Yanks rained out. A minor move, news on Chapman, and Heller has a setback.

From MLB.com:

The New York Yankees announced that Wednesday’s game between the Yankees and Rays has been postponed due to the forecast of severe inclement weather.

Tonight’s game has been rescheduled as the first game (3:00 p.m.) of a single-admission doubleheader for tomorrow, Thursday, July 18. The regularly scheduled second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the first game ends, but no earlier than 7:05 p.m.

The Yanks did make a minor move today, picking up Terrance Gore from KC for cash considerations. He will go to SWB and isn’t on the 40 man roster. He could go on at the end of the year. The speedster could be used late in the year or in the postseason as a pinchrunner. He already has been used in that role in the postseason with the 2014 and 2015 Royals and with the 2018 Cubs.

Gore, 28, only has 67 MLB at bats, hitting .224 with just 1 MLB RBI. He does have 40 SB however, in 49 attempts. He can play all three OF positions but is primarily a corner outfielder.

Rumors were going around today that Aroldis Chapman absolutely, positively, 1 million percent sure was going to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. Maybe he still will, but (per mlb.com):

Chapman said that no decisions about his future have been made.

…

“The report is completely false,” Chapman said through a translator. “I haven’t even spoken to my agent about it. Like I said before, we have a big task in front of us, which is to win the division and win the World Series. That’s the main focus for me right now. Contract stuff hasn’t even crossed my mind at all.”

….

“But the truth is, honestly, I feel really good here,” Chapman said. “There’s no reason for me to start thinking about changes or anything like that. I feel great here. Eventually, when the season is over, I’ll sit down and talk about it. No need right now.”

Also from MLB.com:

Right-hander Ben Heller, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has been pulled back from his Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre due to an issue with his right elbow or forearm. Heller is returning to New York to be evaluated by the Yankees’ medical staff.

The YES network has had different people in the studio for pre- and post-game Yankees’ game reports. Seeing Jeff Nelson and David Wells was one thing, but it is a little surprising the past few nights to see Buck Showalter doing commentary.

 

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Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (53-38) won 4-3. SS Tyler Wade 2 hits, 2 RBI (.312). He’s really heating up now. Unfortunately, just .173 in his time in the majors so far. You wonder if he (or Thairo Estrada) could be trade bait if the Yanks make a major deal for a pitcher before the trade deadline. Estrada has done better in his brief minor league stint this year than Wade has in his. Also, infielder Breyvic Valera will be going back down to SWB now that Luke Voit comes off the IL today. The Yanks may have to make a decision between these players if they make a deal—who to keep and who to include in the trade.

C Kyle Higashioka solo HR. 1B Ryan McBroom 2 hits. CF Billy Burns 3 hits.

Randall Delgado (W, 2-4, 6.07) 6 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR>
Jonathan Holder (H, 2) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.  3.86
Joe Harvey (S, 8) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.  2.66

Good to see the previously struggling Holder have a decent outing. BTW, the win came over Syracuse, the Mets’ AAA team. Tim Tebow batted 9th, was 0 for 3 and is hitting just .158 for Syracuse.

AA: Trenton (47-40) shut out Reading 3-0. C Jorge Saez 2 hits.

Rony Garcia (W, 2-7, 4.65) 8 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 W, 8 K
Danny Alvarez (S, 11) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.84

High A: Tampa (39-51) lost 5-2.  SS Diego Castillo 2 hits. 2B Wilkerman Garcia two RBI.

Low A: Charleston (47-45) won 4-3 in 10 innings. SS Oswald Peraza 2 hits. DH Welfrin Mateo solo HR, 2 RBI. Dalton Lehnen (2-0, 0.82) 3 scoreless relief innings for the win.

 

Game 83. Yanks’ HR streak ends in 4-2 loss.

You figured the record HR streak would end (at 31 games) in an interleague game where the Yanks lose the DH.

That’s what happened in the Yanks (54-29) 4-2 loss to the Mets Tuesday night. The loss reduced the Yanks’ AL East lead to 5 1/2 over Tampa Bay, 10 over Boston.

