WEI-YIN CHEN HAS SIGNED!

No, it's not the Yankees! Relax. 

We wrote TEAMS ARE IN ON WEI-YIN CHEN... a few days ago and were very clear that the Yankees were not in the Chen race, even though we here at BYB kind of wanted them to be.  That being said, the Marlins are and they went big on Wei-Yin Chen.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, who is the biggest "baseball insider" to report on stuff after the fact, not before:

Wei-Yin Chen's deal with the Marlins is for five years, with a sixth-year vesting option.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 12, 2016

Hardball Talk writes:

"He joins a rotation headlined by Jose Fernandez and will try to be rare big-money free agent to actually remain in Miami for the entire contract."

Good deal for the Marlins and Chen. Not too expensive, not too cheap and the Marlins get a lefty.

Too bad the Yanks didn't want to spend on Chen.  I really wanted a lefty in our rotation.

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TEAMS ARE IN ON WEI-YIN CHEN...

But are the Yankees?  It doesn't appear so.

The latest team to be interested in lefty starter Wei-Yin Chen is the Miami Marlins.  According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

" the Marlins are showing interest in Chen, according to major-league sources. The price ultimately could prove prohibitive, but if the Marlins intend to compete, they will need a No. 2 starter."

Rosenthal also tells his audience that while there is interest, not sure if this will happen because Loria hates Scott Boras. 

And that brings me to the New York Yankees. I believe the Yankees need another starter, but many believe that the Yankees will never sign a free agent this off season and if anything is done, it will be because of a trade, NOT free agent signing. 

Wei-Yin Chen is one of the more reliable free agent pitchers this off season and just not signed yet, but expect him to go soon.  Hardball talk writes of Chen:

"...Chen turned down the Orioles’ $15.8 million qualifying offer. The Marlins finished with one of the ten worst records in baseball this past season, so their first-round pick is protected. Instead, the club would forfeit a second-round pick if it were to sign Chen."

We will see if this shakes out for Miami if at all. And just so you know, Chen does NOT appear to be on the Yankees radar.
 
Stay tuned.

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WEI-YIN CHEN TO THE YANKEES!

OK, maybe not yet but it could happen. It's more of the same coming out of the rumor mill lately do there is nothing new to report but Wei-Yin Chen is a nice lefty option that many teams would surely like to have in their rotation. He's still floating around out there unclaimed, for how much longer? Who knows, but the longer he sits out there the more teams are going to try and pounce. He could be in pinstripes soon, and I am on board with that.

There is upside to signing Chen as well as some down side. Either way though, the Yankees would be crazy not to make a run at this guy. We are in need of a reliable left handed starter. I love CC Sabathia and will always support him but we need another lefty in the rotation. David Price was the big target, and because of that I think Chen may have been overlooked until recently. He has experience in the AL East and let's face it his 3.72ERA would be a nice addition to the team. He was also durable last season and started in 31 games. We could use someone who shows up to pitch every fifth day and gives us some results.

So what is the draw back? Well, he is going to cost the Yankees a first round draft pick if they sign him because Baltimore did offer him a qualifying offer. Normally I would cringe at this, but we need a lefty. If the Yankees want to be competitive for the next few seasons, they are going to need another lefty to break up the rotation and he would give the team some more depth.

If you are like me and don't care about the first round pick at this point, then there is one other thing to consider here. Chen is on several teams Christmas wish list, so because of that he is going to command a lengthier contract. Historically, the Yankees do not like to give long term contracts to pitchers over 30, but in this case if they want him they will have to pay market value, which right now would be five or six years. It's more than the Yankees would want to spend right now (which isn't hard because they haven't spent at all in a while) but it would benefit the team in the long run.

This isn't new here at BYB, we have already been sold on the idea of Chen in pinstripes, read WEI-YIN CHEN TO THE YANKEES? I BELIEVE THAT ONE. One month later and we are still sold on the idea. With so much uncertainty in the current rotation it is always nice to have a little insurance. I miss the days of having a good lefty combination. Remember back in 2009 when Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia were in the rotation....and they were good? I miss days like that. Not to compare Chen with Pettitte or anyone else, but the Yankees need that dependability again.

Will it happen? I don't know. The Yankees have become cheap and honestly, sometimes I want to yell at Yankee brass and give them some of our perspective. Chen has some serious upside, and it could be the perfect match. The rotation needs an upgrade, and Chen is a gamble....but either way, doing nothing and letting him walk could be the riskier move to make. Hopefully, the Yankees deliver and send us Chen under our Christmas trees. I definitely wouldn't mind that for a gift!


