THE YANKEES ARE CHEAPER THAN YOU THINK!

Something to make you laugh, because I know I sure did. The New York Yankees spend some big bucks. They spent $324 million on Gerrit Cole and $360 million on Aaron Judge and are very close to the last tier of the luxury tax bracket. The Yankees spend money on the field....but not airborne.

I'm sure by now you probably heard the news, but just in case check it out HERE, the Yankees do not foot the bill for in flight Wi-Fi when the team travels. Apparently, the Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds are the only teams that do not pay for in-flight internet for their players. They do however, reimburse the coaches and other staffers for the expense if they buy it.

This makes me think of Moneyball. If you know me, you know that I LOVE the movie Moneyball. I can almost recite the entire movie, that's how much I love it. One of my favorite scenes is when Assistant GM Peter Brand travels with the Oakland A's and he sits next to David Justice on the plane. If you know the movie, you know what happens next:
David Justice: "how come soda is a dollar in the clubhouse?"
Peter Brand: "Billy likes to keep the money on the field."
David Justice: "Soda money? Really?"

Peter Brand: "It's hard to see."

I guess so. Welcome to 2023 and Wi-Fi is the Yankees soda money. It's funny how Yankees partner with Delta, who is technically the party charging the fee offers free Wi-Fi to T-Mobile customers, like Judge. So while he doesn't have to worry about paying the fee, guys like Lucas Luetge would have to pay but found a loophole thanks to Michael King.

So does it seem silly that a sports franchise worth $6 billion won't spring for Wi-Fi? Yeah, considering the less valuable teams in baseball do. But what do I know? It seems silly to me. With as much traveling as these guys do, I don't think free Wi-Fi is an overly extravagant accommodation and it's a drop in the bucket for the Yankees. These days, Hal Steinbrenner says he consults Judge on numerous team-related issues, read more HERE so maybe Judge can tell him if he can afford renovations to the spring training facility, he can pay for an internet bill too.

Maybe then Brian Cashman will walk back his "I think most of our players can afford it" remark. Sure, most of these guys are millionaires, but not all of them. If all of the player quotes in the SI article are true, it's pretty sad....but also funny. I just can't believe the Yankees are one of cheapskates in this scenario. 

HAL DON'T BE A CHEAPO! Even Billy Beane ended up getting enough money so his guys didn't have to pay for it in the clubhouse. Where on the field is the money Luetge had to pay for Wi-Fi?! Spring for some damn Wi-Fi, will ya?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

MARWIN GONZALEZ GONZO!

 

Alot of Yankee guys are gone lately.  It doesn't mean I want them all gone. I mean, I didn't want Lucas Luetge gone... but I'm glad Marwin Gonzalez is gone. What a waste.

I have never been a fan of Marwin Gonzalez.  I probably like him a tiny bit more than Aaron Hicks, but then again who am I kidding. Hicks is the worst.

Anyway, Gonazlez is gone. He's going to Japan. Here's the news about that from NJ.com:

"...the utility player signed with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball....

In March 2022, González signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and made the Opening Day Roster.

He made the Yankees Opening Day roster for the 2022 season. He batted.185/.255/.321 with six homers in 207 plate appearances over 85 games."

Good. Maybe he can break .200 in Japan. Good luck to him.

LUCAS LUETGE GONZO!

Lucas Luetge is no longer a New York Yankee. It will take some time into the season to see if this one will sting a bit or not. Luetge was good for the Yankees.  But the Yankees are betting that the rotation and the already solid bullpen will allow them to cut one loose, and that "one" is Luetge.

SB Nation writes:

"The New York Yankees announced tonight that they traded reliever Lucas Luetge to the Atlanta Braves for minor leaguers Caleb Durbin and Indigo Diaz. The lefty was designated for assignment a week ago when they signed reliever Tommy Kahnle....

Durbin is a 5-foot-8 right-handed infielder who was picked in the 14th round by the Braves in the 2021 MLB Draft. He played second base for 32 games in High-A after being recalled from Middle-A. The 22-year-old slashed .220/.306/.330 with a wRC+ of 79....

Diaz was selected in the 27th round of the 2019 MLB Draft... In 2022, he was a 24-year-old righty reliever pitching in Double-A and had an ERA of 3.08 with a FIP of 4.27 and an xFIP of 5.37. Diaz fanned 63 batters in 49.2 innings."

Building up that minor league system is vital and I like these moves that we're making alot.

