SU asks: “At what point do the Yankees say enough is enough?”  Lots of rumors flying around that the Yankees were kicking the tires to trade for Manny Machado.  The Orioles realize they will lose him after this season and want to get something for him now in the way of prospects and younger players.  Well, the Yankees have lots of those guys including Didi, Gleyber Torres and some other top tier prospects.

SU says bad idea.  It’s one thing if you are operating from weakness and you are desperate to add a Machado who is no doubt a superstar and as some on this blog like to say, a “once in a generation player.”  But the Yankees don’t need him – they don’t need more offense.  They have Torres who is 21 years old and is supposed to be the real deal.  As a fan, let’s find out if he is.  As a fan, blend together your stars with younger players.  The Yankees have Torres, Torreyes, Tyler Wade, Andujar and then some even younger players coming up behind them.  I would love to see these guys be given a shot to compete for a job and then see them struggle, overcome and flourish.  When you have a bunch of sluggers already, you can afford to do that.  And that is the key as soon enough Sanchez, Judge and Didi will be free agents and you won’t have enough payroll to keep them all.  Of course, don’t forget your pitching is already sub-standard and needs an upgrade at the starter position.

The Yankees are rumored to be looking at Brandon Drury on the D’Backs who can play multiple infield positions.  SU is not familiar with him but would prefer to give the prospects a chance.  Cashman always likes the “workman like, grind it out” players like Chase Headley.  It sounds like he is in that mode.  Boring.  Show some confidence in your own youngsters.

SU hopes that Cashman is only trying to drive the purchase price up for Machado in case some team like the Red Sox are in the mix.  Of course, the Red Sox tried to bean him last year so you wonder if he would want to play there.

Hot stove baseball is unlike any other sport in the off season.  Always fun for the fans.

Latest Trey Burke update: averaging 26 points, 6 assists a game; shooting 51% from the field and 46% from 3-point range.  Unreal that he is not back in the NBA.  As a subscriber of the NBA Season Pass, SU sees the quality of point guard around the League.  No wonder some teams are always terrible.  GMs have no clue.

Long-time subscriber T. Potter just gave SU a heads up that Chase Headley had been traded.  SU’s crack research division went into action and here is the story:

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2017/12/12/report-yankees-trade-chase-headley-to-the-padres/

So, Bryan Mitchell and Headley to San Diego for Jabari Blash.  Say who?  What?  Never heard of him.  The article says it was a salary dump.  But SU is now concerned that the Yankees are going to bring back Todd Frazier.  I mean, how many swing and miss hitters can you tolerate in a line up?  The better option would be to spend some money on pitching.

We are in Baseball Winter Meetings mode so more to come no doubt.  SU had started to grow a little (just a little) fonder of Headley but I will get over this.

OK, Eli got his ovation and respect yesterday from the Giants’ faithful and that was nice to see.  He was treated poorly by McAdoo and Reese and ownership made sure he got the starting nod yesterday.  He did his best with a patchwork offensive line and must have set a record for dump off passes.  Of course, most of his throws to the wide receivers were dropped as they are 2nd and 3rd string.

But with 3 games remaining, start Davis Webb and see what you have.  They will likely have the 2nd pick in the draft.  Doesn’t it make sense now to see if you need to draft the next quarterback?  Eli had a great run but the Giants are going into a rebuild and should start over.  The Broncos would be thrilled to have Eli next season and he clearly has a few good years left for a playoff ready team.  The Giants need someone more mobile.  It’s actually an easy decision right now.  SU says make the move already.

Giancarlo Stanton will be introduced to the world as a Yankee today in Orlando.  The SU subscribers have weighed in as overwhelmingly in favor of the trade.  Of course, time will tell if this was a good move.  One positive is that most likely the Yankees will allow Todd Frazier to move on as a free agent.  SU believes they will now look to package Clint Frazier in a trade for a younger pitcher for the starter rotation.  This is the fallout from these types of moves.  You trade your prospects for more experienced players.  SU was interested to see how he would develop but I suspect he is seen as expendable now unless they allow Gardner to leave after this next season.

OK, looks like this deal is done pending Stanton’s physical.  Yankees only had to give up Castro and a couple of lower level prospects.  They get a $31 million break on the rest of the $295 million contract.  Great comments from the SU intergalactic subscriber base – both pro and con.  SU likes to see the analytics making their way into the comments to support your arguments.

