You have got to admit that the MLB free agent market has been unusually quiet this off-season.  Now, you might take the position that it’s the same as last year where hitting stud JD Martinez wasn’t signed by the Red Sox until February.  Or you can agree with the GM who said that until the Yankees trade Sonny Gray, many teams are in a holding pattern.  MLB Club payrolls are down from last year, Manny Machado was offered (allegedly) $175 million for 7 years by the White Sox (only $25 million a year) and Bryce Harper is still out there.  It makes you wonder…

Perhaps a number of owners are looking into building skyscrapers in Moscow and have been distracted…  Anyway, how about these developments?

• The Yankees completed the rebuilding of their bullpen by signing Adam Ottavino for what seems like a very reasonable contract.  They have now shortened the game to 4 innings which lines up well with some of their starters.  SU likes the move and is content to move forward to next season with this roster.  It also feels like they have now spent enough to avoid trading Andujar or signing Machado.  However, the articles are still out there regarding how Machado to NY is a no-brainer.
• Clint Frazier tweeted that he is healthy and has been cleared to play in February when camps open.  And he is not just saying that he is ready to go.  He is saying that he is ready to compete for a starting spot.  SU likes the confidence and a touch of arrogance.  Btw, there is no truth to the rumor that Jacoby Ellsbury tried to hit him in the head with a bowling ball to recreate those concussion-like symptoms.  Let the competition begin…
• Serena Williams prepared for the Australian Open practicing with some of the top men’s players.  It’s a great idea and her game shows it so far.  You would think more of the women players would look to do that although you can only get the time in during those tournaments where the men and women are both playing, e.g., Grand Slams, Miami, Indian Wells.
• Looks like Urban Meyer will be a FOX college football analyst this coming season.  SU is on the record that he will be in the NFL a year from now as someone’s head coach.
• Long-time subscriber, E. Alper, shares this article on how MLB hitters are actually making the adjustments against the shifts:

Don’t Worry, MLB — Hitters Are Killing The Shift On Their Own

Clearly, the research has not included any of the Yankee hitters…

SU has been asked to make some bold predictions for this week’s NFL Conference championship games.  SU likes the Chiefs and Mahomes but is concerned about the frigid temperatures in KC on Sunday night.  You have to figure the Pats are better prepared and more experienced to play in that type of weather.  You also have to factor in that Andy Reid finds very creative ways to lose playoff games.  But I will take the Chiefs 24-20.

The Saints have not played well in weeks.  The Rams may be a year away and New Orleans is a hard place to play for the visiting team.  But SU says they are ready to take that next step: Rams win 31-24.  A KC – LA Super Bowl featuring the next generation of QBs would be very entertaining.  Or not.

It’s a cold Friday afternoon.  What’s on your mind?

…DJ LeMahieu!  OK, SU is an American League snob and I must admit I don’t know anything about this guy.  $24 million for 2 years.  He has won multiple gold gloves and can hit although not with a lot of power.  What do we make of this?

• On the face of it, it seems like Manny Machado is now history as far as coming to NY.  How many infielders do you really need?  That is one theory.
• Theory #2 is that Miguel Andujar is on his way out of town as you already have Tulowitzki and now LeMahieu.  Could you add Machado and trade Andujar?  Yes, that is possible but you just added a lot more infield payroll than if you had kept Andujar.
• Cashman likes the solid, lower profile slick fielding infielder.  Drury was that guy and maybe now LeMahieu will be this year’s version.

SU is still in a wait and see mode here.  My hope is that they keep Andujar although Cashman is clearly upset that he only hit 45 doubles instead of 50.  And he must not like that he has power to all fields and is basically a hit machine.  With Bird likely heading out of town, Andjuar is SU’s favorite player and I continue to be annoyed.  The silver lining here is that I will accept the Andujar trade only if they do not sign Machado.  That is my trade demand.

Btw, SU liked the Lowrie signing by the Mets.  He is a Yankee killer and is just a plain good hitter.  Good pick-up and someone who can hit in the clutch.  You have to like the way the Mets are quietly retooling and aiming to win in 2019.

Finally, SU had the chance to visit the Braves’ new stadium and the Battery Atlanta area around the stadium.  This is very cool – hotels, bars, restaurants, condos all around the complex.  It’s the new model for sports venues.  Note to Hal: how great would this be in the Bronx??

Is the Machado deal with the Yankees history?  Door open for Harper now?  Or do we build around Jacoby Ellsbury in 2019?

It continues to be very, very quiet out there.  This is the 2nd off season in a row where teams have been exercising a lot of restraint when it comes to signing free agents – and especially for long term deals.  Some have said that the Sonny Gray trade is actually holding up many other team moves.  There also seems to be an ego contest between the agents for Harper and Machado to see who goes first.