   

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

 


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WEI-YIN CHEN TO THE YANKEES? I BELIEVE THAT ONE

The whole Rumor Mill is obnoxious to us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. Sure, we play the game like the rest of them, but we rarely do the whole "we know a source who said..." and "This guy's coming to the Yankees because so-and-so told me".  Here's the bottom line, it's all BS.  On that note, be sure to read Howard Cole's piece in Forbes magazine about the same topic that we've been preaching here on BYB for years. It's well done. Cole writes in his piece 90% Of MLB Trade Rumors Are BS:

"...we in the media are no longer in a race to be first with the story. We’re in a race to be first with a rumor, which isn’t a story. Player agents and club executives have agendas. They benefit by having the names of their players out there for all kinds of reasons, both relatively sinister and mostly innocent. A gullible writer serves a purpose."

Now Jon Heyman and Buster Olney can get angry that they've been exposed all they want. The truth is that short paragraph speaks volumes. And yes, that leads me to the info or "rumor" about the Yankees and Wei-Yin Chen...

According to the Daily News: "In an ideal world, the Yankees would love to add a lefthanded starting pitcher that has had success in the American League. Yes, David Price fits that description, but there’s a lesser-known name on the free-agent market that also fits the bill: Wei-Yin Chen.

According to a source, the Yankees could make a serious run at Chen, who has pitched for the Orioles the past four seasons. The 30-year-old is 46-32 with a 3.72 ERA since coming to the majors, including an 11-8 record and 3.34 ERA in 31 starts last season.

'A lot of teams are going to be in on him,' the source said. 'But the Yankees are going to be one of them.'”

Sure, more of the same, right? Yes it is.  Here's the thing though... look at Chen from afar, and knowing the the Yankees really don't have a dependable lefty, AND that David Price's price tag will be super high,  the Yankees pursuing Chen is actually something I can get on board with. It's also not too far fetched, and I chose it wisely when we put this piece together this morning.  In other words... it's not unrealistic.

Will it happen? I don't know. But if you know anything about BYB by now, you know that we don't try and be like the others. We're not Buster Olney floating names for clicks, we're being honest here.  No we're not in the Rumor Mill... we're just outside it, looking in and trying to pick apart the ones that actually are realistic and the ones that are not.

We'll never lie to you here. We will pose questions and try and make smart suggestions as to why we like players and want them or don't. But we're never gonna act like we know something you don't.

(In photo: Howard Cole. Founder of the IBWAA)
Trust me... even the baseball insiders don't know... that's because Howard Cole is actually right... 90% of MLB Trade Rumors are BS.

Preach.

By the way, we'll have more from BYB 'Features' writer Mike O'Hara speaking about this same thing tomorrow when he writes about the Yankees and Robinson Cano.  Look for it.





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WEI-YIN CHEN IS A NICE LEFTY OPTION

So the other day, I was talking to my buddy and he says to me... 'What do you think about the Yankees snatching up that Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen?"  

I said, "We could always use a lefty.  I wouldn't mind having one."  After all, We have CC Sabathia, and he's a question mark, and so, having another may help things along. 

Now compare that story to what Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wrote in his piece:

"A Yankees person says he's heard the name Jeff Samardzija as a pitching possibility, and also Wei-Yin Chen."

I like my story better. 

But more than that... is Heyman serious with that mindless nugget? It's not even close to a mic drop... it's based on a guess. First of all, you know it's just bologna. Secondly, you know the guy just sat back, cracked opened the Free Agent list and chose Chen to start alittle Rumor mill.  Nothing wrong with it, except this... Heyman's terrible at it.  I see his game.  Retire already...

That being said, the idea of Chen, because that's what it is, could actually be a pretty neat one. YESNetwork.com had the following opinion on Chen:

"Among the names of the many free agent starters hitting the market in 2016, few might think of 30-year-old lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who's pitched four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles after spending five years in Japan.

Chen has proven to be a pitcher that can hold his own in the demanding AL East, and had one of his best MLB seasons yet in 2015. After winning 14 games last year, Chen followed it up with a career-low 3.34 ERA along with 11 wins for the O's, pitching his best down the stretch.

