"DAD. LINCECUM TO THE RANGERS."

July 23, 2016 - Source: Bob Levey/Getty Images North America

When I'm at work, I'm at work, unless my wife calls. Unless my kids text me, and then I hone in on what's going on with them.  My family is my life and that's always been where my head's at.

My oldest son text me this afternoon...

"Dad. Lincecum to the Rangers." 

All he does is watch baseball highlights on his phone, plans games that we need to go to during the baseball season and not only that... he plays baseball and trains like mad.  It's all he thinks about.  I love it.  I also love that he was able to text me the moment the Lincecum news broke. He likes 'the Freak' and so do I. I think secretly both of us wanted Timmy to come to the Yankees after his recent  showcase.  But that didn't happen....

Photo: Getty Images

NJ.com writes:

"UPDATE (3:43 p.m. ET): Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reports Tim Lincecum is talking to the Texas Rangers about a one-year contract..."

In fairness to all these baseball insiders, I think it was Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman who dropped the info first on Twitter. So give credit where credit is due. That being said, it appears to be a fit for both Tim and the Rangers. Heyman did say this as well...

Photo: Getty Images

"The former San Francisco Giants star has received very strong interest from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and a few others, and it's said he's preparing to fly to Arizona, so all the finalists train there. The Dodgers and Rangers are among teams that are willing to give Lincecum a major league deal. "

There you go and obviously a major league deal was a must for Tim. Can't blame him. Plus. it appears there was no East coast team 'in' for Lincecum or at least on his wish list.  Well... it was fun to think about at least. Plus, I don't think the Yanks would give the guy a major league deal anyway. Whatever... still fun, right?

Good luck to the Freak.

Love that guy. Also... a big thanks to my son.

YANKS INTRIGUED BY LINCECUM

If they weren't, they wouldn't be attending his showcase.

Photo: Getty Images

I have always been a Tim Lincecum fan and I would love to see him in New York.  I don't know if that's where he'd want to be, but I see Lincecum as a set up man or middle relief for the Yanks.  And... if they needed a spot starter, there he could be again.

SNY writes:

"The Yankees will be among the teams to attend the showcase of RHP Tim Lincecum...

Photo: Getty Images

Lincecum, 33, will throw in front of several teams, including the Braves, Brewers and Padres, according to Heyman, on Thursday at Driveline Research Lab in Seattle as he looks to make his first MLB appearance since 2016. A two-time Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star, Lincecum went 2-6 with a 9.16 ERA in nine starts with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016."

We will have to see.

By the way, that original report came from Jon Heyman.  Give credit where needed.

THIS IS WHAT NO "PLAN B" LOOKS LIKE

"I feel strong. I feel good."

That's what Michael Pineda said this weekend after his train wreck of a start against the Tampa Bay Rays. He definitely doesn't look good.....or strong for that matter. He looks like a desperate pitcher looking to hold on to a job. He is supposed to be our number two not a pitcher that is a bottom feeder not only for his team but for the entire league. How can the Yankees keep running him out there every fifth day?

The short answer here is: They really don't have much of a choice. There is no Plan B. It would be nice if the Yankees had a strong pitcher stashed down in AAA like they have in recent years. Unfortunately this year, we don't. Wouldn't it be nice if we had signed Tim Lincecum right now? Not to go back and bring up "what if's" but the Yankees have traditionally been smart about stashing arms. Right now they have Richard Bleier a lefty who has never pitched in the majors before.

The Yankees have already tried this move once earlier this month with Chad Green and that didn't go very well and they have Luis Cessa in the bullpen. None of these options sound particularly exciting. Green pitched to 9.0 ERA in his only appearance and while Pineda certainly doesn't have anything to brag about he does have one thing that none of these other guys do and that is experience.

