Yanks trade Miller, get back Clippard.

I’ll admit, I hate to see Andrew Miller go.

But in the space of a week, the Yanks faced facts—that they were a pretender, not a contender for this year and for the next few years—and decided to look at the future.

And Brian Cashman made it clear that he doesn’t look at the future as a one or two year thing, but wants that future, say, 2020-2034, to be as dominant as say, 1993-2012 was.

The trade with the Cubs brought back the Cubs’ #1 and #7 prospects, Adam Warren, and one other prospect.

The trade of Miller to the Indians brought back their #1 prospect (OF Clint Frazier (YAY! A RIGHTY HITTER to go with Aaron Judge!—they had too many lefties with Williams, Cave, Fowler, Gamel and Rutherford) their #5, and two more.

The Yanks now have one of the best farm systems in the majors. Be patient, this may take a few years, but

Torres, Mateo, Frazier, Sheffield (LHP included in the Miller deal, #5 prospect), Sanchez, Judge, Kaprielian are seven of the top 100 prospects in baseball.

This doesn’t include prospects like:

LHP Dietrich Enns, 11-4 at AA/AAA this year.
RHP Chance Adams, 12-0 between Tampa and Trenton this year.
Pitcher Ian Clarkin, also Jacob Lindgren, Lefty relief pitcher who has had elbow trouble the last two years,
Brian Mitchell, who’s missed this year,
C Luis Torrens ; C Kyle Higashioka (having a great year)
1B Greg Bird; 1B/OF Tyler Austin
INF Tyler Wade
3Bs Miguel Andujar and Mandy Alvarez (Alvarez hit in all of his first 25 minor league games)
OF Blake Rutherford, their 1st round draft pick. .384 in first 24 minor league games.

OF Dustin Fowler. SS Kyle Holder.  SS Wilkerson Garcia.

… and a couple guys they got in the deals, like relief pitcher Ben Heller.

They got Tyler Clippard back for Vincente Campos. Campos was in the Montero for Pineda deal, started out well, but hurt his arm and has been trying to get it back since. Clippard started his MLB career with the Yanks (2007), was traded for Jonathan Albaladejo (bad deal) and became a 2x all-star after the Yanks traded him away. He is 31, was 2-3, 4.30 for Arizona this year, and has a career mark of 44-32, 2.97 with 54 saves. 162 g. average, 6-4, 2.97, 7 saves, ERA+ 135.

And hey, Severino, despite his bad year, is young, just 22.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll give up the next two to three years for 15 years of dominance.

Game 100. Yanks beat Houston, 6-3.

The Yanks got to four games over .500 with a 6-3 win over Houston Tuesday night. After 100 games, they are 52-48.

The Yanks’ pitchers gave up three HRs, but thank goodness, they were all solo ones.

Houston got on the board first, in the first inning, on a HR by Marwin Gonzalez to go up 1-0.

The Yanks got two in the second when Brian McCann singled, and was doubled to third by Mark Teixeira. Didi Gregorius hit a SF for one run, and Chase Headley singled in the other.

In the third, the Yanks made it 3-1. Carlos Beltran singled, Mark Teixeira walked, and Starlin Castro singled in a run.

The Yanks broke it open in the fifth. McCann was HBP, and Teixeira singled. After a groundout moved the runners up, Castro was intentionally walked to load the bases for a hopeful DP. Instead, Headley got a SF to make it 4-1, and Aaron Hicks came through with a 2-run triple to make it 6-1.

Evan Gattis hit a HR off of CC in the seventh to cut it to 6-2, and Gonzalez hit his second HR of the game, this one off of Anthony Swarzak, to make it the final score of 6-3.

To make room for Adam Warren, the Yanks sent down Chasen Shreve. When Severino came up, he replaced Chapman, and Green replaced Goody. So a lot of bullpen moves lately.

Sabathia (w, 6-8, 3.95) 6 2/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 walks, 5 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Swarzak 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 walk, 3 K. 4.58  Gave up 1 HR
Betances (H, 27) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 walks, 2.50
Miller (S, 9) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 1.39.

There are rumors of another deal, this one possibly involving Ivan Nova.

Game 99.Yanks edge Astros after trading Chapman.

The Yankees are three games over .500 for the first time this year after beating Houston 2-1 on Monday night. They are 51-48.

Michael Pineda pitched seven strong innings after giving up a first-pitch HR, and Andrew Miller got the save after getting his closer job back because of the trade of Aroldis Chapman earlier in the day.

Down 1-0 in the fifth, the Yanks tied the game when with two out, Didi Gregorius doubled and was singled home by Chase Headley.

