MCKINNEY EARNED HIMSELF MORE TIME WITH THE YANKS!

Billy McKinney gets new life with the Yankees again. I love that.  MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"Yankees have re-signed outfielder Billy McKinney and lefty reliever Anthony Misiewicz to minor league contracts, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network... McKinney was clearly a prospect of note — hence the first-round selection and three organizations targeting him in returns for notable veterans — he hasn’t yet solidified himself in the big leagues. He’s tallied 915 plate appearances but posted a .209/.284/.390 output in that time. That includes a 2023 season spent back with the Yankees after signing a minor league deal; he slashed .227/.320/.406 in 147 plate appearances this past season."

So often you read about McKinney "not a major leaguer". I mean he's done nothing worse than a Joey Gallo. In fact, I'd say he's better. Think about what he did for the Yanks while everyone was hurt or sucked in 2023.  My point is he stepped up the challenge. I appreciate that he's sticking with the Yanks, even if it is a minor league deal, but the reality is, I believe we'll see him at some point again in 2024.

Yes, and if you read about McKinney on MLB Trade Rumors, you also saw they signed Anthony Misiewicz, a decent lefty reliever and no doubt he'll try and fight for a spot on the roster.  Let's hope. Always good to have a lefty or 2 or 3 in the pen.

Congrats to both guys.  The names keep on coming. Is Yamamoto next?

JUDGE SAYS YANKS AIN'T DONE WITH BIG SIGNINGS, BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ANALYTICS AUDIT?

I'm thrilled about getting Juan Soto in pinstripes.  I actually even feel good about Alex Verdugo believe it or not. The entire outfield has transformed for the better.   Now, we do need pitching, but there's time.  In a recent quote from Aaron Judge, the Yankees do not appear done.

“We’ve made some big moves the past couple of days and looking forward to making a couple more, but it’s gonna be a fun season I think for Yankee fans,” Judge said Thursday morning on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York.

Now Yankee fans? It's true, we deserve it.  2023 sucked. We're mad... many of us cannot stand Aaron Boone at the helm, so grabbing Brad Ausmus was a great idea for a bench coach.  Obviously, Soto in pinstripes for 2024 is amazing, but what happens after 2024?  In other words, are we extending this guy? Is he gonna leave? Did we trade away Drew Thorpe for nothing?  Look, we want a great 2024 season this is true, but we want many years of competing at the highest level and actually winning a championship.  That's the goal.  

Yamamoto will be a big piece the Yankees cannot mess up.  The Mets are going after him hard, but we have the numbers, meaning, guys like Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka are giant past acquisitions and they have to help in this venture.  We need this guy. 

I am happy that Aaron Judge can hint as he is. It seems that he's happy and of course that eases the minds of us Yankee fans, but let's keep our eye on the prize... we have to get these guys and win.  It's literally the biggest goal of a professional team.  We as fans finally forced Cashman's hand to make changes with our players... he is, but let's face it, it means nothing if they don't fix the problems in the analytics room, which, as I stated the other day NEVER HAPPENED.  

If you don't know what I mean, read THE FACE OF THE YANKEES ANALYTICS FLOP HAS NO ANSWERS.. Analytics nerd Michael Fishman revealed nothing, except for one very important piece of information that Yankee fans need to be angry about.  Remember when the Yankees were supposed to have an audit by Zelus to look into the Yankees books on how they operate with their players better? Well, there was no audit. The Yankees did not offer to open their books. In other words, the New York Yankees are not taking a "deep dive" into what went wrong. They aren't doing anything but flashing shiny things in our faces in the images of Soto and Yamamoto so we all forget that the Yankees front office was horrible last year.  That, my friends is the most offensive thing of this entire off season.  All of us Yankee fans know we need big players, but we also need to fix the front office.  Hal said we would, but we're not, aren't we?

I want you to think about this if the Yankees are sucking the life out of us in 2024. Because this was the most important fix of them all, but it was ignored.  Sad.

I am thrilled to welcome Soto and Verdugo to the Yankees, it's gonna be fun.  I hope we snag Yamamoto and a few more solid arms.  We need them. But none of this works if we're not given the right numbers from our analytics department, and right now it appears that isn't happening.

Be Skeptical. Ask these questions. We deserve answers.

JUAN SOTO IS A YANKEE AND MICHAEL KING IS A PADRE - NOW WHAT?

Who is happy the Juan Soto drama is over? I am ready to move on to the next target, because we all know there is more to come. Brian Cashman is in the hot seat. He needs to deliver and save what he can of his destroyed reputation.

