GETTING KYLE HENDRICK IS WORTH GOING OVER THE LUXURY TAX!

Gerrit Cole is undoubtedly the Yankees number one starter, but who is number two? That slot seems to virtually invisible based on the current roster. Masahiro Tanaka was that guy but with his days in the Bronx seemingly numbered, not sure I see number two in Corey Kluber, Jordan Montgomery, Deivi Garcia, or dare I say Domingo German. But I could see Chicago Cub Kyle Hendricks as that guy and that might be worth going over the luxury tax.

Source: Valley News

"He pitched in Game 7 of the World Series back in 2016, which the Cubs won. Across 175 games (174 starts), the right-hander owns a 3.12 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 133 ERA+. He doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, but he induces a lot soft contact (and ground balls), barely walks anyone, and is extremely efficient in regards to his pitch count in a majority of his outings," reported Fansided.

Hendricks is under contract with the Cubs through 2023 for $14 million a year and a $16 million vesting option for 2024. Trading for him makes sense and he could potentially "co-ace" the rotation with Cole, given his success with the Cubs, particularly in the post season. And Hendricks offers consistency, experience and perhaps a little bit of a Mike Mussina kind of quality. 

Source: Orange County Register

What would the Yankees give up for him? Likely Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar would be in the mix, opening up the need for the Yankees to sign another free agent or trade for a stellar outfielder.  I have had my eye on Joc Pederson who is currently without a home, now a free agent from the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. 

"Theoretically, there should be plenty of interest in Pederson, given that the Steamer projections have him as a 20-top outfielder in wRC+ (118) and top 30 in WAR (2.4) next season. Pederson may not be a star, but he can be a solid contributor on a good team," reports MLB.com.

Source: The New York Post

Pederson would not be a good fit for center field but he could certainly fill in for Aaron Judge in right and certainly platoon in left with Brett Gardner. His left-handed bat would be a welcome addition to the Bronx as the Yankees currently are weak on pure left-handed hitters. And perhaps Pederson has been overlooked with big name players George Springer, Michael Brantley and Marcell Ozuna being at the top of team's lists.

So, it would be in the Yankees best interest to pursue Hendricks however, they would have to give up some great players in return plus go over the luxury tax. All of this would be worth it if the Yankees get the pitching they need to keep opponents from over taxing the Yankee offense and the expectations of hitting always bailing out bad pitching. Maybe guys like Judge and Giancarlo Stanton could actually stay healthy and the Yankees could be more balanced team with Kendricks in the rotation. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

BYB HOT STOVE VOLUME: LUCKY XIII

Here we are in week 13 of BYB's Hot Stove column and the truth is, there are a number of free agents who remain unsigned.  There's only 61 days until the 2015 season begins and 24 days Spring Training.  Despite the cold temperatures in the Northeast, the stove is hot with prospects for those who want some last minute additions to ramp up their teams before pitchers and catchers report in a couple of weeks.

According to Paul Hagen of MLB.com, "The biggest name, of course, is Big Game. That would be right-hander James Shields, who was considered one of the top three starters on the market going into the offseason. The other two, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer, cashed in with huge deals with the Cubs and Nationals, respectively."  Could the Yankees be in contention for Shields?  Not if he wants a big contract for big bucks.  We will not dish out that kind of time or money.  Not sure he will be in Yankee pinstripes, but according to Hagen, the Padres, Marlins, Blue Jays and White Sox have expressed interest.  According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cardinals seem to have the pulse on Shields.  I would say he will find a home within the week.

Three other starting pitchers to keep an eye on are Kyle Kendrick, Chris Young and Roberto Hernandez.  None are particularly impressive, but 29-year-old Young was named AL Comeback Player of the Year, if that accolade means something and it might for the right price and right team.

There are some familiar relief pitchers still available as well.  Joba Chamberlain is on the outskirts looking in, as is Francisco Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano.  We will pass on all of these guys, all have who have played in New York.  Another New York alum out there is hard throwing Phil Coke.

