It is very interesting to watch the off season moves by the MLB Clubs. The small market teams are always operating on the fringes with trades of role players and trying to manage to microscopic payrolls compared to the big players in baseball. The Dodgers do whatever they want and don’t worry about the cost. And then you have those next tier Clubs like the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies (at least these days) and perhaps the Giants here and there.

The Yankees are more than happy to run it back from 2025 where they scored a lot of runs (although not in the playoffs) and will bank on a slew of starting pitchers returning to form from major surgeries (we all know how that usually goes – not well). Meanwhile, Steve Cohen instructed his President of Baseball Operations to to retool the roster – and fast. The Mets made a number of moves via free agent signings and then pulled off the trade for Peralta on the Brewers last night to really bolster their rotation in 2026. His contract expires after this year and he will make a ton more in free agency assuming there is even a season in 2027.

Cohen is rolling the dice for 2026 with a totally revamped lineup and of course, former Yankee relievers in the bullpen (hmm… good luck with that). SU says Met fans have to be happy with that as Cohen is not standing pat after an underachieving 2025 season. It may or may not work but at least he is going for it.

SU believes that the Bellinger signing by Cashman which was finally achieved yesterday was supposed to then potentially trigger a trade for Peralta. But the Mets got in first and that is a huge loss for the Yankees. The Yankees will head into this season with 6 left-handed hitters in the starting lineup and that assumes Stanton will be a regular contributor for the whole season which we all know is a physical impossiblity (anxiously awaiting the news on the first day of Spring Training to see which body part fell apart in the off season, e.g., tennis elbow, calf, hamstring). Rodon and Cole will be coming back from surgeries and you are banking on Schlittler being the real deal.

The Knicks finally showed some effort last night after a players’ only meeting and some soul searching. SU says coach Mike Brown is on the clock and it remains to be seen if he will survive the rest of the season. So many trade rumors for Giannis on the Bucks but the Knicks don’t have the draft picks that Milwaukee would even want in that type of deal. It does not seem like the Knicks can get to the next level with KAT (defensive liabilty and struggling for points this season) and SU has always felt that Bridges, while a nice player, is not that nice of a player. Could have done better in that spot. No doubt they will make some move at the trade deadline but only for a role player. The reality may be that their best shot was last season. We shall see.

Props to Indiana for running the table and winning it all this year as the Big Ten counts national championships for 3 years in a row. No doubt the SEC is increasingly pissed off about that. Cignetti is a great coach but a better judge of talent given his transfer portal moves. SU is sure he is very skilled with his NIL money as well.

So, Met fans: are you energized for 2026? I know Yankee fans are not. Oh how the tables have turned…

Full disclosure: the SU research staff has not done the usual in-depth statistical analysis on Kyle Tucker. I mean, there are only so many hours in a day. But for SU, at first blush, the 4-year, $240 million deal for Tucker with the deferred cash (OK, it’s only $57 million a year in present value terms) and the two opt outs makes SU think that he will play 1 and a half years for the Dodgers in the end.

Sure, they overpaid to get him for 2026 when they are going for the 3-peat. There will be a lockout in 2027 as the owners push for a salary cap, and SU estimates at best we have a half season of baseball. Tucker can, I believe, opt out after year #2 and you know he will as he wants the 8 – 10 year deal.

SU views Tucker as a solid player but not someone who carries the franchise like a Judge or a Soto. He doesn’t crave the limelight and will fit in nicely with the Dodgers who are loaded with global superstars. Does he put them over the top for 2026? Maybe but they may have already been over the top for this coming season with their current roster. SU says the Dodgers were smart to overpay for the shorter term contract. That is always the right strategy.

The bigger concern for SU is Bellinger and whether the Yankees have a chance to re-sign him now. The Mets were willing to give Tucker $50 million: does Steve Cohen now look to steal another star from Hal a year after he backed up the truck for Soto? He could also do a shorter term, over paid contract along the lines of Tucker. Or does Hal now have to add another year to give Bellinger a 6-year deal? And is Toronto still in the mix as they were also willing to give Tucker big dollars?

