Yankees Acquire Aroldis Chapman

In a shocker Monday afternoon, the New York Yankees acquired Cincinnati Reds' closer Aroldis Chapman for four prospects. Chapman was close to becoming a Los Angeles Dodger until the Cuban born reliever was accused of physical abuse by his girlfriend. In addition to reportedly choking his significant other and pushing her into a wall, Chapman also fired eight shots in the garage of his Miami-based home. Though police were called, no arrest was made.

The Yankees agreed to send third baseman Eric Jagielo (26th overall pick out of Notre Dame in the 2013 draft), second baseman Tony Renda, and right-handed pitchers Caleb Coltham and Rookie Davis to Cincinatti. Coltham appeared in 12 games for the Yankees this past season.

Chapman is in his third year of arbitration eligibility and can become a free agent for the 2017 season. The four-time All-Star has averaged better than 15 Ks per nine innings over the last four seasons, with a  high of 17.7/9 IP in 2014. His fastball has been clocked as high as 105 mph. Chapman has averaged 36 saves per season over that same stretch.

The move could mean that the Yankees current closer, Andrew Miller, could be used as trade bait. The fellow left-hander signed a four-year, $36MM contract prior to the 2015 season. Miller recorded 36 saves and rang up 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

With Dellin Betances, the Yankees could have a three-headed monster out of the pen and insurance in case Chapman leaves as a free agent. In all likelihood though, Miller will be given his traveling papers in exchange for starting pitching or a solid bat.

On The Warning Track - 2nd Half Outlook AL East - Yankees

For years the American League East held the unofficial title of the best division in baseball. That’s not the case any more, though the division is still extremely competitive despite its flawed teams. There’s no question that it may take as little as 90 wins to capture the division title and any of the five teams in the division could be on top when the regular season ends on October 4.

The next two weeks will determine whether or not teams are buyers or sellers at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. With a weakened division and the two wild card spots, a minimum of four teams will be buyers, with the Red Sox the lone possible seller as of this writing.

Here’s a look at what you can expect from each AL East team, starting with the Yankees, for the second half of the season.

New York Yankees (48-40): Most media experts and predictors felt the Yankees would finish in 4th or 5th/last place in the division. When you look at the construct of the team, you can understand why those predictions were made. But the Yankees have gotten performances from unexpected sources and have taken an advantage of the inconsistency of their division rivals.

Surprises – There was nothing more unexpected than the performances of first baseman Mark Teixeira and Designated Hitter Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira was selected to his first All-Star since 2009, his first year in New York. The Georgia Tech product saw his production suffer the last few years due to some bad habits and injuries, including a wrist injury that kept him out of all but 15 games in 2013. He entered the break with an AL leading 62 RBI and has his highest slugging pct. (SLG) in six years.

Read the rest of the story on the always free, On the Warning Track.

The 2015 Jeter-less Yankees - Who Are They?

The Jeter maze is probably easier to figure out than next year's squad.

This has not been a happy summer of Yankees’ baseball. It’s not helped by the fact that the summer is flying buy either. Football is around the corner and the final 1-1/2 months of the regular season is here. The Yankees semi-salvaged their road trip to Baltimore and Tampa Bay with a pair of wins this past weekend, but they enter Tuesday’s play a long 7.5 games behind the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles. They’re still in the wild card race (three games back of Detroit), but there are many others in the mix.

The fans are restless, bored, and unenthusiastic. It’s hard to blame them though. This current squad of Yankees has been turning in some dull efforts. It’s a team that can’t stay healthy, struggles to hit, and has a patchwork rotation.

It makes you wonder what things will be like next year. It will be the first Jeter-less Yankees team since 1995. (Yes, he had a cup of coffee with the team, but his impact wasn’t felt until a year later.) So the first thing to consider is:

Who will be the Yankees starting shortstop in 2015?

That is a difficult question to answer. There was speculation when Stephen Drew was acquired from Boston that the Yankees would try to re-sign him for next season to take over at his natural position, shortstop.

Earlier this year, it looked like Yangervis Solarte might be the answer. Then he flamed out and is now a member of the San Diego Padres.