Outfielder Ryan Ludwick is a free agent up for grabs.  According to Hagen, "Ludwick has dealt with shoulder problems since he posted an .877 OPS for the Reds in 2012, but he still showed some power last season with nine homers in 357 at-bats."  For the right price, maybe.  According to Jon Heyman in a late evening tweet, Cleveland is looking for a late "cost-effective right bat."  Ludwick could be the guy for the Indians.  Also note that Andruw Jones is looking to make a comeback too and could be somebody the Indians considers.

That's Hot Stove Volume Lucky 13!  Here's to hoping we sign somebody next week!  Maybe we will have a shot at the young Cuban athlete Yoan Moncada, who is free to negotiate!  Keep an eye out for that breaking news!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



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WHERE THE YANKEES NEED TO BE LOOKING...

As the Yankees approach the All-Star break, it is probably time to look at the team and take a healthy, objective view of the state of the team. Last week, Joe Girardi made a statement that the starting rotation is not going to change before the break. We know that CC Sabathia is at least a month away and that Michael Pineda is not coming back before August. With the team less than 5 games over .500, it is time to make a move.

Vidal Nuno and David Phelps have done their best, and maybe they might become premier starters someday. However, it is clear that they are not going to get it done for us this season. While I am not saying that we should give up on them, we need to look at more experienced people. We here at BYB have made recommendations, but maybe it is time for a fresh look.

We like Jason Hammel. As a successful starter in the Chicago Cubs organization, there are strong rumors that he is on the market. He is 31 years old, and he is having a great season with the Cubs. He has an ERA of 2.81 and a WHIP of 0.984, while getting six wins in 13 starts. With more support, his record would probably be much better. His HR/9 over the season so far is 0.6, which would make him a very appealing option for the Yankees.

The rumor mill has had Kyle Kendrick’s name in lights all season, and maybe with good reason. Despite having an ERA of 4.09, he is the owner of a 2-6 record. Still, he his two wins in his last three starts, so momentum is positive for him right now. His 8 years’ of successful experience in the majors may be exactly what the Yankees need right now. Nevertheless, the Yankees would have to pick up his big contract, which comes with its own risks. Maybe the motivation of playing for a winning team might turn him around and make him a successful pitcher again.

Justin Masterson is a guy that should be available for the right price. The Cleveland Indians know that this is his contract year, and they may be ready to make a move. While he has success in his career, he has hit a rough patch lately. He is averaging just under 6 innings per start, and his ERA just peaked over 5. His K/9 is 8.1, which is still very good for a major league starter and a clear sign that he is still a strikeout pitcher. His HR/9 of 0.5 is well below league average, which makes him an appealing trade target for someone who may be pitching in homer-friendly Yankee Stadium. There is more downside on him in that he still gives up lots of base runners (WHIP of 1.524 this season). He is still 29 years old, and perhaps a little motivation may get his productivity moving in the right direction.

Bronson Arroyo’s name has gotten attention as a possible addition to the rotation. Honestly, it did not look very promising after a dreadful April and now he's on the DL for the first time in his career, read HERE. Nevertheless, in his eight starts since then, he has a 5-2 record with one no-decision and a combined ERA of 2.70. Opponents’ batting average over that stretch is .246, and their OPS is a paltry .664. He also has some endurance, having failed to come out for the seventh inning only once during that stretch, which may provide some rest for the bullpen. The Diamondbacks are having a terrible season, currently fighting it out with the Padres for last place. Could they be convinced that they are better off trading their 37-year old, 2-year, $23.5M pitcher for some young, future talent? The Yankees certainly have some advantage here, and they should consider it.

Whatever the Yankees do, they need to do something. Phelps and Nuno are not going to make this team competitive, at least not in the near-term. While the farm may have some developing talent, they are exactly that – still developing. This is the 20th anniversary of the last time the Yankees failed to reach the playoffs in consecutive years. Something tells me that they are not going to be giving out commemorative cups for that milestone. Unless they want that streak to end this year, they need to realize that a course-correction is overdue.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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HEY HAL, IT'S TIME TO GET ANOTHER STARTER

Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner made a splash this past week at the Baseball Owners meeting, indicating he is ready to make a move to get the Yankees back on track. "We're always willing to look at options come July, come the trade deadline, and I think we've shown that.” He went on to say, quite forcefully, “But we're not going to ever lay down and die. We're going to do what we need to do [to] stay in it."