Pineda has been terrible. His 6.92 ERA is the worst among American League starting pitchers.His first inning ERA was at 13 entering into Saturday's game, but he tacked on three more runs to that now. He has started in 10 games and has yet to pitch into the seventh inning. It looked like he had started to figure out his issues in his previous start but was short lived.

I wanted to believe that Pineda was figuring it out, but he can't seem to keep the ball down and Larry Rothschild says he can't seem to keep the ball away from righties and inside to lefties. So basically, Pineda just can't locate anything. It sounds like Larry Rothschild has a lot to work on. He has to fix mechanics issues to resolve with Pineda and then when Luis Severino comes back he is going to have to give both of these guys a little confidence. The Yankees cannot afford to coddle either of these pitchers if they want to climb out of the AL East cellar.

Usually when I hear a pitcher say that he feels "good" even though he is pitching poorly I hold my breath because I am waiting to hear that he is hurt. Could Pineda be injured and he just isn't saying anything to the Yankees? Maybe, but even Rothschild doubts that an injury is to blame for all of this. It wouldn't make sense for Pineda to be throwing at the same velocity that he usually does.

According to Joe Girardi, they are going to stick with Pineda for now. They still believe in him regardless of his performance so far this season. He does have a minor league option left so even though they can send him down they do not believe it will benefit him and not only that....it sounds like they have even less confidence in anyone they could all up from the majors. This is a disaster. This is just going through the motions with no real plan....and it isn't going to help the Yankees climb back into the AL East race.

Again I ask....where is the accountability? Pineda isn't to blame, Larry Rothschild isn't at fault for two of his struggling pitchers. The players are to blame but not Alan Cockrell who is supposed to be the hitting expert on the team. Just like Yogi Berra used to say "It gets late early out there" and it is time to right the sinking ship before it's too late.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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THE ANGELS ARE ABOUT TO SIGN 'THE FREAK'

Just a quick note because we have been following Tim Lincecum and his showcase.  It looks like the Los Angeles Angels are the favorite to sign him if they haven't already!  Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports has that:

Sources: Tim Lincecum closing in on a deal with the Angels. Giants and White Sox are out.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 16, 2016

Now as you know from reading BYB, the Yankees were interested in Lincecum, but to what extend we will never truly know.

(Read DON'T COUNT LINCECUM OUT YET.)  I think ultimately the Yankees hitting was a bigger concern than the pitching, and so, maybe that's why they were shy about signing the Freak.

Whatever the case, it appears a deal is done with the Angels and Lincecum... and life goes on.



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A LOT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE...

When you get the flu, it's horrible. I was shut down for a while and when I say shut down, I had a ton of text messages I didn't even check until this morning. Plus, the Yankees won Saturday, lost last night, but I didn't even know about it until this morning.  I was in a coma of fever and I don't think the TV changed off HBO since about an hour ago. I saw bits and pieces of Jurassic World and at one point I zoned in and out on the Godfather I,II & III.

I realized that I probably most identify with Sonny... pigheaded and hotheaded, but understands the patience of Michael.  I drank a ton of fluids, slept a lot and missed Mother's Day.  I know... I'm a terrible son.  I gotta tell ya, I was delirious.  No joke.  Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.  It's painful to even write this right now. My bones ache.

Here are some things happening around Yankeeland and beyond that I want to put out there for all of you.

CC Sabathia hit the DL, and yes, we at BYB did a news report on that last night.  Read CC HITS THE DL. CC believes he'll be back soon. Girardi speculates he won't be. What else is new.

Tim Lincecum pitched in his showcase the other day and looked real sharp apparently.  ESPN writes "Lincecum threw 41 pitches Friday at the spring training home of the only team he has ever played for, the San Francisco Giants. Lincecum took the mound in front of about three dozen scouts representing nearly every major league club."

The Giants are apparently NOT one of the clubs interested in Lincecum. But that comes from one source, so don't quote us.

 BYB is not selling out merchandise.  Let me rephrase... we ARE selling it, and it's cheap and no one's buying it, which only means one thing from a marketing standpoint. When the Yankees suck, the fan base does not rally.  Bottom line.