SU is worried that Cashman is putting too much faith in Jasson Dominguez, the latest in the Yankees’ line of overhyped prospects. Very good left-handed hitter who really can’t hit right handed and is somehow a terrible outfielder (I mean, how do you not teach these guys to catch the ball in the minor leagues? He has been in their system since he was 16). He is still very young and perhaps will show some good progress this year but the absence of moves this off season is worrying to Yankee fans. SU will put its faith in Cashman that he actually has a game plan now and will execute on that. But I am telling you: do not expect Trent Grisham to ever have a season like 2025 again.

Yankee fans are a spoiled group – no doubt about it. It comes from being in New York where the fans really care about wins and losses every game, and where there are high expectations to justify the ridiculous ticket and food prices. Plus this might be the last season we have baseball for a while.

We will soon see if Tucker is worth $60 million a year. The rich are getting richer in LA but Yankee fans can’t complain as there were many years where the Steinbrenner family did the exact same thing. Get over it and get to work Hal.

There is a new sherriff in town in New York and he does not live in the Bronx. One year after grabbing Juan Soto, Steve Cohen at the Mets has, reportedly, put an offer together for Kyle Tucker of $50 million a year according to espn.com. Whoa. That is $10 million a year more than Judge.

Supposedly, Toronto is also in the mix for Tucker. Wonder if this will boost the deal for Bellinger then?

Yankee fans, your days of being the big spenders are clearly over. Dodgers, Mets and Blue Jays are all ready to invest more than Hal Steinbrenner.

What is next for Mike Tomlin? Do a year on TV yukking it up in one of the pre- and post-game shows where you laugh and talk over each other? Hey, it’s a living. Or does someone grab him for one of the 9 openings for NFL head coaches?

Ian O’Connor thinks the Giants have a slight lead to land John Harbaugh although Tennessee has a ton of cap space and a young QB making them very attractive. Does Tomlin change the equation now?

Enough is enough. SU has been reading that the Yankees have offered Cody Bellinger 5 years for $155 – 160 million with no deferrals. Alex Bregman just signed with the Chicago Cubs for 5 years and $175 million with deferrals. Rumor has it that Bellinger wants a 7-year deal.

Bellinger is 30 years old. His track record over the past number of years has been up and down. He was great for the Yankees in 2025, and SU hopes they can get him to return. He hits left-handed pitchers well, and can play all of the outfield positions and 1st base. But 5 years is more than fair, and Yankee fans have lived through its share of aging player contracts over the years (see Giancarlo Stanton now who averages about 80 games a year).

If Hal Steinbrenner actually cares about winning a World Series (unclear), he knows that last year’s roster is not going to get them there. The bullpen needs additions and the team is still not that athletic. There is talk of dealing Jazz Chisholm for a pitcher; SU would not do that. OK, he can be a bit of a knucklehead sometimes but he steals bases, is a good fielder and hits home runs. He needs to stay. Lots of talk about dealing Jasson Dominguez for Freddy Peralta on the Brewers. SU is good with that one as he appears to be the latest in a long line of over hyped Yankee prospects.

It feels like the market is waiting for Kyle Tucker to land somewhere and see what that price tag is. The Blue Jays are in the mix for him, and all of a sudden, the Yankees are acting like a small market team. Spring training is right around the corner. SU says the next week is going to see a lot of activity but unclear where the Yankees stand in that. Bo Bichette? No thank you. The Yankees have enough offense to not need a bad fielding shortstop. Corey Seager? Sure, happy to consider him as the answer at short.

Bottom line: do not run it back with basically the same lineup in 2026.

Great NFL playoffs weekend. It’s wide open this year. SU is feeling a Buffalo – Seattle Super Bowl but clearly, all of the remaining teams are contenders at this point. It felt good to see the Eagles go away. So much drama all year around an under-achieving offense. Move on.

John Harbaugh? Apparently, it’s up to him to pick his team. The Giants are hot on him. He would bring stability but he would also have to bring along some top assistants. Keep an eye on Jesse Minter, the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. He will be a head coach this coming year and SU likes him.