This should make every Yankee fan stand up and cheer. The last thing we need is another season like last year, where we spent the summer resigned to our fate. At the same time, trades resulting from itchy trigger-finger moves can have disastrous effects. With Ivan Nova out for the season, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda out indefinitely, and Hiroki Kuroda still trying to reset himself, it is going to be critical that the Yankees find some help for the starting rotation and fast.

Regardless of whether or they make a move in July or this week, here are some of the starters the Yankees need to be looking at right now:

Jason Hammel is one starter that should be at the top of the Yankees list. Jesse Rogers from ESPN talks about how the Chicago Cubs, who seem to have an annual rite of trading away talent for prospects, expect to be marketing him. At 31 years of age, he is having as great a season as you can have for a team like the Cubs. He has an ERA of 3.06 and a WHIP of 0.906, while only getting wins (4) in half of his starts. He is a fly ball pitcher (his GB/FB is 0.76) which makes him a bit of a liability in Yankee Stadium, but his HR/9 over the season so far is 0.8, which is respectable.

Justin Masterson is in the last year of his contract, and the Cleveland Indians may be ready to make a move. He is averaging just over 6 innings per start, and he has a decent ERA of 4.31. His K/9 of 8.6 makes him a good strikeout pitcher, and his HR/9 of 0.7 is below league average, which will keep the ball in the ballpark. The downside on him is that he gives up many base runners (WHIP of 1.380 this season), and that can spell trouble. Still, he is playing for a last-place team in his contract year, and a little motivation may get his game up (think Ichiro Suzuki when the Yankees traded for him). The question will be how much of what’s left of his $9.76M contract will the Yankees be willing to take on.

Brandon McCarthy is a wild card that the Yankees may look at. With a 1-6 record and 5.01 ERA this season, you may be wondering if there is anything of value here. One can explain the 1-6 record by the fact that he is playing for the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks. His ERA is mostly attributed to home runs allowed, but he is pitching in homer happy Chase Field (5th highest HR/Games in the majors). In his 2 season prior to going to Arizona, when he was pitching in Oakland, his ERA’s were 3.32 and 3.24. That was against American League hitting. He also has some good history against high-octane offenses like Boston and Detroit. Boston has hit .252 against him and Detroit .259 over his career. With his current season record, the Yankees may be at a strong advantage in trade negotiations.

Finally, Kyle Kendrick is a name that has made its rounds on the trade rumor mill, and one that the Yankees probably have on the wall of their war room. Despite having an ERA of 3.96, he is still looking for his first win after eight starts. We are sure he is ready to punch his ticket to anywhere. His 7+ years’ experience in the majors makes him a good candidate to get us to the finish line. The biggest area of concern is his home runs allowed, which has spiked this year. To his credit, this is the first year in his career where that is a problem. Maybe a little motivation, like playing for a winning team, might make him the diamond in the rough. The Yankees would have to pick up the remainder of the $7.675M owed him.

The Yankees will look into many that come up over the upcoming weeks and months, but we all agree that they have to do something. We cannot count on Sabathia returning to form AND Kuroda returning to form AND Pineda returning to form. The Yankees cannot afford to bet the season on those odds. It is time to pull the trigger and make a move.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!

UNDERCOVER YANKEES!

Yeah, that was me on YouTube. The dancing Expo fan with the dragonfly on his hat making the woman next to him scream bloody murder. I should explain how that came about.

A free ball game is a free ball game. So when asked if I wanted to see Philadelphia play the Mets on July 19, I said “Sure!" I would be going with two fellow Yankee fans and a Phillies guy. Pretty much immediately, I started working out how to represent my fellow Yankee Blue Bloods.

