STICK CASHMAN

I am INSANELY tough on Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman. When he came through the ranks of the organization some called him the “Kid Genius”. I saw him as a kid all right…a rich kid who lived off his Uncle Stick’s moves and Uncle George’s money. Cashman wasn’t a genius as far as I could see. He was a good little solider and did what he was told. Go along to get along. A true “Company Man”…like Michael Kay. Sorry, I had to toss that one in. My opinion.

I was saddened to hear that the Yankees traded away my favorite current player Sunday. Andrew Miller was A TRUE YANKEE in my humble opinion. You may disagree, and that’s cool by me. Opinions vary. 

Miller is off to throw that nasty slider and “CUT ‘EM DOWN” for the Tribe in Cleveland. I honestly wish him the best. He makes the Indians a true contender. A shutdown back end arm is key (See any World Champ in recent history). But I am not unhappy with Brian Cashman at all! 

He fleeced the Cleveland Club and has now put one of the best Farm systems in Baseball together and ready to go. Yes, prospects don’t always work out, but would you rather watch Miller sit in the pen unused, while Tex, ARod and McCann fail to do ANYTHING at the plate to get our closer a lead to protect? The time is now to rebuild! A true rebuild. 

I’m talking floor to ceiling. And what’s exciting as all get out? We ACTUALLY have the pieces to do it. Brian Cashman and his team earned their money. Will it work? I hope, but they are doing the things Stick Michael did in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They are losing heavy contracts, investing in the farm, holding on to young talent, letting the kids develop together…and then they’ll have the money to purchase a big ticket FA to tie it altogether. It is fantastic to watch.

Now the ownership, in all their wisdom, are worried about attendance. Hal…ARE YOU AT THE STADIUM LATELY? WALK INTO ANY SALOONS IN THE BIG APPLE IN RECENTLY WEEKS? THEY HAVE THE METS GAME ON…or Bar Rescue. The Yankees don’t draw because the Yankees aren’t much fun to watch. 

Add a Bird, Judge, Sanchez, Mateo, Frazier, Tate, Sheffield to that stew and the fans will come back to dine again. Brian is 100% RIGHT! And you, Hal, you are 100% not a Baseball fan, owner or competitor. 

No offense, but you have none of your father’s fight. Now, would George have been OK with the sale going on? NO! He never surrendered! It took a timeout from the organization to get Jeter, Rivera, Posada and Lefty on track to win titles…but once convinced he saw the light. Hal will forever live in the dark with his business degree from Wharton…and no clue how to run the NEW YORK YANKEES.

I will miss Andrew Miller. I will miss Beltran too. Believe it or not I like Charlie Bone spur and KNOW he wanted to be a Yankee for a very long time. He was an All Star as a Bronx Bomber.  

Good days are ahead, Yankee fans. Good job, Brian. 

** Getting a song by THE BOSS (the other one) is a big deal. You robbed them for all they had, Cash. Today this one is for you. Well played. **

  
  
--Mike O'Hara, Senior "Features" Writer 
Follow me on Twitter: @mikeyoh21

  

THE STATEN ISLAND YANKEES DELIVER

During the madness of the trade deadline, while players were being traded away, there was some good going on in Staten Island. One of the great things about being a professional sports organization is the ability to reach people. Some have made it into an art form, being able to leverage it to do some good for their fellow human beings. I got to witness that tonight at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark where the Staten Island Yankees put on a charity event to help raise money for pediatric cancer treatment and research.

To get people to donate, several in the front office and a few of the players agreed to shave their heads. It was great to see everyone turn out and even some of the fans jumped in to participate in the event and support the cause. Ian Fontenot, Marketing Manager for the SI Yankees, was out in front both in explaining why they did this and in getting his head clean shaven.

"We're here to support pediatric cancer and pediatric cancer research. Anything we can do to help the fight for those who are suffering is a positive. It feels great to give back, and that's what we're here for."

The fundraising campaign will be going on through this Friday, August 5, so it's not too late to give. My last check on it has them at about 75% of their target, so they still need people to donate. You can support the cause by going to the team's fundraising page. The Staten Island Yankees are doing this in partnership with the Vs. Cancer Foundation, whose mission is "a non-profit organization dedicated to saving kids’ lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts." They are running a campaign with MiLB this year and are encouraging all minor league teams to participate. Half of the money raised from this event will go to national cancer research to help find a cure. The other half will go to the local pediatric ward at SIUH Northwell Health. 

