THE BUM

 

I never wanted Frankie Montas.  There's something about being in Oakland and coming to the Bronx that changes players.  We've seen it over the years. Most recent memory is Sonny Gray, but diving in you can find more.  Guys like Rickey Henderson, Catfish and Nick Swisher are probably the exception. It's smaller market to big market and the constant microscope for New York Yankee fans that are looking for anything to watch you fail.  

Frankie Montas being a big time pitcher that the Yankees needed to have was a media driven story that everyone in Yankeeland fell for.  Think about it, the Yankees needed a pitcher and we were headed to the trade deadline. Add in the New York Media and it's the perfect storm for getting clicks and buying papers. They tricked you. I didn't fall for it. I thought it was ridiculous, but Cashman did not. He fell for it too  And now the new Carl Pavano has entered the Yankees ballpark... hurt.  That's right, Frankie needs surgery... and it should surprise no one.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder on Feb. 21, manager Aaron Boone announced (Twitter links via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and Joel Sherman of the New York Post). The best-case scenario for a return would be late in the 2023 season.

Montas was already known to be behind schedule heading into spring training, thanks to inflammation in his right shoulder that slowed his offseason progression. General manager Brian Cashman said three weeks ago, however, that the damage didn’t appear to be structural in nature. The GM added that more information would be gained once Montas began his throwing program. That was scheduled for late January, and it now seems clear that things didn’t go as smoothly as hoped."

Let's do what Suzie Pinstripe said a few weeks ago. LET'S GO WITH FOUR & SEE WHAT THE SPRING BRINGS!

NASTY NESTOR GIVES AN OPTIMISTIC INJURY UPDATE

Well, at least not out for long....we hope. Sitting out with an injury sucks, but he is staying optimistic, and we all hope it stays that way. I think we are all tired of bad news in general, especially with Spring Training right around the corner.

I will admit, I always look forward to the World Baseball Classic and I wanted to see Nestor Cortes pitch in it.... but as much as I wanted to see that happen, I want him to be ready for the start of the season. We need that hamstring to heal. That is more important, and that might still be in jeopardy, but Nestor gave an update to the media yesterday and I hold on to the same hope that he does, read more HERE.

I love his spirit and hope he will be ready like he says but I think the Yankees need to be very cautious and make sure he doesn't take the mound before he is ready. As much as I like hearing he thinks that 15 to 20 innings should make him ready for the season I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I think we all realized just how important Nestor is to our rotation. No disrespect to Gerrit Cole, but I thought Nestor should've started Game 1 of the ALCS last season because he was our ace. I still think he could be again, but he had a groin injury last season and had his highest workload in his career with 158.1 innings thrown. It's more than what his body is used to and now we add a leg injury before the season even starts. We just can't get rid of the damn injury bug even during the offseason and it is annoying.

I hope Nestor is back much sooner rather than later but giving the proper rehab time is the most important thing here. Side note.... I'd really like the share some ideas with our strength and conditioning staff. I'm all for working out but, Nestor needs to mix up his workouts. I bet all of our guys do, honestly. Pilates have a purpose too, not just running sprints, especially for a pitcher. 

I hope that's not rocket science for our trainers but.... I think it is. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

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BREAKING: NESTOR CORTES HURT! OUT OF THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

NESTOR CORTES JR HAD TO FAIL IN ORDER TO SUCCEED

CLOWN CORA ADMITS BEING A CHEATER

 I hate liars.

Years after the 2017 season, Alex Cora admits to having involvement in the Asstros cheating scandal.  The fact that this guy still has a job in baseball is just a testament to how horrible loser Rob Manfred truly is.  Between this, the phantom second base runner and the pizza box bases, why doesn't he just put juggling clowns in the infield as obstacles too. He's a disgrace, and the fact that the MLB made a deal with Astros owner Jim Crane to not punish the entire Astros team severely will be the biggest black eye on the MLB... even worse than the Black Sox scandal... even worse than Pete Rose betting on baseball. 