The Yankees needed to make a splash, and Juan Soto is a big fish. He's a WHALE, actually. It's a move reminiscent of George Steinbrenner himself. I never thought I'd be able to say that. Juan Soto makes the Yankees better offensively, but does losing Michael King make the starting rotation worse?

Nope. I know a lot of people who are high on King. I don't dislike King at all.... he was the team's most valuable reliever when he was healthy in 2022, but I don't see him as a starter. I believe King has a lot of potential, but I think he's a risky bet to stay healthy as a starter. He has an extensive history with elbow injuries including a fracture in 2022. He recovered well from that surgery but, I think his mechanics and endurance are a huge risk for the Yankees. His velocity was down for a while and the Yankees really had to work with him to build him back up and when they did that, he never pitched without at least two days' rest. It's hard to ignore.

I think King overall did well last season, but he's getting older and will be 29 and his workload just doesn't support his role as a starter. Last season was his career high for innings pitched at 104 and pushing him drastically beyond that is not only very unrealistic, but also a big risk given his history. He's not the workhorse the Yankees are going to need, and honestly a goal of 150 innings is even lofty. I like King as a reliever, he's not the solution for building a solid rotation beyond Gerrit Cole no matter how badly we needed and wanted him to be.

As much as some dislike the idea of giving King away for Soto I don't think it is a catastrophic loss. King is going to be a free agent in two years, and the Yankees know he just had a good season, and his trade value is the highest it has ever been. Who knows, maybe King will give us even more proof that the Yankees medical staff is dumber than a box of rocks and the Padres can help him stay healthy. I wish him well.

On to the next task.... Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees don't move pitching like this without plans to restrengthen. Plus, Cashman's ass is on the line. I just hope giving up Drew Thorpe doesn't come back to bite us later.

Stay tuned.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE POTENTIAL SOTO DEAL WITH THAT ADDED GOODIE

It looks like this "Juan Soto to the Yankees" deal is almost done, but not yet.  We all know the importance of Soto to the Yanks and Cashman knows it more than anyone. His ass is on the line. 

I wasn't able to tune in the YES today for this big announcement, so I asked my buddy Mike what happened...

"We get Soto or what?"

"I didn't see it. Maybe Jack Curry jumped the gun with that announcement or maybe he was lied to. Either way... I think we're gonna get Soto."

As a fan, I want to believe it. We all do.  And what do we give away? I'll tell you what they're talking about. Guys like Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and Higgy.  All good dudes, good soldiers for the Yankees, but how else do you get Juan Soto? You gotta give to get.  But not only do we get Soto... there's more.

Did you know who we are getting in addition to Soto if it works out as it appears? Trent Grisham.

Empire Sports Media writes:

"Trent Grisham’s addition to the deal makes the outfield picture a lot clearer, as it seems that he’ll be a defensive substitution and fourth outfielder for the Yankees. He’s in the top five in both DRS and OAA among centerfielders since joining the Padres in 2020, and his reverse splits should make him the starter for Verdugo when the team faces southpaws." 

It makes our 4th outfielder pretty damn solid if you ask me. He's athletic. Sure he's stumbled with the bat sometimes, but I am not down on this guy yet.

Now many are down on Grisham for a bad year however. Rotoballer writes:

"The 27-year-old Grisham will become a fourth outfielder for the Yankees if the trade is completed after hitting under .200 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 154 strikeouts in 555 trips to the plate over 153 games played..."

But what sticks out to me was how hot he was in the playoffs in 2022. I know 2023 happened right after that, but 2022 always suck in my mind. 4-8 against the Mets with 2 home runs... against the Dodgers, 4-13 with a home run and yes, he sucked against the Phillies, but the reality is this guy can be an impact player when he wants to be. I truly believe that if the Yankees secure Soto and Grisham, Grisham can be a "change of scenery, change of energy" guy in the Bronx. Hopefully I'm right.

I leave you with this. It was just reported that Bob Nightengale is trying to rain on the Yankees parade by tweaking that no deal was complete, and the Yankees' Cashman and Boone are headed to the airport.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone just left the winter meetings hotel and are headed to the Nashville airport with no Soto deal finalized yet

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 6, 2023

And Inside the Padres writes:

"Since late Tuesday night, after the Yankees' trade with the Boston Red Sox for Alex Verdugo, it seemed that a Yankees-Padres swap for Soto was inevitable.

While that could still very well be the case, the two sides weren't able to finalize it before leaving the Winter Meetings..."

Let's hope we didn't just get Cliff Lee'd here.

EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE SLATED FOR 2PM TODAY ON YES!

There's heavy speculation the Yankees have their man.  The rumor is, and it's a big rumor... is that Juan Soto will be announced to be a New York Yankee today at 2pm on the YES Network. Or is it Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Whatever it is, tt's no joke.  