All-Star Troy Tulowitzki, who wears the number 2 in honor of his idol, basically came out and said he wanted out of Colorado and would like to be the next Yankees shortstop. There are several problems with that, not the least of which is the guaranteed $118MM he is owed through 2021. He’s injury prone and in fact, underwent season ending surgery last week to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. At this point, how quickly he is ready to play next year is anyone’s guess.  Oh, and let’s not forget…he’s still a member of the Colorado Rockies.

The veterans that are potential free agents include the Dodgers’ Hanley Ramirez, the Nationals’ Asdrubal Cabrera, and the Orioles’ J.J. Hardy. The best option of the three is Ramirez, the former star with the Florida Marlins. Ramirez earned $16MM this year, a season in which his production has dropped off some from last year, when he suffered a shoulder injury. Ramirez will be 31 when next season starts. Health and wanting a long-term, big money deal are the drawback.

Cabrera’s numbers have steadily slid since his 2011 All-Star season and Hardy has just 7 HR in 112 games after having averaged 25 HR the prior three seasons.

Who will be manning second base and third base?

Things get really sticky here. Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner stated last week that he expected Alex Rodriguez to be back as the Yankees third baseman in 2015. Can you really see that happening? Despite the fact they owe A-Rod $61MM, do you really think they want to deal with the circus that will come to town with him? It’s odd not to think the Yankees will attempt to either buy him out or eat a chunk of his salary and deal him to a team like the Florida Marlins. A-Rod would be in his hometown area and maybe the Marlins would have a drawing card. For his part, A-Rod would probably like to return to the Bronx just to stick it to the team he feels conspired with Major League Baseball to get him suspended. He’s going to have to weigh that against a mixed reception from the fans.

Barring an unusual circumstance, Martin Prado becomes the regular second baseman. (Perhaps third baseman if A-Rod departs.) Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, Prado has two years and $22MM left on his contract.

Free agent options for the two positions include Chase Headley, acquired at the deadline from the San Diego Padres. After a hot start, Headley entered this weekend with just eight hits in his last 47 at-bats, for a .250/.349/.375 slash line with 2 HR and 8 RBI in 20 games. His defense at third base, however, has been superb.

Pablo Sandoval is the biggest name among the pending free agents at third base, though his hitting has curtailed a bit the last couple of years. After making $8.2MM this year, “Kung Fu Panda” will be looking for a long term, big money deal.  He’s under 30-years of age, practically unheard of in the Bronx these days, and is a switch-hitter.

Among the second baseman that could become free agents are the Tampa Rays’ Ben Zobrist. The team will likely pick up his bargain basement $7.5MM option, but if they don’t, Zobrist will bring versatility to any team he joins. This season alone, Zobrist has played both corner outfield positions and both middle infield positions. The last two seasons, he has not shown the power or speed he had in previous years, but he could still put up 15 HR and 10-15 steals.

Will there be a healthy body in the starting rotation?

CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda. That’s a starting five that can go toe-to-toe with any starting five in baseball. But Nova never made it past April, Sabathia’s season ended on May 10, Pineda was out from April 24 to August 11, and Tanaka made his last start on July 8. The oldest of the group, the 39-year old Kuroda, is the only member of the staff to take his regular turn.

The Yankees traded for Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano, plugged in David Phelps and Vidal Nuno, called up Chase Whitley and Shane Greene, and gave a spot start to Esmil Rogers. The replacements have had their ups and downs, and have been the victims of a lack of run support too many times to count.

In a perfect world, Sabathia returns next season with a healthy knee (no microfracture surgery was needed), Tanaka avoids Tommy John surgery and is in the rotation from the get-go, and Pineda remains healthy. The final two spots in the rotation would be filled in with free agents, trade acquisitions, or free agents.  Nova would not likely return until at least the mid-season point.

The Candidates

McCarthy has been outstanding since joining the Yankees. Granted, it’s a small sampling, but as of his first six starts as Yankee, McCarthy posted a 2.21 ERA, 1.282 WHIP, and had allowed three home runs in 36.2 innings pitched. If the price was right, the Yankees certainly would be interested in McCarthy, who won’t be 31-years old until next July.

Phelps was up and down in his 17 starts before he landed on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow. He had put together five solid starts before his final two, when it became apparent there was an injury issue. He’s due to begin a throwing program this week if he’s cleared by the medical staff.

