NFT: Yankees Post Mortem - Where does it lead?

Headley is not going anywhere. He has 3 years left on his deal and NO ONE is going to take that contract off our hands.

Threads. May want to delete this and copy and past your op

Like with A-Rod, his contract makes it difficult.

In comment 12531594 Tuckrule said:

Quote:

Threads. May want to delete this and copy and past your op

What the appreciation thread? Different topic.

In comment 12531596 Beer Man said:

Quote:

Like with A-Rod, his contract makes it difficult.

Red Sox got rid of a number of big contracts. If they (Headley, Beltran even ARod) are non-performing, what difference does it make if they are paid to be gone, or sitting on the bench doing nothing?

Tampa and NY. How about getting us a GM who will better utilize or cash assets.

In comment 12531609 Essex said:

Quote:

Tampa and NY. How about getting us a GM who will better utilize or cash assets.

Like what or whom? "Get us a better GM or better players" is throwing crap against the wall and hoping some will stick.

In comment 12531605 section125 said:

Quote:

In comment 12531596 Beer Man said: Quote: Like with A-Rod, his contract makes it difficult. Red Sox got rid of a number of big contracts. If they (Headley, Beltran even ARod) are non-performing, what difference does it make if they are paid to be gone, or sitting on the bench doing nothing?

I think it would matter to Hal. He may decide to add pieces in order to fix structural weaknesses and overcome bad contracts, but it means blowing up the budget which, unlike his father, Hal has not been willing to do.

Jagielo in Trenton could be the longer term answer, though he has questions about his defense. But he missed most of 2015 with an injury so is probably a long shot to be anything more than a Sept call-up next season.

Personally, I like the young core they are starting to put together. In addition to Severino and the bullpen guys you mentioned, Bird, Ref, and Didi have the makings of a solid young IF. Ref/Didi likely profile as "above average" at best at their positions, but Bird could be a (not too distant) middle of the order bat.

As far as the OF, 2 spots are pretty locked up with Gardner/Ellsbury with Heathcott ready to step in if/when one of those 2 hits the DL. Beltran is just keeping RF warm until Judge is ready, hopefully by mid-season 2016.

But I think he needs more ABs at AAA. His big bat would help a lot.

outside of SS, where we have a good cost-controlled starter in Didi, and 2B, where we may or may not have the answer in Refsnyder, we have an immovable contract at every position. Yeah Gardner is potentially movable, yeah you might eat $ and get a team to take Teix or Beltran (though both have NTCs), but Ellsbury, Headley, A-Rod and McCann certainly can't be dealt unless the Yanks are going to eat virtually the whole of their contracts. So there isn't a ton of room for upgrade. After next year you lose Teix (presumably replaced with Bird) and Beltran (replaced either with Judge or with a big-ticket FA, possibly), but these contracts come off the books at a trickle. It isn't the money so much as the necessity of playing these guys.

In comment 12531640 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

outside of SS, where we have a good cost-controlled starter in Didi, and 2B, where we may or may not have the answer in Refsnyder, we have an immovable contract at every position. Yeah Gardner is potentially movable, yeah you might eat $ and get a team to take Teix or Beltran (though both have NTCs), but Ellsbury, Headley, A-Rod and McCann certainly can't be dealt unless the Yanks are going to eat virtually the whole of their contracts. So there isn't a ton of room for upgrade. After next year you lose Teix (presumably replaced with Bird) and Beltran (replaced either with Judge or with a big-ticket FA, possibly), but these contracts come off the books at a trickle. It isn't the money so much as the necessity of playing these guys.

I still think they need to rid themselves of some of these contracts whether by release or trade and eat some of the payments if necessary.

Teix is ok. He is still a good player. Either ARod or Beltran need to go. As well as ARod did, he was dying past mid-August. Beltran can only DH. He just doesn't want to play RF. I think at this point he is the better batter now. He can still hit and hit for average.

that focuses on what's ahead -- so maybe those comments (including my last one) really belong there.


Yanks Future - ( New Window )

teams don't eat contracts like that because they're 100% guaranteed.

In comment 12531655 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

teams don't eat contracts like that because they're 100% guaranteed.

If they don't want to eat the contracts, then next year will be a mirror of this year, except Boston will be in 2nd place...

In comment 12531669 section125 said:

Quote:

In comment 12531655 Dunedin81 said: Quote: teams don't eat contracts like that because they're 100% guaranteed. If they don't want to eat the contracts, then next year will be a mirror of this year, except Boston will be in 2nd place...

It's just not how things are done. Now the Ellsbury benching (coupled with Gardy's shitty ABs) and some of the rumors about tension between Ellsbury and Joe make me wonder if they wouldn't look to trade him. They'd have to eat a fuckload of money (probably high eight figures) but he might waive an NTC if the relationship has soured that much.

simply because he's one of the few somewhat movable contracts.

he plays balls out which kills him late in the year, but without the way he played in the Spring and Summer, the Yanks probably aren't even a WC team.

In comment 12531679 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

In comment 12531669 section125 said: It's just not how things are done. Now the Ellsbury benching (coupled with Gardy's shitty ABs) and some of the rumors about tension between Ellsbury and Joe make me wonder if they wouldn't look to trade him. They'd have to eat a fuckload of money (probably high eight figures) but he might waive an NTC if the relationship has soured that much.

Yep, I know it is not done that way, usually. Just it is the only way out of this. Whether they sit home and collect or sit on the bench and non-produce they still get paid.

As for Ellsbury, could care less if he is here any more. He is no better than Gardy except at steals. But at 3xs the salary he's not likely to be moved.
I think of all the big contracts CCs is the worst. At this point he is at best a #4 or #5.

So basically, the 2016 team is likely to be identical to the 2015 team.

his post-DL starts were very good. His knee isn't likely to hold up for the rest of his deal though, and it isn't impossible that he either retires early or spends a fair amount of the next couple seasons on the DL.

This was a poorly constructed roster, no one doubts that. It's Cashman's fault for most of it, it was probably management's fault for the rest. What we have to hope is that we get enough out of the veterans and enough out of the kids that they can be competitive over the next couple years.

In comment 12531743 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

his post-DL starts were very good. His knee isn't likely to hold up for the rest of his deal though, and it isn't impossible that he either retires early or spends a fair amount of the next couple seasons on the DL.

I thought CC was ok, not good, after the DL and knee brace. Could he improve after getting healthy? Maybe so. The alcoholism had to rob him of some skills. But you'd be paying $25 mill for a #5.