In the eighth, Headley singled and was doubled home by Austin Romine.

Miller escaped a jam in the ninth, a jam partly created by Starlin Castro pulling a rock and failing to touch second in trying to turn the DP. He did on the next batter, the DP was made and the game was won.

Because of bad numbers off of Dallas Keuchel, A-Rod sat again, even against a lefty. It came down to who do you want in RF, Beltran or Hicks, and Hicks defense won out, even though he isn’t hitting. Then you still want Beltran’s bat in the lineup because he has been far and away their best hitter this year, so he DHs. So Alex sits.

Pineda (w, 5-9, 5.00) 7 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 walks, 8 K. Gave up HR.
Betances (H, 26) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H,  0 walks, 3 K. 2.52
Miller (S, 8 ) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 1.42.

Earlier in the day, Aroldis Chapman was traded to the Cubs. In return, the Yanks get:

Gleyber Torres, SS, 19, who will go to High A Tampa, the Cubs #1 prospect.
Adam Warren, RHP, who returns to the Yanks after spending three full seasons (2013-2015) there. He’ll join the Yanks as a setup man/middle reliever.
OF Billy McKinney, who’ll go to AA Trenton.
OF Rashard Crawford, who’ll go to High A Tampa.

Chapman, 28, was 3-0, 2.01, 20 saves for the Yanks this year. He is a free agent at the end of the year, enjoyed NY and could come back. Since the Yanks traded him mid-season, the Yanks would NOT lose a draft pick if the re-sign him.

Torres is considered the key to the deal. Just 19, he is hitting .275-9-47 with 19 SB at High A. The Yanks already have Jorge Mateo there. They also have Tyler Wade at AA Trenton and Kyle Holder at Low A Charleston. Of course, Didi is at SS for the Yanks and having a good year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see one of these young shortstops flipped in a major deal for a starting pitcher (for example, Chris Sale? Don’t worry Chris, the Yanks are much more traditional in their uniform styles). Either that, or some may be learning other positions.

Warren has been having a terrible year for the Cubs, 3-2, 5.91. He’ll be 29 soon, and in three full seasons with the Yanks, 2013-2015, was 13-15, 3.23. The Yanks hope returning to NY returns him to what he was.

McKinney, who’ll be 22 soon, is a lefty-hitting OF (why can’t the Yanks get a righty hitting one to go with Judge (who is on the DL)? They have enough lefty hitting ones (Mason Williams, Jake Cave, Dustin Fowler, Ben Gamel!) You can tell I am not a fan of Hicks. Just my humble opinion, but Hicks has been hitting below .200 all year. Forgive me if I am tired of his offensive ineptitude). A former first-round draft pick by Oakland, McKinney was hitting .252-1-31 at AA.

Crawford is 22, and also a lefty hitting OF. At High A, he was hitting .255-3-30, with 22 SB.

Game 97. Yanks lose in 12, Chapman deal “close.”

I was up on a bus trip to the game yesterday, and in watching the game in the sweltering heat, saw the Yanks lose to the Giants in twelve innings, 2-1.

It was the Giants’ first win after the All-Star break, snapping a six-game skid.

The Yanks were 0 for 10 w/RISP and wasted a good pitching effort by Ivan Nova and the Holy Trinity of Smoke.

That threesome appears to be over for now. Rumors are that the Yanks are close to trading Aroldis Chapman to get something back for him. Chapman is a free agent at the end of the year and has liked his time in NY. By trading him, the Yanks can get some key prospects, and also NOT lose a draft pick if they are able to re-sign him in the offseason.

In the fourth inning, Didi Gregorius singled and went to third on a single by Mark Teixeira. When the RF, Mac Williamson, bobbled the ball, Didi kept running and scored what turned out to be the only run of the game.

As the game went on, it became apparent to me that—–how can I put this nicely but make a tongue-in-cheek point —-the Yanks couldn’t score if they were the only rooster in a henhouse.

Seeing Aaron Hicks name in the lineup just makes me groan. Just saying.

And A-Rod is useless if he isn’t starting. Who is he going to pinch-hit for? He isn’t going to pinch-hit for Hicks, because then DH Beltran would have to take the field, and you lose the DH. Here is where roster inflexibility hurts the Yankees. A-Rod isn’t going to pinch-run for anyone. He isn’t going to pinch-hit for Headley or Teix and all of a sudden take the field. The Yanks have their hands tied.

That inflexibility limits Girardi’s ability to make moves, and helps cause losses like yesterday’s.