FOR SOME, THE PINSTRIPES ARE TOO HEAVY. FOR OTHERS, THEY FIT JUST RIGHT

Source: USA Today

The Yankees were very active as the trade deadline came and went on Tuesday night. At the end of the evening, the Yankees picked up much needed pitching, dropped some dead weight and ended up becoming a better team today than they were before the big trades. Brian Cashman listened to every deal, every inquiry that came in as any General Manager should, and chose his moves wisely and precisely. Not everyone can play well in New York while others thrive. And that is part of the intentionality behind recruiting the right players to fit the New York pressure and mindset. For some the Pinstripes are too heavy and for others they fit just right.

Source: Sports Illustrated

One of the last moves of the evening was the departure of Joey Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although he knew where he stood and expected the trade to happen, there is hope that he can acclimate and soar on another club. "A lot of us really feel for the situation he was in and the burden he felt and carried. I think a lot of us, myself included, very much hope he goes and kind of recaptures what we know he's capable of doing. I'll truly be rooting for him from afar,'' said Aaron Boone as reported by ESPN. The Dodgers gave up their 15th best prospect for the floundering outfielder, a 23-year-old minor league pitcher, Clayton Beeter, who is 0-3 with a 5.75 ERA this season with Double-A Tulsa, striking out 88 and walking 35 in 51⅔ innings. Yankee radio announcer Suzyn Waldman said Beeter has the potential to do great things if he can control his pitches and hopefully wear his pinstripes just right. Good move by Cashman to get something from the lifeless Gallo.

The Yankees also saw their farm-groomed pitcher Jordan Montgomery head to St. Louis on Tuesday for center fielder Harrison Bader who is actually on the IL with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. "Harrison Bader is one of the elite center-field defenders in the game,'' general manager Brian Cashman said, anticipating Bader will return in September. "So he provides a lot of lanes for us,'' reported ESPN. Montgomery on the other hand has struggled mightily this season, wearing very heavy pinstripes. "I still don't really think I've ever performed the way I should here,'' Montgomery said. "A lot better player than I've ever shown, but I think was consistent and definitely worked my hardest," reported ESPN. I am still shaking my head on this one, but hopefully, things will work out. Perhaps Matt Carpenter provided a bit of intel on Bader and if he's anything like him, we have a winner. 

The best trades happened on Monday with the Yankees picking up three pitchers including starter Frankie Montas from Oakland and heavy armed Scott Effross from the Cubs. "Effross, 28 years old, has made 61 career appearances in the majors. Across those outings, he's amassed a 2.91 ERA (146 ERA+) and a 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's technically still a rookie, meaning that the Yankees could theoretically retain his rights well into the future, through the 2027 season," reported CBS Sports. Coming from big market Chicago, the Yankees are betting on him to perform well and likely fit in those pinstripes just fine. 

One interesting note is that Cashman fielded a number of inquiries on Gleyber Torres and relief pitcher Lucas Luetge, which clearly he declined. Wondered who they came from? San Francisco, Washington? I guess we won't know until there is a documentary produced about them and that gets revealed in an interview. 

Source: NY Post

I have to feel for those who can't make it in New York but at the end of the day, you have a job to do and you are being paid to perform. At some point, you need to get out of your head and produce like you know you can—clear the mechanism. There will always be those players who fit into their pinstripes and perform mightily but there are others who are weighed down by anxiety and pressure to win. New York is not for everyone but for the ones that prevail, good things come to you. Let's hope this tuned up team gels and reaches their final destination in the fall classic. 

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

SANCHEZ SURVIVES YANKEES FIRST CUT

Source: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

If you have not heard the news, the Yankees parted ways with Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and Rougned Odor on Friday. But somehow, Gary Sanchez was spared. Yet as the New York Post points out, "The Yankees clearly recognize they need to mix up their pool of position players, with Miguel Andujar and Luke Voit joining Sanchez on the endangered species list between now and the Dec. 2 non-tender deadline. Sanchez stands out because, as a catcher, he is the hardest to replace." Will the Yankees part ways with Sanchez? I hope so, but if not him than who?

Here is an interesting and innovative way to address the problem: What if the Yankees take the opener strategy in pitching and apply it to catching; meaning why not have an arsenal of catchers, well not an arsenal but carry three or four, who can play other positions as well. This idea is not that far off base.

"The thin free-agent group of catchers includes Roberto Perez, who performed poorly for Cleveland last season, and old pal Austin Romine, whose health and performance struggles the past two seasons validated the Yankees’ decision to keep Kyle Higashioka over him. Romine might have to settle for a minor league deal. The Yankees should make Higashioka a co-starter behind the plate and deploy their trademark arbitrage skills that just last summer unearthed Nestor Cortes Jr., Clay Holmes and Lucas Luetge to locate the other co-starter, be it one of the aforementioned free agents or someone else," reports the Post.