?

Nova,Gardner,Sanchez,Beltran,Warren,Refsnyder,Mitchell.
These are the Players you can get something for.

Rotation Tanaka,Pineda,Evaldi,Severino,CC
I would add to this by picking up young lefty Chen from Baltimore and go 6 man rotation since our pitchers were all dead by Oct.
Shreve ran out of gas,you could see his velo and command fade as he threw more innings. He will be back.
Betances Miller Wilson is a great back end. Add Pazo Lingren
Not too many missing pieces in the pitching staff,

Tex Didi Mcann Murphy Arod Headley Elsbury are here Like it or not.
Bird has to play everyday to reach his potental.
That means AAA unless someone takes Tex.
2nd base is open Mateo is the future there but needs a few years. So you can get by with a Refsnyder till then but the team likes defense and Ref showed enough to be a very attractive trading piece. Short gap FA here or you can try Ackley.
Drew and Ryan should not be allowed back.
I would go after Zobreist in FA he can be the stop gap at 2nd can play RF and Even LF and Back up Didi or Hensley if he starts to suck again.
Bring up Judge for ST and see if he clicks
Cashman has to get some more offense use the players who are tradable and get some guys who can hit.

Hope Hal enjoys counting the money from last nights attendance because he wont see it again until he spends some money on the final pieces he needs.
Hello Cespedes

be damn good, especially if a spot starter can be acquired. I'd replace CC in the rotation with Warren.

Pitching - provided it stays healthy - will keep the Yanks in the race next year. The bullpen should stay solid and that rotation is young and full of good arms.

In comment 12531759 Ten Ton Hammer said:

Quote:

?

Because he's terrible? Just spitballing.

I want Bird on the opening day roster and I'd like to try and keep Tex somewhat healthy by giving him a lot of DH ABs. In a perfect world, I'd DH Beltran and Tex.

I hope Pineda gets his shit together. 20 of his 27 starts were either 2 ERs or less or 5+ ERs.

In comment 12531773 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In comment 12531759 Ten Ton Hammer said: Quote: ? Because he's terrible? Just spitballing.

Yeah, that's what I would go with.

In comment 12531772 FatMan in Charlotte said:

Quote:

be damn good, especially if a spot starter can be acquired. I'd replace CC in the rotation with Warren. Pitching - provided it stays healthy - will keep the Yanks in the race next year. The bullpen should stay solid and that rotation is young and full of good arms.

It could be great or it could be a question mark. Severino should be good, though we've seen 9/1 call-ups struggle in the first full season. Tanaka hopefully can be counted on for a mid-3's ERA. Pineda has been up and down at times. CC is a question mark. The biggest question mark of all is Eovaldi, who missed time with elbow problems after ramping up to some of the highest average velocity in the league and after changing his approach at the behest of Rothschild. Maybe he comes back throwing bullets, or maybe the below is an ongoing problem.

...

Eovaldi being healthy is a key.

which is another 2 years (still stuck with Ellsbury tho), it looks like the same team is coming back in 2016. Another year older. Girardi did it with smoke and mirrors this year as the team overachieved. I think next year, they regress back to the mean, which means 75-85 wins and no playoffs.

In comment 12531699 FatMan in Charlotte said:

Quote:

he plays balls out which kills him late in the year, but without the way he played in the Spring and Summer, the Yanks probably aren't even a WC team.

I agree, would much rather see the awful Ellsbury go, but I'm not sure how realistic that is. There just isn't much flexibility to what Cashman can do with the offense now. Gardner is one of the few movable pieces.

In comment 12531801 FatMan in Charlotte said:

Quote:

Eovaldi being healthy is a key.

Maybe they need to tell him 95/96 is good enough.....

hands are tied here, but getting rid of Gardner who still has good years left would weaken the team, likely. Ellsbury can't be counted on for a full year and he's lost a lot of his effectiveness. Beltran is an adventure in the OF. Even with putting some of the young kids in place, we would still have holes in the OF.

The explanation was that Ellsbury's numbers vs LH pitching were even worse than Gardner's. Which is true but Gardner's were horrible.

Where does it lead? It leads to the same position players coming back next year. As Dune noted they are locked in at every spot except 2B with a big money contract that can't be moved unless they eat most of the money. The only time the Yankees have done that was with AJ Burnett.

The following guys can't be traded without their approval all have no trade contracts:

Arod 2 years 40 million
Teix 1 year 22.5 million
Ellsbury 5 years 110 million
McCann 3 years 51 million
Beltran 1 year 15 million
CC 2 years 50 million
Tanaka 5 years 111 million

The only MLB position players that could be traded if anyone wanted them are:

Ackley
Didi
JR Murphy
Gardner
Headley

Mitchell, Nova, Pineda, Eovaldi, Shreve, Martin, Wilson, Betances & Miller are tradable too.

Capauano, Drew, Young & Ryan come off the books for 20 million total.

In comment 12531773 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In comment 12531759 Ten Ton Hammer said: Quote: ? Because he's terrible? Just spitballing.

I was under the impression that Gardener was actually hitting much worse than Ellsbury. Was it a matchup-based decision?

what an awful decision, especially now that we see the organization is filled with capable outfielders.

Gotta hope he just wasn't healthy this season. Cause if he was mostly healthy and that's what we got...wow

unless you're a pitcher. Both of them were bad, but Gardner *usually* works counts and draws walks even when he's not hitting, while the $150 million man just dribbles grounders to second over and over and over.

Clearly, Gardner didn't do any of those things last night, but they wouldn't have gotten anything from Ellsbury either.

And he was hitting very well then. Went on the DL, and was garbage for the rest of the season after returning.

So, you can surmise that health played a part in his struggles. But when is the guy ever healthy for more than 6 weeks? He's like a baseball version of Beason - missed big chunks of almost every season he's been in MLB. Giving him a gigantic contract with the expectation that he'd stay healthy and productive in his 30s was a massive error.

was the splits vs LH pitching.

Quote:

vLHP this season Gardner: .276/.361/.400 Ellsbury: .253/.327/.325 Totals since September 1 Gardner: .198/.271/.321 Ellsbury: .202/.254/.246 Totals past seven games Gardner: .238/.238/.238 Ellsbury: .118/.211/.235

LOHUD Yankees - ( New Window )

Heard the lineup last night around 5 PM and listened to Mike Kay have a conniption fit. Figured there had to be a reason for it or Joe would be raked over the coals for it if it didn't work.