On the face of it, this is similar to signing a big time free agent.  You give up Castro but he is easily replaced by Gleybar Torres who now has a position going into spring training.  SU asks this question: “If you had this roster with Stanton playing Houston this past October, do you win that series?”  SU says no – you still lose.  You just have a different guy swinging and missing at low and outside sliders and curve balls in the DH spot.  Your pitching is still not good enough and you are still not able to manufacture runs.

With Stanton, you win 95 – 100 regular season games in 2018 and feast on the bad teams’ pitching.  But Cleveland and Houston still have the horses in their rotation and the Yankees still do not.  And now you do not have the payroll to acquire that talent as Hal is intent on getting below $200 million next season.  You will instead rely on the young arms in Chance Adams and Sheffield.  And SU is fine with that.  But Stanton does not win you extra games in the post-season in 2018.

SU agrees with B. Rosano’s comment that this feels like the 2004 A-Rod signing.  Do you remember that team?  Gary Sheffield, A-Rod, Jeter, Posada – they scored a ton or runs.  Same in 2005.  But come playoff time, you had John Lieber, a scotch-taped Kevin Brown and then in 2005 an aging and pissed off Randy Johnson starting and losing games.  For SU, this feels very similar.  They already had plenty of offense.  But Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber are still going to be there in October and the Yankees will still be swinging and missing.

Twitter is alive this morning with reports of the Yankees finalizing a trade deal for Giancarlo Stanton that would feature Starlin Castro going to the Marlins with some prospects.  Stanton is owed $295 million over 10 years with an opt out in 2020.  SU says this is a mistake by the Yankees.  Consider:

• The Yankees have some talent in the minor leagues ready to make an impact.  They are young, fast, get on base, can cover the outfield.  Most importantly, they will make contact.
• Gleybar Torres can slide into 2nd base with Castro gone which is fine.  However, you will still need to find a 3rd baseman at some point or maybe Chase Headley will get his own 10-year deal.  But this is minor in the overall scheme of things.
• Most importantly, the addition of Stanton makes the line up a series of power hitting, swing and miss batters.  SU says how much power do you need?  It’s enough with Judge, Sanchez, Bird, Didi.  This is overkill and quite honestly, will make watching games more boring.  Fans sitting around waiting for a home run or a strikeout.  Seriously: not entertaining, not enjoyable, not inspiring.  What’s fun about this Yankee roster is that many are minor leaguers who spent time in the Yankee system.  Stanton is a great talent but he is another all or nothing, home run or bust hitter.
• Taking on another $300 million contract will hurt their ability to get some more pitching.  That is the need right now – starting pitching.
• All long-term contracts end badly.  It’s a fact.

SU is unhappy.  Trading for Stanton is an over-reaction to not getting Ohtani.  SU says Cashman and Hal should take a deep breadth and do some meditation.  This is the wrong move for this franchise.  And by the way, if you have a line up of only home run power hitters, you don’t need Aaron Boone and any analytics.

So, what do you all think?

Alabama is in as the #4 seed joining Clemson, Georgia and Oklahoma and freezing out Ohio State.  SU says that aside from the fact that I hate Ohio State, this was the right choice.  Alabama had been the #1 team for most of the season and had just one loss.  While their strength of schedule was not what it usually is, Ohio State had 2 losses including a thumping at home by Oklahoma and then a blowout loss at Iowa.  The Big Ten was mediocre this year and the goal of the FCS Committee is not to have conference champions in each of the 4 slots.  Rather, they are supposed to put the best teams into the playoffs and this is just what they did.  SU is fine with these selections and these will be great bowl games.

Clearly, the Ohio State fans will not be happy but why put a 2-loss team in there just because they won their conference?  The PAC 12 is also left out.

Thoughts?

Ownership and Brian Cashman have spoken and the winner of the Yankee managerial sweepstakes is Aaron Boone.  SU can live with that.  OK, he has zero managerial experience and as far as I know, does not speak Spanish or Japanese.  But clearly Cashman values having a younger manager who has been around the game his whole life.  It’s his choice, the team is ready to win now and the pressure and spotlight will all be on Boone in 2018.  Welcome to New York.

So, who will be the bench coach?  Interesting quote here from Brian Cashman regarding his interactions with A-Rod:  “I reached out to Alex a number of times, ‘Hey, what do you got?’ I looked for a lot of guidance from a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for, and Alex knows baseball as well as anybody” Cashman said. “He never expressed interest in any way, shape or form in it. I engaged him, but — I don’t want to speak for him — but I don’t think he has any interest in that position.”