Also, I have no way of knowing that is what is happening and neither do any of the baseball insiders.  Not Jon Heyman, not Buster Olney, not SNY, not Andy Martino.   

I stick with guys like Jack Curry, Pete Caldera and Jeff Passan when it comes to legitimate Yankee transactions so those are the guys to listen to. Follow those guys and their tweets.

All of us will be watching the Presser at 2pm today on YES.  

More to follow!

OHTANI CAN'T SEE HIMSELF IN NEW YORK

Source: NBC Sports

After the second day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Shohei Ohtani remains unsigned. With his high demand in both price and interest, that is not a shocker. But as the days wind down, it won't be long before one of his suitors lands the two-time MVP. And the Yankees and the Mets for that matter will likely find themselves on the short hand of the stick.

"The Dodgers, Blue Jays and Giants have all reportedly met with Ohtani in recent days, and the incumbent Angels are still in the mix to re-sign him," reported CBS Sports. It is also believed that once Ohtani signs, the entire free agency field will open up significantly. The Yankees are an unlikely suitor, and not just because of the high dollars expected.

"Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Bronx Bombers “are not believed to be in the mix” for two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, who is by far the highest valued free agent on the open market and is expected to receive a record-breaking contract. Passan mentioned that the Yankees are “reluctant to add the biggest contract in North American sports history to the quartet of Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Giancarlo Stanton, who are owed more than $513 million over the next four seasons," reported SI.com. 

But beyond long standing contracts, there is the fact that Ohtani does not seem the slight bit interested in coming to play for New York. "Back in the 2017-18 offseason, the Yankees reportedly gave him the highest offer when he was being posted from NPB, however, he turned them down and instead chose to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. This likely gave the Yankees the impression that Ohtani is not interested in playing for them, no matter how large their offer may be," reported SI.com.

The Yankees have shown the most interest in Juan Soto in recent days. And although the two parties seem a long way off, there is some optimism. 

So, if you haven't had the chance to come to grips that Ohtani will likely not be in pinstripes come spring, this is the opportunity to do so. Ohtani can't see himself as a Yankees so they should look elsewhere to spend their dollars to design their next championship team, which could be a few seasons away. 

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

THE YANKEES TRADE FOR A GUY YANKEES FANS DO NOT WANT

I mean, talk about a team just not in tune with their fan base. Jesus!

A lot of chatter late last night on Twitter. The Yankees got a lefty hitting outfielder... and one they really needed with the idea of getting Juan Soto next... at least that's the plan. But fans aren't happy, neither am I. Here's that news on how the Yankees snagged Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox.

Fansided writes:

"The Boston Red Sox traded Verdugo to their hated rival, the New York Yankees, late on Tuesday night. Verdugo had been rumored to be on the trade block for the last few days, and Boston found an unusual suitor in New York...Verdugo serves as a corner outfield upgrade for the Yankees if they wish to use him in that role. New York is also reportedly interested in San Diego Padres star Juan Soto..."

In return, the Yanks gave up No. 12 prospect Richard Fitts, relief pitcher Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice.  They hardly broke the bank, but what happened next on twitter was interesting.  It seems like many Yankee fans, just don't want Verdugo.

Axisa

"Verdugo, 27, steps into Josh Donaldson’s I-can’t-stand-this-guy roster spot. I mean seriously, the Yankees have to start winning back an angry and increasingly apathetic fan base, and their first significant move of the offseason is trading for Alex Verdugo???"

— Bobby Milone (@BobbyMilone29) December 6, 2023

And then this:

Alex Verdugo, initial reaction: meh. He’s solid, when he’s motivated and healthy. Those are two things he rarely is, though. Never lived up to his potential. Could he? Sure. That would help the lineup immensely. If his poor attitude shows up, though, Yankee fans will hate him.

— John McLaughlin (@JohnPMcLaughlin) December 6, 2023

This:

The stuff that nightmares are made of pic.twitter.com/9lAm0GTpA5

— 💙✨AMBER عمبرین✨💙 (@amber00827) December 6, 2023

And this:

Alex Verdugo? You kiddin’ me right now? Just now seeing it… pic.twitter.com/uz5NACaM7x

— Tim Gregory (@tim_greg20) December 6, 2023

Us Yankee fans are disenchanted. We were disenchanted when the season ended last year and signing Alex Verdugo does not make things better at all.  But now we wait and see what happens next.  And hopefully it's Soto... and hopefully the Yankees flip Verdugo to San Diego for him.

Stay tuned.