Manny Banuelos was expected to be in the Yankees rotation by now. But poor performance and then Tommy John surgery sidelined him from May, 2012 until April of this year. Still just 23-years old, the left-hander has progressed steadily as the season has gone on. Over a period of three starts from July 22 through August 1, Banuelos allowed one earned run and three hits over 14 innings for the Double-A Trenton Thunder.  Though he was hit hard his next time out, the Yankees moved him up to Triple-A Scranton, where he allowed one run and one hit over five innings on August 12. (Banuelos had control issues in his start yesterday.) If not at the beginning of 2015 season, Banuelos is a good bet to join the Major League squad at some point during next season. The question is, will it be as a starter or reliever?

The internal long shot would be Luis Severino, who is now considered by many to be the organization’s top pitching prospect. The native of the Dominican Republic will be 21-years old shortly after pitchers and catchers report to training camp. The six-foot right-hander has struck out 118 batters over 103 innings combined at Charleston (‘A’), Tampa (‘A+’), and Trenton. The most remarkable stat for such a young strikeout artist is that Severino has walked just 25 batters. That works out to a nifty 4.72 strikeout to walk ratio. Severino’s ascension may be slowed for the remainder of the season – he’ll return tonight after being out 10 days with an oblique injury.

Free agency will see some heavy duty price wars for the services of left-hander Jon Lester and last season’s AL Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer.  Royals’ ace James Shields and Seattle’s steady right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma lead the next level of starters, many of whom will wait to see what the top guns get before agreeing to deals.

With all the money the Yankees have tied up in players with questionable health right now, it’s hard to see the team making a push for Lester or Scherzer. Iwakuma would probably be the cheaper option of the tier 2 pitchers.

Does D-Rob return?

Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman better be sure he has enough money in the pot to bring back free agent closer David Robertson. “D-Rob” has done an outstanding job in his first full season as Yankees closer, a job made even more difficult by being the replacement for Mariano Rivera. The native Alabaman has saved 33 of 35 chances and averaged a career high 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 29-year old earned $5.215MM this season and will get a substantial raise next season.  His departure would be a huge blow to the Yankees pen. (Many fans feel Dellin Betances is ready to step into the role already due to his 13.4 K’s per nine innings.  But this is Betances’ first full season in the Majors and it shouldn’t be assumed he’s ready for the 9th inning role.)

Who will be Brian McCann’s backup?

Francisco Cervelli has been solid as McCann’s’ backup. With injuries to McCann and first baseman Mark Teixeira (McCann has filled in), Cervelli has seen his playing time increase since he returned from the disabled list in mid-June. He’s hit .296 with an .825 OPS in 98 at-bats. The Yankees need to decide whether it will be Cervelli, John Ryan Murphy, who backed up McCann while Cervelli was out this season, veteran minor leaguer Austin Romine, or if will be a wild card entry to share the catching duties next season. With Gary Sanchez and others on their way up the ladder, one of the many Yankees’ catchers could be dealt in the offseason.

Can the Yankees trade Mark Teixeira?

Your guess is as good as mine. Teixeira has had one injury after another this season after missing most of last year with a wrist tendon injury. He’s been decent when he’s played - .768 OPS, 19 HR, 52 RBI in 87 games – but his status is nearly questionable every day.  Teixeira has two years and $45MM remaining on his contract beyond this season. He’s also got a no-trade clause in his pact. Barring a financial arrangement of some kind, Teixeira is in New York for the next two years.

Will the Yankees make the playoffs in 2015?

I have no answer for that. There are a lot more questions about next year’s team and so far, not many answers. A healthy team would be a good place to start.

75 Years Later, A First Baseman Saves The Day

Ony July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig gave one of the most courageous speeches of all time.75 years later, another Yankees' first baseman saved the Yankees from blowing a 6-1 lead. The Yankees held on to a 6-5 victory after the Minnesota rallied back from a five run deficit to get within one run of the Yankees' lead.

Up by a pair of runs, Yankees' reliever Dellin Betances ran into trouble in the 8th inning. Kendry Morales led off the inning with a single and the Betances proceeded to hit Oswaldo Arcia. The Twins picked up a run on a double steal and an RBI ground-out by Chris Colabello.  Eduardo Escobar stepped to the plate and a two-hit grounder to the right side of the infield. Ticketed for right field and a game tying RBI, the ball was suddenly in the glove of Teixeira, who laid out flat to his right to stop the game ruining baseball. He quickly got to his feet and made a perfect throw to Betances to nail Escobar for the final out of the inning.