Pediatric cancer is a serious issue. The National Cancer Society estimates that there are about 10,000 news cases of cancer in children in the United States each year. Despite advances in research which have lowered mortality rates, one thousand children are expected to die from some form of cancer. Then there is the burden and difficulties of treatment, therapy, and recovery for the survivors. I have a friend myself whose son has been battling cancer for the last couple of years, As I see the pictures on social media that she posts, I can get an appreciation for how difficult the road is.

I felt honored to be reporting on this event, and I thank the Staten Island Yankees for their work on this. One last thing. I made a note in the last piece on this that I would consider shaving my head as well. As it turns out, my wife used her veto power and I couldn't get the necessary votes to override it. But if down the road someone out there has a good cause and I can help by shaving my head, I wouldn't rule it out!

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

#REDTHUNDER IS WHAT THE YANKEES NEED!

The Yankees brass, in particular Hal Steinbrenner, decided it was time to pull the trigger on an overhaul on Sunday and dealt Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians for OF prospect Clint Frazier, LHP Justus Sheffield, RHP Ben Heller and RHP JP Feyereisen. If you followed Twitter on Sunday, most analysts were pleased with the haul and most fans were as well. Some complained, as is normal, but I think this trade could be a turning point to #MaketheYankeesFunAgain.

A couple weeks ago I wrote a piece titled just that, MAKE THE YANKEES FUN AGAIN. The boring, lackluster Yankees were in need of a facelift and I believe that got one in Clint Frazier. The young OF prospect, who ranks in the top 30 overall prospects in nearly every top 100 list, brings energy, bat speed and a full, fun bright head of red hair!

Brian Cashman was quoted and in a very un-Cashman-like way, praised the hell out of the kid.

"He's got all the tools. His bat energy is already legendary. A high energy guy who shows up to the national anthem in a dirty uniform."

That quote and a discussion with my buddy Jeff (who helped me come up with the #MaketheYankeesFunAgain story) led me to think, that #RedThunder, as Frazier said in a tweet, could be exactly what the Yankees team and fan base need to get behind.

today, I woke up a Yankee! thank you for all of the support you guys have shown me so far. can't wait to get started. #RedThunder 🔥 @Yankees

— Clint Frazier (@clintfrazier) August 1, 2016

When was the last time we saw a guy in pinstripes really, really excite the crowd? Someone that created buzz? I can’t remember much as of recently. 

Greg Bird and Luis Severino a little last year, maybe. But let’s imagine a guy like Frazier hustling out a gap shot, hair flying and getting dirty and pumped up as he beats the throw to leg out an extra base hit. Envision that and what energy that could bring to the Stadium.

Now he is still a little ways away from the Bronx most likely, and that’s alright. He is still just a kid who won’t turn 22 until September. But this is the kind of player the organization needs to help bring back the interest and excitement the team has seemingly been missing over the past couple of years.

Plus, from what we have been told, that kind of energy could be contagious as he joins a crowded, and talented, OF and team in Scranton-Wilkes Barre. That will be a fun team to watch with him and Aaron Judge in the corner spots in the OF, Gary Sanchez behind the dish and many other future Yankees helping the team win. All while competing and making each other better ball players.

Nothing in life is guaranteed but I must say that Frazier and the hype that surrounds him makes me excited. Over the next couple of years we could very well see some awesome talent make its way to the Bronx.

And it all goes well, maybe it’ll be headlined by #RedThunder. That would #MaketheYankeesFunAgain.

--Dan Lucia, BYB Senior Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @DManLucia

  

UNDER THE WIRE! NOVA TO PITTSBURGH!

Now Ivan Nova's gone.

Yahoo Sports reports the following:

"The retooling New York Yankees have dealt right-hander Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two players to be named...

With only 5 minutes left before deadline, Nova thought: 'OK, I'm not going to get traded, I'm going to stay here.'

He was running on treadmill in weight room when Yanks bullpen catcher Ramon Rodriguez told him about trade and then he saw his name on TV. And then Yanks pitching coach Larry Rothschild informed Nova.