One thing I didn’t know is that the Yanks are just 4-17 in games in which they have scored less than four runs. That may not be a good thing come October, where they’ll face better pitching.

I was worried about this game, and am worried about this two game series, for a couple of reasons.

For one, it is sandwiched between two more important series (sorry Mets fans, but our division rivals, who have better records, have more importance), that being against Boston last weekend, and against the Rays this upcoming weekend.

Second, the jet lag after coming back from England. Yes, Monday was a day off, but … (and that is taking nothing away from the Mets or a nice performance by trade target Zack Wheeler).

Third, Domingo German comes off the IL to start today, and who knows how fresh he’ll be?

As for yesterday and yesterday’s game, a couple moves before the game. Nestor Cortes, Jr. up, Chance Adams down. Luke Voit to the IL and the Yanks call up Mike Ford.

James Paxton pitched well for the Yanks and even drove in a run.

The Yanks got both of their runs in the second inning. Didi Gregorius, Edwin Encarnacion and Gleyber Torres had consecutive singles to score the first run, and with men on first and third, one out, Paxton put down a bunt that Encarnacion scored on. 2-0 Yanks. Don’t ask me when the Yanks last squeezed a run home.

But the Yanks could not hold the lead. Paxton gave up a HR in the sixth, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Then in the eighth, Adam Ottavino gave up a run and left the bases loaded for Zack Britton. Britton’s first pitch was ripped for a 2-run double, and the Mets had a 4-2 lead and the ballgame.

There was a great defensive play by Torres in the game.

But there were also a couple of bad plays. Aaron Hicks thought he hit a HR, didn’t run hard out of the box and what should have been a triple was only a double. A couple of batters later, Didi Gregorius’ long fly only moved Hicks to third where it should have been a SF for a run.

Also, the game almost ended on a caught stealing. With two out in the top of the ninth and the tying run at the plate, Didi stole second…barely. You can’t end the game that way.

D.J. LeMahieu’s hitting streak ended at 14.

Gregorius 2 hits (the Yanks only had 6).

Paxton 6 IP, 1 R, 8 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR.   4.09
Kahnle (H, 16) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  3.27
Ottavino (BS, 4; L, 3-3,  1.91) 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER,  2 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Britton 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.50

Yesterday was international signing day and the Yanks got two of the top 30 players.

#1 Jasson Dominguez, OF. The switch-hitter is considered #1 not only of this year, but maybe the best International signing EVER. Just 16, scouts rave about him, comparing his skills to that of Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle. High praise. We’ll see what happens over the next few years. Signing bonus $5.1 MM.

#18 Jhon Diaz. OF. $1.2 MM.

 

 

Mid-season Report Cards.

With the season half over (Game 81 will be Saturday in London), we look at giving Yankees’ players mid-season grades. Since they are on a course for 105 wins, there is, as you may guess, a lot of A’s.

But no team is perfect, so there will be some clunkers in here as well.

Catchers:

C: Gary Sanchez. A. A prime candidate for Comeback Player of the Year after hitting just  .186 last season, Sanchez also would get MVP consideration. A catcher on pace for 45-50 HR? Wow. Deservedly the starting C in the All-Star Game coming up. But catching does wear you out as we get into August and September. Also, not much discussion on his defense lately, so the improvement is there as well. Lastly, with Judge and Stanton missing a lot of time, Sanchez has stepped up and provided power when it was needed.

C: Austin Romine. D.  Calls a nice game but his bat has regressed from last year. .218, only 2 walks, 24 strikeouts. OPS+ just 42 (58% below league average). I know he’s just a backup catcher but he has to have a better stick.

Kyle Higashioka doesn’t get a grade. Not enough MLB playing time so far this year.

Infielders:

1B. Luke Voit A. Luke has proven he’s no fluke. On a pace for about 35 HR and close to 100 RBI, another player providing power and coming up big with Judge and Stanton out. Leads team in striking out, but also leads them in drawing walks.

