-game series that opened Friday night." Yes, there's that. With the change of the schedule to include all 30 clubs playing at least one series with one another, there are less opportunities to play our rivals, which may not be great for either team. 

In an interview during the Fox Broadcast on Saturday night, Justin Turner former Dodger and Met, shared his excitement for the rivalry and how playing for Boston feels good to him. Just after the interview, Turner smashed a base hit, stole second and launched his way to third after Kyle Higashioka sailed his throw to second into center field. Although myself and the entire stadium let out a collective sigh of disgust, it was Jake Bauers who brought our breath back with a dynamic catch at the wall in left. It is this back and forth that keeps this rivalry intact despite their place in the standings and our star players out of the lineup.

Call it a distraction, nostalgic or just a long time coming, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is alive again. It feels good to write about it and somehow this series has given me jolt of energy. Now if that energy is contagious and it can help our players on the IL heal faster, well now that would be something. 

One can wish...

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

PINCH ME! BEN RORTVEDT IS REAL & BACK IN ACTION!

You may have forgotten that Ben Rortvedt exists, and if you did I can't say I blame you. We've talked about him for so long, but never got to see him in action. Now we have physical proof he exists!

It's been the longest wait ever but after being traded to the Yankees during the 2021-2022 offseason, Rortvedt made his incredibly long overdue Yankees debut and he did not disappoint. I will gladly take two for four with a run scored in his first appearance. It may not sound exciting, but hey for the longest time nobody truly knew if he existed! It's a step in the right direction.

Now that Jose Trevino is on the Injured List, Rortvedt will get some time behind the plate when Kyle Higashioka needs a day off. Baby steps for a guy that did not get to play at all in 2022 and has the potential for the everyday catcher the Yankees have been missing for a long time.

I salivate when I think about a left handed hitter, because we always need those. But add in a guy that has great defensive capabilities and I'm ready to do some backflips. Rortvedt may not have the Jorge Posada pop that I always loved and miss to this day, but he has the arm that I would love to see throw out runners and make exciting jaw dropping plays. Oh and the fact that he can frame and block pitches doesn't hurt either. He's the opposite of Gary Sanchez and after that nightmare, I love the change.

I'm looking forward to the future. This is just the first step, but I like that his first game back in the big leagues and all of the potential that is there. For now, Trevino and Higashioka still stand behind the dish, and Rortvedt will still need seasoning in Triple-A, but I can't remember the last time I was this excited about the third catching option.

I can't wait to see more. Good to see ya back in action, Rortvedt!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHERE THEY MIGHT PUT IKF NOW!

We are one week away from Opening Day and the Yankees have no idea where Isiah Kiner-Falefa fits in on this roster. The competition for roster spots is still underway, and so is the Yankees quest to find a purpose for IKF. What a mess.

The shortstop competition has been the center of attention this spring. Both Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza's impressive spring seems to have pushed IKF out of the shortstop position, which is no surprise. The Yankees have also experimented with putting IKF in the outfield, which I just don't see. Now the Yankees have a third potential position for him, which might make more sense. Maybe....

On Wednesday, IKF had catcher's gear on him as he prepared to get some work in behind the plate. It's rare to have a utility player who can catch as needed, but the Yankees could benefit from this idea and it sounds like IKF suggested it. "I think they expected me to bring it up when I did," Kiner-Falefa said of the team’s reaction when he mentioned doing some catching drills. "If I’m gonna do this, I want to be the best utility player I can be. I don’t want to do it halfway." read more HERE. 

I will say this, I do love his attitude with this. "I just want to win. That’s all I’m worried about right now. I am ready for whatever I need to do," he said. At least he is embracing his new role as a utility player. In this case, maybe a multi-purpose super utility player. 

Either way, this could work. It might make more sense than throwing a guy with a below average arm in the outfield where he has less experience. IKF has some experience catching, he last played behind the plate in 2019 with the Rangers and started in 31 games. He's caught 73 games in his MLB career.

The Yankees are lacking some catching depth right now. Jose Trevino is battling a wrist injury and Ben Rortvedt and Austin Wells are both also hurt. That leaves Kyle Higashioka the only healthy catcher so IKF could provide some needed depth there. At least he has some experience.