'Hopefully I can put it together over there,' Nova said.

Nova rejoins former Yanks catcher Francisco Cervelli with Pirates."

And I like the way Nova approached that.  He understands this is a business and while he'll miss being in New York, he probably understands that he still has a job, and with Cervelli and a change of scenery, maybe he can improve.

Another trade.  Wow, what the Yankees are doing is unbelievable... and for the better.

 

WHITE FLAG FOR NOW...

The Yankees are waving the White Flag. I told you in my tweet that the headline would be as much...

Now Beltran's traded. My next headline will read WHITE FLAG. Getting Info on this deal with Rangers now. #BYB

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) August 1, 2016

and it is... sort of. 

Look, the Yankees traded Carlos Beltran, the only Yankee who has truly been productive this season. Why? Well, his value was high, and the Yankees are not expected to do a God damn thing down the stretch.  That's just the reality.
 

Beltran had a great season, but not a great career as a New York Yankee, and that's OK.  The reality was, he wanted to be a Yankee and was one, and now he's not.

(In Photo: Dillon Tate)
According to everyone, but we'll use my son as the story on this one:

My son: "Dad."
Me: "Yes Bud"
My son: "The Rangers got Beltran. Yankees traded him."
Me: "I just saw that."

(In Photo: Dillon Tate)
My son: "We got some guy named Tate. He's young. That's good, right?"
Me: "Yes it is. "

Dillon Tate is a pitching phenom, or that's what's being reported. The New York Post writes:

"The Yankees are receiving Dillon Tate, a hard-throwing righty pitcher who was the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, and two other prospects...Hal Steinbrenner had been hesitant to authorize the selling, but after rubber-stamping the bullpen deals, he was presented the Beltran terms on Monday and signed off.

(In Photo: Erik Swanson) 
Two other righty-throwing pitching prospects, Erik Swanson and Nick Green, are also going to the Yankees in the deal."

And just like that, while the Yankees have waved the white flag on 2016, God damn we have an amazing farm system!

Jack Curry said it best:

For Chapman, Miller & Beltran, Yankees acquired 10 minor leaguers (several elite) & Warren. Arguably have the best farm system in baseball.

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 1, 2016

Love Jack and he's correct.  And believe me when I say this folks... while this feels like the end, it is just the beginning.  Brian Cashman has done something incredible with the amount of talent he has hauled in for the New York Yankees in the past few days.  Not to mention what we already have on the farm. Look at this:

(In Photo: Gleyber Torres)
Gleyber Torres
Justus Sheffield
Clint Frazier
Dillon Tate

Throw them in with guys like:

James Kaprielian
Aaron Judge
Greg Bird
Jorge Mateo
Ben Gamel
Tyler Austin

and more.

In all, 10 prospects the Yankees have collected.  In the end, despite losing veteran players... you should be applauding Cashman on what will happen moving forward in Yankeeland. 

Pretty incredible. There's more to come.

'NEW SCHOOL' YANKEES REJECT 'OLD SCHOOL' GEORGE

I guess there really is a first time for everything. Although Brian Cashman claims that the Yankees are not waiving the white flag, for 2016 they are. I have never been able to imagine this. It's never happened in my adult life....but the Yankees just sold off key assets of the team. I am still trying to take all of this in.

We've been saying it all season, but the Yankees are a mediocre team at best so winning this season was extremely unlikely. Not only that, but winning in 2017 or 2018 seemed unlikely also. The team has too many bad combinations working against them. We are either too old, too young, and too depleted down in the minor leagues. The Yankees lack impact players and versatility and it has eventually caught up to us and shown all of baseball that our failure to plan for the future has become our downfall.

This past week we finally started to make the correct but tough decisions to start building the future. It was no surprise to to anyone that Aroldis Chapman was dealt. It was in the rumor mill for months and the Yankees had nothing to lose by dealing him. It's what happens with one year contracts. I think I let my guard down though on Saturday though when Miller was still a Yankee. It was like I could see the light of the trade deadline tunnel up ahead and he was still wearing pinstripes.