Source: Associated Press

Interesting. Right? Co-catchers which might give the Yankees more confidence in moving away from Sanchez slowly. Also part of the free agency is Yan Gomes from the Oakland A's who on paper is not much better and in some cases worse than Sanchez. "Gomes, 34, tallied a .723 OPS, seven points lower than Sanchez, as he split his 2021 season between the Nationals and A’s. His July (1.078) actually topped Sanchez’s June, if with far fewer plate appearances. More to the point, while his April (.556) ranked lower than any of Sanchez’s months, he exceeded .694 in three of the six months, adding a fourth (.646 in August) that surpassed Sanchez’s third-best month, April," reported the Post. 

Source: NJ.com

The most important takeaway from the Gary Sanchez saga or experiment is this: The Yankees need to pledge more of their resources toward player development than trying to fix a deficit that was clearly theirs. Home growing your players is the best bang for your buck and if you can't do that well, consistently than you will continue to "buy" your way into the playoffs, or just be ok with how things have been. 

The Yankees lack of synergy, athleticism and chemistry has been their undoing. So really this conversation isn't about who Sanchez has become but rather it's about who he could have been had the Yankees dedicated the time and resources necessary to help him realize his potential. Now we are left with platooning him with two or three other catchers and see what fits. 

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

JON HEYMAN TALKS 'CORREA TO THE YANKEES.' HE'S LOST HIS MIND!

Pre-opening day a lot of us were talking about the anticipation. Some of us were talking about the excitement of getting BACK to Yankee stadium for Opening Day, finally. But not ALL of us were talking about THIS season. Some of us were talking about....craziness.

I like to think ahead. I like to make predictions or dream of possibilities just like anyone else but Jon Heyman is all the way out in left field....literally. Last week I was talking about the surprise of Lucas Luetge and Heyman is talking about a new 2022 shortstop? And a crazy one at that, check THIS out.

Nothing is impossible, especially when it comes to the Yankees but I think the likelihood of the Yankees shopping in the shortstop market will depend heavily on two things:
1.What kind of season did Gleyber Torres have?

2. Was Aaron Judge healthy and productive? If not, they have to consider spending more money here too.

But Heyman is very fixated on shortstop right now and....possibly Carlos Correa? I'm gonna be sick.
"Yankees are rumored. It's possible. They certainly could get in there on one of those shortstops, and I don't think it's going to be Francisco Lindor. If it's going to be one of them, it'll probably be Trevor Story or Corey Seager. Again, they like Correa, too, so we'll see."

Let's think about this. Let's ignore the Lindor extension with the Mets right now. It's happened and over BUT The Yankees were tied to Lindor for a long time, even before last season. Over the winter that reignited again. The Yankees interest still would've been made their calls and done their due diligence. There is no reason to think they wouldn't, history says otherwise.

But the interest with Correa doesn't make sense. Why do they supposedly like him? He's injury prone, a cheater and the other shortstops that will be on the market are more well-rounded. I'll say this, Torres has to have the worst season imaginable and everything that could go wrong would have to go wrong in order for the Yankees to suddenly have serious interest in Carlos Correa. I can't even imagine what that would be for the Yankees to go looking elsewhere. Torres is 24 years old and won't be a free agent until 2025....the Yankees are and will remain committed to him and if the unimaginable happened and they decided to sign someone else, it wouldn't be Correa.

Whether you think Correa is a cheater or not (He IS for the record) he is a clubhouse cancer. He is tainted goods and his reputation is trashed. He and the Astros are made for each other. The Yankees are not signing Correa in any crazy kind of world you can imagine. They are not inserting THAT into the clubhouse. There is way too much baggage there and the guy is a headcase. 

I don't know what Heyman is drinking or smoking but he is dead wrong. Even if the Yankees made a knee jerk reaction and decided to shop for a new shortstop it wouldn't be Correa. I know I am picking on Heyman here but he isn't the only person I have seen talking about this, he's just a big name that we all know so he gets the attention here.

It's a hot take for ya....but he's a hot mess if he thinks the Yankees and Correa would EVER happen. Now I am violently ill.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

IT'S A NEW BEGINNING & THE END!

Yesterday I experienced both an emotional high and a bit of a bummer all on the eve of baseball. In a handful of hours baseball is back. It's closer to the "norm" than what we saw for the 2020 season. I'm ready for some new excitement, as I try and process the idea of change at the same time.

A lot of news yesterday on baseball eve. I'm excited to have a final roster and to have Lucas Luetge part of it. It's the surprise that no one saw coming. It's a good story and gives you the good kind of feels that I think we all need after the long year we've all had. I know this year has felt like five (or more) and that's exactly what it's been for Luetge.