Williamson got redemption for his error, tying the game with a HR in the fifth, and getting the GW single in the 12th.

Great defensive plays by Brett Gardner and Didi saved Nova a couple of runs early.

One play of the game made me a little mad. In the bottom of the 10th, the Yanks loaded the bases with one out. They could have won the game there. There are many different ways, not just with a hit. Brian McCann swung at the first pitch and flied softly to left—not deep enough to score the run. Starlin Castro then fouled out to right. A walk wins the game there. Why swing at the first pitch, McCann? Why not take at least one strike? Sigh.

The Yanks fall to 49-48.

Nova 7 IP, 1 R, 6 Hits, 2 walks, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR. 4.65.
Miller 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 2 K. 1.45
Chapman 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 3 K. 2.01
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk, 1 K. 2.57
Swarzak (L, 1-1, 4.34) 2 H, 0 walks, 0 K.
Bleier 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 3.75

As one friend stated yesterday, and no disrespect meant to Swarzak, seeing Swarzak was probably a relief to the Giants after they burned through the Holy Trinity of Smoke.

Game 96. Yanks squeak past Giants, 3-2.

Over the course of a season, you win games you probably should have lost, and lose games you probably should have won.

Friday night, the Yanks won one they probably shouldn’t have, 3-2 over the Giants.

In the first, the Yanks scored off of Giants’ ace, Madison Bumgarner, on a Gardner single and RBI double by Starlin Castro, and later loaded the bases, but one run was all they got.

In the second, the Yanks got an RBI single by Carlos Beltran.

Beltran threw out a Giants’ runner at the plate in the third, and Masahiro Tanaka got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth.

Tanaka pitched six shutout innings, then no-runs DMC became runs-DMC. The Yanks aren’t going to win many games when Betances and Miller blow a lead, but they did last night.

Betances gave up a run on a WP in the seventh, and Miller gave up the tying run in the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Chase Headley got an infield single, and Mark Teixeira walked. Austin Romine couldn’t get down a sac bunt, and I am thinking to myself, “You got to be able to do the little things. Now watch him hit into a DP.” …. and Romine hit a ball that should have been a DP, except that Giants’ SS Brandon Crawford, in trying to convert it, did a 360 degree spin move after touching second and wound up throwing the ball away for his third error of the game. Headley scored what proved to be the winning run.

Tanaka 6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 walks, 4 K. 3.00
Betances (H, 25) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 walk, 2 K. 2.63. 1 WP.
Miller (BS, 2) (W, 6-1, 1.49) 1 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 walks, 2 K.
Chapman (S, 20) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.15.

I’ll be up at the game today.

The Yanks are 49-47.

 

Game 92. Yanks edge O’s 2-1. #696 for Alex.

Alex Rodriguez hit his first HR in a month, and the Yanks made it back to .500 with a 2-1 win over Baltimore Monday night.

It seems like the Yanks are like one of those sinker lines on a fishing pole. They bob up to .500, sink down, then bob up again.

A-Rod got his 9th HR of the year (696* career) in the second inning to put the Yanks up 1-0. Jonathan Schoop tied it up in the third with a HR for Baltimore.

The Yanks got the tiebreaking and winning run in the bottom of the third. Gardner singled, went to third on a single by Beltran and scored on a SF by McCann.

Nova went six, then it was no-Runs DMC time.

Nova (w, 7-5, 4.92) 6 IP, 1 R, 4 hits, 3 walks, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Betances (H, 23) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walks, 2 K. 2.54
Miller (H, 16) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks, 0 K. 1.31
Chapman (S, 19) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk, 0 K., 2.22

 

 

Game 91. Tanaka Tames Boston, 3-1.

Masahiro Tanaka gave up a HR to the second batter of the game, Dustin Pedroia, but settled down after that, giving up no more runs and just two more hits as the Yanks beat Boston 3-1 Sunday night.

The win makes the Yanks 45-46 on the season.

The Yanks got all their runs in the fourth. With one out, Didi Gregorius singled and Starlin Castro doubled him home. After Rob Refsnyder struck out, Austin Romine singled in Castro to give the Yanks the lead. Singles by Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury moved up and scored Romine to make it 3-1.

No-Runs DMC closed it out.

Tanaka (w, 7-2, 3.15) 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 walk, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Betances (H, 22) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. 2.60
Miller (H, 15) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk, 1 K. 1.34
Chapman (S, 18) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk, 1 K, 0 K. 2.30

With the All-Star Break, Tanaka had plenty of rest. The difference between him pitching on four days rest, and him pitching on more than four days rest is like night and day.