So yes Gardner or Els must be traded. No one is taking Els.

I would ask the Marlins how much of Arods salary they would be willing to pay for next year.

have to get Tex to DH With McCann Can get Bird and Murphy bats.

Beltran can be traded but not for much.

Joey Bats is a FA and could fill RF or even 3b at times.

In comment 12531699 FatMan in Charlotte said:

Quote:

he plays balls out which kills him late in the year, but without the way he played in the Spring and Summer, the Yanks probably aren't even a WC team.

He's a strange player. His best attribute is his speed and yet he's a .260 hitter who strikes out 130 times a year. He dies every year after the All-Star break. He's an older version of Dexter Fowler. Off him while he has some value.

Beltran & Arod can't be traded without their permission. Both have no trade contracts. Both are DH's so no NL team would want them. I can see a slight possibility of Beltran to the Angels with Eppler there now if Beltran wants to go. But Arod isn't going anywhere unless he wants to.

I wonder if they tried to trade him last year and there weren't any takers. I know there is no chance of this happening but I think Gardner and Ellsbury should split CF. I wouldn't play either of them more than 100 games next year to try and keep them fresh.

In comment 12531853 Shadow said:

Quote:

So yes Gardner or Els must be traded. No one is taking Els. I would ask the Marlins how much of Arods salary they would be willing to pay for next year. have to get Tex to DH With McCann Can get Bird and Murphy bats. Beltran can be traded but not for much. Joey Bats is a FA and could fill RF or even 3b at times.

Heathcott? The next season he makes it without a stint on the DL will be his first. The kid is made of glass, and is close to being out of baseball as a result. You can't count on him.

Some team would take Ellsbury chalking this season up as an aberration, which it was. But if other teams think you are desperate to get rid of a guy, they aren't going to fall all over themselves offering.

Joey Bats is 35. How much outfield gas do you think is in that tank?

if he waives his no trade and the Yankees pay about 60 million of the 110 million he's owed or maybe it would take more. There is a lack of understanding of how the baseball business works in the thread. Let's say Theo decided he had to have Ellsbury on the Cubs. Could not live without him would give the Yankees Bryant for him and pay Ellsbury's entire contract. There's no trade unless Ellsbury waives his no trade clause. The big money players on the Yankees all have no trade contracts. Even if Cashman finds someone who will take them they can turn down the trade.

He has many productive years remaining.

most notably Judge, but the laws of prospect performance being what they are, if we get an average or better long-term starter from the trio of Judge, Heathcott and Williams you call it a win.

He wears down if he has to play every day. Ellsbury is a more expensive Gardner, but constantly injured rather than just tired. At least Gardner has a manageable contract that is tradeable. I'd rather try to move Ellsbury to make room for Judge (or Williams or Heathcott), but I doubt anyone takes the contract. And you still have Beltran taking up a spot. Arod/Beltran/Tex the most expensive DH troika in history, only one can play.

He clearly wore down at the end of the season as well, and Murphy deserves a chance to start more.

with the way this FO works, but I'd like to see them cut ties with CC. Oh, and fuck Gardy. Guy sucks.

I'm actually excited to see what we have in him again. I'm the guy who was predicting an ERA around 5 for him this year and yet I have hope for a better year this time around. Why?

1. Much improved with the knee brace.
2. Alcohol rehab.

No reason to sell low on CC imo.

In comment 12532102 Dave in Hoboken said:

Quote:

with the way this FO works, but I'd like to see them cut ties with CC. Oh, and fuck Gardy. Guy sucks.

One of the best CFs in baseball sucks...

Well, obviously a very disappointing end to the year. Really hard to describe this year. Obviously myself and probably most of the fanbase had very low expectations coming into the year; and didn¡¦t really believe we were that good when we started winning, but we just kept hitting hr¡¦s and teix, aroid, and others were playing well; and we had a sizable lead at the trade deadline (e.g., 6 games) so your expectations obviously had to grow a bit (and we had never before blown a lead that big in the division). And then we proceed to not make any impact moves, play very average to bad, inexplicably don¡¦t get a right-handed bat to counter the loss of teix, some strange moves from joe (especially the non-playing of the big money guy ellsbury yesterday despite his great postseason pedigree and basically conceding the division in the pivotal game 3 of the last Toronto series by not bringing in his big guns into the 6th inning). Definitely one of the worst elimination game losses I ever remember seeing with the shutout and only 3 hits; and only 2 innings with just one runner in scoring position. Well, going forward I think it¡¦s obvious we have to get younger and faster; less hr happy as consistent situational hitting is just better for the long haul and postseason, and probably need to make some decisions regarding gardy, headley, nova, and ellsbury. And we still need a lockdown ace since it¡¦s pretty clear either that tanaka is not the same since going on the DL last year; or he was a bit overhyped (and of course overpaid) and just has the great splitter that he needs to setup, but very hittable when he makes a mistake (and easily hr hittable which is of course very, very bad especially in yankee stadium). Obviously, there¡¦s some riff between ellsbury and joe as something came up last week as well where ellsbury said on the record he could play and joe still benched him. I probably wouldn¡¦t mind some type of deal involving headley, gardy, and/or ellsbury to get a high quality right-handed power bat (e.g., perhaps a kemp from sd) and an above-average to ace pitcher. Probably wouldn¡¦t mind someone getting fired either; but guess that probably won¡¦t happen ƒº

we totally need an ace and need another right-handed power bat

In comment 12532309 section125 said:

Quote:

In comment 12532102 Dave in Hoboken said: Quote: with the way this FO works, but I'd like to see them cut ties with CC. Oh, and fuck Gardy. Guy sucks. One of the best CFs in baseball sucks...

in what world is Gardner one of the best CFs in baseball? He's not in the top 2 in NY. And when Ellsbury is healthy Gardner gets moved to LF. I like him, he's a gritty guy, but he's a 4th outfielder.

.

In comment 12532573 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

.

I agree, but apparently Girardi doesn't think so. I am not an Ellsbury fan.

I compare him to the 3 and D basketball player who is a great value until he gets paid...

as the gritty good defending speed guy with a great eye he was a good value batting like 9th... sometimes move him up. but at his pay now... hes no longer good value-- his ABs last night looked like a bad little leaguer.

there are more clueless Yankee fans that have no idea how the business of baseball works. Cutting ties with CC means eating 50 million dollars. MLB isn't the NFL. The money is 100% guaranteed. CC has a no trade contract. Arod has a no trade contract. Beltran has a no trade contract. Tanaka has a no trade contract. Ellsbury has a no trade contract. McCann has a no trade contract. Teix has a no trade contract. There is very little chance if any of those guys going anywhere.