The last time Luetge pitched in the majors was 2015 with the Mariners. Since then he's traveled around the minors with a few teams....and now he's back on the big stage. The Yankees made it official yesterday and my mouth dropped when they did. That came out of left field (pardon the cliche but I couldn't resist) and it is the comeback story that gives me chills.

It's a new beginning for Luetge and he's earned it! During his time with the Mariners he only pitched 89 innings with an average fastball of 90 mph and a 4.35 ERA. Not great, but he was great in spring training where he pitched 10 1/3 innings with only two runs on eight hits, two walks and 18 strikeouts. He shut down opposing hitters and even Aaron Boone said it was "hard to deny" him a spot after that, read more HERE. The Yankees need another lefty, and he's earned a spot. Maybe he's figured out what works for him and can be consistent. I'm ready to see what he can do when it counts.

It's a new beginning for Luetge, but it sounds a like the end (again) for Ken Singleton according to the New York Post HERE. It's not a big deal for some people, but Singleton has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. In fact, it's always been a dream of mine to interview him. It may not happen, but one of my favorite memories will be watching games with my family on YES Network and listening to him call a game. I've always loved his perspective and if this really is the end, I will miss him going forward.

Selfishly, I'm hoping that YES president of programming and production John Filippelli can improve on his 3-3 record and convince him one more time not to retire. For me, his absence in the booth is a big miss even though he isn't calling games as often anymore. It's nostalgia for me.

So I am ready for the 2021 season. I am ready for Luetge's new beginning and will have to come to terms with Singleton stepping away from the booth. It will be hard. Mr. Singleton....I meant what I said earlier! If you are interested in chatting sometime, DM me!

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

BASEBALL AT IT'S BEST: DONNIE BASEBALL & A NO-HITTER

Don Mattingly was always one of my favorite Yankees. I marveled at his subtle greatness. His crouched batting stance and his amazing play at 1^st Base. I wanted to be a 1^st baseman because of Donnie Baseball. I was saddened that he never got a ring as a player and is still the greatest Yankee to never have played in a World Series. I also lamented about Donnie not getting the manager job. Nothing against Girardi but Donnie is a Yankee icon and he was mentored well by Joe Torre but no regrets. Joe got us our 27^th so life is good all around here in Yankeeland.
 

 As for Donnie Baseball these days, as we know he landed in Los Angeles with the Dodgers as bench coach for Joe Torre and eventually succeeding him as manager. I gotta tell you. It is really hard to see Donnie in Dodger Blue. I have never liked the Dodgers. They were my mom's favorite team dating back when they were still in Brooklyn. But, since her death in 03, my loathing of LA has subsided somewhat, but not altogether.

So, fast forward to last Friday night, June 8^th. Living in Seattle now, I cheer for the Mariners, (when they don’t play my Yanks of course) and I was really looking forward to seeing Donnie Baseball again for the first time since he left the Yankees. However, I had no idea it would be on a historic occasion.

I tried to get a good pic of Donnie, but unlike Bobby Valentine who is despised by his players, the Dodgers love Donnie and he is usually surrounded by coaches and players, and with everyone wearing blue sweatshirts, it was hard to make him out. The Dodgers have a great pitching staff but without Matt Kemp, their lineup is not that formidable.

The Mariners are not that great either but Kevin Millwood who started, has been on a resurgence this season. The game sped along without much action and when I glanced up at the scoreboard in the 4^th inning, I noticed that the Dodgers were hitless and then again in the 5^th and 6^th and I started getting a feeling that something special was gonna happen this night. I had never seen a no hitter in the hundreds of games I have been to in my life so far so I was getting excited. But, that changed when Millwood was pulled due to a groin injury, I thought, there goes the No-Hitter but was I wrong. 5 M’s relievers combined to preserve what Millwood started including Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen. For an intense 1-0 Mariners win. This was the 10^th combined no-hitter in baseball history. And anchoring the Mariners that night was none other than former Yankee phenom, Jesus Montero.

I was very happy for Jesus to have played such a pivotal part in this historic moment. Looks like his catching isn’t so bad after all. Still, I’m not looking back on letting Jesus go, I keep looking forward. Everything happens for a reason I believe and it was Jesus’s time to not be with the Yankees any longer. Can’t dwell on it.

The bottom line, it was great to see Donnie Baseball again at a ballpark, it brought back many memories of seeing him many times in Yankee Stadium. But it made it even more special was getting to see him on such a historic night. 

--Thomas Brophy, BYB Guest Writer





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