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Around the Empire
New York Daily News | Christian Red: Brian Cashman says he’s been in touch with almost every free agent’s agent. However, just because he’s talked to a player’s agent, doesn’t mean he necessarily fits into the Yankees’ plans. Such is the case with Yoenis Cespedes. No doubt a good player, but he doesn’t make sense for the Yankees as the only spot they currently have for him is as a designated hitter and he’d be a costly option for just that role.
ESPN | Andrew Marchand: The starting pitching market is extremely weak this offseason, and that may even be an understatement. Yet, the Yankees are players in the starting pitching market. Why? Well for this year behind Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees have lots of question marks, but then the situation could get worse next year if (rather when) Tanaka opts out of his current contract. So while it’s “slim pickins” out there this year, things could get worse for the Yankees next year if they don’t act now.
New York Sports Day | Ray Negron: Ever since Brian Cashman traded him to the Cubs at the deadline, the worst-kept secret in baseball has been that the team would be interested in a reunion with Aroldis Chapman this winter. Well, it seems that the feeling is mutual. Chapman says he absolutely loved his time in New York and “would love to be a Yankee again.” However, this could end up being a case where both parties are interested and there’s still no match. Hopefully the Yankees realize there are other, cheaper relief options out there and allocate resources in better ways.
CSN Chicago | Patrick Mooney: While Cashman deserves a lot of credit for the returns he got in the Andrew Miller and Chapman trades, he credits both teams for realizing what they wanted and making the trades, even if it cost them a lot. The Cubs recognize that Gleyber Torres may one day be a star (Keith Law even mentioned him being a possible top ten player in the league in a chat on his website), but for Theo Epstein and the Cubs they were in win-now mode. No more looking to next year for them, and so he pulled the trigger. For now, it seems both teams will come out on top of this trade.
CBS Sports | Sweeny Murti: Not only was the Brian McCann trade a vote of confidence for Gary Sanchez, but it was also a vote of confidence for Austin Romine. Romine, who was the primary backup throughout all of 2016, and proved quite capable in that role. His catching, which was always there, was up to par, and he even did well with his bat, especially in RISP situations.
Fun Questions
- Should the Yankees explore extending Tanaka now or risk letting him walk?
- Do you feel confident with Romine backing up Sanchez or should the Yankees look to upgrade?
Song of the Day
Tubthumping by Chumbawamba
It’s Thanks Week on Pinstripe Alley. I don’t know that I’m necessarily “thankful” for this song, but I’ve had a lot of fun listening to this song and lots of good memories, and I’m thankful for those. Or something along those lines, I guess. As always, please link us your song of the day.