The college football transfer portal is open for business, and virtually everyone is on the market. For SU, you read about a player leaving a great program and you ask why but then you quickly realize it’s for NIL money. And you can’t fault someone for leaving for more money even if it hurts their chances for a college football championship. Their goal is the NFL and if they get paid now and will still be a high draft pick, then why not? Unless they really wanted to take that Economics class with that professor senior year and therefore stayed one more year :).

Miami vs. Indiana should be an interesting finals. Indiana has locked in their coach with a long-term deal but no doubt the NFL will be sniffing around this off season. SU says stay in school. Same money plus he is golden now at Indiana. Quite the story.

SU does not normally pay any attention to what NBA coaches say, or really what any coach or manager says, after games. Phil Jackson was always the master of trying to influence the refs come playoff time – and usually very effectively. Often times, it’s just coach speak and you move on.

Given that the Knicks’ chances of making the NBA finals will run through Detroit this year, SU noted what JJ Redick said last night after the Lakers lost to the Pistons in a late December regular season game:

“I think there’s probably a level of frustration when you’re turning the ball over and you’re feeling like you’re getting fouled,” Redick said. “There’s frustration there, for sure. But I mean, again, I said it even here, we said it this morning: They’re going to foul every possession. It’s just, you got to play through it… ”

“They’re going to foul on every possession, probably three or four times,” Redick said during his pregame remarks to reporters. “And that’s not a knock, I’m not saying it in a negative way, but they’re going to foul three or four times on every possession. [And the officials are] not going to call a foul on every possession.”

If you watched the NBA playoffs last Spring when the Knicks played the Pistons, this is what was going on. The Pistons foul on every possession and it’s up to the refs to make the calls. And it’s exhausting – do you want games to slow down to a crawl with foul shots? No, and so they stop making the calls. Remember Brunson getting bumped just trying to bring the ball up the court? Who wants to watch that?

The ball is in the NBA League Office’s court now to monitor this and it’s up to the refs to start calling the fouls. It will be bad for the fans and the style of play. For the Knicks, it puts a lot of pressure on the team to have the best record in the East as the foul calling is even worse for the playoff games that will be played in Detroit come May. You need to have home court for that series as the refs are influenced by the crowd as we all know.

SU is not knocking the refs who have such a challenging job in the NBA given the athleticism of the players and the pace of the game. But we see it every playoffs where the defense ratchets up. Props to Redick for calling it out now. No doubt he has an eye on June for the finals.

The irony is that the Pistons are legitimately good and have the players to win it all. Sure, play hard on defense but stop the constant fouling. And if they foul, call it.

SU has been largely silent of late and we apologize for that. A few thoughts this morning as the year comes to a close:

1. The NFL has to be ecstatic as the playoffs get ready to start. There is no singular, dominant team this year, and the field is wide open which makes for a much more interesting playoffs. The Niners are hot but their defense is pretty awful and they will have to score in the 30s on offense to get to the Super Bowl. SU endured a season of Saquon Barkley on its fantasy football team, and watching (dare I say rooting for?) the Eagles for a full season on the Red Zone channel. They have a top tier defense but for a team with great skill position players, their play calling is a joke. And why run the play clock down to zero on every play? SU looks forward to once again rooting against them come playoff time. No doubt playoff ratings will be through the roof.
2. For NY NFL fans, all I can say is you really need to get the Red Zone channel. Why be limited to watching such awful football week after week? There is no excuse in the NFL, with a salary cap, for such prolonged bad play. And we don’t need the NFL to add another game to the season – not for this quality of play.
3. Has Brian Cashman been on a sabbatical? Or is Hal Steinbrenner operating under a salary cap again? The obvious move for the Yankees is to bring back Bellinger but with Scott Boras involved, this will drag out and at some point, Cashman will move in a different direction. The Yankees are very left-handed and unless Jasson Dominguez can learn to hit better right-handed, there are problems. The team will be short-handed in the early season with pitchers rehabbing like Cole, Rodon, Schmidt. Right now, the bullpen is worse than last year. Volpe will not be ready in April which will delight many Yankee fans but SU says he is still young and too soon to say he won’t figure things out. Aaron Judge is in his prime for another year or two, and this is the time to try and win vs. earning a profit.
4. The Mets are quietly retooling. Clearly, David Stearns sees something in the Yankee bullpen that its fans did not see in 2025. Can Devin Williams actually pitch in New York? And Luke Weaver? SU thinks the Weaver signing was a good move. There are rumors of unhappiness in the clubhouse between Soto and Lindor but who knows? Stearns has an excellent reputation and you assume he knows talent. But at least they are doing things in Flushing.
5. Michigan has a new football coach from Utah, and SU is happy about that move. Sherrone Moore exits in disgrace and it’s hard to see him ever coaching again although many do get a 2nd chance. Check out the Michigan basketball team for your winter entertainment. They play the right way: unselfish; shoot early in the shot clock; everyone plays defense or they don’t play as there is a 9-man rotation.
6. Fix the transfer portal and get NILs under control. SU has no issue with players getting paid but this level of free agency is way out of hand now. I mean isn’t this about getting an education at some point? And now ex-G-League players are enrolling in college to play hoops. The only positive is that players may stay in school longer as they can make more $$$ than if they go to the NBA but for the fan, there is too much overhauling of rosters from year to year. Part of the fun of college sports is watching players get better each year. That fun does not extend to watching those players play for 4 schools over 4 years.
7. Should the college football playoff be the 12 best teams or should it be teams that win their conferences? Tough one. Tulane and James Madison got womped in their games but they did win their conference championships. Should Notre Dame or Texas have been in the mix? Or some next level team in the Big Ten or SEC? SU is not sure on this one. Part of the problem is that with the major conferences getting so big, you do need to allow more of those teams in. Lots of controversy but as they say, any PR is a good thing as it attracts attention.
8. This has to be the Knicks’ season. Fun team to watch. SU likes the faster pace on offense this season and they are clearly the best team in the East. The key will be staying healthy come Apri. SU believes they are one player short in the rotation but not sure they have the cap room to add someone without trading one of the current rotation players. The NBA Western Conference is so much better that whoever comes out from there may be exhausted come the finals. The NBA does need to fix the tanking of so many teams each year as well as players resting. Ticket prices are high and fans should expect to see the stars.
9. A few viewing tips: The John Elway documentary on Netflix is worth a look. SU learned some things there, e.g., how much he hated Dan Reeves. Also, the A-Rod documentary on HBO Max. I know, many of you are haters – SU never was. Always viewed him as a bit of a knucklehead who made bad choices. He has gone through major therapy – some of that you can fast forward through as after a while, you get it. People on it are pretty honest – like Jeter.

All for today. Have a happy new year everyone and expect to see more of SU in 2026 (I know – that may not be a positive!). As always, the floor is open for your thoughts and comments.

Baseball is hard to explain. In the Yankees – Red Sox series, scoring any runs was at a premium, and all of the games were close and low scoring. In this series with Toronto? Runs all over the place. The Yankees showed some spine last night after falling behind 6-1 in the 3rd inning, and full disclosure, SU thought they were done for the year. They had shown little in the first two plus games but last night, the offense roared to life including hits with runners in scoring position (RISP for Yankee fans who believe me, are generally not famiiar with that stat nor are their hitters).

So, what happened last night and what can we expect tonight and perhaps Friday if needed?

1. Aaron Judge said enough is enough. He basically said let me show you what I can, in fact, do in the post-season. His 3-run home run off the foul pole was epic on an inside 100-mph fastball. He’s hitting about .500 for the post-season and SU says Toronto is going to walk him intentionally early and often starting tonight. They did that in the regular season and now seems like an appropriate time to go back to that strategy.
2. Aaron Boone pushed the right buttons with the relievers. It is hard to believe that the Yankee relievers actually shut out the Blue Jays for almost 6+ innings in this game. And he did it without having to use Luke Weaver who SU says is going to be the wild card tonight. The odds of every reliever being good every game is very, very small and based on their season long performance, hard to see that continuing.
3. Yankee hitters are now very familiar with the Toronto relievers. John Smoltz was correct on this (full disclousre: SU muted the announcing periodically throughout the game as does anyone want to keep hearing Smoltz predict the next pitch? And he is less than 50% accurate so why bother? Admit it: if you were sitting next to him during a game, you would have to go and get a beer several times during the game and hope for long lines at the beer stand). Anyway, the Yankee hitters have now seen them all and while they were unhittable at times in games 1 and 2, not so much last night. And tonight is going to be a bullpen game for the Blue Jays.
4. Cam Schlittler needs to be good tonight. Not 8 innings and 12 strikeouts good but at least good through 6 innings. The Blue Jay hitters will put the ball in play and will foul off pitches. This will be a tougher opponent than the Red Sox.
5. Tonight will come down to the late inning relievers. SU sees a close game and we will see if the Yankee relievers can be perfect again. And I do think Luke Weaver is going to show up – and it may be in extra innings. And yes, terrifying.