Please take a look at what have to offer and spend a few bucks to support what we do here at BYB.  You can CLICK HERE to buy.  In all the years of selling apparel at BYB, this is the first year we virtually have sold nearly nothing.  We're more than Yankees here folks... we're about baseball and life and we volunteer here every single day.  Take a minute and see what we have. We'd appreciate it.

And finally, I couldn't believe that Bartolo Colon's first home run came only this past weekend.  More importantly, while I really like Colon, I was always disappointed in Big Sexy and his dabbling in PEDs.  It's clear to me that many fans just don't care, as long as the suspension is completed, the player can move on and do things in the game and they are applauded.  I guess it's just the world we live in now.  Whatever.  The Colon "first career homer" was pretty fun to see. I saw it for the first time this morning.  Quite enjoyable.

Those are some nuggets while I was in a stupor, and I hope to be back at at least 85% tomorrow.  It was a tough road.  I didn't even have the strength to let my writers know what was going on.  That's on me, but the bottom line, I was delirious.

And finally.... to my mother.  I owe you a Mother's Day and so, we will have one at my house this month and we'll make it extra special.  Promise!


 


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IT WOULD BE FOOLISH FOR THE YANKS TO NOT BE IN ON LINCECUM...

The Yankees are definitely in on Tim Lincecum, despite what Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says.  The question is, would they do anything? Who the hell knows. 

I do know this, with the Yankees woes are currently on every back page of every sports publication in New York City, for them to NOT be looking at Tim Lincecum's work out on Friday would be stupid, and so, this is Jon Heyman's way of just annoying everyone. 

Heyman writes:

23 teams have now reached out with interest in tim lincecum. neither ny team to this point. most everyone else tho.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 4, 2016

Now don't forget it, Bleeding Yankee Blue wrote this nice nugget a while back... a nugget none of these baseball insiders had: SOURCE: "LINCECUM COULD BE THE FINAL PIECE"was from February. That was when the guy was minutes away from auditioning.  Then, it was pushed back and pushed back and since then, the Yankees have been stinking up the joint ever since.  Meanwhile, Lincecum has not been showcased yet.

Logically, it now makes more sense than ever that the Yankees would look at every moving part available to see if they could use them.  That's why a guy like Nick Swisher signed a minor league deal.  That's why Phil Coke signed a minor league deal. Trust me, if Lincecum's possibly available, the Yankees are looking and they should be.

We wrote this back in February:

"I checked in with my bud yesterday just asking him to sniff around for me.  He was totally honest with me, telling me that he probably wouldn't be able to find out much, but he did reveal to me that he did hear from one individual with knowledge of the upcoming Tim Lincecum showcase and said if Lincecum can offer enough and can prove that he can still throw, Lincecum 'Could be the final piece.'"

The info is solid, and I guess some of these baseball insiders just don't have it.  It's fine. I never claimed to be one of them. I did promise that if I had something solid, I'd present it to my audience.  This is legit.  Whether or not the Yankees actually pull the trigger is another story. Plus, you have to believe that the Giants will ultimately resign Timmy. 

Whatever the case... Stay tuned.





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AND IT STARTS... THE RYAN BRAUN RUMOR

Yeah, here it goes.

It appears to have started from Ken Rosenthal and then Pinstripe Alley and MLBTR had some fun with the speculation.  Whatever man... with the Yankee stinking up the joint lately, names like Tim Lincecum (read REMEMBER TIM LINCECUM? HE'S ABOUT TO AUDITION) and now Ryan Braun are making Yankee fans giddy for change, but the reality is, it's doubtful stuff like this can happen.

Anyway, MLB Trade Rumors reports what Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines about:

"Brewers star left fielder Ryan Braun can veto a trade to all teams except the Dodgers, Angels, Marlins, Rays and Nationals, but the idea of rebuilding Milwaukee dealing him “is becoming more realistic,” FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports..."

