CASHMAN IS OUT WHEELING & DEALING!

So the dealing part may not have happened yet but it sure sounds like things are heating up and we may see some names come, or even go soon.

According to the New York Post HERE, and us here at BYB (Read THE ASTROS WANT BRIAN McCANN...) the Yankees are busy trying to match up with other teams and yes Brian McCann is still being shopped out there. Brian Cashman and his agent B.B. Abbott are talking about possibly options but even Cashman said that even McCann would "have the final say" thanks to his no trade clause.

If McCann does agree to a trade then the Yankees will need a full time DH, but if he stays the Yankees will not need one. The Yankees have already looked at DH options if they are able to move McCann and according the the New York Post again HERE the Yankees have inquired about Kendrys Morales.

If the Yankees are serious about signing Morales they will have some competition, the Red Sox are also looking at Morales to replace David Ortiz. The Blue Jays are also interested because they are likely to lose Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Michael Saunders who hit a combined 88 home runs this season and would give them a left handed hitter with power.

Morales is an intriguing option for the Yankees. He is a switch hitter and just finished a two year contract with the Kansas City Royals and had a successful season with a .263 BA and 30 home runs in 158 games.

He could also play first base in an emergency if needed so he would give the Yankees some versatility in the field. He would likely be a cheaper option compared to other DH options like Carlos Beltran and last years home run leader Mark Trumbo.

Cashman is also looking at options for their top priority, pitching. Earlier this week Cashman checked in with the Agent for Aroldis Chapman again as well as Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers and former Yankee Mark Melancon. Remember him? The Yankees drafted and signed him back in 2006 and now he is the Nationals closer.

The Yankees are also looking at former Royals closer Greg Holland who held a showcase earlier this week. Holland is recovering from Tommy John surgery and half of the teams went to watch him pitch. He could be a good low risk high reward if the Yankees could get him at the right price and could take some pressure off of Dellin Betances.

 The off season is really getting interesting. I like the names that Cashman is checking in with and I love the strategy. Do the Yankees keep McCann after all? Do we get a big name bullpen guy? I know I can't wait to see what happens. Cashman has been busy! Stay tuned....good things are happening. I can feel it!

 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
  Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ



 

YANKEES WIN SERIES AGAINST MARINERS; LIFE IS GOOD

Freddy Garcia did not have his best stuff, as his velocity was way down - his off-speed pitches were in the 70's. However, he was able to fool Seattle batters by mixing his pitches and varying his low velocities, getting into and out of trouble in the early part of the game. In the top of the first, a wild pitch moved Dustin Ackley from second to third, allowing him to score on Jesus Montero’s single. The Yankees helped themselves with a fantastic throw from Nick Swisher to nail Jesus Montero at the plate for the third out.

One consistent thing we saw from Garcia was that he got himself into trouble with two outs. With two outs, Mariners hitters were 3 for 7 with four walks. They had men in scoring positions in three of those 5 innings. However, with help from the defense, he only gave up one run under those conditions and was able to come out on top.

Christ Stewart was the MVP of the game, scoring three times on a single, a double, a walk, and a stolen base. He was only retired once in the entire game. The Yankees played small ball well today, manufacturing runs against starter Hisashi Iwakuma in three of the five innings that he worked. In the first inning, it was a Curtis Granderson walk, a Robinson Cano double, and an infield single by Mark Teixeira that scored the first run. In the second, it was a Chris Stewart double followed by a Curtis Granderson single that scored the second run. A Chris Stewart single, stolen base, and a Derek Jeter single scored the third run in the fourth. It was nice seeing them not relying exclusively on the home run for scoring.

In the bottom of the fifth, Raul Ibanez hit a monster solo home run - his 15th of the year - past the Yankees bullpen, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead at the time. He got a 2-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth, giving him a 2 for 4 day with three runs batted in.

Besides the Swisher throw to the plate, the Yankees showed some great defense today. Mark Teixeira caught a laser hit from Trayvon Robinson in the top of the fourth. Ichiro Suzuki made a fantastic play to end the 3rd, fighting the sun to make a difficult catch, and fought the sun on another fly ball in the 7th. Jayson Nix had a nice diving stop in the top of the 7th. Derek Jeter made a nice catch on a liner in the 6th, also from Trayvon Robinson. Rafael Soriano caught a liner back to the box on his first pitch in the ninth.

Some honorable mentions:

• Ichiro Suzuki got a lucky break in regards to his now 12 game hitting streak, with a popup that was lost in the sun by center fielder Michael Saunders, giving Ichiro a double.
•  Boone Logan came in and retired every batter he faced in the 6th and 7th innings.

All in all, a nice way to end the homestand. Final Score: Yankees 6 - Mariners 2

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer




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AROD HURT, YANKEES LOSE... WHAT ELSE CAN GO WRONG?

In what may be the highlight of this game, three separate Yankees - Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez - were hit by pitches, while Raul Ibanez was also almost hit. None of them were as concerning as the one that hit Alex Rodriguez. He was taken out of the game with his wrist immobilized, and the injury turned out to be a fractured wrist that will send him to the DL, read HERE. The timetable for his return is estimated at 6-8 weeks, but there is no official word until the team returns to New York, but this is another blow to a team that has suffered the loss of several key players over the season.

As far as the game goes, Felix Hernandez came into this game leading the American League in strikeouts and with eight consecutive games without a homer. The Yankees ended that streak early, as Curtis Granderson went yard on the third pitch of the game, giving the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees, while not exactly taking King Felix apart, did hold him to only four strikeouts through seven-plus innings.

Freddy Garcia, for his part, pitched well at certain points. At one point, he had retired 11 batters in a row, with a season-high eight strikeouts. That strikeout total was his highest since last May 4th, and he pitched 7 1/3 innings - the most in a game since last July 25th. He did, however, give up a home run to Michael Saunders on a mistake pitch in the first, and he ran into trouble in the 3rd, giving up two more runs.

The Yankees' hitting woes continued, as they went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of seven men on base and grounding into two double plays. Their best opportunity came in the top of the fourth, with the bases loaded and one out. However, they were unable to capitalize as Hernandez shut down the heart of the Yankees order.

(In Photo: Boone Logan)

Once Garcia came out of the game, it almost all fell apart. Chad Qualls and Boone Logan failed to record a single out, and the Yankees gave up a key insurance run. For a team that started out with an excellent bullpen, Joe Girardi has to be concerned about how they are performing now. Good opposing teams now have a legitimate weak point in the Yankees defense on which to focus.

In other interesting observations, Mariners runners challenged Ichiro's arm early by running aggressively from first to third on two separate occasions. Both runners came around to score. However, we all got to see just how strong Ichiro's arm is. In the end, it was another frustrating loss for the Yankees. 

Final Score: Mariners 4, Yankees 2.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer




ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.