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Around the Empire
FanRag Sports | Jon Heyman: With Brian McCann off to the Astros, the Yankees are looking at Edwin Encarnacion, Carlos Beltran, and other DH-type hitters. With the salary off the books plus the roster spot, a move like this makes a lot of sense.
ESPN | Andrew Marchand: Adding two more prospects yesterday, Brian Cashman has now acquired 14 prospects since July. He’s completely revitalized the farm system, and set the team up for a bright future which could begin as soon as 2018. They’ll still be able to compete in the immediate future, but are doing what so few teams can: rebuild and contend at the same time.
Baseball America | Kyle Glaser: Quick scouting report of the two prospects the Yankees received in exchange for McCann. Albert Abreu has multiple plus pitches, but control issues which “scream reliever” right now, but nothing is stopping him from being developed as a starter. Jorge Guzman is funny in that he can easily hit 101-103 mph, but is apparently better served dialing it back a few notches and throwing 97-99 mph, which he can locate easier.
FanGraphs | Eric Longenhagen: Scouting the two prospects, Abreu and Guzman, in a bit more detail. As of right now it seems like both might end up in a bullpen role, though Abreu still has time to turn things around. However, even if both end up in the bullpen, that’s not a bad thing. As evidenced by the Yankees early in the season, and how this year’s playoffs shaped up, elite bullpen pitchers are a great thing to have.
The Score | Bryan McWilliam: Even before the Yankees traded McCann, Brian Cashman indicated that he’d be wheeling and dealing this offseason. In addition to the now-traded McCann, the Yankees are also willing to trade Brett Gardner (lol obviously) and Chase Headley. Headley seems the most surprising since there isn’t an immediate or obvious replacement for him currently in the organization. But they could deal Headley and bring on someone like Justin Turner.
Fun Questions
- Which of all the DH options available do you want the Yankees to sign the most?
- On a scale of 1-10, 10 being “amazing”, how do you grade the Brian McCann trade?
Song of the Day
I’m Your Man by Leonard Cohen
It’s Leonard Cohen Week on Pinstripe Alley. Even though Cashman had already said that Sanchez would be the everyday catcher in 2017, yesterday’s trade makes it official. Sanchez is Cashman’s man. As always, please link us your song of the day.