OK fine. Now couple that with this headline:Does Ryan Braun make sense for the Yankees?

But Thank God the PA article is realistic:

"Braun makes sense for the Yankees in many ways. But, the cost of acquiring him, and the maneuvering that will be required to open up a roster spot, make it unlikely that Braun has pinstripes in his future...The biggest question is where would he play? Beltran is in the final year of his contract, but at the moment there is no obvious landing spot for Braun....

The Yankees could find a taker for Gardner, but if they acquire Braun first, potential trading partners would have significant leverage in trade negotiations....Even if the Yankees found a spot for Braun on their roster, his acquisition would be at odds with the team's youth movement."

And so, while the idea is very intriguing, it's like the very early, "Rumor Mill" stuff going on and so Pinstripe Alley actually takes the time to break down how unrealistic it is... mostly because of all of the moving parts.

Look, the Yankees need to get it together. There is no question about that, but my take on this is simpleyou're not gonna just throw money at the problem to fix it.  If the Yankees aren't winning with the vets, then bring up the kids and let's have alittle fun at least.  There is zero reason to spend money on MORE veterans. You know what I mean?

Anyway, nice nugget.  I thought I would share!



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CASHMAN'S PISSED! THANK GOD!

Finally, alittle anger coming from our General Manager.  That's what I like to hear!

Usually the fans are angry and he says, "Well, it's early, the bats will come around". But yesterday he basically said that enough was enough with this crappy team!

"I’ve done this job a long time and I put this roster together... I feel it’s significantly better than it has performed, and when it doesn’t perform up to expectations over the course of time, I have a history of making changes. I would rather not go that route, but when you are forced to do so, you are forced to do so... There’s only so long you can allow it to go on before tinkering... But it just needs to stop."

And there's more:

"It’s really frustrating... This team scored the second-most runs in the American League last year and we’ve added Starlin Castro to it. To come off a horrific month of April like we have, it is pretty hard to stomach.... Some leashes might be shorter than others... This group needs to self-correct... To the degree it doesn’t, then yeah, I’ll look for alternatives to get us going. I’d rather not do that.”

Those quotes are all Cashman and all from the New York Times which is linked to this page.  Bottom line, Cashman is angry and he should be. The Yankees are playing like shit and so, for all the fans that keep telling me it's early... well, it's May, and they should not be this far in the hole.  Not with the lineup they have.

And so I say, GOOD FOR YOU CASHMAN. I love the wording and I love that no one is safe! Go do what needs to be done.  Sit veterans, bring up some kids.  Make some trades.  Sign Tim Lincecum (Read HERE), make things happen to let this team know us fans do NOT deserve this!

Anyway... a good piece by the times, and thank God we see some fight in Brian Cashman! Now the next question... will he act?



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REMEMBER TIM LINCECUM? HE'S ABOUT TO AUDITION

There has been a lot of buzz over Tim Lincecum for months now. As Spring Training was approaching I was watching and waiting to see who he was going to sign with. Yes, I said WHO as opposed to IF because although it is true that he is not the same pitcher he once was....you can never have too much pitching and given his resume someone is going to give him that shot.

There has been a lot of buzz going on in Arizona. As soon as Spring Training is over you start to see the Spring Training facilities used for concerts and even some fundraising opportunities within the community. There has been a lot of rumors centered around Scottsdale Stadium though, which happens to be the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants.

In the next few weeks Lincecum is expected to hold a showcase for up to 20 major league teams, and is very likely to be done at Scottsdale stadium. He has had a mysterious off season and spring. Teams were expecting a February showcase, but that was pushed back several times with no reasoning given. Supposedly, he is healthy so that is not a reasoning for the postponements. With poor pitching performances from everyone so far including CC Sabathia and Luis Severino and the timing of this announcement the rumors are likely to continue. The Yankees are expected to attend and have the chance to sign him.