But back to that loser Alex Cora. NJ.com writes:

"Evan Drellich’s book, “Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess,” was released on Tuesday.

It goes into detail about the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. In 2017, they illegally used electronic equipment on their way to winning the World Series. The Astros bench coach was Alex Cora, now the manager of the Boston Red Sox. The Boston Globe reports Cora was asked about the book Tuesday as the Red Sox opened spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

“We’ve got to talk about it,” Cora said. “I don’t want to say they are used to it, you know, but I’ve been open with them about the whole situation and they understand that stuff like this is going to come out. We’ve just got to keep going forward. I made a big mistake in ‘17.”

I made a big mistake in '17.  But that's ok Alex... you get to still manage a top Major League club... cause Uncle Manfred will take care of it.

Pathetic.

WHO'S COMING & WHO'S GOING - SPRING TRAINING PREDICTIONS

Source: Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post

With the Yankees officially opening up their spring training facilities today, the question remains, Who's coming and who's going? Well it had to be said. I know everyone has a fair shot, but let's be honest, unless the Yankees get particular, and let go of the dead weight, they will be right back where they ended last year—without a championship and losing to Houston. So this spring training is the first day of the Yankees' future—where the winners win and the losers, well they go home.

The first stop is shortstop. Frontrunners to this position include Oswald Peraza, Anthony Volpe and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. But as I wrote just a couple of days ago,YANKEES BETTING ON PERAZA TO STEAL THE SHORTSTOP ROLE, the position is Pereza's to lose.

"The Yankees envision Volpe as a face of their franchise along with Aaron Judge in the near future, but it won’t materialize early this season and may not until 2024. And if Peraza sticks at short, then Volpe might end up at second base, a spot some scouts think he’ll end up. Volpe’s shortstop skills are beyond solid, but Peraza has more range and arm strength," reports NJ.com. So if we start the year with Pereza at short and Gleyber Torres at second, there is still a chance for Volpe to make the team later in the year. 

So what about the elephant in the room? Perhaps two of them: DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson. LeMahieu has his most value at third base for the Yankees, but will his toe be a factor this year, leaving the Yankees with no choice but to play Josh Donaldson? 

"It wouldn’t be an easy call for the Yankees to potentially eat $29 million by releasing Donaldson if they DFA him and can’t find a trade partner, but it’s the best move and the one we’re predicting. LeMahieu’s best position nowadays is third base, so the Yankees might as well put him there and stick with Torres at second until Volpe (or perhaps Peraza) take the starting job at some point this season or in 2024," reported NJ.com.

IKF could serve as a utility third baseman as well as fill in at short as needed. I would say the Yankees keep him for that reason and allow LeMahieu to just stick with one position, in hopes of keeping him healthy. 

There has been so much talk about left field that I really don't want to admit that Aaron Hicks "wins" the job. I really can't believe that the Yankees can't do better than that. The asking price for Brian Reynolds is ridiculously high so at this point he is not an option. I have said that Oswaldo Cabrera is the better choice, letting Hicks "fill-in." He won't be tradable, and he has $30.5 million remaining on his contact. 

"And if the Yankees DFA Donaldson and most or all of his $29 million, they won’t throw away another $30.5 million to move on from Hicks. But if Hicks doesn’t produce, Cabrera or Estevan Florial getting a chance to start in left becomes likely at least until trade deadline options possibly bring in this year’s version of Andrew Benintendi," reported NJ.com.

There will be a rich spotlight on the Yankees spring training this year. I am hopeful that the light is so strong that it works to weed out the players that don't deserve to be there. Hey, if the New York Mets can throw away precious money on mindless Super Bowl ads, the Yankees can do better with sitting down or releasing veterans that have no value to this team. Who's coming and Who's going...The Spring Training Saga and it is about to get started. Get ready for a page turner...the suspense is killing me.