Teixeira has had his share of troubles in the infield this season. His five errors this year are usually a season total, at most. The Georgia Tech product has had a number of injuries this season and has experienced continued soreness in his wrist from last season's tendon surgery. But he's had a decent bat, and not long after Major League Baseball honored Gehrig, Teixeira did this thing and the Yankees had a two winning streak.


Brian Roberts had a career high four extra-base hits in the game, with a triple and three doubles.

Chase Whitley was chased from the game after three innings. It was his third straight terrible start. David Huff is a candidate to replace him in the rotation.

Joe Girardi said it's a real possibility that CC Sabathia will not be back this season, because of his injured right knee. Surgery remains a possibility

Betances Demoted in a Huff

Dellin Betances struggled as a starting pitcher in the Yankees organization so it was decided he would become a reliever. The improvement was drastic and it earned a promotion to the big club. Unfortunately, a four run 9th inning against the Angels Tuesday night earned him a trip back to Scranton Thursday.

The Yankees recalled left-hander David Huff, a waiver acquisition from the Cleveland Indians in May. Huff had one poor inning with the Bombers - a run, hit, and two walks - before he was sent to the RailRiders. Since his demotion, Huff has started in 12 of his 13 appearances for the International League franchise. He had a 1-6 record despite a decent 3.84 ERA. He also struck out 8.5 batters per 9 innings, but gave up more than a hit an inning.

To make room on the 40 man roster, David Phelps was moved from the 15- to 60-day disabled list. Phelps was in the midst of rehabbing a sore forearm. He's had a setback and it's possible he may not pitch again this season. He's not eligible to be activated until the first week of September.

MLB's Poor Umpiring Helps Yankees Blast Halos

The cry for instant replay is going to reach a crescendo sooner rather than later. With a 162 game regular season schedule we've witnessed many mistakes by the men in blue year in and year out. It's affected the biggest stage as well during the post-season.

While it may not cost a team a post-season series, it could help decide who reaches the post-season. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels are two teams battling to stay above water, so when a call possibly costs them a game, you bet plenty of people stand up and take notice.

Last week in Chicago, home plate umpire Alan Porter erroneously called Brett Gardner out at the plate when he was clearly safe. The "erased" run helped cost the Yankees the game. Tuesday night's contest with the Angels saw the wrong call go in the Yankees favor. Chris Nelson, who spent a few weeks in a Yankees uniform this season, was on third base for Los Angeles with one out in the 6th inning and the Yankees clinging to a 4-3 lead.

Tommy Field lifted a fly ball to left that enabled Nelson to race home ahead of Alfonso Soriano's throw to tie the game at 4-4. Or did it? Catcher Austin Romine threw the ball to Jayson Nix at third and home plate umpire David Rackley called Nelson out. Needless to say Angels manager Mike Scioscia went ballistic. Replays showed that Nelson did not leave third base early - his foot was still on the base when the ball landed in Soriano's glove.

It was Rackley's responsibility to watch Nelson since the third base umpire, Brian Gorman, had to make sure the ball was caught. So standing 90 feet away Rackley determined that Nelson left before the ball was caught which allowed the Yankees to record a double play rather than make an appeal.

Instead of a tie game and lead off hitter J.B. Shuck coming to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs, the inning was over with the Yankees still in the lead. It enabled CC Sabathia to stay in the ball game and pick up his 10th win of the season. The Yankees also had their biggest offensive explosion in what seemed like a decade and held on for a 14-7 win.

Alfonso Soriano had his first big game back in pinstripes with a pair of home runs and a career high six RBI. Alex Rodriguez ripped a 2-run double to the base of the wall in left, Vernon Wells homered for the first time since May, and Eduard Nunez had four ribbies.

It was an odd game to say the least. Sabathia only allowed three hits, but walked six hitters. He also struck out seven so there was plenty of "no contact baseball" when he was in there. The double digit win total made Sabathia just the fifth pitcher since 1900 to win 10 or more games in their first 13 seasons. The others are Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Eddie Plank, and Carl Hubbell.¹

The game was held up by rain for 26 minutes with two outs in the top of the 8th inning. When play resumed Dellin Betances struck out rookie Grant Green with a 97-mph fastball to end the inning. Unfortunately, Betances didn't have the same good fortune in the 9th inning when he was tagged for four runs after he struck out Chris Iannetta to start the frame. Joba Chamberlain came on to record the final two outs - a seven run lead may be the only time Joba is trusted now.