1B. Greg Bird F. Didn’t play too much, was bad when he did play, then injured again. With Voit, Encarnacion, Ford, Morrison, McBroom and Gittens all there in the majors, AAA and AA, Bird is a forgotten guy and is probably at best, trade bait when (if?) he gets healthy. 6 for 35, 16 strikeouts, only 1 extra base hit. The Yanks’ patience with him has probably run out. It is a shame about the injuries but you can’t wait forever for him, and there are all those other guys for 1B/DH. Really, he’s like Ellsbury right now. You don’t think of, or miss, him.

Encarnacion has not been with the Yanks long enough to get a grade.

2B. D.J. LeMahieu A. MVP? Incredible year, leading AL in batting average. As a leadoff hitter, on a 100 RBI pace, hitting what .480 with RISP? What a pickup, and solidifies the infield defense. And don’t forget how valuable his versatility is.

SS/2B Gleyber Torres. A. On a 38 HR pace and may be hitting 8^th in the lineup. Wow. Did decent job at SS until Didi returned. Oh, yeah, he’s only 22.

Didi I won’t give a grade to. I don’t think it would be fair right now. Only 15 games, just off of injury, still getting his feet wet. So far one concern is only 3 XBH out of the 16 hits.

Gio Urshela A. You figured his defense would be better than Andujar’s and it certainly is, Gold Glove caliber. But a .225 hitter before this season hitting .303? No one expected that.. and clutch hits, too.

Tyler Wade. F. Still hasn’t proven he can hit MLB pitching, and right now, it’s safe to say he has been passed on the depth chart by the next guy I’m going to mention…

Thairo Estrada. A. Hit .280 with surprising pop (3 HR). Played LF as well. Did all the things you wanted Wade to do and didn’t.

Miguel Andujar. F. An unfair grade, maybe, because of the injury. Got hurt, tried to come back and was horrible in that attempt. Defense still a problem. Was 6 for 47, no extra base hits, only 1 walk and 11 strikeouts.  OPS+ a MINUS 27.

Kendrys Morales. F. Hit .177. Only two extra base hits of the eleven he had. DFA’d, so that says all you need to know abut the grade. OPS+54

Not enough at bats to give a grade: Troy Tulowitzki, Mike Ford.

Outfielders:

Brett Gardner C. Probably getting more playing time than expected b/c of the injuries. 11 HR but only a .231 batting average, which is why LeMahieu (.336) is now leading off instead of Gardy. Still has solid defense.

Clint Frazier. B-.  Hard to grade. Bat an A but defense a D. Hence the grade.

Aaron Judge  B+.  Been very good, not great, when he’s played, but has only played in 25 games.

No grade for Stanton, who has only played in 9 games.

Aaron Hicks. C-.  Solid defensively, but since coming off the IL, the bat hasn’t picked up yet. 5 HR and 20 RBI ok, but hitting just. .202.

Mike Tauchman. C-. Solid defensively, but stick needs work, .212. Slightly less at bats than Hicks, numbers similiar.

Cameron Maybin. A. A surprise. Picked up off the scrap heap, provided great defense, baserunning, and even homered in four straight games, hitting .314. Shame about his injury. Just when he really was putting things together…

Pitchers

Masahiro Tanaka B. Record just 5-5, but leads starters in ERA, has only complete game, and also only complete game shutout. Still searching for that splitter

Domingo German B+. Would have been an A except for those last couple of starts before he went on the IL. Surprising ace of staff for first two months, what with Severino out. During that time, Severino himself couldn’t have done better.

CC Sabathia B-.  Decent, but each time he starts, you know you’ll need the bullpen. Rarely goes more than five innings.

J.A. Happ. D. This year’s Sonny Gray so far. 7-4 record, but horrible 5.23 ERA and prone to giving up HR.

James Paxton C. Has ability to dominate, knee has seemed to limit him. Inconsistent.

Aroldis Chapman A. 23 saves, 1.45 ERA but it seems he does make you squirm. How about some clean 1-2-3 saves, Chappy?

Jonathan Holder. F. Recently sent down after ERA rose to 6.81.

Adam Ottavino. A. Great pickup. Needs to cut down on the walks a bit.