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

BREAKING: NESTOR CORTES HURT! OUT OF THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

This just came down a short time ago. It looks like Nestor Cortes is not going to be participating in  the World Baseball Classic and it's because he's hurt. That sucks, but better the WBC than the regular season with the Yankees.

Elite Sports NY writes:

"Yankees southpaw Nestor Cortes will not participate in the World Baseball Classic due to a right hamstring injury. He told reporters Monday in Tampa that he hopes to be ready for the start of the season. But he will be off a mound for at least two weeks with a Grade 2 strain."

Bryan Hoch has the video out of Tampa on his Twitter:

Nestor Cortes has a Grade 2 right hamstring strain that will keep him off the mound for two weeks. As such, he will not pitch in the World Baseball Classic. pic.twitter.com/VYDNCxBTRk

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 13, 2023

That is all for now. Let's hope the injury doesn't linger. We need a healthy Nestor for sure!

Get well soon buddy.

THAT YANKEES & MANNY MACHADO RUMOR IS BACK AGAIN!

I guess I see something completely different than NJ.com and Ken Rosenthal do. Maybe my crystal ball is broken or something. I'm not sure but there's been a lot of Manny Machado talk over the last week involving the Yankees. We are connected to virtually every big name in baseball but sometimes it really just doesn't make sense....

And I think this is one of those scenarios. In case you missed it, check THIS out and think about it. The Yankees were chasing after Machado back in 2019 when it made more sense. Even then, I didn't think the Yankees were going to sign him because they were even more focused on their white whale Gerrit Cole.

But here we are again. Machado isn't even a free agent and the Yankees and the Mets are supposed to be in the mix for his services IF he becomes a free agent after 2023. I think that would be a big IF honestly. There's a lot to break down on this one.

Let's start with the fact that the Yankees have a franchise-record payroll near $290 million for luxury tax purposes...yikes! That's a lot of money for a team that hasn't won a championship since 2009 and already have a lot of long-term contracts on the books including newly re-signed team captain Aaron Judge.

Now let's add in a major log jam of infielders within the Yankees organization. There's already talk about Anthony Volpe being ready for the majors in 2023 and giving him shortstop duties until Oswald Peraza is ready to be called up for him to take over the position and moving Volpe to second because he has the lesser arm. That's waiting while the Yankees still have other big-league players in positions that aren't the most desirable. So let's add more confusion to the mix and more money.

Do I think the Yankees are the most logical fit for Machado? No. We have too many other bad deals on the books. Not to mention, the Mets like to spend money like it is going out of style AND the Padres are expected to do everything they can to extend Machado to keep him in San Diego. 

I think the Machado ship has sailed. The Yankees concern at third base right now should be to get rid of useless and expensive Josh Donaldson and move something more serviceable there. That really wouldn't be hard to do. We can upgrade third base without Machado and.....it just makes more sense.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

YANKEES BETTING ON PERAZA TO STEAL THE SHORTSTOP ROLE

What would it feel like to be the athlete staring at the biggest opportunity of his life? All he has to do is do what he has prepared for all of his life—be extraordinary. That is basically Oswald Peraza for the next several weeks into Opening Day. Shortstop is within his reach. He just has to go out there and perform, own the position and show the Yankees and his team what he can do.

"The sense is that the Yankees would love to see Peraza resoundingly win the job this spring, which would allow them to shift Isiah Kiner-Falefa into more of a utility role and provide Volpe with additional development time. Anthony Volpe logged just 99 plate appearances at Triple-A last season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him begin the year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and be in the mix for a midseason call up," reported MLB.com.

Peraza could give the Yankees just what they need—a consistent player both offensively and defensively in a lineup where everyone has to contribute. The Yankees can't afford to carry players who are just not going to endure the long season, improving instead of regressing. If Peraza can do what the Yankees know he can, then shortstop will be one less worry for them. 