1 - Elias Sports Bureau

Nova Activated, Betances Back to Scranton

Hello..is this my agent..they're putting me in the bullpen!

Ivan Nova was activated from the 15-Day disabled list Friday night, and for the time being was placed in the bullpen. With Friday night's starter David Phelps outpitching Nova this season, and the Yankees wanting to take another look at Vidal Nuno, the bullpen move made sense.

Nova went on the DL on April 27 with an inflammed right triceps. He worked with pitching coach Larry Rotschild on Thursday to simulate situations a reliever would be in. Nova has appeared in just four games as a reliever in 70 regular season Major League appearances.

Joe Girardi plans to bring Nova in at the start of an inning, but of course sometimes game plans go out the window. After a 16-4 rookie season, Nova has struggled the last two years. He was 1-1, 6.48 with a 1.860 WHIP in four starts this season.

Dellin Betances was sent down to Scranton to make room on the 25-man roster.

Betances Joins Bullpen Shuffle

Yankees fans have heard about Dellin Betances' potential ever since the 6'8" hard throwing right-hander was selected in the 8th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft. Unfortunately, he has struggled to meet the expectations and was recently converted from a starting pitcher to a full-time reliever. Despite pitching just twice in the pen this season, Betances has been recalled by the Yankees to join their bullpen.

The Yankees needed another reliever after Brett Marshall threw 108 pitches and Preston Claiborne pitched 2.1 innings in mopping up the mess Phil Hughes created against Seattle on Wednesday night. The Yankees were hopeful that Joba Chamberlain would be ready to come off the DL, but his oblique injury is apparently still an issue.

The decision to move Betances to the bullpen for good came after the 25-year old allowed 16 earned runs and walked 16 batters in 24 innings (six starts) at Triple-A Scranton. In his two relief appearances since then Betances has allowed one run in 4.1 innings pitched, walked just one batter and struck out four.

Despite his control issues, Betances worked his way up the minor league chain. I was at his Double-A debut for Trenton in 2010 and saw the good and the bad of his game. I recall him missing the catcher's target, his ability to blow his fastball by batters, an awkardness that led to two throwing errors on pickoff attempts, and an intimidating presence on the mound. But his ability and the sound of his pitches popping in catcher Austin Romine's glove sent an electricity through the crowd, quite a few of whom were friends and family of the Big Apple native.

Betances got a late September call up in 2011 and made a less than an impresssive debut against Tampa Bay. He allowed a pair of runs and walked four in just two-thirds of an inning. Six days later he faced the Rays again and pitched two scoreless innings with a walk and a hit allowed and struck out two.

The Captain and Cash Visit With Francesa

Mike Francesa opened his WFAN radio show on Thursday with the Captain himself, Derek Jeter, and then brought on GM Brian Cashman to discuss the upcoming season.

Jeter maintains he will be ready for opening day, hedging just a little in saying he will need to get enough at-bats. Among the things Jeter discussed were:

1. He knew his ankle was broken in the ALCS the instant it happened. He was afraid to look at it though in case it was pointing in the wrong direction.

2. He likes the makeup of the current Yankees. It reminds him of the early teams he was on when the Yankees didn't need to rely so much on home runs to win games. Jeter further stated he prefers to play the type of baseball the Yankees will need to now play with so many home run bats missing from last year's lineup.

You can more of the interview at the YES Network.

Among the things that we learned from Cashman were:

1. The catching job will be held down by Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. Why? Because they are out of options. Cashman didn't feel Austin Romine had any shot at the job when queried by Francesa. Since he has options and basically no Major League experience, Romine needs to start the season in Triple-A.

2. Cash was really hoping Russell Martin would return, but things couldn't be worked out. Francesa asked if there was any miscommunication between the Yankees and Martin, but Cash said there was none.

3. You can tell Cash does not love the WBC, but he has become accustomed to it and shrugged it off.

4. Cash expects Curtis Granderson back the first week of May. Until them the team will "evaluate what we have" and they will also check the waiver wires. Right now there is no player ahead of the others to win the left field job.