He has no interest in managing but what about being the bench coach?  SU says he would be the ideal choice.  Lives and breathes baseball, is very analytical and just enjoys the game.  It would certainly make it more entertaining!  But having him as the #2 guy would probably not work – he would be too forthcoming and compete for the spotlight.  Maybe David Cone?  Larry Rothschild is coming back as the pitching coach and Rob Thomson has already accepted the bench coach role with the Phillies.  SU hopes Boone picks someone younger or maybe this is where the Spanish/Japanese speaking part comes in.  Tony Pena could do it although he is the 1st base coach.

If Cashman really wants to be gound breaking, why not put the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst in there – Jessica Mendoza?  If you watched any of the broadcasts, she was much more insightful than Boone, and her predictions of what would happen were much more accurate than his.  SU says push the envelope and really shake things up.  Btw, that is the one thing SU is a bit leery about.  I never thought Boone had much to say of interest on those broadcasts.  I actually do not think he is especially analytical.  His strength had better be in the clubhouse talking to the players and giving out those big hugs.

Did you see that Derek Jeter fired one of the Marlins’ scouts while the guy was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery?

https://nypost.com/2017/12/01/derek-jeter-fires-marlins-scout-who-has-cancer-and-needs-kidney/

The question is why do you think Jeter is qualified for this job?  A-Rod is better suited to be a manager than Jeter is to be the quasi-team president/GM.  Not sure this ends well for Jeter.

Let’s be clear: the decision by the Giants to remove Eli as the starting QB for the remainder of the season is not necessarily wrong.  The team is going nowhere, all of the receivers and their back-ups are injured and the offensive line is just not good – even when fully healthy.  SU has no issue with a decision to see what you have on the roster at the QB position.

The issue is that they should be playing Davis Webb and no-one else.  He is (potentially) the future and since you drafted him and believed he has some skills, let’s find out if he is any good.  You know what you have in Geno Smith: a mediocre quarterback of questionable character.  He will be gone next season and there is a body of work to analyze if you are curious about his abilities.  SU says playing him makes no sense.

As for Eli, the reality is that this is professional sports.  He has had a great run in NY, is a borderline Hall of Famer and has stayed healthy in a sport where that is almost impossible to do.  You could certainly start Eli for the remainder of the season and then release him but you would be passing up a golden opportunity to see what Webb can do.  Wins and losses are meaningless now – in fact, it’s better to lose and get a higher draft pick (see NBA for multiple references).  It would be great for Eli to be treated with more respect from that standpoint but hey, he gets paid a lot of money and the Giants are now all about the future.  Former players need to get over that and cease with the respect references in their tweets.  SU says play Webb and Geno only gets in if Webb is injured.

Carlos Beltran is next up in the interview box for the Yankees’ managerial position. Let’s see why he is qualified: he does speak Spanish and he did play baseball.  Oh, and he’s a good friend of Brian Cashman.  By the way, SU is being interviewed on Friday.  I do follow the Yankees closely, I can speak a little French and even some Hebrew in case the Yankees hire an Israeli player and I will tell Gary Sanchez to take his mask off for plays at the plate.  I will even play Chris Carter as instructed.

If nothing else, Cashman is keeping the Yankees in the news on a weekly basis during the off-season and he can take his time as all other managerial slots have been filled for 2018.  You just hope he picks someone who is qualified.  SU gets the emphasis today on being able to communicate and relate to players of all types and backgrounds and the emphasis on analytics.  But Beltran is on record as not looking at the analytics or even video until recently.  How is he your choice?  If you want, make him the bench coach and the manager in waiting.

The Knicks have proven that they need a full and healthy roster to compete.  The absence of Enos Kanter has hurt them the last few games.  Trey Burke went off for 29 points and 9 assists on Monday night.  He should be given a shot.

OK, it’s time for you to weigh in.  Should Eli be benched?

The Yankees are quietly moving some minor league players in order to raise more money for the Ohtani sweepstakes.  SU just saw that they traded Garrett Cooper and pitcher Caleb Smith to the Marlins to get some additional cash.  SU liked Smith – threw hard and was a lefty who could have contributed in the bullpen in 2018 but clearly Cashman is looking to the future.  He also has to move guys on and off the 40-man roster or risk losing them in the future in that Rule 5 draft.  SU trusts him to do the right thing roster wise and keep the top prospects in the pipeline.  You do get the impression that they really want Ohtani.