"Peraza, 22, impressed last September when he batted .306 (15-for-49) with three doubles, one homer, two RBIs and two stolen bases in 18 games; Boone trusted Peraza enough to draw a start in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros," reported MLB.com. If he can come in and perform at that level across the duration of the spring, he has himself a full-time job as the Yankees middle infielder.

And although the feeding frenzy around Manny Machado is starting to pick up some momentum, the Yankees could have all they need inhouse. "The six-time All-Star can opt out of his deal with San Diego after this season, and while the Padres also want to extend him, expect both New York teams to make a run at Machado if he tests the market. If that happens, it would be a second chance for the Yankees in particular after a lengthy free agency process following the 2018 season ended up going nowhere," reported SB Nation as informed by NJ.com. 

The Yankees are betting on Peraza to be great this spring. I am too. The logic makes sense. His success gives the Yankees an alternative to the utility role in IKF and more time for Volpe to evolve. His success gives the Yankees time for development and opportunity to focus on the left field situation, which will most certainly be a situation given the track record of one Aaron Hicks. Look for a lot of reps for Peraza and Volpe this spring. And a lot of opportunity to beef up our middle infield! 

YANKEE NEWS ON THE TRANSACTIONS WIRE!

The Transactions wire is where all the news starts for these teams and goes to the writers. I mean sure, you can look at Twitter and guys like Jon Heyman and Jon Morosi will tweet something about a team, but typically they know this stuff just because they got to the transaction wire before everyone else that day.  

Now there are times where guys get an inside scoop and that often comes from highly respected guys like Jeff Passan and Jack Curry, but for the most part, that's how it works. 

I remember feeling really cool back in 2015 when I got a scoop early about Clay Rapada. I remember at that time when I was the first to report on Clay Rapada signing with the Giants, a minor league deal. MLB Trade Rumors took it upon themselves to report who got it first and of course, botched it.  It was Greedy Pinstripes who gave them jazz on our behalf, (Love those guys) and it was soon corrected.  

Here's that story, one of my victories from back in the day.

MLB Trade Rumors has always been top notch and that's the business they are in. I'm not in that game... I'm just telling you how the Transaction wire works.

That being said, here's some Yankee news you need to know about. The Yankees have activated Domingo German, Greg Weissert and they invited Catcher Carlos Narvaez.

In 2022, German had a 3.61 ERA in 15 games.  I was never a big fan of Weissert when he first showed up in pinstripes, but he's growing on me. Weissert is from Bay Shore, so there's that hometown feel with him, and it appears the Yankees like him.

When it comes to Narvaez, he's a catcher, something we always need and he's working his way up the ranks. Yanks go Yard has a great write up on him:

"In terms of halting the running game, Narvaéz is the best in the Yankees' system below the surface.

Second place throughout the system goes to Antonio Gomez, the 21-year-old who ranks No. 5 on Keith Law's latest surprising list of top prospects, and who got his season back on track midway through en route to looking like a 2023 breakout candidate. He caught a nothing-to-sneeze-at 30.6% of runners last season, but Narvaéz, a surprise name on very few radars, cleared him by a nice margin.

Hopefully, subbing in Narvaéz in the late innings of the Yankees' spring training showdowns becomes standard practice -- you know, baking in the now-guaranteed Ben Rortvedt injury."

Yankee Spring Training is right around the corner. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited! Let's GO!!

BRIAN CASHMAN CELEBRATES THE 2022 FAILURE & IT HAS TO STOP!

Yankee fans have high expectations - and the Yankees have gone SOFT. Or at least, Brian Cashman has. His "logic" is unacceptable to the pinstripe faithful. He doesn't expect what we expect....so this just can't work anymore.

Too bad I don't get to make that call, because I would. The Yankees are amongst the most valuable franchises in all sports with fans that have the highest expectations. Oh and the most frustrated fans because we haven't won a World Series since 2009. A postseason appearance or just making it to the World Series isn't enough for us, but what about Cashman?

"The only way you get an A is if you finish with that trophy in hand, otherwise you get an F, there's nothing in between," Cashman said HERE which is valid. No issues here. 