The Yankees need to find ways for IKF to contribute and IKF wants a chance to contribute and win. This may work. Guess we will have to wait and see how and where he fits into this lineup. What a crazy spring.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

YANKEES GRAB YET ANOTHER CATCHER

 As if we didn't have enough good catchers on our team already with dudes like Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka, the Yankees went after another one. This one however is for a minor league deal.  Who cares. When it comes to stockpiling arms and backstops, I am always fine with it. When it comes to this Yankee team, many of our backup and minor league catchers are all hurt right now. Austin Wells, Ben Rortvedt and Josh Breaux. So this just makes sense.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Yankees have signed catcher Nick Ciuffo to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker ...

Since the start of 2018, he’s appeared in 167 minor league games with a batting line of .247/.299/.381, walking in just 6.8% of his plate appearances while striking out at a 28.8% rate. He’s also appeared in 21 major league games over that time, hitting .188/.259/.292 for the Rays and Orioles. Ciuffo spent last year in Triple-A with the White Sox but was punched out in 31.1% of his trips to the plate."

Bring it Nick! Bring it.

35% off everything right now!

SHOULD BEN RORTVEDT'S LATEST INJURY BE A CONCERN FOR THE YANKEES?

If you have been anxiously awaiting the debut of Ben Rortvedt, you will have to wait a little bit longer. How much longer? That's a really good question that I wish we knew.

I've been really intrigued with Rortvedt since we acquired him with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the trade that sent Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez to the Twins last offseason. His glove could be a golden ticket for the Yankees....if we get to see him in action. He hasn't had any big league action since 2021 where he played in 39 games for the Twins.

So how much longer do we wait to see him in pinstripes? At least a month, bare minimum, read more HERE. Rortvedt had surgery yesterday for a finger ailment that doctors spent days trying to figure out, but couldn't. Ultimately, he saw a specialist who was able to determine that he had an aneurysm near the posterior in his left shoulder, which had impacted the circulation in his hand and fingers. Yikes!

Is anyone else having flashbacks from 1996? All I can think about is David Cone's aneurysm that led to him losing feeling in his fingers. Talk about a flashback. For now, we will continue watching Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka and see what happens over time.

I really hope Rortvedt gets some action in pinstripes, but he hasn't been healthy since we acquired him, and that is a concern for me. First it was an oblique injury and then he had knee surgery to clean up his meniscus. It feels like it's one issue after another with him and he's only 25 years old.  

Hard to ignore the injuries here, but I am trying to think about the promise he has with his glove. I've always loved a good, strong defensive catcher. Question is.... will he be ours? 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

RUMOR: A NEW CATCHER IS ON THE YANKEES TRADE DEADLINE WISHLIST

It's early, but I'm already thinking about this years trade deadline. Usually by now I have a decent list of players on my wish list but this year it's a little bit different. This year, if the Yankees continue to stay relatively healthy they can focus on adding pieces they want not just pieces they need to replace injuries.

Weird to think about, but this years trade deadline is just over six weeks away on August 2nd and the Yankees are are still thinking about Willson Contreras, read more HERE but so are a lot of other teams. Let's face it, the Cubs are in full rebuild mode. Contreras is the last big name left that holds any weight with their fan base....but his days in a Cubs uniform are numbered.

The Cubs and Contreras have not come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension and he is a free agent at the end of the season so he's on his way out of Chitown. Back in March we wrote RUMOR: YANKEES HAVE CHECKED IN ON YET ANOTHER CATCHER and the Yankees are still interested.

Before Jose Trevino, the connection to Contreras made a lot of sense. Trevino's done well for the Yankees while Kyle Higashioka has struggled....but can Trevino continue to perform at this level? His career .245 BA leaves me skeptical but I hope he proves me wrong. The Yankees have time to sit back and watch for a bit. 

But the Yankees aren't the only ones that will sit back and watch. The Astros and the Mets are considered favorite landing spots for Contreras and I think the Mets would be willing to give more to get him. As bad as the Astros production has been from behind the plate I think they will continue to trust Martin Maldonado and give him the chance to work through his issues. On the other hand, the Mets have already proven they are willing to make a big splash to win and James McCann hasn't lived up to their expectations so I think they will push harder to get Contreras.