In nine of his last 11 starts of the year, Chen allowed three earned runs or fewer, dropping his ERA to a team-low mark of 3.34 among starters. He also improved his ability to pitch deep into games, after he posted a career-best 65% quality start ratio in 2015, averaging 6 2/3 innings per start."

This idea is something to think about. Very interesting. The fake conversation with a "Yankee person"... that's just the rumor mill.  Silly Jon.

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TOO MUCH CHAMPAGNE, NOT ENOUGH HEART

There's something to be said about clinching a Wild Card after a long season... and then celebrating like you just won the World Series. Truth be told, it means noting, especially if you can't continue the charge toward the finish line. If the Yankees won, clinched, partied and showed up in Baltimore like they were full of adrenaline, I wouldn't be writing with such venom... but I am, because they didn't. It was a terrible day yesterday. I'm sorry... that's how I feel right now. 

I know... I was supposed to write you 2 recaps, both with a flurry of heart and pop culture, maybe alittle humor, but let's call it what it is;  The New York Yankees showed up to Baltimore alittle hung over, alittle tired because of the rain out on Friday and off their game and now.... their right back where they were before they clinched.  They're terrible. 

Remember what I said in LOCK IT UP!, "Bottom line, we wanna be the "Motorboating Son of a Bitch", not the one who didn't seal the deal.  It's literally that simple."  In essence,  I want to be the team that goes into the playoffs strong, confident.... not limping in. That's from a fan perspective... that's how you need to see this thing.

What? You want scores? You want highlights? How's this:

Game 1we had a total of 6 hits against Wei-Yin Chen.  Girardi went into his "rest the stars" mode and literally rested everyone under the sun... he may have even taken a rest, and we fielded a team not ready to win.  I'm not pleased with Game 1's starting lineup.  I felt like we could have done better in that decision making.  Sorry.... not sorry, bad managerial decision.  The Yankees were 1-12 with runners in scoring position.  We left 8 man on base. 

MLB.com had this wonderful stat... with 2 out, 4 were left on base. That means were not executing properly.  Ivan Nova's "bad" this season.  Not my words... his. Yesterday he pitched 5.2 innings, allowed 8 hits and 5 runs.  Shreve gave up 2.  Nick Goody gave up 2.  Here's a question, WHY IS SHREVE AND NICK GOODY EVEN IN?  What happened to that must win game mentality?  What is wrong with Joe Girardi? We lost 9-2.  That's Game 1... more with Game 2.

Game 2 was more of the same, except the difference was it was more of a baseball game.  We had Luis Severino on the mound, who went 7 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs, and we had our guys like Brian McCann, hot hitter Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury in the lineup.  But we still managed to only score 3 to the Orioles 4.  Trust me when I tell you... Joe should have figured this out by now.... Buck Showalter, no matter if his O's are in the playoffs or not, still wants to win every game, even if it's meaningless.  We didn't win that one either, we left 6 on base in Game 2 and with runs in scoring position, we were 2-7. 

We need to wake the fuck up. This is what you play for.... sorry for the profanity. I know you were thinking it... I just had the balls to say it.

Final:
Game 1: Orioles 9 - Yankees Suck 
Game 2: Orioles 4 - Yankees still suck



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YANKEES LOSE TO THE LONG BALL

This is literally the story... write this down:

"The Orioles hit 3 home runs off Chase Whitley and the Yankees were never quite able to recover."

I mean... that's really it.  The Orioles struck early and often and it appeared too much. We had a hard time offensively off of Wei-Yin Chen, who pitched 7, and that the difference in the match-ups yesterday.

Whitley went 5.2 innings giving up 6 hits and 5 runs. He struck out 5.  After that, it was David Carpenter who gave up another.  Now, not too many Yankee fans have been too high on Carpenter lately.  I just say let the guy work it out... it's early.  It's a new team with a new feel... he'll get there.

As far as the Yankee offense, they scored their first run in the 5th, when John Ryan Murphy sacrificed home Chase Headley.  Then in the 8th, Carlos Beltran singled and knocked in another.  But that was all though folks... that was all.

Today, being Mother's Day, I hope the Yanks get a win for Moms everywhere. I mean, my mom's a Yankee fan. 

Yankee fans are not too unhappy with the Yankees right now... yes, losses happen, but the wins are happening more and we see it and we like it.  I was speaking to one of my friends the other night about the Yankees.  He's an older gentlemen, and he doesn't go to the games as much as he used to.  I said, "Yanks look pretty good right now, don't they?"  He smirked as he was leaving the house, turned to me and said... "Yeah... they're fun this year."