Zack Britton B. Not as dominant as he was a few years ago with Baltimore, but still good.

Tommy Kahnle  B   Another comeback player of the year candidate.

Luis Cessa D.  Started year great, then reverted to being Cessa. 5.11 ERA and you wonder how long Yanks will deal with him before they look or find someone better.

Nestor Cortes Jr. B.  Has done well enough as the guy coming in for Green after Green is the opener. Also in dealing with the SWB shuttle.

Chad Green. D. Has done well since coming back from SWB after his demotion, and has done ok as the “opener”. But oh, that start of the season that earned him a demotion. Still, recent outings have upgraded him from F to D, as opposed to the recent outings of Holder that dropped him from a possible C to an F.

David Hale B.  Another, like Cortes, on the shuttle, but has done decently when in there.

Not graded (didn’t feel like they pitched enough to grade): Jonathan Loaisiga, Stephen Tarpley, Jake Barrett, Joe Harvey and Chance Adams.  Harvey and Tarpley I almost was going to give a grade to.

Manager: Aaron Boone A. Held team together through all the injuries when they could have folded and tanked. With all the injuries, tied with the Twins for best record in AL.

GM: Brian Cashman A.  Paxton so-so, but pickups of Urshela, Maybin, LeMahieu, Ottavino have been huge. Then he gets Encarnacion. Now get that starter ….

Game 69. Big night. Yanks back in first with 8-4 win, and make huge deal.

I am not a fan of “openers” but maybe there is something to this.

For the fifth time this year, Chad Green had to serve as the opener, and the Yankees have won all of those games.

Last night, it was an 8-4 win as Green and Nestor Cortes, Jr. (first MLB win for Cortes) shut down the White Sox for seven innings as the Yanks (42-27) regained first place from the Tampa Bay Rays by 1/2 a game.

The Yanks got four in the fourth when Luke Voit and Aaron Hicks singled, Gary Sanchez doubled them both home, and after an out, Gleyber Torres hit a 2-run HR (15).

The Yanks made it 5-0 in the sixth, when with one out Sanchez walked and Didi Gregorius singled him to third. Torres brought in Sanchez with a SF.

They made it 7-0 in the seventh, when Cameron Maybin led off the inning with his second HR of the season. Brett Gardner then walked, and went to third on a double by D.J. LeMahieu. After Voit struck out, Hicks walked to load the bases, and Sanchez groundout plated a run.

Meanwhile, of the first 12 outs Green and Cortes recorded, 11 were by strikeout.

Cortes tired in the eighth, giving up a pair of singles, and Jonathan Holder came in. He got a couple of outs, but then gave up an RBI single and a 3-run HR that cut the Yanks’ lead to 7-4.

The Yanks tacked on another run in the ninth when Gardner walked, LeMahieu singled him to third and after a couple of strikeouts, a couple of walks forced Gardner in to make it 8-4, the final score.

LeMahieu 2 hits (.310)
Sanchez 3 RBI
Gregorius 2 hits, RBI (.385 in his short time so far off IL)
Torres 2 hits, 3 RBI, 2-run HR (15)
Maybin Solo HR (2)

Green 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 6 K.  7.54
Cortes 5+ IP, 2 R, 6 H, 0 W, 7 K.  3.79     FIRST MLB WIN
Holder 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K.  5.08   Gave up HR
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.   1.35

During the game, it was announced that the Yankees traded for Edwin Encarnacion from Seattle, giving up pitching prospect Juan Then. The Yanks and Mariners will split paying Encarnacion’s salary.

Then is a 19 year old righty who hasn’t even pitched yet in Low A ball. Then was signed as a 16 year old by Seattle, then traded to the Yanks for Nick Rumbelow a few years back. Seattle now gets him back. In 24 starts in the Dominican Summer League and in the Gulf Coast Rookie League in 2017-2018, Then is 2-5, with a 2.67 ERA.