Gardner's AB's last night and deem he sucks. we've seen this before - the guy wears down by the end of the year.

In the beginning of the year, he was one of the key catalysts that kept the Yanks afloat and in 1st place.

I like the role he has right now - we need less of an albatross with some of the contracts out there for m ore $$ and for more inconsistent play.

The Astros hit lots of them.

They made the post season.

They won the wild card game on the road.

3-0. 66.6% of their runs were via home runs.

I am very glad they hung on to their young guys at the deadline. I am not optimistic that next year you're going to get the production from A-Rod, Tex, Beltran, and even McCann that you got this year.

I'm also surprised nobody's really talking about Ellsbury not being at his locker for the reporters after the game. I won't be surprised one bit if this guy is gone this winter.

In comment 12532567 Victor in CT said:

Quote:

In comment 12532309 section125 said: Quote: In comment 12532102 Dave in Hoboken said: Quote: with the way this FO works, but I'd like to see them cut ties with CC. Oh, and fuck Gardy. Guy sucks. One of the best CFs in baseball sucks... in what world is Gardner one of the best CFs in baseball? He's not in the top 2 in NY. And when Ellsbury is healthy Gardner gets moved to LF. I like him, he's a gritty guy, but he's a 4th outfielder.

He's better than a 4th OF, he's proven that. Stop saying stupid shit, everybody.

Cashman told Mike the same team is coming back with better answers than they had last season. Mike logically asked why should you or fans expect different results. Cashman was stunned.

and how much of that is the directive from above to keep the payroll in check.

said not much money coming off. Locked into big money contracts. Will meet with Hal and see what the budget is.

How is Ellsbury going to "gone"? He has a no trade contract with 110 million to be paid over the next 5 years. Who would trade for that contract? Even if someone would he could void the trade. Ellsbury won't be "gone" for 5 more years. As far as the too many home runs idiocy. NO ONE HAS EVER SAID THE YANKEES HIT TOO MANY HOME RUNS. What anyone who understands baseball has correctly said is home runs are the only way they score and home runs come in streaks. It's a bad way to build a baseball team and a big part of the reason they haven't won a playoff game in about 3 years.

In comment 12532667 Kyle in NY said:

Quote:

in what world is Gardner one of the best CFs in baseball? He's not in the top 2 in NY. And when Ellsbury is healthy Gardner gets moved to LF. I like him, he's a gritty guy, but he's a 4th outfielder.

Ellsbury is in center because he doesn't play left. Joe moved Gardner to left after the trade because Gardner is more versatile than Ellsbury. Ellsbury is good and can cover ground. Gardner is better and he's one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

In comment 12532609 arniefez said:

Quote:

there are more clueless Yankee fans that have no idea how the business of baseball works. Cutting ties with CC means eating 50 million dollars. MLB isn't the NFL. The money is 100% guaranteed. CC has a no trade contract. Arod has a no trade contract. Beltran has a no trade contract. Tanaka has a no trade contract. Ellsbury has a no trade contract. McCann has a no trade contract. Teix has a no trade contract. There is very little chance if any of those guys going anywhere.

No shit, we all know the contracts are guaranteed. Sometimes you just have to eat them, since that is all you are doing with a cooked player even with the guy sitting on the bench. What is the difference if CC plays and has a 5.50 ERA or goes home and collects his check there. Actually at home he's not getting knocked out of the game in 3 innings and wasting a spot on the rotation. As for Beltran, he is useless as an outfielder, useless. I'm not sure his bat makes up for how much they lose having him in the outfield. If he was strictly a DH, that would be fine, but ARod is the DH and he costs a lot more.
But like Cashman said, they are not going away. We can only hope they go on the DL and another player takes their spot.

In comment 12532667 Kyle in NY said:

Quote:

In comment 12532567 Victor in CT said: Quote: In comment 12532309 section125 said: Quote: In comment 12532102 Dave in Hoboken said: Quote: with the way this FO works, but I'd like to see them cut ties with CC. Oh, and fuck Gardy. Guy sucks. One of the best CFs in baseball sucks... in what world is Gardner one of the best CFs in baseball? He's not in the top 2 in NY. And when Ellsbury is healthy Gardner gets moved to LF. I like him, he's a gritty guy, but he's a 4th outfielder. He's better than a 4th OF, he's proven that. Stop saying stupid shit, everybody.

It's not stupid shit, it's fact. He isn't an everyday player mainly because he has shown that he wears down over the season and the numbers bear it out: career .283 1st half, .236 2nd half. He peaks in June (.328 career), falls off a cliff in July (.244) and descends from there (.229 in AUG, .227 in SEP) and (see link). And he will be 33 next year, so that will not improve. I like him and root for him. He's a gritty guy, but he isn't an everyday player.
Gardner stats - ( New Window )

How often has that happened with any team in MLB eating contracts for 50 million CC or 40 million Arod? I think Texas ate a lot money to dump Arod to the Yankees 67 million. I can't remember any others and that was 2004. There have been teams that eat money to move contracts but not the kind of money the Yankees are on the hook for.

that right now there is no spot for Bird on next years team that the team is better with Teix right now than it is Bird.

In comment 12532864 Dave in Hoboken said:

Quote:

that right now there is no spot for Bird on next years team that the team is better with Teix right now than it is Bird.

Teixeira gets hurt every year. Bird will get plenty of time in the bigs next year and be the full time 1b in 2017

any of them. And trading and offering to offset some isn't an option because they all have no move clauses. So they have to wait it out, and in the meantime hope that guys like Bird don't wither on the vine.

If they do trade some of the young guys who have shown they can play, I hope it is for younger, top end prospects who are a year or 2 away.

well pretty much. He said Teix is a better player right now than Bird and that he'll probably have to start at AAA next year. He has to say that. Even if he knows he has a trade in place for Teix in two weeks. He still has to say that right now. Maybe the Yankees will surprise us. But it's most likely that all the no trade contracts will be back until they run out and that Gardner & Headley will play out their contracts too.

Given the track record Tex getting hurt isn't a longshot. Bird could be playing sooner than you think. Beltran isn't exactly the picture of health either.