That very telling and it almost seems true.  I'm not sure if it was the just the Derek Jeter mystique we've seen 19 years before this one, or the corporate atmosphere that we've had for as long as I can remember, but something has definitely changed. The clubhouse seems loose.  They're growing mustaches. They're showing "team"... hell... they even look like they're laughing more.  It's very true... the Yankees have been fun... and it's working.  Loss yesterday... sure, it happens. No team can win 162... but I don't feel as bad about it, because I feel like they'll just win the next one.  I like that feeling.

Final: Orioles 6 - Yankees 2

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ALDS GAME 2: YANKEES EFFORT NOT ENOUGH IN TOUGH LOSS

This one hurts. Well, all losses in the postseason hurt, so what are you expecting me to say? The Yankees had some chances on offense and came through a couple of times, but they weren’t able to get that one big hit to tie or take the lead. They got a good pitching performance out of Andy Pettitte, but it wasn’t enough in a 3-2 loss on Monday night.

Like Sunday night’s game, the Yanks were able to put a run on the board before the Orioles got to take their first hacks. That’s huge as it gave the Yanks early momentum. Hopefully they’ll keep it up in the next two (or three) games at the Stadium. Anyway, the run came from a two out RBI double from Robinson Cano. He drove in Ichiro from first, and before he scored, he had to make two incredible, acrobat-like moves to avoid not one, but two tags from catcher Matt Wieters at the plate. More on that in a moment.

Before this, however, Alex Rodriguez lined into a double play. Second baseman Robert Andino made a great diving play and doubled off Derek Jeter at second. If that ball got through, the Yanks could have scored multiple runs that inning.

The Yanks did come away empty in some big spots, most notably in the fourth inning. They loaded the bases with one out on a Mark Teixeira single, Russell Martin walk, and Curtis Granderson single. Eduardo Nunez popped up weakly to second and Jeter grounded out weakly to Manny Machado at third. It was very frustrating, especially the Nunez at-bat because all he needed was a deep fly ball to drive in a run.

Nunez, however, did help create a run in the seventh as he led off the inning with a hustle bloop double before Jeter drove him in to make it 3-2. Also, in that seventh inning, the Yanks had second and third with two out, but Nick Swisher flew out on a 3-2 pitch to left against reliever Brian Matusz. Most of this came against O’s starter Wei-Yin Chen who allowed two runs (one earned) in 6.1 innings. Also, in case you’re wondering, the Yanks offense went 2-for-8 with RISP.

Andy Pettitte started, and he pitched a very solid game. He allowed three runs in 7+ innings (He surrendered a leadoff single to Chris Davis in the eighth) on seven hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. What really stings, though, is that the Orioles scored two runs off of him in the third after Jim Thome and Machado made two quick outs to open the frame. Robert Andino singled to start the rally (The O’s first base runner of the game) before Nate McLouth and JJ Hardy reached on a single and a walk, respectively. Chris Davis then knocked two home on an RBI single to right.

The third and final run Andy allowed came in the sixth on a Mark Reynolds single to right. This came after Matt Wieters led off the inning with a double, and on the Reynolds single it looked like Cano had a chance to at least dive and knock the ball down to keep it in the infield so the runner couldn’t score. Maybe he didn’t have a great chance since he was playing so close to the bag at second, I don’t know. Overall, it’s tough to blame Andy. He pitched well; the offense had a hard time scoring in the big spots.

On Twitter, everyone seemed to pile on ARod, which I’m not surprised of. He did have a tough game (1-for-5 with two strikeouts including the game-ender against Jim Johnson), but c’mon, there were plenty of other reasons why the Yankees lost, at least be somewhat objective here.

Play of the Game: Again, the heroics from Ichiro Suzuki in the first inning running home, dancing around an awkward Matt Wieters to score.  Just amazing. Many thought that would be the momentum the Yankees needed to win Game 2... I guess not.

O’s win 3-2

 

Like I said, this one hurts, but we need to shake it off. These two teams take a day off on Tuesday before playing Game 3 in the Bronx. It’s a best-of-three now, and thankfully all three (if necessary) will be at the Stadium. Hiroki Kuroda (16-11, 3.32 ERA) makes arguably his biggest start in his MLB career against Miguel Gonzalez (9-4, 3.25 ERA) on Wednesday.