If this goes to game 5, advantage Toronto with Yesavage (and Gausman) waiting in the wings and the Blue Jays play much better at home on the turf. There is also the possibilty that Toronto starts Gasuman on 3 days rest tonight as you still have Yesavage for game 5 as insurance. For SU, at this point, I will take a game 5 and feel like they showed up and did not roll over. SU does predict Anthony Volpe is benched for tonight – he is just striking out in every at bat and is lost. Let him be a bench player tonight. Boone must keep Rice in the starting lineup – he had a huge sac fly late against a left-handed reliever. Stanton is showing signs but until he hits to right field with power, we will not see the October version.

It will be cold and windy tonight in the Bronx. More of that football game feel from the fans. Advantage Yankees.

Things are looking bleak for the Yankees this morning after a lost weekend in Toronto. In game 1, Kevin Gausman, who was starting against the Yankees for the 41st time in his career (can you believe that?) was mostly unhittable as the Yankee hitters went into each at bat swinging at the first pitch. OK, I get it: you don’t want to be at the mercy of his split finger pitch with 2 strikes but it’s not like you never faced this dude before. Anyway, bad strategy – did not work – and per usual, the bullpen imploded.

In game 2, same kind of pitcher in this young guy, Yesavage. Totally dominant but at least they took a few pitches this time. Unhittable – literally. Fried was very hittable (his career stats say he is very good or very bad in postseason games) and that was another blowout. The good news for fans is that this was an NFL Sunday and there was always the Red Zone channel as an option but in the end, another non-competitive game.

In a 7-game series, you can rebound from this. In a 5-game series? Not so easy. SU is sure that Boone and the Yankee players will say that they need to take it one game at a time, protect home field and get ready for a game 5 with Max Fried on track to start again (of course, Toronto will have either Gausman ready to start for the 42nd time vs. the Yankees or Yesavage or perhaps both for a game 5). SU recalls the 2001 World Series vs. Arizona where the Yankees lost games 1 and 2 by the scores of 9-1 and 4-0. These two games felt very similar.

I have to say that I am very surprised at how meekly the Yankees are playing in this series. They were dominated in Toronto all year but usually the playoffs are a different animal. The Blue Jays put the ball in play (what a concept) and play good defense. SU expects that the Yankees will be more competitive in game 3 tomorrow night but with Weaver MIA, the bullpen will be extra scary in a close game. It is possible Toronto will not look like the same team with their 3rd starter, Shane Bieber, pitching who the Yankees, again, have faced many times before in his career. In game 4, it sounds like an opener for Toronto as they have injuries to their starting staff going into the playoffs.

It is certainly possible. Aaron Judge, while getting on base with walks and singles, has yet to come through in the clutch and we are all waiting on that. Stanton was 1 for 17 before a couple of late hits yesterday.

SU will say this: the embarrassment of this weekend will make Aaron Boone’s tenure very shaky if they exit in 3 games. You have to wonder if Hal will have seen enough. Note to viewers: you may want to use the mute button on John Smoltz on FOX. Way too much caffiene in his system. Please stop talking.

SU is not feeling it but is ready to be surprised. It would be nice to see at bats with deep counts. I will be satisfied getting to a game 5 for this series win or lose at this point but let’s start with a competitive game 3.

You have to give credit to Aaron Boone for keeping the team together after losing game 1 to the Red Sox and winning the Wild Card series. He has not fared well facing off against Alex Cora in past years and this one has to feel very good. You know last night that he was tempted to take out Schlittler in the 6th and 7th innings. He had already been beaten up about removing Fried too early in game 1 (SU disagreed by the way – that was the right move) and he sometimes fails to trust what he is seeing during the actual game vs. relying too much on the analytics.