The bottom line is that SU is having anxiety over the Yankees continuing to consider the Machado signing.  SU considered declaring a national emergency and thereby forcing the Yankees not to sign Machado but I couldn’t get network air time to make my case so won’t be doing so.   But I actually would be ok with Bryce Harper as he is left-handed and with Gardner on his last legs and Hicks potentially leaving next year as a free agent, well if you are committed to over spending, put the money there.  It feels like the Yankees are intent on spending the money – they can’t be stopped.  Signing Harper allows them to keep Andujar.  Signing Machado will see Andujar leave town and that would be a major mistake.  To me, it’s a no-brainer to sign Didi long-term, keep Andujar and have a young infield intact and in place for years to come.

Zach Britten – $39 million for 3 years?  It’s a gamble as you have to hope he can regain his old form but there is an opt out after 2 years.  It’s not a given for relievers who other than Mariano, tend to be up and down.  But with Robertson gone, it made sense and it gives them insurance when Chapman’s knee gives way in August.

Clemson is by far the #1 team – impressive win last night.  Fans who want an 8-team playoff should take note that ticket prices fell for the game last night and SU is not even sure they sold out.  Very few shots of the upper tier in the stands last night.  The reality is that fans can’t afford to travel  3 weeks in a row for these games and SF is not a hotbed for college football.  Full disclosure: I only watched a few minutes of the game.  Clemson vs. Alabama year after year, while pitting the 2 best teams against one another, is not that compelling.

SU has moved on to college hoops and is enjoying Michigan’s season.  If you are just below the top 5 high school players level (who will always go to Duke or Kentucky),  how can you not want to play for John Beilein?  His players get better each year and he has a good track record of getting them drafted for the NBA.  He is not a screamer and every game is on TV.  Plus they play the game the right way.  Michigan may become known as a basketball school now.

Clearly the Yankees are counting on Troy Tulowitzki pitching out of the bullpen on days he is not playing shortstop as the Yankees let David Robertson go to the Phillies.  He is getting $10 -11 million a year which is closer type money so it’s hard to argue with that.  On the other hand, he is a proven pitcher who has thrived in New York and is a guy you can slot into the closer’s role when Chapman inevitably breaks down during the season.  Assuming Zach Britten gets that type of money somewhere, the Yankees’ bullpen is definitely weaker heading into 2019.

SU assumes Cashman has a plan.  Unfortunately, all signs continue to lead to them signing Machado as the White Sox apparently won’t go above 7 years on their contract offer.

More and more this feels like the 2004 season where they had Gary Sheffield and a slew of big-time hitters and what was really just medicore pitching (see Kevin Brown and Jon Lieber in the LCS against the Red Sox).  SU says the more I think about it, the more I am unhappy with the Machado signing.  You can already picture Stanton and Machado striking out in big spots back-to-back in the 9th inning and the announcers wondering why the Yankees will only field a right-handed hitting team.  At least Stanton hustles and will walk briskly back to the dugout while Machado will likely slug the catcher.

Remind me one more time: what happened to the youth movement??  And why isn’t Andujar a better option?

SU needs your help here.  I am having a little trouble following the Yankees’ game plan today.  They have signed Troy Tulowitzki for only $500k or so as the Blue Jays owe him the rest of his $20 contract.  The guy is 34 years old.  He has played 66 games in the last 2 seasons and has had multiple surgeries as his body begins to fossilize.

Cashman can come off looking like a genius if he suddenly regains his form from his Colorado Rockies days but if he had anything left in the tank, wouldn’t the Blue Jays have kept him as they are paying him anyway?  And is this another move because of Didi’s injury?  Are they going to have Tulowitzki room with Jacoby Elsbury so they can trade doctor and injury stories?  Luckily, he is a right-handed hitter as the goal is to only have 2 left-handed hitters on this year’s roster (Gardner and Hicks).

This roster screams out for signing Bryce Harper over Machado to get another lefty bat in there.  SU is perplexed and what about the pitching?  The Mariners signed the Japanese pitcher that was out there.

Is anyone home in the Bronx and paying attention?