But this is why I get excited about trade deadline rumors. I love the speculation and possibilities and this year if the Yankees continue on their current path they can add to strengthen the roster from a place of want and not just need. 

The Yankees have been tied to Contreras for a while now....it will be interesting to see if he eventually ends up in the Bronx. Good thing is we still have plenty of time to speculate. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEE STARTING ROTATION IS WORLD SERIES GOOD

Source: USA Today

What do the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs and the 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers have in common with the 2022 New York Yankees? One guess: Dominant Starting Pitching. I mean uttering those words almost makes me weep. This team continues to win and starting pitching is giving them the runway to do it.

"The starting pitching has been akin to a lock-down playoff goalie. No game gets away, they are all winnable. And the rotation has been nearly flawless. In the previous two games, Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole became the first teammates in the expansion era (since 1961) to author at least six perfect innings in consecutive contests. Severino joked that maybe he would be traded if he didn’t keep up," reported Joel Sherman of the New York Post. 

And this conversation about stellar starting pitching can't be had without the Yankee silent ace Nestor Cortes Jr. No one expected Cortes to put up the numbers he has in the first quarter of the season. "Cortes has the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.50 through 10 starts. He’s also got the lowest batting average against at .178. He’s been the most fun Yankees pitcher to watch, and it’s not even close. All from a guy the Yankees weren’t sure would even stick in their rotation all year," reported NJ.com

Source: Corey Sipkin/New York Post

There also just seems to be this renewed confidence, perhaps a sigh of relief that the defense, play calling, and planning that the catching platoon is giving this pitching staff that is putting the rotation in such a consistent groove and equally setting up the relief pitchers for success.

Source: New York Post

"Removing the drama, trauma and bad defense of Gary Sanchez has helped. Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino are central to the game-planning beforehand and are superb pitch framers, game callers and pitcher whispers. And the universal acceptance of PitchCom has led to less confusion, greater clarity (especially in the various ways to deal with a running game), and better pace," reported the Post.

Sure there is the slugging and consistent hitting, but without good pitching, teams simply don't win and they don't contend for a championship. The Yankees seem to have it all, the run support, a good solid infield, strong starting pitching, and a deep bullpen. Yep, the Yankees starting rotation is World Series good. And let's hope they keep getting better and stronger as the very long regular season keeps chugging along.

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

YANKEES GRAB A NEW CATCHER FOR MORE DEPTH

Source: Paul J. Bereswill NY Post

And just like that...the Yankees make another deal with the Texas Rangers. This time they pick up another catcher to add more depth to the position. Jose Trevino, a 29-year-old from the Rangers, heads to the Bronx in exchange for once-promising right-hander Albert Abreu and minor league lefty Robert Ahlstrom, a 2021 draft pick. I can't argue with more depth in a position where this team had none, but with Kyle Higashioka playing the way he is and Ben Rortvedt in tow, should we have invested in this kind of trade when we really need starting pitching?

"Trevino and Higashioka are both right-handed hitters, making for more of an imperfect platoon fit than the Higashioka/Rortvedt combo, yet the first priority still seems to be defense considering Trevino’s lack of offensive pop. Over his 516 career plate appearances with the Rangers, Trevino has batted only .245/.270/.364.  Framing-wise, Statcast considered Trevino to be among the best in baseball last season," reported MLB Trade Rumors. Rotvedt is out with an oblique strain and will likely start the season in Triple-A with a trajectory toward the MLB Club. As far as starting pitching, where are the Yankees in that camp?

According to SI.com, "There's still a possibility that New York could make some sort of trade in the next six days, addressing their pitching staff. Boone said he is focused on this organization's internal options, though." The Yankees standout pitching-wise this spring has Manny Bañuelos. Bañuelos was stellar against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, throwing three scoreless innings. In addition, the confident 31-year-old is up to six scoreless innings this spring with seven strikeouts, giving up only two hits.

Aaron Boone said that pitcher Michael King with also be with the team as they head north in just about a week as spring training wraps up. He has been having a good spring as well. With Luis Severino still not 100% it will be interesting to see how the team handles the first week of the season. 