The highlight will be when guys like Beltran ellsbury and arod go on the DL and the young guys like judge get called up to play. Refsnyder is gonna play a lot next year

2017 is the target season. That's when this team comes full circle

Thanks, guys.

You have to know that the kids are much more likely to be moved than any of the old guys with albatross contracts. Sounds as if Heathcott or Williams were healthy at the deadline they would have been moved already.

I can't wait for the day this team is out from under the insane contracts. What is very scary though is they seemed to be against them starting with Cano and yet they brought in Ellsbury who everyone knew would be a disaster with that contract.

Might not be the case next year, but this is not like having Refsnyder in Scranton so Stephen Drew can get 100 starts.

And maybe a team takes a teixeira off our hands at the deadline

Going into 2016 the 25 man must be deeper so guys can sit and not wear down. At the deadline cashman got fucked Bc teams asked for the moon for bench guys. I don't think he was prepared for that. This is a GM who added chile Davis, strawberry, fielder etc during the season for garbage in years past

Beltran & Teix are not tradable unless they agree to go. I think that if the Yankees worked out a trade with Nats and the Nats agreed to extend Teix's contract he would go. Not sure he would go anywhere else. Beltran is probably going to retire after next year. Not sure he would agree to a trade or not. But they can't trade either without their approval.

by the home plate ump last night.

Automated ball and strike calls can't come soon enough for me.


Astros Had a Bigger Strike Zone - ( New Window )

turned down Warren and refsnyder for Zobrist. That would have been a horrible deal for the Yankees.

will be the Teix/Bird situation. Bird needs and deserves a lot of playing time but how do you play him if Teix is healthy? If Teix is healthy and playing like himself, he's plsying GG defense at first and he's making the whole lineup go. I guess they can rest him a little more next season but we'll see.

You can't really DH him much thanks to ARod not playing the field at all and you're stuck with that contract for two more years. He's probably the full time DH again next year unless he's doing really poorly. I assume in 2017 they'll make him part time there. But either way, he's clogging up the spot in the near future. Tex and McCann won't get many reps there which they need, especially the latter. Beltran would be a perfect fit there but he'll be in RF again.

The team won't be able to move any of these contracts. The productive players have no trade clauses and the others just make way too much and would likely be hard to replace. I guess there's an outside chance that Headley can be moved if a team was desperate for a 3B and the Yanks ate most of the contract. But even if that happened, they probably get very little in return and who do you replace him with? Nobody on the roster is ready to play there and there aren't many decent options available.

The best they can do to upgrade the team in the offseason is to sign David Price. He would instantly be huge for the rotation and the bullpen but I don't think they spend that much money. If you can't sign him, you look to how you can address the lineup. The only real noteworthy guys are Cespedes (not happening), Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. Those two could have a small chance at happening. Upton because he's a right handed bat. He'd give you everything that Beltran doesn't. He has pop, he can steal some bases, he can play both RF and LF. The question is how much will he cost and are they willing to sign Beltran's (or Gardner's if you think they'll move him) replacement one year early. Heyward is nice because of his age, plays good defense, has a decent bat that still has potential. But he's yet another left handed bat. I still think he would fit nicely into the lineup but he'll probably get a big offer from someone. Judge should be the RF in 2017 but you can't count on it like it's a sure thing. Injuries happen, players fall off sometimes. But if he pans out like we all hope, even if you sign a guy this offseason, it doesn't hurt to have four good OFs. Especially if a few of them can play multiple positions like Gardner.

So in my opinion, it just comes down to whether or not they want to spend anything this offseason. If not, you're in the same position next year that you were this season. But it's probably a worse situation than this year since ARod, Beltran and Teixeira will be a year older and who knows how Tanaka's arm will be. Plus Bird probably won't be an everyday player unless Teix gets hurt but the other young guys like Murphy and Refsnyder should get plenty of time. Heathcott should take Young's backup OF spot but they really need another RH bat out there. He's always hurt anyway.

In comment 12533034 DanMetroMan said:

Quote:

turned down Warren and refsnyder for Zobrist. That would have been a horrible deal for the Yankees.

+1 Does Cashman have total say on contracts? That seems to be where he is vulnerable to criticism.

but not total control. Although one of the best parts of this season was that Randy Levine wasn't seen or heard from much if at all.

In comment 12532781 arniefez said:

Quote:

How is Ellsbury going to "gone"? He has a no trade contract with 110 million to be paid over the next 5 years. Who would trade for that contract? Even if someone would he could void the trade. Ellsbury won't be "gone" for 5 more years. As far as the too many home runs idiocy. NO ONE HAS EVER SAID THE YANKEES HIT TOO MANY HOME RUNS. What anyone who understands baseball has correctly said is home runs are the only way they score and home runs come in streaks. It's a bad way to build a baseball team and a big part of the reason they haven't won a playoff game in about 3 years.

Chill brah.

Where did I say anything about releasing him? Players with bad deals get traded a heck of a lot more often than you seem to think. Prince Fielder? Vernon Wells? A-Rod?

And the "too many home runs" meme. People have been saying that for years, on this forum and others as well as all over talk radio. Both Kay and Francesca have talked about it ad nauseum going back to about 2010 or so.

Everyone needs to chill about bunting and all this other dead ball ERA stuff. The game isn't played that way any more and hasn't been in a long time. Front offices and analytics don't support giving outs away. Welcome to the 21st century. I'd recommend the book Moneyball. It came out 12 years ago but it may help you. Just an example of at least how far you can trace back the fact I'm telling you that nobody plays that kind of game any more. Do you watch any games besides the Yankees? No one does it. That isn't how the game is played in 2015. Sorry Honus Wagner and The Cobb ain't coming back.

For the 2017 mlb season. Refsnyder may be expendable

I heard an interesting story around the trading deadline. The order not to touch any of the top prospects came directly from Hal Steinbrenner. If true its the exact opposite of what his father would have done. George would have said get a big name or else.

I wonder if there's some kind of power struggle going on. This is the second time Cashman has said there's no place for Bird. Maybe he's just trying to convince Hal to let him deal Bird. Refsynder is another case. Its clear that Girardi doesn't like him. Hal does and maybe Cashman does. Maybe the order to play Ref came from the top. When Ref did play he finally produced.