A happy and healthy New Year to everyone in the SU intergalactic subscriber base.  As we get ready to welcome in 2019, SU has a few final observations for 2018:

• After watching my share of NFL and college games over the past week, the NFL, in particular, needs to clean up the past interference penalties.  How many one-handed catches have we seen of late by receivers whose other arm is firmly locked in and held by the defensive back?  No penalties on these plays as the refs aren’t in position to see it but don’t they wonder why the receiver isn’t using their other hand?  Combine that with receivers claiming interference on virtually every play and you have a major problem.  I think teams are daring the officials to call a penalty on every pass play knowing that they won’t do it.  As a result,  you end up with some uneven officiating – especially late in games.
• While watching Clemson vs. Alabama yet again in the BCS championship game may seem boring, you can’t argue with the fact that once again, these are the 2 best teams in the country.  You also wonder what might have happened if Clemson had lost to Syracuse earlier in the season?  Would they have even made the final 4?  SU is not sure that the answer is to expand the playoffs to 8 teams as some of those teams are probably not worthy.  I will also say that the bowl match-ups this year have been pretty bad.  The answer may be a longer playoff schedule and getting rid of the bowls which more and more are just exhibition games with NFL ready players sitting out for fear of injury.
• When it comes to basketball and football in NY, man, these are lean times.  SU suspects that Netflix and Amazon sales must be way up in the metro NY area in the fall and winter.
• So, Jim Leyritz is saying on Twitter that the Manny Machado deal with the Yankees is all done except for the signatures.  Apparently, Leyritz scooped the Stanton trade last winter and has some source for these things.  Ugh.  As stated previously, this is a major mistake by the Yankees and will usher in the 2nd A-Rod-like Era of drama and absence of championships.

Finally, watch for the large number of firings in the NFL for head coaches this week.  Two went down yesterday and many more to come.  The rumors are already starting – did you see Jim Harbaugh to the Jets?  Honestly, why would the Jets want a coach with an offensive mindset right out of the 1980s?  This is the era of the young, mobile NFL quarterback who can sidestep the rush and buy that extra second in the pocket.  They don’t run necessarily but are able to reset and find a receiver down the field.  Patrick Mahomes is the poster child but there are others out there and the days of the tall, slow pocket QB are behind us.  SU will even be surprised if Eli Manning is picked up by some other team for one more season next year after the Giants cut him.

Anyone want to make some predictions for 2019?  Have at it.

It’s here.  The Manny Machado road show has come to New York.  SU continues to be puzzled about the Yankees’ interest here in adding another $300 million contract that will of course, end badly but let’s try and go inside the minds of Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman and read along with them:

• After the initial meet and greet at Yankee Stadium, they will show a picture on the big screen in the outfield of Machado in a Yankee uniform with “New York, New York” blasting.  Smiles all around.
• They will then show a video montage of clips of Robinson Cano hitting ground balls to 2nd base and strolling down to 1st base.  Yankee camera men, secretly positioned around the stadium, will carefully film Machado’s reaction.  They will look for nods of agreement that signal, “Hey, that’s about right – got to save my energy for the long season.”
• They will then show video clips of Machado getting into fights at 2nd base, 3rd base, and then stepping on the first baseman’s foot at 1st base in frustration.  But hey, he’s a good guy and like Roger Clemens, “he may be an a-hole but he’s our a-hole.”
• No doubt while Machado is visiting, Miguel Andujar will be out in 30 degree temperatures fielding ground balls at 3rd base.
• Finally, they will show pictures of Machado in an Orioles’ uniform from a couple of years ago and then last year with the Dodgers to show the 40% weight gain.  I am telling you – he is a much bigger dude now than he used to be.  Project that forward and he will weigh 300 pounds in 2 years.

All the signals point to this happening:

• Yankees sign Machado to a horrible, inflated contract with some opt out that he will never take as no one wants to pay this much (as in all inflated contracts with opt out clauses).
• Yankees trade Andujar and all of his amazing upside for doubles and more home runs and close to a .300 average for some pitcher who will immediately need Tommy John surgery.  This will be the defining moment for Cashman – in a bad way.  It is so clear to SU that Andujar has a lot of upside.  Let him practice fielding ground balls all winter – he will get better.  Plus you put up with Gary Sanchez who averages 1.3 passed balls per game when healthy and never runs hard to 1st base.  Please, please, please keep Andujar.  Why does he come up in every trade rumor?  Why do you not want to build around him and Gleyber Torres?
• The Yankees are going to get that Japanese pitcher this winter.  SU likes that move and the hope is that they use the unused Machado money to do that.  That is the smart move.

SU says pass on Machado and Harper, bring back Didi in the summer and then sign him to a long-term deal.  You need the left-handed bat badly.  Jordan Montgomery who had Tommy John surgery last season will be back at some point and he looked good.  Stay the course with the youngsters.  The pitching still isn’t there but you can always make a July trade deadline move.  If I have to root for a team with both Stanton and Machado, this will be very bad.  Help me here.  I will never abandon the Yankees but stop making it so hard on me.

SU says don’t be misled by Brian Cashman’s statements.  He has historically said one thing but then done the opposite.  The fact that he is saying why would the Yankees ever look to sign Bryce Harper when they already have so many outfielders is a prime example of that.  His statement that they have had multiple chats with Machado’s agent could also be a ruse to drive up the asking price for Machado for some other team.