But then he changed his tune, "the truth was in the end, we were four games short of a World Series appearance, but it felt like the way our fanbase reacted and the press that we got knocked out in the first round. So you can't really remember sometimes reality versus the perception, and the perception was we didn't do well. The reality was we had a hell of another run at it but, fell short."

He got the first part right but the 'in the end we were four games short of a World Series appearance' doesn't fly. The Yankees were SWEPT by the disgraced Astros. It was embarrassing! Maybe Cashman would like to embrace the participation trophy next? Head to Queens for that. We don't celebrate 'almost' making it to the end.

And Cashman's opinion that fans overreacted or maybe even dramatic about booing Aaron Judge or that fans didn't give Yankees enough credit for going deeper into the postseason are very unYankee like. He should know better. Getting to the third round and being eliminated is the "F" he was talking about earlier. THAT is the reality of it. The reality is we did not do well. We struck out too much and the Astros batted around us and made us look silly. THAT is the reality and not perceived at all. You can't call those facts a perception. Suck it up and admit the failure. Quit trying to dance around it. We don't want to hear it anyore.

At this point Cashman doesn't know reality at all. There's no perception here just cold, hard facts. I'd like to talk about a new reality of referring to Cashman in past tense, too bad I don't get to make that call either.

Cashman, keep your perceptions to yourself because we don't believe in second place or celebrating mediocrity. It has no place in our history and your place in our history should be past tense. THAT is reality, too.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

WHAT WILL AARON JUDGE DO FOR AN ENCORE IN 2023?

We witnessed one of the best seasons in history. No we didn't go far in the postseason, but we did see the American League single season home run record get broken by the Yankees very own homegrown Aaron Judge. Couple those 62 dingers with the AL MVP award, and just shy of triple crown numbers, Judge certainly provided excitement to Yankee fans everywhere. So, the question is, what do you do for encore? What changes now that he is Captain?

“For the most part, I’m just going to continue to be myself -- try to be a great teammate, lead by example, be a teammate that helps support everybody around us and push everybody to be their best,” Judge said. “The ultimate goal of playing in New York is to bring a championship home, every single year. That’s what’s going to stay at the forefront for me," reported MLB.com. 

No additional expectations on Judge except for the one he puts on himself in carrying this Yankee team. Win a championship. This will require Judge to step and put on a similar performance as he did last season. "Ruth, of course, didn’t stop hitting homers after he hit 60 in 1927. He came back with 54, then 46, then 49, then 46. The year after Mickey’s Triple Crown year (.353, 52 homers, 130 RBIs), he came back to hit .365 with 34 homers and 94 RBIs," reported MLB.com. But he can't do it alone. It is has to be a team effort, which means, there is no room for error, long lasting slumps and laziness.

Source: ESPN

"Left field was a major problem area for the New York Yankees in 2022 -- just ask any Yankees fan -- and, heading into 2023, not much has changed," reported ESPN. "Hicks consistently drew boos at Yankee Stadium and hit .216/.330/.313 with eight homers, nine doubles and 109 strikeouts in 385 plate appearances across 130 games. He routinely looked lost at the plate by September, and defensive miscues got him pulled from games." This is the kind of "no room for error" I am referring to. And although many sources are reporting that the Yankees' front office has been inquiring about left fielders, there does not seem to be any changes coming any time soon. Which likely puts more pressure on other hitters and defenders in the outfield, namely Judge.

Judge deserves to have teammates that want to work. Lackluster baseball has no home in the Bronx. Aaron Judge's encore needs to be about leading this team to victory. No additional pressure on him for this request, because he said it himself. The ultimate goal of playing in New York is to bring a championship home, every single year. So, every one of those players that report to spring training in the coming week need to have that same purpose, that same passion. Win. Bust your ass. Win. Hustle. Win. No excuses. Win. That is the encore. There is no other but winning their 28th championship. 

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