5. Francesa asked, "Is Nunez your insurance policy at shortstop?" - Cash said Nunez or (Jayson) Nix and said that the team may only carry one of them. Francesa also asked if Eduardo Nunez had the chance to be the right-handed DH. Cash said he wanted something more, which I would interrupt as someone with the more pop/power in his bat.

You can hear more of the interview at the YES Network website.

Thursday games wrap up

The wins and losses don't matter during Spring Training, but the efforts do. Though the Yankees lost both games on Thursday (against the Astros and Blue Jays), there were some high notes.

David Phelps tossed three scoreless innings in 1-0 loss to Toronto. He allowed a couple of hits, walked a batter and struck one out.  Reliever David Aardsma tossed a scoreless inning and Juan Rivera was 2-2.

The Yankees lost to the Astros 7-6 after they had built a 5-1 lead. All fives runs came in the 6th inning when Melky Mesa belted a 3-run home run. Mesa, who's full first name is Melquisedec, has been mentioned as a possible fill-in in left field until Curtis Granderson returns. Mesa only hit .230 in 33 games after an in-season promotion to Scranton last year, but had 9 HR and 21 RBI.  Zoilo Almonte continued to impress with a pair of hits and an RBI.

Not such a great start for Dellin Betances, who showed the control trouble he struggled with last year. In one inning against the Astros Betances walked two and struck out two. Betances averaged 8.3 walks per nine innings at Triple-A last year, which led to a demotion to Trenton. He was a little better there with an average of 4.8 walks per nine innings.

Chris Stewart did something you don't see too often in Spring Training. He was ejected for arguing a call at first base.

Go to Mo

Mariano Rivera took the next step in his return by throwing an 18 pitch simulated game.

It Is High, It Is Far, etc.

Yesterday's performance by Phil Hughes was about as ugly as the weather the last two days. I saw more sweat stains than I care to remember.

Hopefully, it's a 2-game blip and the starting pitching gets back on track against the Mets this weekend. Sunday night's matchup between CC Sabathia and R.A. Dickey at Citi Field should be fantastic. In the battle of the initials, CC is actually the underdog right now. That's because of the amazing season Dickey is having for the Mets.

Dickey has thrown back to back 1-hitters, thankfully the hit in the second game was clean so there was no nonsense by the Mets organization trying to get it changed to a hit (the only worse recent performance was by Mets' fans who booed Jason Bay when he crashed into the wall and ended up with a concussion), and struck out double digits with his amazingly controlled knuckleball.

Notes


Tyler Austin, the hot hitting outfielder for the Charleston RiverDogs, will represent the Yankees in the Futures Game during the All-Star break. But if you are wondering how the top 10 rated Yankees prospects are doing, click here to read the piece I wrote for the Yahoo Contributor Network. Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Mason Williams, and more.

The Yankees hope Omar Rodriguez becomes one of the top 10 prospects in the near future. The 19-yr old Cuban and the Yankees agreed to a deal that I detailed in this Yahoo Contributor Network piece.

Yankees Take Grapefruit Opener

There are some basic rules in Spring Training:

1. Stay healthy. This rule far exceeds any other.

2. Get your batting eye ready; get your swing set; get your fielding down; get your pitches in and throw strikes.

3. Don't get hurt. Yes I said it already...still can't stress it enough. Just ask Austin Romine (back) and George Kontos (oblique) about that.

4. If you weren't in shape, get in shape. NOW. Michael Pineda wants (needs) to lose 10 pounds.

5. Make people take notice of you...and be sure it's in a positive way.

Won/Lost record is not on the list of rules. George Steinbrenner would totally disagree, but it doesn't matter. You want to be sure to play well, but the won/loss record does not matter, even if you play the Red Sox or Mets or whomever.

The Yankees did win today, 8-5 over the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater, but the play wasn't all positive. The Yankees made three errors, including Eduardo Nunez booting the first ball of the game at shortstop.

On the up side, Curtis Granderson picked up where he left off last season, with a home run and two hits. On a day the wind helped many a baseball elude fielders, free agent signee Cole Garner needed no help in ripping a 2-run home run to left.

Ivan Nova started for the Bronx Bombers and looked pretty good. He allowed two runs, one earned, in two innings of worked. Manny Banuelos and David Phelps threw a couple of scoreless innings apiece as they followed Nova in the pecking order.