There are some other things: The Sabathia announcement coming on the eve of the playoffs. Last year Cashman publicly critisized Girardi after the Pineda pine tar incident. Someone should have known Pineda was not legal. Shouldn't somebody have known Sabathia had a problem ? It doesn't make a difference now but it would have been a lot better if Sabathia has gone through rehab earlier in the year and be ready for the playoffs.

One more thing: The totally inexplicable move of bringing in Capuano into the last regular season game. Maybe I'm reading to much into it but about a decade ago George publicly criticised Joe Torre for something. The next day in another inexplicable move he batted Todd Ziele cleanup. That was the equivelent in that time of batting Stephan Drew cleanup. He was telling George "fuck you" . I remember thinking at the time that Torre might be gone in 24 hours.

We're going to have to buy our way back into title contention...as usual.

No other team was offering this hack a 4 year deal last year and the Yankees swoop in with their go to 4/$52 offer to secure one of the shittiest third baseman in all of baseball. Brilliant

Too Bad..So SAD!

Cashman was the one who said he was the best hitter on the farm when he was asked about Judge. What he's telling you is that he doesn't want a premium prospect to be a backup. I think Refsnyder was on Joe, and I think the problems were roughly similar. Cashman doesn't want to sit a premium prospect on the bench at the MLB level, because a backup 2B has little trade value. The same is probably true of Gary Sanchez, though he probably isn't ready either.

Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL
The David Price deal that I brought up last night was Acevedo, Mateo and Judge for Price...word is Cashman said no

to be at live. We were all feeling pessimistic but 0 runs and 3 hits in the Stadium in a game 7 atmosphere? Pathetic.

87 wins and WC-play in Loss in 2015

That's more than we expected at the start of the year, but we looked like a 92-95 win contender in the middle of the year.

We knew that we were going to deal with a down period. These past 3 seasons have been just that.

85 wins in '13
84 wins in '14
87 wins in '15

We've somehow avoided a 75 or less win year, and I think Girardi deserves more credit than he's getting for not letting this team completely tank a season (although we certainly tanked the end of this year).

I unfortunately see another 75-85 win mediocre-good but not good enough season in 2016. But I think once we get out of some of these awful contracts the team will look more legitimate by 2018 and maybe 2017 if things go right. Cashman must handle these next 2 off-seasons wisely, no $130M+ contracts to 30+ year olds and injury prone guys.

Just deal with it for another year or two, hopefully a couple of the young guys develop during this time and then in Year 3 we can build a contender.

Ellsbury... ugh. More than any other player, he's the guy that needs to step up. What a joke of a season from him.

In comment 12533889 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL The David Price deal that I brought up last night was Acevedo, Mateo and Judge for Price...word is Cashman said no

I think declining was the right call. What difference would Price have made if they couldn't hit worth a damn?

I'm all for throwing money at him this winter though.

In comment 12533944 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In comment 12533889 Dunedin81 said: Quote: Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL The David Price deal that I brought up last night was Acevedo, Mateo and Judge for Price...word is Cashman said no I think declining was the right call. What difference would Price have made if they couldn't hit worth a damn? I'm all for throwing money at him this winter though.

Very good pitcher but he's going to be 30 and cost a shit-ton. Pass.

with regularity, you're going to need to sign someone eventually. I think you'll get enough quality seasons from Price to outweigh the back-end decline.

Your plan should be the plan. But with declining ratings and ticket sales I doubt it will be and if the Steinkids authorize another spending spree it will decline the ratings and ticket sales even more. There's no quick fix. They have to shut the checkbook and live with the next two years. When can they buy up all of the kids in Latin America again?

He's a little older than CC was then but he also probably has slightly less wear on the tires at 30 than CC did. Regardless, if you win a world series with him at any point, it's worth it. Just like it was with CC.

It's exactly the sport where you CAN do a quick fix with just a couple moves if you're already close. Just look at the Blue Jays and Mets this year. I mean, come on. I don't get when people say "don't sign someone like Price, they aren't close anyway." Are you kidding me? He's the type of guy who can help to put you over the top. You add him, find a way to upgrade the lineup and pray Tanaka stays healthy and that's an instant world series contender.

I know that's too much money to throw around but there is definitely such a thing as a quick fix in baseball.

In addition, he hasn't has as heavy a workload as CC did when he hit free agency - 300 fewer innings.

reminded me so much of CC. Big power lefties with good control and great sliders.

CC gave us 4 very good season after we signed him from the ages of 28-32.

That's the Max amount of very good seasons I can see Price giving us. He's 30. Does it really make sense for this team to go all-in for 3-4 years of Price when we're probably going to be a pretender next year regardless of his presence?

I just don't want to repeat the same mistakes.

In comment 12533889 Dunedin81 said:

Quote:

Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL The David Price deal that I brought up last night was Acevedo, Mateo and Judge for Price...word is Cashman said no

was that the initial ask or was that Detroit's final position after negotiating?

In comment 12533984 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In addition, he hasn't has as heavy a workload as CC did when he hit free agency - 300 fewer innings.

True, Price is clearly in better shape which should help him. But they've always struck me as similar.

In comment 12533944 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In comment 12533889 Dunedin81 said: Quote: Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL I think declining was the right call. What difference would Price have made if they couldn't hit worth a damn? I'm all for throwing money at him this winter though.

Totally agree. It's doubtful Price alone would be been enough to win us the division....and let's say he pitches the WC game.....goes 7 IP, gives up 1 run and we lose 2-0.

Now we've given up Judge, Mateo and Acevdo for what?

Agreed that I'd love to sign him this winter....there's very little room for change in our lineup but there is always room to add another starting pitcher

And the Yanks can certainly fucking afford it.

I just don't feel very solid about their rotation. Love Severino but he's just a baby - who knows how effective he'll be over his first full season. Tanaka's got the elbow problem hanging over his head. Eovaldi had a mostly encouraging season, but is far from proven. Pineda can't stay healthy and stunk for most of the second half. Nova looks cooked. They're going to have to find some pitching from somewhere.

What this team needs to figure out is whether or not they really want to be fiscally responsible or not. I know people get tired of me harping on Ellsbury, but nothing about that deal made any sense whatsoever. Either spend big or don't spend big. There are ways to make either approach work, but trying to rein in spending while also blowing a ton of money on an injury-prone slap hitting OF when you already have your own slap-hitting OF who makes much less money? What was the point?

I think this is where we start to hit the 'Yanks can't afford not to' phase.

spree is kind of the worst of both worlds. Pick one or the other.

and I'll say it all offseason. If they don't spend this offseason, they're pretty much punting next season because they won't win shit with what they currently have. We'll see how badly they want to put a winning product out there. Or should I say we'll see whether or not they want to have a 40% full stadium for the entire year.

