THAT TIME RONALD TORREYES WAS ELI WHITESIDE

It's a silly story, but this is baseball and sometimes players get picked up to be let go or claimed off waivers and then signed again then to be released.  In this case, it was Ronald Torreyes, pictured above.  But I remember when it happened with the Yankees and catcher Eli Whiteside.  Excuse me while I look through my BYB archive for a classic:

This is JOKE OF THE DAY... from January 2013.  The story was about catcher Eli Whiteside:

"It appears Eli Whiteside was outrighted to AAA by the Texas Rangers... Eli has been all over the place, from the Giants, to the Yankees to the Blue Jays to the Rangers and now outrighted to AAA, read MLB Trade Rumors tracker HERE."

(In Photo: Ronald Torreyes)
Now comes our friend Ronald Torreyes.  According to MLB.com, "An offseason roller coaster continued on Monday for Ronald Torreyes, as the Yankees claimed the infielder off waivers from the Angels. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Lane Adams was designated for assignment.

It was less than three weeks ago, on Jan. 15, that the Yankees claimed Adams off waivers from the Royals and designated Torreyes for assignment. The Angels claimed him on Jan. 25, but they designated him two days later. 

(In Photo: Tyler Olson)
Torreyes began the offseason with the Dodgers, who designated him on Jan. 7, then traded him to the Yankees five days later -- with left-hander Tyler Olson -- for infielder Rob Segedin."

And you know, it's just the game and the way teams get structured as they get closer to Spring Training.  Whatever the case, Torreyes is back with the Yankees... for now.

Oh yeah, and just a recap on what Eli Whiteside's been up to... Whiteside saw the Big show in 8 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2014. He was not on the pro level in 2015. And you know what? A solid minor league guy is fine too.

I don't know, I just found it interesting and when I saw Torreyes was back with the Yanks, it reminded me of the time Whiteside bounced all over the place.

Where else can you get a silly story from my ridiculous memory bank about a catcher named Eli Whiteside.  Right here... on BYB.

Nighty Night.

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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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LANE ADAMS IS A YANKEE!

New York Yankee media relations just released some news.  Lane Adams, an outfielder from the Kansas City Royals was claimed off waivers by the Yanks.

YESNetwork.com writes:

"Yankees today announced that they have claimed outfielder Lane Adams off waivers from the Kansas City Royals and designated infielder Ronald Torreyes for assignment. Adams, 26, combined to bat .281 (137-for-488) with 72 runs, 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 62 RBI, 31 steals and a .791 OPS in 134 games between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha in 2015. The right-handed hitter made his Major League debut in 2014, going 0-for-3 in six games for the Royals."

It's funny, Ronald Torreyes just became a Yankee this week.  Now he's designated for assignment.

Stay tuned for more.


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