SU has been clear: neither Harper or Machado are necessary with a high powered offense that they already have in place.  OK, Didi may be out until August but seriously, you can get by with a pedestrian shortstop until then.  SU does not want the Yankees to trade Andujar or Torres.  This has been the plan: grow your youngsters.  For $30 million a year, you can get two players at $15 million who are almost just as good.  The stats for the $30 million+ players do not add up.  Look at Stanton: 40 home runs but not many doubles and hits .260 with 600 strikeouts.

The need is clearly pitching.  SU will be patient and will trust the process.

Random thoughts for a Monday morning:

• SU saw that the Mets hired Chili Davis as their new hitting coach.  SU says good move – he had a good run with the Red Sox and seems to connect well with players.  I like that hiring.
• All quiet in Yankee Land but don’t be fooled by that.  The market is still being “set” for the big free agent names this winter.  The Yankees are being linked to both Harper and Machado on Twitter but who knows?  As a fan, their biggest need is still pitching and while they passed on Corbin, Happ is still out there.  Kuechel says he will cut off his beard for 2019 but SU says he is over the hill – no longer as effective and definitely one to steer clear of in this market.  Eovaldi was not worth the money as he has already had 2 Tommy John surgeries.  The Yankees were right to stay away.  I guess the Sonny Gray trade is going to have to yield someone who can make the rotation.  If the Yankees want to sign either Harper or Machado AND trade Stanton, well then SU is all in.  But to sign one of these guys and still need to find starting pitching, then it makes no sense.
• The Giants are showing signs of life late in the season when only draft pick positioning is on the line.  The Redskins are in free fall and their defense just gave up yesterday – obviously not inspired by having Mark Sanchez as your 3rd string QB.
• Jeremy Lin rumors are swirling.  Only SU cares but he is playing well and can help a contender.  Still one of the players that I tune in to watch.
• Only one more game to have to watch Urban Meyer run his hand through his hair to keep from imploding on the sideline.  He says he will never coach again but there are going to be a lot of NFL slots opening up after this season and we will see if that holds.
• Harold Baines has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  That one is a head scratcher for SU.  Solid player in his career but was he one of the top hitters at his position for an extended period?  I don’t think so.
• Finally, you had to love that Miami Dolphins win on the hook and ladder play that never, ever works over the Patriots.  That one play could cost them home field in the AFC playoffs – not insignificant.

So, what happened to all of those good match-ups for the college bowl games this year?  SU has reviewed the line-up and it’s underwhelming:

• Michigan vs. Florida in the Peach Bowl – SU had thoughts about going to this year’s Michigan bowl game (although there was definite push-back from SU family members after the Ohio State blowout) but I have zero interest in seeing yet another game against Florida – especially at $160 a seat.  They played them last season in the kick-off game in Dallas and they were Harbaugh’s opponent in his first season’s bowl game.  Michigan vs. LSU or Georgia would have been much more entertaining.  They could have paired Florida vs. UCF – interstate rivalry that would have been a first time match up I suspect.
• Texas vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl – look, Georgia is a 4A team – came oh so close to knocking off mighty Alabama.  Texas has 3 losses.  Why not Michigan vs. Georgia?  SU suspects there is some contractual arrangement that prevents it from happening but Big Ten vs. SEC would have been interesting and must see tv for the Michigan faithful.
• I won’t go through the other bowl games but Rose (Ohio State vs. Washington is a yawner) and UCF vs. LSU in the Fiesta is another one that can be missed.  SU has always enjoyed the bowls but something is missing this year.

I do think the BCS committee got it right – Oklahoma deserved to be in over Ohio State and Georgia.  Now if they can get their defensive backs not to hold on every pass play, well that is another story.  If it’s Clemson vs. Alabama again, that one is getting old.

Mets pulled the trigger on Cano and Diaz.  Rumors have them going after Kluber next in a trade as Callaway would be reunited with his ace from the Indians.  Looks like the Mets are being aggressive for 2019 in a division that may be winnable (of course, that was their story this year as well).

Ronald Torreyes, traded to the Cubs, got designated for assignment yet again.  I hope he is not taking this all personally.

SU gives props to the Kansas City Chiefs for cutting Kareem Hunt in a bold move.  He is only 23 and SU suspects he will be back either next season or the year after if he can get his head on straight, do a lot of community service and become a solid citizen.  Players have to realize that cameras are everywhere – if you are going to break the law, chances are someone will see you.

Finally, if you want to see basketball played the right way (as Larry Brown likes to say), then you have to check out Michigan’s team this year.  Very balanced, more athletic than past teams and they already have some quality wins.  As SU has said many times, I am in it for the process and the journey.  It’s very hard to win it all and March can bring disappointment when you least expect it.  But I enjoy seeing how the team improves and overcomes adversity.  They are worth the 2 hours of your time.