I also don't really understand the whole "wait until 2017/2018 when the bad contracts are gone and then they can sign new guys and fix it" idea. What if there aren't many good players available that year? It might be like this offseason where there aren't that many star players available. And if there are, maybe other teams go apeshit with the contracts like Seattle did with Cano. It's not a guarantee they can rebuild whenever they feel like spending again. You make moves when you're able to and when it can help your team. And we know they're always able to. It's just a matter of how much they're trying to save right now. But they're the Yankees. I don't really want to hear about how tight money is from them. It's hard to feel sorry for them with all the money they rake in.

if he does, which is a big if, the Yanks could probably find a taker. Tex can still play and with only one year left on his deal....thing is would Tex accept a trade. He's probably very comfy here.

I think the Yanks will make a big trade this off-season but it won't involve many of the kids if any at all. Maybe Ref...

Trading for a 36 year old 1B is the kind of thing a contender does, but none of the contending teams really has a hole at 1B. And how much of a return can you expect with a guy like that who has one year left on his contract?

I don't know, maybe the Orioles if they can't sign Chris Davis or the Pirates if they want an upgrade on Pedro Alvarez - assuming the Pirates are willing to take on a salary like that, which they probably aren't.

In comment 12533986 HomerJones45 said:

Quote:

In comment 12533889 Dunedin81 said: Quote: Spring Training 2016 þ@Draft2Dynasty 1h1 hour ago Fort Lauderdale, FL The David Price deal that I brought up last night was Acevedo, Mateo and Judge for Price...word is Cashman said no was that the initial ask or was that Detroit's final position after negotiating?

IDK, if I had it on better authority I would have linked it.

In comment 12534079 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

Trading for a 36 year old 1B is the kind of thing a contender does, but none of the contending teams really has a hole at 1B. And how much of a return can you expect with a guy like that who has one year left on his contract? I don't know, maybe the Orioles if they can't sign Chris Davis or the Pirates if they want an upgrade on Pedro Alvarez - assuming the Pirates are willing to take on a salary like that, which they probably aren't.

The Nats had a hole and made sense but it looks like that'll be Zimm's permanent position.

In comment 12534079 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

Trading for a 36 year old 1B is the kind of thing a contender does, but none of the contending teams really has a hole at 1B. And how much of a return can you expect with a guy like that who has one year left on his contract? I don't know, maybe the Orioles if they can't sign Chris Davis or the Pirates if they want an upgrade on Pedro Alvarez - assuming the Pirates are willing to take on a salary like that, which they probably aren't.

The only 'return' will be not having Tex on the books anymore.

I'm with you re: the halfway approach. Either blow it up or wait it out, don't try to go halfway. The Ellsbury contract was remarkably stupid, and they now are in the unenviable position where they have some youth they need to develop and some older guys who are just going to waste away. IMO, they have to bite the bullet, eat a lot of salary, and get rid of some of those guys, whether they like it or not.

you're just going to have to eat a ton of $ and/or take back a bad contract. Without the contract he still has value, they'd probably get a decent return for him by eating the money, but I'm not sure the Yankees are willing to eat $60+ mil. He definitely seems to have some sort of conflict with Girardi though.

that Ellsbury was a Cashman move and that he "loves" Ellsbury's game. I usually don't take what he says seriously but he's pretty close with Cashman. I would guess if Cashman wanted it out that he didn't want Ellsbury it would be out. Francesa also said and he was correct, that the Yankees don't pay players to leave. They did with AJ but I don't remember any others.

He's from there, they'll have a new manager, they could benefit from some veteran professionalism and they don't have a good 1B.

the Nats do have a high priced 1B that they owe 62 million through 2019 with a no trade contract.

isn't a fit in Washington. Zimmerman isn't going anywhere. Baltimore makes some sense since odds are Davis gets a MONSTER teal to go somewhere else. Houston has already been rumored for him.

and Orioles can stand to do business with each other. But the Orioles did trade with the Red Sox last year.

It's just hard to picture those two franchises making a major trade. When was the last time they made a deal?

Yankees are reportedly hot for Byung-Ho Park so you would think they would have some plan with Teixiera if Bird is the 1b. Seattle routinely makes poor moves (though they have a new GM). Don't see the Pirates making such a move. Lot of money and they have Bell on the way. Marlins routinely make strange moves so maybe them? Alonso sucks so maybe the Padres? Adams likely is the Cardinals 1b next year but couldn't you just see Teixiera on that team? lol

In comment 12534247 DanMetroMan said:

Quote:

isn't a fit in Washington. Zimmerman isn't going anywhere. Baltimore makes some sense since odds are Davis gets a MONSTER teal to go somewhere else. Houston has already been rumored for him.

That would make perfect sense, he is basically Chris Carter on steroids.

Grew up 3 hours outside of Houston, Astros reportedly inquired before the deadline and Singleton has been an utter turd. I really think there is a good chance Davis lands there.

without trading a few of the kids. Personally, I want 2B to be Refsnyder's to lose, now that he got his feet wet. And, of course, I want Drew and Ryan nowhere near this team, even in the Spring. The most obvious places to upgrade (3B, OF) have absolutely no flexibility. Likewise, Bird at 1B would be nice, but Teixeira is not likely to go anywhere for a variety of reasons.

Solarte, 2015: .270/.320/.428, 14 homers, roughly league average defense, 2.2 WAR. 27 years old, makes $516K

Headley: .259/.324/.369, 11 homers, trainwreck defense, 23 errors, 1.1 WAR. 31 years old, makes $13 mill.

Guh.....I've never liked Headley much, but I didn't think Solarte would keep playing well so I was fairly ambivalent about the deal. Looks awful in retrospect.

sort of reminds me of the Mets and Melvin Mora where it was an older guy you thought was sort of a fluke and then suddenly he's pretty solid (Mora more than solid for a few seasons).

but the Yankees and Orioles trading always brings me back to 1976. I don't think we'll see too many trades like that again.