 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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WHAT, ME WORRY?

 

According to Joe Girardi, there is no panic in the Yankee clubhouse in spite of the team's slide down the slippery slope of poor play marked by a 15-13 record in August and seven losses in the last ten games.  Joe may be right, even if he is in full-blown Alfred E. Neuman "What, me worry?" mode.  Baseball players are generally astute judges of their team's circumstance, even if they will not admit as much in their day-to-day public discourse.

One suspects that Yankee players know all too well that the current collection of teammates is not a high quality baseball unit.  Like most average major league teams, the Yankees entered the day yesterday just looking to win a baseball game.  No panic was required for them to assess the dire straits of the situation they face.  The hotly pursuing Baltimore Orioles sent that message Friday night and were looking to repeat that commentary on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. 

The Orioles got things rolling early as New York starter David Phelps struggled.  Phelps yielded three walks, one hit batsmen, two hits, and two runs to the first nine batters he faced.  The Birds added another run off Phelps in the fourth, as Matt Wieters led off the inning with a HR to right field.  Oriole starter Wei-Yin Chen was perfect through the first 3.2 innings, but his perfection ended with a two-out opposite field HR off the bat of Robinson Cano.  Through four, the Yankees trailed 3-1.

Phelps had to depart after 98 pitches and 4.2 innings of work.  On the day, Phelps allowed six walks, a hit batsman, three hits, and three runs.  He did not have good command at any point during his outing.  His relief help was better.  Cody Eppley, Boone Logan, David Robertson, and Rafael Soriano combined for 4.1 innings of scoreless relief. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning the Yankees finally got to Chen to support that bullpen effort.  Steve Pearce, who had entered the game in the second inning for Curtis Granderson (tight hamstring), delivered a single.  Jayson Nix followed with a walk, and with two out, freshly recalled Eduardo Nunez delivered a big RBI single to creep closer. 

The Birds replaced Chen with hard-throwing Pedro Strop who walked Ichiro and Derek Jeter. Suddenly, Nick Swisher reached on a fielding error by shortstop JJ Hardy, Eduardo Nunez scores, the Yankees take the lead 4-3. It's not exactly the way you want to win, but a win's a win and you take it any way you can at this time of year.

Robertson and Soriano were perfect in the eighth and ninth innings to hold that lead.  Logan got the win to move his record to 6-2 on the year, and Soriano recorded two strikeouts in the process of earning his 35th save of the season.  The win was terrific, but the Yankees still have major issues.  The offense produced only four hits on the day.  Clean-up hitter Andruw Jones is hitting .137 since the All-Star Game.  As chronicled, Phelps was very shaky as a starter. 

Nevertheless, the Yankees found a path to victory.  They found a way to win a game that they really needed to win.  Today calls for the same; just look for a way to win another baseball game!

Saturday's final:  New York 4  Baltimore 3.     

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23

 

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WHY SABATHIA COULDN'T SET THE TONE

I'm not blaming CC Sabathia, you shouldn't either.  But one thing I love about CC is when he gets out there, he can usually tame the opposing team easily, meanwhile the Yankees will chip away and make a win out of it.  It's the perfect combination...but not tonight... tonight the Yankees just looked flat.

Sabathia couldn't find the plate and that's not him. Yes, he had a 1,2,3 1st but then he seemed to struggle.  Usually when he struggles he re-invents himself and grinds it out, but tonight, it looked like even that didn't work.  I knew right away CC was going to struggle.  Look, he tried but he couldn't.  No worries, I'm not mad at him.  The other part of this disappointing puzzle is simple...the Yankees had a ton of opportunities with men on base, but they couldn't do damage.  These games suck, what else can I say? We shut the door on a crappy day (injuries and tonight's loss) and we start fresh tomorrow...it's all we can do.

Sabathia went 6 innings, allowed 8 hits and 4 runs. He also had only 6 strikeouts and as far as runs tonight for my Yankees, well, they scored just 2, both from Curtis Granderson on his home run in the 7th... his 13th.  Derek Jeter also had another hit tonight.  His average is at .366 this season.  Still pretty amazing. But through all of this, the Yankees had men on base and no one was able to get around to score.

Wei-Yin Chen pitched well for the Orioles, what can I say, we lost.

Yankees lose: 5-2

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