Dellin Betances struggled with mechanics and control in an inning of work, but induced a double play to put a goose egg up on the scoreboard. A couple of lefties had mixed results in the last two innings.

Rule V pick (from Boston ) Cesar Cabrel got off to a good start in his bid to make the Yankees bullpen with a scoreless 8th inning, but Mike O'Connor was not so fortunate. The 31-yr old, who pitched in parts of three seasons with the Nationals and Mets, allowed three runs on three hits and a walk to make things interesting in the 9th.

Brett Gardner (0-3), Nick Swisher (0-3), and Russell Martin (0-2) were the only returning lineup regulars to accompany Granderson on the trip. Newbie, and former Phillies outfielder, Raul Ibanez made his Yankees' debut with a 1-3 afternoon that included an RBI.

Yankees on MLB, Saturday at 1

After playing the Univ. of So. Florida on a Friday (an 11-0 win), the Yankees begin the exhibition season against the big boys today.

Ivan Nova will get the start as the Yankees face the Philadelphia Phillies at 1 pm ET on the MLB Network. Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, and David Phelps are all expected to pitch and half dozen regulars are expected to play.

YEAH!!!

The Yankees Did Nothing...And Nothing Was Good

There are probably plenty of Yankees fans out there tonight bemoaning the fact that Yankees did not acquire one player at the trade deadline. Despite another excellent outing from Freddy Garcia, there's a sense of panic that the pitching staff won't hold up and won't get the job done when the biggest games are on the line.

But what these fans don't realize, there was nothing of substance on the market. Yes, there was Ubaldo Jimenez, who personally I have concerns about, but Colorado wanted Phil Hughes, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Manny Banuelos. That is bananas. Cashman was willing to include Hughes in a deal, but the Rockies weren't interested especially after the Yankees wanted to see Jimenez's medical records ahead of time.

Some fans probably are livid that the Red Sox landed Erik Bedard, but the achy-breaky left-hander hasn't exactly had a lengthy, healthy track record. The Red Sox didn't even have to part iwth any of their top tier prospects to get him. (Though the Dodgers gave up their 10th rated player, Trayvon Robinson, to Boston who then dealt him to Seattle.)

The price was too high for San Diego's Heath Bell and though Mike Adams would have been a nice addition, where exactly would he fit with Soriano, Robertson, and Rivera?

King Felix was not available. The Yankees were willing to pay $21MM of the remaining money owed Houston's Wandy Rodriguez, but the Astros wouldn't pick up the rest.

The Yankees could use another bat..and they'll have one soon. His name is Alex Rodriguez.

It is what it is and it's not good to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade.

Tie Me Up Tie Me Down

The Yankees made their first trip to Port Charlotte, FL yesterday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays and pitching ruled the day. The game was called after 10 innings of a 1-1 tie.

Freddy Garcia made his latest pitch(es) for a spot in the starting rotation throwing two scoreless innings. He had 1-2-3 1st which concluded with a strikeout of Evan Longoria and got some help in the 2nd when he gave up a pair of singles, but Matt Joyce killed a potential rally with a base running error. Ivan Nova, one of the favorites to be a starter, helped his own cause with three scoreless innings.

Dellin Betances still needs to work on his command and it showed when he walked in the only Rays run with the bases loaded in the 7th. It was his third walk in an inning and two-thirds. The Yankees tied it up on an error in the 8th.

The Bombers were bomberless, managing just four hits off Rays pitching. Starter James Shields tossed three scoreless frames for Tampa.

Yankees and Red Sox play tonight in Tampa and as much as Michael Kay wants to promo the game, it does not "renew the rivalry".

The Yankees are concerned about Francisco Cervelli who fouled a ball off his foot against the Astros on Wednesday. He initially stayed in the game, but later went for a CT Scan, which showed no issues. However an MRI taken the next day has been sent to NY for further evaluation as the Yankees fear there may be a fracture.

UPDATE - Further tests on Friday revealed a fracture in Cervelli's foot. He's expected to miss a month, which will open a big door for Jesus Montero to be the back up catcher.

Burnett Passes His First Test, Garcia Up Next

Burnett delivers a curveball for strike three on Wednesday

In a post-game interview with YES' Kim Jones on Wednesday, starter A.J. Burnett was humble and admitted he had a lot of hard work ahead of him before his pitches are ready for prime time.