As for Encarnacion, he has 401 career HR. The 36 year old (and no, I don’t like the parrot bit after he homers) is a 1B/DH who’ll split time with Luke Voit at 1B/DH. This means Giancarlo Stanton has to go into the outfield (unless some other move is made).  Pitcher Jake Barrett was moved to the 60 day IL to make room for Encarnacion on the roster.

Encarnacion was hitting .241-21-49, OPS+ 140 for Seattle, and is leading the AL with 21 HR (one more than Sanchez). He has hit 30 or more HR in every season 2012-2018, including 42 in 2012 and the same amount, 42, in 2016. He led the AL in RBI in 2016.

A 3x All-Star, Encarnacion has received MVP consideration in five seasons. He was with the Reds (2005-2009), Blue Jays (2009-2016), Indians (2017-2018) and now becomes a Yankee.

He has driven in 100 or more runs in six seasons.

He started his career as a third baseman.

Encarnacion’s 162 game average is .263-35-104, OPS+ 125. He also averages 75 walks per 162 games.

His acquisition will mean Kendrys Morales (currently on the IL) will be gone once he comes off the IL. Also, since Encarnacion and Voit will flip/flop at 1B/DH, it forces Giancarlo Stanton into LF.

When Judge and Stanton come off the IL soon, I would expect to see Clint Frazier and Mike Tauchman sent down.

So soon, we could see the position players being:

C Sanchez and Romine
INF and DH: Voit, Encarnacion, Torres, Didi, LeMahieu, Urshela
OF: Stanton, Hicks, Judge, Gardner, Maybin

Gardner and Maybin wouldn’t get much playing time, but could be used for defense and pinch-running.

Also, the acquisition of Encarnacion makes Greg Bird’s recovery kind of meaningless. If and when he recovers, where’s Bird going to go?

Speaking of Bird, as well as some other players currently at or, it appears bound for AAA or on the IL, like a Frazier, Tauchman, Wade, Estrada, Ford, Andujar, and even Tulowitzki (I won’t get into Ellsbury), you wonder when the other shoe will drop.

With this acquisition of Encarnacion, and with Judge and Stanton coming back soon, could Frazier and someone else be heading elsewhere to get a top-notch starter?

We’ll see. But I feel like this is a chess game and this is only Cashman’s FIRST move.

But can you imagine a lineup like this?

LeMahieu 3B
Judge RF
Stanton LF
Sanchez C
Gregorius SS
Encarnacion DH
Voit 1B
Torres 2B
Hicks CF

I mean, Hicks batting 9th? Someone has to.

And Romine, Gardner, Maybin and Urshela on the bench.

That’s if you have 12 pitchers. If you go with 13 pitchers, then Maybin is probably out.

Impressive.

Game 60. Bullpen implodes in 11-7 Yanks’ loss.

A couple of notes before the game recap.

How is Angel Hernandez still a MLB umpire? Some calls he missed on Tuesday night were atrocious, and he’s consistently rated or graded as one of, if not the worst ump in MLB. One pitch Tuesday night that he called a ball was so clearly a strike (Tanaka grimaced and Sanchez turned around) and then the next pitch was a gopher ball.

The Yanks took a flyer and used one of their late draft picks to take Jack Leiter, RHP, son of Al Leiter (and nephew of Mark Sr. and cousin of Mark Jr.). Leiter has 1st round stuff, but has committed to Vanderbilt which is why he dropped and the Yanks took a flyer on him late in the draft in case he changes his mind.

The Yanks also drafted Nick Paciorek, whose uncle, Tom Paciorek, was a MLB player in the 1980s, and who was an All-Star with Seattle in 1981.

MLB.com shows a lot of players who were drafted that have “bloodlines.” Roy Halladay’s son, who is going to Penn State, was one of them, drafted by Toronto.

While we wait for Dallas Keuchel, another top free agent signed. Former Boston closer Craig Kimbrel is going to the Cubs. Out of the AL, and not only for the rest of this year, but for 2020 and 2021 as well.  3 yr., $43MM.

As for the game:

James Paxton was off, and later in the game the bullpen imploded as the Yanks (38-22) lost their third straight game, 11-7, to Toronto Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Yanks’ streak of winning nine straight series is over, and their lead over the Rays was shaved to 1 1/2 games, and the lead over Boston to 6 1/2.