Source: NY Daily News

So the Yankees addressed the catching and shortstop positions this offseason with trades with the Texas Rangers. It is still are unclear how their starting rotation will play out. I mean everyone is sort of in the same boat. Even the team across town who has a stacked rotation has seen the likes of uncertainty as Jacob deGrom suffered a stress injury in his right shoulder, making him questionable this season. We will see new faces and hopefully exciting baseball this coming week. Let's hope the moves are enough to give the Yankees a chance to make some positive noise early this spring. 

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

THERE'S A NEW LEADER IN THE YANKEE CLUBHOUSE!

I will admit, I was very skeptical of the trade that brought Josh Donaldson to the Bronx. I'm still not in love with it but it's already making one impact so it's something.

I still have reservations about picking up a 36-year-old shortstop with an extensive injury history but he's already making contributions that don't reflect in his own stats. It's always good to have some strong clubhouse leadership and Donaldson is proving to be a good mentor for Kyle Higashioka, you can check it out for yourself HERE.

Higashioka says he modeled his swing after Donaldson since as early as 2015, he found what did not work for him and has learned to tweak some of his mechanics, now he seeks him out just to get his advice on how to become a better hitter....and it's working.

Before yesterday's game Higashioka had a .467 BA in seven games and tied the MLB league lead with four hoe runs in spring training. Sure....it's just spring training and those stats "don't count" but who doesn't want to see Higashioka take his new found confidence into the regular season and build upon it. These are baby steps but important ones. Last season he had a .181 BA in 193 at bats with 29 RBI's and 10 home runs....I like to imagine how much better it could be with 400+ at bats and the mentoring of Donaldson. That would be a huge win for the Yankees.

I try not to get ahead of myself here, but what happens off of the field is just as important as what happens during game time. I always like to watch a good leader in action, and right now Donaldson is just that. 

If Donaldson can stay healthy, consistent on the field and help guys like Higashioka blosson then this would be a huge win for the Yankees. I hope Donaldson proves all of my doubts about him coming here wrong.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

ANALYTICS FAILED DEIVI GARCIA AND NOW THERE IS PROOF!

Remember back in 2020 when we all watched Deivi Garcia and were excited about his future? It feels like so long ago especially after the terrible season he just had, but now there are signs that the old Garcia is on his way back! And with that another reminder about just how bad the Yankees reliance of analytics are.

Analytics are here to stay in baseball, but the Yankees have been particularly bad at it. REALLY bad and now Garcia is just another example of that. In January I wrote ALL EYES ON THESE YANKEE PROSPECTS IN 2022! and I said I thought Garcia could rebound if Matt Blake and his boneheads would stop trying to turn him into something he wasn't....and I was right.

Check THIS out. More details on just how wrong the Yankees were again. Imagine that.
"Last year, believing Garcia was too 'rotational' in his delivery — meaning he turned too much — the Yankees adjusted his pitching form and his control issues worsened. He walked 68 batters, had a WHIP of 1.875 and allowed 21 homers in just 90 ²/₃ innings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finished the season with a 7.25 ERA."

Now Garcia said he has reverted some of his mechanics back to what he was doing back in 2020. You know....the year he actually was effective. Then Blake and his analytical staff with no experience tweaked with him and broke him down. So much for "if it aint broke don't fix it." They didn't just make some minor adjustments with Garcia, they tried to change him into something he wasn't and that's the Yankees failure.

So hopefully Garcia is rebounding. It's early, and spring games "don't matter" but I disagree in this case because this is about getting Garcia's confidence back again. Even Kyle Higashioka said he could see the difference, and Aaron Boone too but again he's part of the problem so I won't give him any credit.

Garcia is proof that the Yankees don't know what they are doing with Blake in charge. "Coaches" who never played in the majors shouldn't be experimenting with young prospects. They don't have the experience or knowledge to make them successful. The Yankees have egg on their face.

I've never wanted to see a young kid succeed more than I do Deivi because the Yankees failed him....plain and simple. I hope he rounds in a big way this season and finds his way back to the rotation despite the Yankees massive screwup.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj