Archive for January, 2014
What Masahiro Tanaka Must Change to Ensure MLB Stardom »
Based on the $155 million paycheck and intense hype surrounding his arrival in the United States, Masahiro Tanaka has the aura of a Major League Baseball superstar. Unfortunately, the Japanese ace still has to throw his first meaningful pitch at the highest level of professional baseball. That means that, when trying to evaluate his talents, [...]
Ranking the New York Yankees’ 5th Starter »
The New York Yankees' rotation was upgraded, albeit at a great cost, last week when they signed coveted Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka is expected to slot into the second starter's position behind veteran workhorse C.C. Sabathia. The tail end of the Yankees' rotation is less certain. They will likely seek to fill the fifth and [...]
Biggest Winners and Losers from New York »
The New York Yankees have had quite the eventful offseason and have been the focal point of the winter. Whether it is being in the headlines for signing another key free agent or losing one or having one of their players receive a season-ending suspension, the news has been plentiful. It is safe to say the majority of the free agency has hinged on [...]
Stephen Drew Is Perfect Yankees Fit for Present, »
If the New York Yankees want to cap their offseason pursuit of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, signing their former shortstop to fill major holes in 2014 and beyond could be a season-changing transaction.Stephen Drew, after helping Boston ascend to AL East supremacy and a World Series run in 2013, is still on the open market, available [...]
5 New York Yankees Players Who Will Be Fighting for »
The moves made by the New York Yankees this offseason will necessitate some roster shuffling from within, and that will make it difficult for several members of the roster to crack the 25-man out of spring training. They'll be in stiff competition with other candidates right from Day 1 of workouts. General manager Brian Cashman has made it a [...]
Masahiro Tanaka Makes New York Yankees World Series »
The New York Yankees made headlines on Wednesday when they announced the signing of Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka for $155 million over seven years. The significance of the signing is not that the Yankees placed themselves over the $189 million luxury tax threshold, but rather that signing Tanaka makes the Bronx Bombers a legitimate [...]
Top Bullpen Options for Yankees to Finish off Winter »
After spending close to $500 million on talent this offseason, it's easy to assume that the New York Yankees are a finished product heading into the 2014 season.Unfortunately for their fans, that's far from the case.While the talent infusion of Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran and Masahiro Tanaka is impressive, the team still has [...]
How Does Masahiro Tanaka Fit into Yankee Stadium, »
So, an interesting thing happened on Wednesday. The New York Yankees agreed to pay $175 million for a pitcher who's never thrown a pitch in the majors, and all they're asking him to do is conquer an extremely tough AL East while pitching primarily at Yankee Stadium. It sounds like a recipe for disaster. But in reality, it probably won't be all [...]
Ranking the 5 Most Underrated Yankees Prospects »
About a month ago, we first checked in on Baseball America's ranking of the top 10 prospects for the New York Yankees while projecting big league arrival dates. Just last week, we looked at the top Yankees prospect at each position. Whether you're a farm-system nut or you simply like to stay up on the minor league talent, we're [...]
Is David Robertson Ready for Spotlight as »
With about a month to go before spring training starts, a certain New York Yankees pitcher may, in fact, be facing the most pressure in all of Major League Baseball, and no, it's not just-signed Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka. It's David Robertson, one of the Yankees' lesser-known players who has spent the entirety of his career pitching in a [...]