THE FACE OF THE YANKEES ANALYTICS FLOP HAS NO ANSWERS

Maybe that's because he doesn't know much about anything.  Am I right?

Meet Michael Fishman.  He's the guy we can blame for the "wrong numbers" that Aaron Judge referred to when the season ended and what Zack Britton said was where there was a rift in the clubhouse.  So, this is the guy who got it wrong, even though the New York Post calls him the Yankees' stat guru, I'm hoping that nickname is sarcastic, because he sucks.

The Post writes:

"...Fishman said the Yankees have continued to try to adjust their analytical processes over the years, even though the recent results have not been up to snuff... “When we develop a model and we’re having success and relying on it, we don’t just say, ‘All right this is great, let’s keep using it,’ ” Fishman said Monday at the winter meetings. “We continue to test that model and see if there are adjustments that need to be made to it. Even some models we’ve had success with, there have been tweaks over the years to make that a little better.”

Asked if that model now needed tweaks or overhauls, coming off the Yankees’ 82-80 season and a number of recent transactions that have not worked out, Fishman hedged.

“I think there are some cases where tweaks are needed and some cases where overhauls are needed,” he said, though he declined to provide specifics on what might need an overhaul."

Being cagey is no way to lead, but that's what he does, Cashman does, Boone does.  It's all the same business model. "Don't reveal anything to the fan base... in fact, just keep doing what we're doing and if we land a big free agent or big bopper like Juan Soto, the fans will forget."

But fans won't forget. Last season sucked.  Players are now calling out the Yankees analytics system.  Cashman is super defensive.  Clearly there is a problem in their front office.  And the biggest disappointment right now has to be Hal Steinbrenner who has really said NOTHING... and he drives the ship.  

I leave you with this... Fishman said this about the whole audit mess and it's very telling:

"Fishman clarified Monday that the Yankees won’t be opening their books for Zelus to audit, but that the Yankees will examine the company’s statistical models and compare them to their own.

“It’s an outside perspective, unbiased opinions, unbiased approach that may approach things in a different way than we did,” Fishman said. “A chance to get a different look. "

Zelus is the outside firm that was set to do the audit on the Yankees Analytics mess... the same mess that Hal said they would fix.  But the Yankees aren't offering them to help make the changes... instead, they are asking for their opinion without showing them the books... without showing them the full scope of the problem.  And so I ask you... WHAT THE HELL ARE THE YANKEES ACTUALLY DOING?

Yankee fans? Get ready for another crap season of non-confidence, ill advised, unsure and unreliable fixes to the 2024 season.  It's an FU sandwich to us fans.  It's pretty unbelievable.

SO ANALYTICS WERE THE PROBLEM, HUH MR. CASHMAN?

Why does Brian Cashman try to gaslight us?  I'm so glad Zack Britton came out to reveal that there were actually issues with the analytics in the Yankee clubhouse and front office.  Very telling, isn't it?  Cashman will continue to act like it's no problem, but clearly there was one.  The athletes know.

Terrific nugget and it came from Britton's mouth.  I love this so much.  Inside the Pinstripes writes:

"Britton revealed that there was a "rift" in the team's clubhouse over the organization's over reliance on analytics.

"So I don't really know what discussions are going on. I just know that, as a player there, a lot of times in the clubhouse it felt like there was this disconnect between some of the things we were presented with, and what we were seeing on the field as players... Sometimes that creates a rift, which is not what you want. You want from a clubhouse culture standpoint everything to mesh well together — whether that be the communication from the front office, to the play on the field, and I felt that sometimes the two just weren't connecting well.

"What the players were saying, like, 'Hey, we should be doing this,' and 'This has been working well,' and then sometimes the way that was implemented through the data didn't line up, and I don't think I'm the only player who feels that way."

By the way, the quote came when Britton did an interview with the New York Post.

But damn... How amazing is that? And if you remember after the season ended, it was Aaron Judge who came out and said that maybe they were getting the wrong numbers.  That's a direct link to think observation by Britton and of course, all of that goes against what Brian Cashman was trying to do a few months ago being defensive and trying to deflect that there was a problem. Bottom line, there was a problem and it was reflective in the Yankees season. Sad.

I love this nugget.  Cashman should be ashamed of himself.  More so, what changes have the Yankees implemented since Hal came out and said they were gonna do a "deep dive"? I've seen none.  Have you seen any?

Cross your fingers folks, we need big time signings and big-time changes... and right now this off season feels like more of the same.  Sad.

Also read: YANKEE PLAYERS MOST LIKELY GIVEN "WRONG NUMBERS" FROM ANALYTICS DEPARTMENT

WILL THE YANKEES BALK AT SOTO'S PRICE TAG?