Quote:

Hank Peters, in his first year as Baltimore's general manager, was in Chicago with the team, which was on a long losing streak. ''Gabe came to Chicago and we discussed a lot of different combinations, a lot of different players,'' Peters said. ''Guidry was in the deal and out of the deal. Grich was mentioned, Nettles was discussed. We took a future approach; they took the immediate approach, and it paid off for them.'' Guidry was removed from the the package, Peters explained, because the Yankees already had agreed to give the Orioles three left-handed pitchers. ''It wasn't that they were that high on Guidry,'' Peters said. ''He was left-handed and they didn't want to give up any more left-handed pitching.'' When Peters and Paul were done with their shuffling and mixing and trading on the evening of June 15, the Orioles received McGregor, Martinez and Rudy May, all left-handed pitchers; Dempsey, the Yankees' backup catcher to Thurman Munson, and Dave Pagan, a right-handed pitcher. The Yankees got Holtzman and Doyle Alexander, two disgruntled starting pitchers; Elrod Hendricks, an aging catcher; Grant Jackson, a journeyman relief pitcher, and Jim Freeman, a minor league pitcher.

pretty good explanation of how stuck the Yankees are with what they've got.

Quote:

Hal Steinbrenner has been rather transparent in not intending to add another mega-contract until he has some big deals run out after 2016 (Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira) and 2017 (Brett Gardner, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia). The Yankees’ top 10 salaries from 2015 all return next year at a luxury tax price of roughly $190.3 million. The seven players they are likely to go to arbitration with would cost $22.7 million, based on projections done by MLB Trade Rumors. At $213 million, the Yankees already are well over the $189 million luxury tax threshold before completing the roster and paying the roughly $12 million that each team is charged for benefits. That leaves their tax at 50 percent, which means paying Price $30 million a year (at least what he will get) would be $45 million annually for the Yankees.

Quote:

This would mean beginning the year with Rob Refsnyder (a Steinbrenner favorite) in the minors. No problem. He played the outfield in college and should be used there and second base to be summoned when an injury hits. It also means beginning the year with Greg Bird in the minors. That is tough, but for a team lacking maneuverability, they cannot have a backup DH/first baseman as long as the Yankees seem dead set against using him at third or the outfield. Again, organizational depth is a good thing. Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams are Ellsbury/Gardner insurance.

I hope is GMing his wrong but it's probably not far off from what they'll try and do.
How to fix the Yankees, with trades and free agents - ( New Window )

is that the Yanks minor league system is ready to produce and is the primary reason why the Yanks aren't likely to make big trades or sign big name FA this winter.

For example, Carlos Beltran's deal expires after next season (2016). His replacement will likely be Aaron Judge. However, as Judge demonstrated in his time at AAA, his development is not complete. He still needs to work on off-speed pitches and locating "his" pitch to hit and not the pitch the pitcher wants him to swing at. However, he will likely be ready later in 2016.

One of Refsynder or Pirela will be ready and able to take over 2B. Sure, people throw out Ackley's name, but I think they use his elsewhere- to be discussed below. Drew is going to be gone, and I hope Ryan goes too.

Didi will be the SS for the next couple years and really is part of the solution.

Headley was HORRIBLE at 3B- but is signed for the next 3 years. The Yanks have little choice but to play him in 2016 and hope that his defense recovers and that the second half of 2014 was the real player and not a major contract drive. If, and that is an almost impossible if, Headley were to be traded, a small possibility might be Ackley here- the M's talked about it a while back, but then went with Seager, which was the right choice.

Bird will go to the minors to start 2016 unless they trade Tex. Tex has a no-trade, but might be able to be convinced to go closer to "home" (he was born and raised near Annapolis, MD)- but that is really not very likely. What IS likely however, is that Tex will spend part of the year injured, which will give more time to Bird.

I think the biggest change possibility is LF. Gardner is a complementary player- meaning he's a nice starter in CF or LF on a team with established stars- but he is not a star. However, given the number of big money clubs who expect to be competitive in 2016 who have OF issues (the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Nats just as a few) could make him a nice trade piece this winter if the return was a couple of good prospects (not likely to be top 50 prospects, but one top 100 plus a good upside guy might be reasonable). Why talk about trading him? Because THIS could be where Ackley ends up, perhaps in a platoon with a righty bat. Add in that with the Yanks having Williams, Heathcott and maybe Gamel as ML ready OF- and all similar to Gardner and Ellsbury, someone has to go. May as well sell while he still has value.

Ellsbury's contract is just not tradeable, unless the Cubs fall a game short of the WS or the Dodgers don't make the WS and the blame falls on the lack of a leadoff CF type and the GM feels heat on their job- but since those are unlikely scenarios, I think the Yanks fans need to get used to seeing Ellsbury for 4 more years.

At C, McCann had a good first half, bad second half. However, Murphy showed signs he could be a good C in his won right. Immediately behind him is Gary Sanchez who could be an offensive force himself.in AAA. McCann isn't going anywhere in 2016- but when Beltran and Tex's deals expire- and if the Yanks can trade ARod after 2016, he could move to DH while the Yanks move Sanchez behind the plate.

Coming up fast as some good middle INF guys- Mateo is probably 2 years away- and could be a SS or 2B, depending what they need when he gets there.

In the SP category, the Yanks had some guys who really moved through the system in 2015 and could either be good trade pieces or options in later 2016- Rookie Davis is a big guy with power, Hebert is a lefty who is more finesse- but gets the job done, Chase Whitley will return from TJ sometime in mid-late 2016, Brady Lail moved from low-A in early 2014 to AAA by the end of 2015. He struggled in AAA, but could be a replacement to Nova in the back of the rotation in 2016 if he can make the adjustments.

There IS talent coming. Personally, I think the Yanks intended to have 2015 be a year where they played out the string much like 2014. The result was surprising. I doubt they repeat in 2016- I suspect a year closer to 2014 than 2015. Still, that will make the changeover to Bird and Judge, as well as some of the younger P more palatable to fans- in Yankee-land, change is good when you lose.

even Williams. And I'd put a lot of banana peels next to Tex's locker. Birds needs to be up. Headley.....let's hope for a bounce back and then trade him next year to make room for Jagielo. I can live with the Ack/Ref platoon at 2B. Murphy could probably get us back something valuable, he's redundant with McCann eventually giving way to Sanchez.

I am willing to wait for the contracts to come off the books before making bigger moves for the team to contend.

Nice post. I'll try to give it the attention it deserves a little later tonight.

He has never, ever stayed healthy for any length of time. And Williams needs to put up more than one good partial season before I'm buying in again.

have some minor league options. However it's pretty unrealistic to think that most of the names people know from the minors are going to pan out as starters on a good team.