The Yankees will continue to monitor the trade market between now and July 31. But there is a strong likelihood their most significant deal came 12 days before the deadline, when they obtained Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson from the White Sox.
Their strongest need has been a starter, and they were on Jose Quintana for months. They believed right until he went to the Cubs that they had a strong enough offer to land the lefty. They were willing to part with Blake Rutherford and other top prospects to
Alex Galchenyuk Authentic Jersey make it happen because they viewed him as a top-of-the-rotation starter with durability under a team-friendly contract through 2020.
The durability is key. The Yankees like Sonny Gray, but not as much as Quintana, to some large degree because they – and the industry, really – worry about Gray’s sturdiness. I have not sensed the Yankees are willing to part with near the prospect package for Gray that they would have for Quintana, and if that is the case, the righty is more likely to go elsewhere.
And, at this moment, there is not another starter who fits the Yankees’ parameters clearly
http://www.authenticcanadiensonline.com/Authentic-Alexander-Radulov-Jersey available in this market: top of the rotation with controllable years beyond 2017 to address that Michael Pineda (lost anyway to Tommy John surgery), CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka all could be free agents after this season.
The Yanks could look for a stopgap type – think Atlanta’s Jaime Garcia or San Diego’s Trevor Cahill or Toronto’s Marco Estrada, all of whom are in their walk year – if they think the price is right and prefer that to just churning through unproven types such as Luis Cessa, Bryan Mitchell, Caleb Smith, Chance Adams and perhaps Chad Green.
But once Quintana slipped away, the Yankees pivoted to fortify the pen with Kahnle and Robertson as a way to ease the burden on the rotation. Remember, in just more than a month rosters can expand, and the Yankees almost certainly will flood
Barry Church Authentic Jersey their roster with arms. Starters may just be asked to navigate a lineup once – the Yankees September pace of play might really be something.
Beyond a starter, the Yankees also will keep an eye out for a lefty reliever and a lefty-swinging first base possibility – but they do not appear to have urgency in those areas.
As part of the roster moves to clear 25-man roster space for the new additions, the Yankees demoted Chasen Shreve, their lone lefty setup man (Smith is around as a long man and Aroldis Chapman to close). But lefties are hitting .138 with a .413 OPS vs. Robertson, .115 with a .404 OPS vs. Betances, .103 with a .391 OPS vs. Green and .192 with a .489 OPS vs. Adam Warren. Thus, the Yankees do not feel compelled to force a left-on-left reliever into the pen.
The Yankees looked in on Sean Doolittle, but if they were worried about Gray’s health, there was a much higher multiple of that with Doolittle. Several executives theorized to me that Oakland moved Doolittle well before the
http://www.nikecowboysjerseys.com/anthony-hitchens-jersey-for-sale-c-25.html deadline (to the Nationals) because of worry about his potential to break down at any point.
For now, the sticker prices for top-end lefties such as Zach Britton, Brad Hand and Justin Wilson do not motivate the Yankees.
As for first base, Joe Girardi said Frazier is his third baseman, which means Chase Headley (vs. righties) and Garrett Cooper (vs. lefties) will be a first base platoon. That leaves the Yankees open to find something better, but not something they seem eager to spend big on. For there remains a chance that Greg Bird could still be a factor in September. The Yanks have said he needs six weeks after
having the the os trigonum bone removed from his ankle.
But Geovany Soto, a catcher, had the same bone removed in 2013 and was back playing in 16 days. Joey Gallo also had the procedure done and was back playing in three weeks. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he was “aware that others have been quicker,” but that for Bird “the bone removal was larger than most.”
My gut says for now Frazier plays first against righties and third against lefties with Garrett Cooper at first and Chase Headley (.534 OPS vs. southpaws) going to the bench, and that the Yankees will see if there is someone who can provide an upgrade in one of these places. But with a desire to protect the best of his farm system, Cashman does not seem to be nearly as motivated as he was with securing Frazier, Kahnle and Robertson.