Paxton gave up a 2-run HR to Randall Grichuk (his first of two in the game) in the first inning and a run in the second and the Yanks were down 3-0 after two innings.

Gary Sanchez hit his league-leading 19th HR of the season in the top of the fourth to cut it to 3-1.

The Yanks went up 4-3 in the top of the fifth when Clint Frazier walked, and after a forceout, Gio Urshela singled. Cameron Maybin then singled to make it 3-2. D.J. LeMahieu singled to tie it at 3. Luke Voit walked to load the bases, and Sanchez singled to put the Yanks up 4-3.

Paxton gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth and was knocked out of the game. 4-4.

In the top of the sixth, LeMahieu hit a 3-run HR (7) and the Yanks were up 7-4.

Then the bullpen (and defense) imploded. Two errors helped Toronto get two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 7-6.

Still, the Yanks were up going into the bottom of the eighth. But in that inning, Zack Britton gave up a 3-run HR to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and then Luis Cessa came in and gave up back-to-back HRs (one by Grichuk, the other by one-time briefly a Yankee Brandon Drury) to make it 11-7 Toronto.

Cessa had a good spring training and a good start to the season, but his last two outings have taken his ERA from around 3.16 to 5.33.

Toronto has the sons of both Hall-of-Famers Vladimir Guerrero and Craig Biggio on the team.

LeMahieu 3 hits, (.315) 4 RBI, 3-run HR (7)
Sanchez 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR (19) (DYK: 43 hits, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 19 HR)
Maybin 2 hits, RBI

Paxton 4 2/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.11
Ottavino 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.   1.27
Kahnle (H, 12) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.   1.48
Holder (H, 4) 2/3 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.15
Britton (L, 2-1, 2.96; BS, 2)  1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up HR.
Cessa 1/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 2 HR.  5.33

 

 

 

 

 

Game 59. Blue Jays best Yanks, 4-3.

One bad inning by Masahiro Tanaka and the lack of clutch hitting (1 for 12 w/RISP, 11 LOB) by the Yanks (38-21) led to a 4-3 defeat to the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday night. It was the first time in over a month that the Yanks lost back-to-back games.

Clint Frazier’s 2-run HR (11) in the fourth gave the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

But in the fifth, Tanaka, who had a one-hit shutout through four innings, gave up a HR to lead off the inning, then after a walk and an out, another HR which made it 3-2 Toronto. After another out, a double, and single made it 4-2 Blue Jays before Tanaka got out of the inning.

Tanaka can’t pitch up in the zone. He doesn’t have that velocity. He has to keep the ball down. Pitches got up all inning long.

In the eighth, Aaron Hicks hit his second HR of the year to cut it to 4-3. The Yanks kept threatening, but as you saw with the 1 for 12 w/RISP, couldn’t break through.

Voit 2 hits
Hicks 2 hits, solo HR (2)
Frazier 2-run HR (11)
Tanaka (L, 3-5, 3.42) 6 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 2 W, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.25
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  9.17

The Yanks released infielder Cliff Pennington from his minor league deal. The former major league infielder, signed in early April, was hitting .196 for SWB.

Barry Latman, a spot starter/long reliever for the White Sox, Indians, Angels and Astros from 1957-1967, died recently at the age of 83. Latman was a pitcher on the 1959 AL Champ White Sox (8-5, 3.75, ERA+ 101) and an All-Star for the 1961 Indians (13-5, 4.02, ERA+ 97). He was 59-68 in his career. His 162 game average was 8-10, 3.91, ERA+ 94.

The Yanks are considered the favorites for signing free agent Dallas Keuchel, but won’t budge from a 1-year, pro-rated contract at the qualifying offer. Meaning at $17.9MM, if Keuchel signs for the second half of the year, he’d get around $9MM. Keuchel apparently would like more years and $$. He, and his agent Bora$$, may have bitten off more than they could chew. One other reason he is still a free agent is that now teams don’t lose the compensatory draft pick anymore since the draft is over.