That being said Burnett did a fine job yesterday in his first appearance of the spring schedule. Facing the Houston Astros in Tampa, Burnett allowed a pair of hits in two scoreless innings and showed off his new modified delivery. He referred to his leg movement as a "swinging gate", something new pitching coach Larry Rothschild has worked with Burnett on during the winter.

Right now Burnett realizes he always has to get used to the new delivery so that he's not thinking about it while he's on the mound, and that's what spring training will take care of.

The Yankees took care of the Astros with a five run 9th inning thanks to poor defense and lack of pitching command by the Astros' kids. Down 5-1, Russell Martin started the inning off by reaching on an error by 3rd baseman Michael Kvasnicka. Dan Brewer followed with a sharp grounder that ate 2up nd baseman Jonathan Villar for a base hit, though it too could have called an error.

Shortstop Jiovanni Miller then got into the act with a throwing error that allowed Martin to score and Brewer to reach third to cut the Astros lead to 5-2. A wild pitch by Doug Arguello allowed another run to score before Melky Mesa's 2-run single tied things up.

Mesa was thrown out stealing for the inning's first out, but Eduardo Nunez hit another sharp grounder through Villar for a base hit and Kevin Russo followed with a walk. Bradley Suttle hit a potential inning ending double play grounder, but Kvasnicka bobbled the ball at third and could only get Suttle at 1st base for the second out.

When Brandon Laird walked to load the bases, former Yankees prospect Lance Pendleton came on to face Martin as the Yankees batted around. Pendleton threw just four pitches, one which could have gone for a strike, and walked in the winning run. It was a no pie walk-walk off 6-5 victory, and a good day all around.

Hector Noesi continued to impress with two scoreless innings; Joba Chamberlain put two men aboard in his one inning of work, but got a double play grounder to escape the jam.

Freddy Garcia will toe the rubber today for the Bombers as they play the Rays in Port Charlotte (1:05 ET). Dellin Betances and Ivan Nova will also be among the hurlers Joe Girardi puts out there today.

The Kids Are All Right

No, not the lesbian meets the sperm donor movie. No, not the Who's classic song (Happy 67th birthday to Roger Daltrey today). I'm talking New York Yankees prospects.

Remember when all those highly touted kids were in the low minors? Well now they will be in Trenton, Scranton, and the Bronx. So far this spring training the youngsters have been shining.

Weekend Update (No, not SNL)

The Yankees split a home and home series with the Phillies over the weekend, winning on the road with a number of the youngin's. First Saturday though...a 5-4 loss to the Phillies that followed another ceremony honoring George Steinbrenner at the field named in his honor. Jorge Vazquez made the loudest noise of the kids hitting a long 2-run home run to dead center. It actually went over the black batter's eye in centerfield and was not wind aided in any way.

Hector Noesi, one of the guys who has an outside shot at the #4 or #5 spot, threw two scoreless innings on just eight pitches. And all eight pitches were strikes. Catcher Austin Romine was 1-2 and Eduardo Nunez, battling for the utility spot, was 1-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Though he's been in the league for a few years Joba Chamberlain is still a young guy and he impressed in his season debut. Much has been made about his increase weight which Chamberlain said is muscle. That being said GM Brian Cashman was upset about the added weight. However, in seeing Chamberlain for the firs time on Sat., he definitely did not look fat. He looked thicker through his core and it seemed to back up his explanation of added muscle. More importantly, Chamberlain threw a solid inning and even hit 94 mph on the radar gun.

On Sunday Ivan Nova made his first bid for the rotation a good one. 10 pitches, two innings, two strikouts, and six up and six down. Dellin Betances threw a no contact inning in relief - one walk and struck out the side. Adam Warren allowed a run in an inning, but threw decently.

Offensively, Vazquez went deep for the second straight day- this time going deep against Brad Lidge. Jesus Montero did a nice job behind the plate and was 1-3 with an RBI single.

Monday

The Yankees came up short to the Tigers on Monday in a 6-2 loss, but after two encouraging innings from CC Sabathia, Manny Banuelos was the third pitcher used and tossed a scoreless inning.

No kid, but Mark Prior in his comeback attempt threw one scoreless inning as well.

NYDN's John Harper with a nice feature on Betances and Montero working their way to the bigs.