SU sees that the Mets are in talks to acquire Ian Kinsler from the Tigers to play 2nd base.  That would be a good move – he is a solid professional with a proven track record.  He has been around a long time and is on the downside of his career but plays hard and would seem to be a natural fit in New York.

Giancarlo Stanton is clearly on the move.  Teams rumored to be on the list include the Giants, Dodgers and Red Sox.  His contract is ridiculous although I suppose it may pale compared to what the next round of free agents get in a year or so like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.  Boston would be an interesting destination for him – a lot of home runs in Fenway for this guy.  But as we all know, these long term, $300 million type deals all end badly and the Red Sox are still paying for Sandoval and David Price.  Buyer beware.

SU caught a few minutes of the UConn women last night and on Sunday.  While they are playing their usual team oriented style, SU believes that this year their roster is almost too good.  They really seem stacked up and down the line up more so than in past years and at some point, who can even compete with them?  Geno Auriemma has already signed the top player in the country for next season.  Great to watch and they play all the best teams in the regular season.  But not sure who will be able to stay with them once they fully hit their stride later in the season.

SU has gotten hold of the Brian Cashman interview guide using back channels.  As we know, they have placed a priority on being able to communicate with younger players and in effectively dealing with the media.  Here are some of the questions he is asking of the managerial candidates:

Gary Sanchez has just allowed his 23rd passed ball of the season and it’s only late April.  What do you say to him? (Select from below):

• “That’s ok, as long as you hit home runs, no worries.”
• “That’s ok, the Yankees now feature and emphasize a kinder and gentler place to work.  Let’s go out for a beer and I will give you a big hug to feel better.”
• “Please see me in my office.  And bring your interpreter as I don’t speak Spanish.”

Dellin Betances has just walked the first 3 batters of the inning in a save situation with a 1-run lead.  Do you leave him in? (Select from below):

• “Yes, he needs to build his confidence and it’s a long season.”
• “What?  Are you kidding?  I have a 2-year contract and every game is important.  In fact, I take him out after the first walk of the inning.”
• “You walk to the mound and give him a big hug.  Of course, you can only reach his waist but it’s the thought that counts.  It’s not only about winning at the Yankees.”

Chris Carter has just struck out for 12th time in a row.  While you had nothing to do with us bringing him back again in 2018, we have shown you the sabremetrics on Carter and how you need to give him his at bats (unlike what Joe Girardi did in 2017).  What do you do? (Select from below):

• “I keep him in the line up as I just know he will get hot and hit back to back meaningless home runs at some point during the season and because the GM told me to do so.”
• “I keep him in the line up as I only have a 2-year contract and I work at the pleasure of the GM.”
• “I give Chris a big hug and show him on tape how the entire defense is playing on the left side of the diamond including the first baseman.  Then I do a 2-minute tutorial on bunting.  Then we hug again.”

You are facing the media after a tough loss vs. the Red Sox.  You left Chapman in the game even though it was clear he didn’t have it but you were worried that taking him out would hurt his confidence, self-esteem and the number of his Twitter followers.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post second guesses the move in the post-game new conference.  What do you say?  (Select from below):

• “Chappie is my guy.  He is the closer.  He has been there before.”
• “What?  Did you want me to bring in Betances and have him walk the entire stadium?”
• “It’s a long season and I have been studying the analytics on Chapman.  We are committed to this approach.  And I serve at the pleasure of the GM.”

SU is still waiting for the A-Rod interview.  There is still time!

After watching the LA Clippers last night, it is abundantly clear to SU that nepotism is not a good thing in the NBA (or the White House as we all know but we won’t go there).  Austin Rivers plays the point for Coach Doc Rivers and it’s awful.  Meanwhile, Trey Burke is tearing it up for the Westchester Knicks and surely, and I mean surely, is a better point guard than some of the guys playing around the NBA today.  SU stumbled across this site on the Westchester Knicks web site for Trey Burke highlights from every game.  I mean – this is great!  He had 27 points, 9 assists last night but that is pretty much his average game.  Note to Doc: check this out.

http://gleague.nba.com/player/trey-burke/

Michigan – Ohio State this Saturday.  Michigan is down to its 3rd string QB.  Could be ugly.  But I am moving into college hoops mode now so this will speed the transition.