In a little over a month, pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa, Florida, for the New York Yankees' spring training. Manager Joe Girardi is already figuring out how he'll shuffle around the pitching staff and starting lineup.
Despite the fact Aroldis Chapman posted sub-2.00 earned run averages in 2014 and 2015, his arrival all but blocked Dellin Betances' path to the closer role. Girardi confirmed Monday that Chapman will have first crack at ninth-inning duties, per the team's Twitter account:
The move makes a lot of sense. Chapman was the Cincinnati ...
For most of the last two years, the New York Yankees specialized in acquisitions that were anything but flashy. Many were useful and some were surprisingly good, but none of them screamed, "Look at us!"
Trading for Aroldis Chapman did. That's a Yankee move.
He's the type of player you expect them to get, and the over-the-top bullpen of Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances is exactly what you expect the Yankees to assemble. Hey, did you hear that they had three of the four highest strikeout rates in baseball in 2015?
Did ...
What? Did you think the New York Yankees were going to steer clear of star players all winter?
Guess again, friend. The Yankees have gone and acquired a rather big star. In so doing, they have set their immediate future up for quite a bit of intrigue.
As Jack Curry of the YES Network was first to report, the Yankees struck a deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday to acquire flame-throwing relief ace Aroldis Chapman. Per the Yankees' Twitter, here's the full deal:
Before this, the biggest move the Yankees had made ...
At one point, closer Aroldis Chapman appeared destined for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Investigations into an alleged domestic violence incident, however, squashed those plans and forced the Cincinnati Reds to pivot.
Now, Chapman is headed to the New York Yankees in a trade first reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Jack Curry of YES Network reported the Reds will get four minor leaguers in exchange for Chapman, but it won't be any of Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo and Gary Sanchez.
Rosenthal reported the Marlins were ...
Are you sitting there wondering why the New York Yankees haven't seemed interested in building for 2016 this winter?
Here's a potential spoiler: It might be because they have their eyes on what's coming after 2018.
It's not because the Yankees don't have needs in the here and now. They snagged some outfield depth and a solid second baseman in trades for Aaron Hicks and Starlin Castro, but those don't look like substantial upgrades for a roster that won just 87 games in 2015. At the least, more starting pitching depth would ...
The New York Yankees have taken a second base situation that impressed nobody and have addressed it with a trade that doesn't seem to be satisfying everybody.
But if you're among those who are on the fence, rest assured. The Yankees have had worse ideas.
If you're just now joining us, the Yankees acquired second baseman Starlin Castro in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night. Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the deal in the wake of Chicago's signing of veteran utility man Ben Zobrist, and the team ...
For years, the New York Yankees won the winter the traditional way.
They bought it.
The Yankees are different now, and if you didn't believe it when they wouldn't enter the bidding for David Price or Zack Greinke, perhaps you will when you hear (per Joel Sherman of the New York Post) that they never bid on Jeff Samardzija, either. Maybe they're saving all their money to sign Jason Heyward—but don't count on it.
No, if the Yankees are going to come out of this week as winter-meetings winners, they're going to do ...
The guy who used to play there isn't a realistic option, but the New York Yankees clearly need something at second base. As opposed to the, you know, nothing they've gotten out of the position since Robinson Cano left town two years ago.
As far as their options go, it's obviously a choice between Starlin Castro and Rob Refsnyder. Or so we can pretend, anyway.
Though Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has reported that the Yankees are unlikely to acquire an upgrade at second base—a position where they rank 29th in fWAR since 2014—he's ...
A few years back, a general manager of a limited-budget team shook his head while talking about the New York Yankees.
"Sometimes it seems like they're trying to operate like us," he said. "If we had their money, we wouldn't operate like us."
The Yankees are far from having a limited budget, with a payroll that has exceeded $200 million in seven of the last eight years. While the Dodgers outspent them each of the last two seasons, the Yankees have ranked first or second in total payroll every season since 1994, ...
The New York Yankees need starting pitching. That's not breaking news, but it's an undeniable truth.
They can get it by spending on the open market, which would be the classic Yankee Way. Or they could get creative on the trading block, which might be the Yankee Way 2.0.
If they go the trade route, here's a name the Yanks and general manager Brian Cashman will at least consider dangling: Brett Gardner.
That's not merely idle speculation. Gardner's name began popping on the hot stove shortly after the Yankees acquired outfielder Aaron Hicks ...