Andrew Miller is a great pitcher, a great teammate and with his very team friendly contract it made all of us want to keep him around. The fact of the matter is, Miller needed to go. It sucks to say but it is true. The new Yankees brass knows that the game has changed too much. You just can't win anymore without a good core group of young guys.....and to get them quickly the Yankees needed to give up their best trade chip.

It sucks it had to come to this, but the Yankees have not been business smart for years now. This is the start of a new beginning and this is where we see the rejection of old school George Steinbrenner and the embracing of the prospects. We've been waiting for this for awhile at BYB, but the Yankees have always liked to spend money more on established superstars than building their own. I will have to remind myself of this in October when Mark Teixeira is gone and we get ready for Greg Bird (hopefully) at first base.

The more I think about this idea, the more I know it is possible. Looking back when George's suspension in the early nineties to let the farm grow and without his lack of involvement during that time we may never have seen the Core Four or Bernie Williams. Even without the cash flow that comes with being a Steinbrenner other teams know that young talent helps build winning teams. Look at the success of franchises like the Giants and the Cardinals. The Cardinals have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and the Giants are just damn good. I've been joking that it is an even numbered year so the Giants are due for another World Series ring. Think about it they won in 2010, 2012, 2014.....now 2016?

What was once a strength for the Yankees has become their Achilles heal. Under George we used to just spend money and the farm was an after thought. Sure, I still call Hal cheap and I don't think he has anywhere near the passion that his father had but he does at least realize that the Yankees need to develop people now to compete for the future.

I am going to miss Miller a lot. It is going to suck watching him play for a contender knowing he is still an affordable piece and he loved being a Yankee. However, I am excited for the future. Clint Frazier could be the real deal and he could be an impact player for the Yankees as early as next season.

He's a five tool player and his versatility in the outfield would be huge for the Yankees and his bat speed and ability to hit for power could energize our current sleepy roster. If we had to give up Miller, I am at least glad that Frazier is part of the package. The excitement of a bright future to come helps ease the sting of losing Miller a little more.

It truly is the end of an era in baseball and change is hard to accept sometimes and this is no exception. Money will always help buy wins in baseball but the Yankees just showed us that once upon a time the team with the most money won the most games and championships but not anymore. It is the end of an era. The Yankees may have been the last one to realize it but now they will be in a better position for years to come.

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

FEELING LIKE A PROUD MAMA WATCHING NUNEZ PLAY FOR THE GIANTS!

I am not the biggest Eduardo Nunez fan by far, but I liked Nunie as much as the next fan.  Actually, watching him in a Giants' uniform on national television this weekend, I think I like him even more.  I felt like a proud Mama watching Nunez scoop up ground balls and take swings like the All Star he has become with the Minnesota Twins.  He even got a game tying double with the bases loaded in Saturday's game against the Nationals, his first two RBIs since becoming a Giant.  Sure, he has always lacked consistency and had more errors than I would like any MLB player to have, but he holds his own and he most certainly drew the attention of Giants' General Manager Bobby Evans who needed some insurance in the field as the team's post season seems more and more a reality.

"As we look at the rest of the season, we just want to have the protection of (Nunez's) experience -- given the time these guys [Joe Panik, Matt Duffy and Hunter Pence] have missed and how much time they may need to have off down the stretch," reports Fox Sports.  Smart planning for a club who has seen more post season and quite frankly, media coverage than any other team in the last decade.  We could learn a little something from this crew.

Nunez has grown up to be a player who is very much valued.  "Here’s a guy who was expected to be a bench bat for the Twins this season after succeeding in the role last year, and two and a half months into the season manager Paul Molitor is joking that his own biggest struggle regarding Nunez is finding time to rest him." Nunez said that the key for him has been playing more consistently. "Before I was getting one shot every week, so it’s hard to make adjustments. … I think I’m the same player, I just have more opportunity to play, so you can prove more, you can show more what you can do," stated Nunez in an interview earlier this season.

So the fact that his hard work and consistent playing time has gotten him to one of the best teams in baseball is like winning the lottery or making it to the Olympic Games.  This journeyman/utility player has finally made it to a team that values his efforts and could get him a shot deep into the post season, if not the World Series.  Sometime the good guy wins and for Nuni, I am so proud of his grit and determination.  I can't wait to see this guy shine in San Fran!

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof