jacksonianmarch

Gary Sanchez is in another world right now.

Bradley is a 5 WAR player at a prime defensive position up the middle. You don't deal that. You keep the killer B's, use the rest of your farm to fill out your needs.

George was rolling over until he saw a rookie become the next Yankee star. It's a different era now. Back before George lost his mind, baseball players were all juiced up, so their career extended to the age of 40. They all hit FA at 27 or 28 and you could sign them because other teams didn't have money and players weren't being locked up. The era has changed. Guys aren't playing well past 33 and most players aren't playing at all past 35 save a select few. With ad deals, TV revenue and revenue sharing, every team has money. And the teams with the least amount of money are offering their big prospects long term deals while under league minimum to buy out a few FA years. Guys who used to hit the market at 27 and 28, are hitting it now at 29 and 30. The players are still getting ridiculous money for the same amount of years, but since 2 prime years are already gone, the production and cost/benefit is no longer worth it. Enter the new plan, which was actually the old plan that won us 4 titles. Rebuild the core and add expensive vets to supplement the core. Then lock up the core long term. I see that happening. I honestly see Sanchez being an All Star level C for a long time. I also think Judge becomes an all-star caliber OFer. We have nice pieces with Castro and Didi up the middle. But getting younger and more talented was what needed to be done, not deal away prospects for old guys who break down

Exactly. We dealt off a reliever (albeit probably the best reliever in baseball) on a team that couldn't hand the ball to the pen with a lead for a top 20 prospect, a top 75 prospect and 2 relief arms who are big league ready now. The haul was insane and would have been absolutely stupid for Cash to turn down

We have a farm system loaded with relief arms. We were a .500 team with a bunch of aged players occupying regular spots. The plan was to go young. Cut ARod, sit Tex, move Judge to the OF, Sanchez to C, Austin to 1B. Can you tell me the last time a team waved the white flag midseason, brought up 3 rookie regulars and jumped more than 5 games in the standings into a playoff spot? I don't think it has ever happened. I think they expected growing pains, not a surge. Nobody could have expected this from Sanchez. Nobody. I knew he was a bit of an immature kid with talent beyond his MiLB production. The problem with most of those players is that they don't show the patience to earn a spot like Sanchez did. The kid grew up this year, waited his turn and when he got it, he didn't let it go. That excitement on offense that we have missed since ARod lost his PEDs and Tex crumbled to dust is back in this kid. We need more, obviously, but it is a start for sure.

Moon, we have the pieces in the system currently to build a high end pen. I'd rather develop the pen and develop the offense while acquiring the pitching. The problem is, we can't acquire pitching that isn't available. Who knows, maybe Sheffield or Kaprielian or Montgomery are the answers to our rotation flux after Tanaka. Probably not, though

That's the thing, there aren't any key players right now. We need to build our pitching staff and the FA arms suck.

How you been bud? Long time no chat

Dealing Tanaka would be stupid. We're building our offense through the farm, but we don't have the pitching capital to build a dominant rotation without a guy at the top. Tanaka has been a top 4 pitcher in the AL this year. He's our unquestioned ace. Dealing him would be a full out long term rebuild. With the performance of this team after Aug 1, I don't think that's needed

Spencer was a 26 year old rookie who was playing in AAA for the third straight season when he got called up. He was never a top prospect. Sanchez has been one of the best catching prospects in baseball for 3 years now and has been a BA top 100 guy since 2014. He came up last yr for a cup of coffee, played about 100 total games in AAA and is up to stay before his 23rd birthday. Also, Spencer had 10HR in 27 games. Sanchez has 16 in 41.

I don't see that at all. He is a pretty damn good catcher and with 1b being locked up with Bird, I don't see him moving off position at all. What I could see eventually, maybe after McCann's contract ends, would be a 50/50 split between catcher and DH. The guy is somewhat athletic, but he'd be a terrible OFer and we already have a damn good 1b in Bird

You do understand how stupid that statement is, right?

I think we should deal away Gardner. He and Ellsbury are redundant, yet Ellsbury is basically untradeable. We have a ready made replacement in Williams, and if that kid shits the bed, Frazier will be ready by mid season. I want a full out youth movement next season. The FA options this offseason suck. And for a team that is in transition and at best is a wild card contender, I think making big money, short term moves is stupid. Let the kids play. After 2017, start moving cashing in some chips and shore up the team before the offseason of all offseasons after 2018

The first game was the end of our season. Once they got to Betances and proved him mortal, the team was finished. We have work to do in our rotation. We need to shore up our pen a bit. But the sox showed that a good offense can beat anyone.

With Tex and Beltran off the books for next yr, they have plenty of money to improve. What I see them doing more than anything is getting under the salary cap while finding out who is good and who isn't. We have an in-system upgrade at 1b in Bird who will be full strength for next yr and under control for the minimum. I think Austin showed enough to stay on the roster. I still think Judge is going to get every opportunity to win the job out of ST. I also think we are going to try hard to deal off Gardner as I think Williams is his eventual replacement with Frazier a half season away. Next yr, Torres and Mateo will be in AA, so within striking distance as well. I think the kids have opened the eyes of NY fans to what a youth movement can bring. Excitement is there for sure. As for prelim for next season... C- Sanchez and McCann 1B- Bird and Austin 2B- Castro SS- Gregorius 3B- Headley LF- Williams CF- Ellsbury RF- Judge UTIL- Refsnyder 4th OF- Hicks 13th man- Potentially Romine if McCann slides to near full time DH

The fact that the Yankees have been in the hunt for 6 weeks after publicly giving up on the season has been a nice treat. It's good to see Judge get a shot, sucks he got hurt. But I expect him to run with RF in ST. Sanchez went from a potential star to a star in 41 games. We turned the page from the detritus that we started the year with. Time to play the kids the last 2 weeks and prepare for next year. The rebuild might have been faster than anticipated.

At least a future star has been born. We've needed someone to fill the seats since Jeter left and ARod lost his PEDs. This kid has it

Betances is gassed. Two nights in a row where he blew a game. His curve hasn't been as sharp and his fastball location has been non existent. I think reacquainting Aroldis in the offseason looks like a good idea

When you have a full 40 man, you don't take any chances. Especially when you are still within shouting distance. Sanchez hammered that ball

Why is the lefty facing Sanchez?

Tanaka has been one of the best pitchers in the AL. Second in ERA and basically dominant down the stretch. He is having the quietest Cy Young quality Yankee season I have seen in a long time

Shaw has been exposed.

Edwin Encarnacion will be an enticing option for you guys at DH

It's shocking that we deal off two elite closers and a guy on his way to a .300 30HR and 100RBI season and we got better. The young pitching is really stepping up. The hitting is picking up as well. This finish might have us enter the fray for free agency at year's end. Interesting to say the least

Chad Green goes down with an elbow injury