Brian Cashman wants to bag Juan Soto. The Padres know that Cashman is desperate to get him. The Padres also know that Cashman is in hot water and needs to have a great winter to try and please some fans. That means he will do anything to get Soto, including making a move some fans would hate.

But is Cashman dumber than I think he already is? That remains to be seen but I am sure that answers come sooner rather than later. There's one name the Padres want included in this trade for Soto that the Yankees are balking at and I get why.

The Padres want Drew Thorpe. He's the pitcher they have been dreaming about. He's also the pitcher that could be the first quality starter the Yankees develop in the last three decades. He has great makeup and amazing potential. He also just had one hell of a season and was named the Pitching Prospect of the Year by MiLB.com.

Now prospects are a dime a dozen, I believe that. He is not ready to help the Yankees right now and he may fall off of the face of the earth but is he the guy we want to part with for a 1-year rental of Juan Soto that costs $30 million dollars. The Padres want the Yankees to eat all of his salary. That's a hefty price tag.

I have no problems giving up prospects for top tier talent. I do however, have issues with giving up the wrong prospects for a short-term rental that is expensive. I believe, that's what this is. Soto's agent is none other than Scott Boras so there is no potential for an extension. He's already said they are looking for a long-term deal at the end of the season around $500 million. The extension idea is a fantasy, it's not going to happen.

I think the Yankees have more cards to play then they realize. The Padres are not going to trade him within their division so the Dodgers and Giants are out of the picture. The Yankees have more trade chips to offer than the Blue Jays and the Mets are less likely to be a fit for Soto. The Yankees farm system may not be top 10 anymore, but they aren't too far off. They still have enough pitching prospects to piece together a deal to get Soto. It doesn't have to include Thorpe and I don't think it should.

There's a deal here to be made. The Yankees have other chips not named Thorpe. Pick another prospect and pull the trigger. But Thorpe is the wrong one to use, and if Cashman folds here, he will be the dumbest GM in the history of sports.

Also read: YANKEES & SOTO IN A NEW LEVEL OF CRAZYTOWN

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES & SOTO IN A NEW LEVEL OF CRAZYTOWN

The Yankees need a guy like Juan Soto.  It's kind of a no brainer.  

Let's also talk about the fact that the Yankees have a ton of money and a ton of people they can flip to get a top free agent or big bopper like a Juan Soto.  But for some reason, Brian Cashman is not willing to get rid of some of the asks from the Padres and for me, looking at how awful we were last year, I think that Cashman needs to stop listening to people in his front office and gut check this shit and get this guy for the good of Yankee humanity.  

If you look at the ask or the offer, it's pretty obvious we need to "act" like we're not happy with it but do it only so we can turn our heads and snicker knowing we got the better deal.  I mean, flipping guys like Clarke Schmidt, Jhony Brito is part of a steal trade. We need to do it and we need to do it fast.

The New York Post writes:

"The Yankees and Padres have exchanged names in trade talks for San Diego’s superstar hitter Juan Soto, but neither side is said to have liked what they heard so far. At least in the early stages, it’s fair to say an enormous gap exists.

The difference in offers is so great, in fact, the Yankees may turn some of their attention elsewhere — at least for a little while. However, the fit is so obvious that no one would be surprised if talks are resurrected."

At one-point last week I tweeted this:

They’re worried about surrendering a guy they don’t even know can help yet? R.I.P. off the fucking bandaid. Jesus pic.twitter.com/49YHsU6QdI

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) December 1, 2023

I mean seriously, Drew Thorpe is a sensation and probably someone we don't want to part with, but it's friggin' Juan Soto. What are we waiting for?

Cashman is in a very bad spot.  His rep is already tainted and is on the line. But the bottom line is he has no choice... he needs to get Juan Soto.  If he doesn't, he looks like a terrible GM.  If he does, and gives away the wrong pieces, he's gonna look like a total loser too.  But in the end, the Bronx will be better with Juan Soto.  

Juan Soto is continually trend on Twitter.  It's time to get this done.

THE YANKEES CLAIM SPONGEBOB

 The first piece has happened.  Good for us.

The Yankees have claimed Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from the Indians. MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Yankees have claimed outfielder Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from the Guardians, reports Jack Curry of YES Network. There wasn’t any public indication that Gonzalez was removed from the Cleveland roster but they evidently tried to pass him through waivers without success. Cleveland’s 40-man roster is now at 39 while the Yankees are at 37."

Gonzalez did not have a good season last year, but that means nothing to me as I believe in new city, new life and I look forward to seeing this guy in pinstripes.  As an outfielder, it fills a void we desperately need.