So who else is likely to be at this yet to be announced audition? As much as the Yankees could benefit from getting Lincecum I have to think that the Giants are still the favorites to sign him. He has been throwing at the Giants training facility but they have had every opportunity to sign him if they really were interested in his services. The Giants do have a more stable rotation compared to the Yankees but a reunion with former teammates Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner is still possible but it may not be as a starter.  It makes you wonder....how badly do Lincecum and the Giants want to reunite even if he is a bullpen pitcher? Is it more than the Yankees desire to add another needed arm as a starter?

Lincecum is still only 31 years old, so he is not an old veteran arm. He has also thrown over 1600 innings and has never had any arm issues so that is bound to catch someone's attention. His days as "The Freak" who threw 95mph may be gone but if he can still throw around 90mph, change speeds and demonstrate control he can still be a successful pitcher. He just needs to learn how to adapt.

So will the Yankees make a play for him at this upcoming showcase? It makes sense but time will tell. Until this showcase finally happens these rumors will probably continue to link Lincecum and the Yankees together. Would you want to see the Yankees sign Lincecum? Comment and let us know.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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RED FLAGS, PITCHING & I TOLD YOU SO!

Are the New York Yankees broken? It's only April but it is hard to find a lot to be excited about right now unless it happens to be Nick Swisher related. The fan favorite that is stashed down in AAA has me more excited then the Major League team. I find that disturbing, but it's true. I am watching his stats everyday with excitement meanwhile I can barely watch my television without groaning every few minutes. Something has to change and fast.

The offense is just plain offensive. What happened to the Bombers we all know and love? They have never been great at small ball but at this point I miss those long balls. At least that gave me something to cheer for and feel good about. I am just waiting for that magical turning point to come. Last night when I turned on the game and looked at the box score and saw the top of the order going one for twelve I shook my head. The sad thing is I wasn't surprised when I saw it. I just shook my head and said "oh, the usual" like it was no big deal. Not hitting is not ok.....and fans being complacent about not hitting isn't either. Red flag.

One of the biggest concerns going into this season was the starting rotation. I have no doubt that when Aroldis Chapman is eligible to return on May 9th that the Yankees will have the best bullpen in baseball....but we have to get to them first. At this rate, with the dreadful performance of the starters the bullpen could be a non-factor. The Yankees not scoring runs coupled with the starters not giving quality starts is going to spell disaster for this team. With 20 major league starts under their belt the Yankee starts have the second worst ERA in the American League.

Right now Masahiro Tanaka is the only starter who has an ERA that is better than league average. The Yankees also can't navigate through a lineup three times. The Yankees have a major league worst record of a .963 OPS and that is how you pitch your way to a loss. Look at last years pitching staffs with the best ERA's.....you will notice those were playoff teams. In recent years the Yankees answer to fixing voids in other areas by trading away pitchers like Shane Greene, David Phelps and Adam Warren now you have to wonder if those moves are going to be beneficial in the long run given the teams current pitching situation. Pitching wins baseball games. Red flag.

And last but not least....I think I have heard the words "I told you so!" more often then I care to acknowledge. Most of those are in reference to friends who follow other teams telling me that the Yankees will be last in the AL East this year. If I hear "I told you guys that you needed to sign Tim Lincecum" one more time I may lose my mind. Haters seem to think he is the answer to the rotation problems but it is deeper then just not signing Lincecum. It's only April, and plenty of baseball left. I know it won't stay this way but come on......I don't want to hear this is April! It's too early for the "I was right and you were wrong" victory dances. The Yankees need to prove all of the haters wrong.

Good teams learn to adapt and find ways to win games. It's easier said then done, but baseball isn't meant to be easy. The bottom line here is the offense and the starters need to fix the problem that they created. They have no one to blame but themselves and their success this season depends on it.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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