But what to wear? An official BYB shirt was a must. Order one HERE, by the way. The plan was to do a big reveal at the end of the game when the Mets lost. Notice I did not use the word “if."

What to hide the shirt with was the question. Ultimately I decided on my retro Gary Carter Montreal Expos jersey. The reasoning being that Gary Carter went to the Mets after Montreal and won a Championship; the Expos were the team Coney threw his perfecto against the day before, those fourteen years ago; and the Kid was one of my childhood favorite players regardless.

On the 7 train to Citi Field, my jersey got immediate attention from Mets fans. It was clear it would be a huge hit. There are worse things than reminiscing about Gary Carter as an elevated subway scoots you across Queens on a beautiful summer day. These guys were alright. For Mets fans.

Everybody met up at the Main Gate. Pinstripe (not his real name) and Charina were my fellow Yankee die-hards, and Dave was in a green Mike Schmidt Phillies jersey with matching hat. I loves me the uncommon jerseys, so Dave was alright. For a Phillies fan.

Citi Field is not bad. But then I spent 10 years going to ball games in the big bucket that is the SkyDome so I am easy to impress. Spending a beautiful evening in an open air park watching a live MLB game? That was alright. For a Mets field.

As for the fans, there seemed to be almost as much Phillies red as Mets orange. Although some Met-heads displayed a rather… um… unique fashion sense. What’s that you say? Provide an example? Very well.

Behold. Citi Field Clown Pants.

You’re welcome.

We found our seats and the game got underway. It became immediately clear that Jeremy Hefner was going to have a bad night. The Phillies smacked him around early and often. They got all the way through
the order before Hefner got opposing pitcher Kyle Kendrick out.

That took the Mets fans out of the game for the rest of the night. David Wright hit a homer and got some cheers, but by the time the Mets got on the board, Philadelphia was on too high a perch to be knocked down.

On a side note, rumors are swirling about Michael Young. There could be interest from the Yankees. Young comported himself well this night. A triple, a homer, 2 runs scored with 3 Ribbies. Yeah. He could help us out. There’s the hard journalism part out of the way.

Met faithful were wearing rally caps by the third inning. The Jumbotron suggested out of town vacations. Announcements began reminding people every two minutes that Nas would perform a free concert after the game. People were leaving in droves anyway.

In the middle of all the despair, a magical moment. A dragonfly darted through the crowd, dodged multiple attempts by Met-heads to kill it, and alighted upon my baseball cap. I took this as a sign from the baseball gods. That was alright. For an Expos fan.

Wilson, as the dragonfly was named, chilled with me for around five minutes, or as Pinstripe said, half of his life. Charina proved deathly afraid of insects as an added bonus. This led to comical opportunities of leaning in for a picture and getting screams of terror.

Wilson continued on his way shortly after that, allowing me to do my best impression of Tom Hanks in Castaway, “WILSON! WILSON I’M SORRY!" By this time beer was flowing freely. All the Mets fans had left was to get completely wasted, so why not join them? As the Phillies continued to beat up the Mets on the way to a 13-6 laugher, there was much joking, inappropriate dancing, and loud heckling on our part. And that’s how I ended up on YouTube. At least I did my part to make these poor Met-heads forget their pain.

Towards the end of the game I realized, through my beer-soaked haze, that the whole point of my coming here was to show off my Bleeding Yankee Blue shirt. While there was no honor in rubbing it in to utterly defeated Mets fans, a promise is a promise. I posed like a conquering hero in front of the Citi Field sign. A plastered Met-head cried out, “It’s the Dragonfly Guy!"

We left feeling happy and satisfied. Dave flew his colors in an enemy park and got to strut out like he owned the place. I knew the feeling. Ten years of cheering for the Yankees on the road. When your team wins as the visitors it is really satisfying.

For Pinstripe, Charina, and me, it was a great night out at the game. And the Mets were good enough to teach us a very valuable lesson. One that no Yankee fan should ever forget:

No matter how badly the Yankees do, it could always be worse. Just look at the Mets. And breathe a sigh of relief.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants

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