Schlittler was throwing strikes at 100 mph over and over again, and the Red Sox hitters were being overpowered. Just think about it: Boone let a starter go 8 innings. Never happens. SU says it is probably more of an indictment of the Yankees’ bullpen and not wanting to put Weaver back out there or Williams who, while better of late, is still a bit of a gamble.

Did you see Boone say after the game that game 3 was the most pressure he has ever faced in any Yankee playoff game – either as a player or a manager? I believe he felt his job was on the line if they lost and while I am sure he is financially secure and can always return to broadcasting, no one wants to get fired. We will never know if Hal would have pulled the trigger but SU says it would have likely happened.

SU watched the post-game on YES and it was heart warming to hear the comments from Jazz, Judge and others about Boone and their trust in their teammates. Loved Stanton telling young fans to NOT do what he did and watch his not-to-be home run hit off the wall early in the game. Say what you want about Stanton but he is a stand up guy and handled that well.

So, Toronto awaits and they handled the Yankees easily all year. SU now feels that karma is going to take over and that the Yankees will beat them in 4 games. Too many good vibes now and you have to figure the players will play this series more freely as it’s not the Red Sox and there is little history with Toronto in the post-season – at least not like vs. other teams. Expect the offense to pick up a bit and more runs to be scored. I know they struggle on artifical turf and the Blue Jays will run on the outfielders and the catcher but there has to be a huge weight that has been lifted now.

Of course… all bets are off as soon as Devin Williams blows a lead. But this next round feels easier to me. Thoughts?

Come on, Yankee fans, you should have seen last night’s game coming. If you have watched the Yankees all season long, this game played out just like so many others against the better teams with the better pitchers. Cases in point:

1. Boone went with the platoon lineup. Rosario was 6 for 9 vs. Crochet with a home run this year so SU can see the rationale there. Sitting Chisholm? Not so much but Boone did not want to sacrifice defense on the left side of the infield. OK – SU gets it. Didn’t work out but defensible.
2. Fried exits with one out in the 7th and having thrown over 100 pitches – a season high. He had labored the prior inning and you want him fresh for the next rounds. As SU has said previously, the Yankees’ bullpen is basically a crapshoot every game. You need a 3-run cushion (or more) if you want to comfortably win a game with the lead. I didn’t have that much of an issue there but you do hold your breath with any of these relievers from game to game. Last night, it was Weaver’s turn to implode and truth be told, it took a nice running catch by Judge with the bases loaded to even hold it there at a 1-run deficit. The relievers are terrifying and they will be again tonight.
3. The Yankees did not score with the bases loaded and no one out in the 9th inning. Long-time subscriber, D. Harmon, notes that the Yankees are the first team in MLB postseason history to have the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th but not score a run and lose the game. At least they made history! If you have watched this year’s team in extra innings, you knew this could very well happen. This team is terrible with RISP – they score via the home run for the most part and unless someone was going to hit a homer there (or maybe we see a wild pitch which the Yankees have often benefited from this year), it would be a surprise to have seen a single there. The key at bat was Stanton’s with no one out but hey, it was still September and he is not good until October. His doubleplay in the 1st inning was also a killer. SU is sure he will own up to it and be ready tonight. He failed in game 1 but as we know, baseball is a game of failure.
4. No pinch runner for Goldschmidt in the 9th inning. SU thought they could have put in Dominguez for him after Stanton struck out as who were you saving him for at that point? He would have scored on the Chisholm fly ball in the 9th but in the end, does not matter.

Is the season now over? Come on. Rodon has been very consistent this season and he is a highly competitive guy. SU expects he will give them a quality start for 6 innings but then, here you go again with the bullpen. Can the Yankees muster more offense against Bello? He’s right handed so you can play your better players and now it’s October, so expect Stanton to make up for last night. But they will need a substantial lead to get through the final 3 innings.

The Yankees will still need to overcome the questionable moves by Boone during the game but they should be able to do that. SU expects the Yankees to prevail in game 2 and then set up an agonizing game 3 filled with more drama and angst. But that is why we watch!