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Yankees Spring Training 2017 Preview: Predictions, »
Pitchers and catchers with a predilection for pre-planning (say that five times fast) have already begun packing their bags for Florida and Arizona. Spring training is almost here, people, and not a moment too soon. As we prepare for the glory of fresh-cut grass and exhibition baseball, let's zoom a lens on the New York Yankees. The Yanks, as [...]
New York Yankees’ Top Free Agent, Trade Targets »
The calendar may have flipped to 2017, but we're still a couple of cold months away from baseball. That's actually good news (hear me out) for many MLB clubs with unfinished items on their to-do lists. Like, say, the New York Yankees, who have holes to plug in the starting rotation, the bullpen and behind the dish. Let's examine a few realistic [...]
How Yankees Can Still Make Impact Upgrade to »
The New York Yankees are rebuilding. They're also trying to win. That's how it works in the Bronx. Those aren't mutually exclusive goals. Last season, the Yankees sold at the trade deadline and restocked a farm system that Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter subsequently ranked No. 1 in the game. They also stayed in the playoff picture until late [...]
Matt Holliday Adds Proven Winner to Hasten Upstart »
A scant three weeks before Christmas, the New York Yankees signed Matt Holliday for one year and $13 million, per Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball. I will spare you the painfully obvious holiday/Holliday puns. It's a solid move for the Yanks, who are in the midst of a youth movement but also seeking to win now. New York whiffed on [...]
Gary Sanchez B/R Q&A: ‘I Didn’t Even »
To say New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had a good rookie year is an understatement of Ruthian proportions. And yes, we just invoked the Bambino. Sanchez is 694 home runs shy of Babe Ruth on the all-time list. But after cracking 20 homers and posting a .299/.376/.657 slash line in 53 games, he's at the forefront of an enviable youth movement [...]
Yankees Can Have Fruitful Offseason Without Halting »
The offseason has arrived. For the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, that means taking a moment to reflect on an epic seven-game World Series. For the Cubs in particular, it means getting used to the moniker "world champion" for the first time in 108 years. For 28 other teams, it's time to get to work. Among those 28 teams, no franchise is more [...]
Yankees’ Playoff Hopes Fading Fast After »
Much like convenience-store lackey Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's seminal 1994 film Clerks, the New York Yankees weren't even supposed to be here. They sold their veteran assets at the August 1 trade deadline and fixed their gaze on the future. They surrendered. Then, a funny thing happened. They started winning—and kept winning. On Sept. 8, [...]
Time to Take the Upstart Yankees Seriously as Real »
Here come the New York Yankees. Seriously, they're in this thing. That seemed like an absurd notion when the Yankees went into full-blown sell mode just before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, jettisoning veteran pieces such as relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller and outfielder Carlos Beltran. New York was building [...]
Gary Sanchez Looks Like True Franchise Cornerstone for »
New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has been a revelation. That statement is supported by a heap of numbers, but let's start with a single figure: two. That's how many times Sanchez—a 23-year-old rookie with fewer than 100 big league plate appearances to his name—was intentionally walked Wednesday. He also rapped two hits, including [...]
Yankees’ Youth Movement Could Lead to Shocking »
The New York Yankees waved the white flag at the trade deadline. They shifted into sell mode, abandoned all hope of making the playoffs this season and trained their gaze squarely on the future. Yeah...about that. The future is indeed bright in the Bronx. After all their wheeling and dealing, the Yankees boast the No. 1 farm system in baseball, [...]