The biggest name pitchers - Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery - will demand (and receive) huge, ridiculous contracts, inevitable boondoggles. Hal Steinbrenner will flinch, but here's the rub: Steve Cohen won't.
Two weeks ago, when the Dodgers unveiled their voodoo economics on Shohei Ohtani, the MLB Matrix changed. Now, when that music stops, it's not clear if Hal knows what to do.
He thought Yoshi Yamamoto would be drawn to the Yankees aura and mystique.
He thought the Dodgers would have no money left over after Ohtani.
He thought the Big Apple stage would be an attraction.
He thought letting Montas spend 2023 in rehab - so he could showcase himself in September - would mean a cost-friendly deal.
Nope. Didn't happen. None of the above.
If the Yankees' hope to trade for Dylan Cease or Corbin Burnes, good luck with that. They have already spent most of their young arms, the modern currency of the realm.
Then there is Brian Cashman's horrible track record in trades over the last two years. He is the Detroit Pistons of GMs.
Increasingly, it looks as though the Yankees believed their own bullshit about Yamamoto wanting to be a Yankee, then were caught flat-footed by the Dodgers' tax evasion schemes.
Two days ago, I outlined reasons for hope in 2024. They still exist. The Yankees are two, maybe three pitchers away from making a run at the AL East. But without pitching - yeesh - it's back to chasing Wild Card births in the expanded playoffs system, which is practically a bunch of Little League participation trophies.
I'm not saying that because Giolito and Montas are gone, the world just collapsed. The free agent auctions have just begun. But there won't be any bargains, and unless Hal digs deeper, this could be a rough year.
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Don’t worry, I’m shire Cashgrab will law a headscratching trade for Shane Beiber. Older, in decline
But still a recognizable name? It’ll happen and we’ll say goodbye to Peraza
GOOD DAY TO YOU GOOD PEOPLE!
It’s pre-dawn New Year’s Eve out here in the cool, low lying haze of Northern California and as my brains begin to quiver in anticipation of my first cup of morning coffee ~~~ a few few things come to mind:
~There have been no updates on the state of Anthony Rizzo’s brain. Is he healed and functionally past the damage caused by the concussion or is he learning how to count cards with our newest special assistant to the GM, Dustin Hoffman Raymond Babbit?
~It’s been a very quiet week for the Yankeeezzz. Is this the calm before the (Hal) storm or the new, narcoleptic-norm of this once great franchise? Boros and the Brain need to bunk-up and make babies before it’s too late. I know Scotty B. likes to take it slow and easy but ManCash needs to pop a blue and lumber up to make some fresh arms come inside Yankee Stadium.
~What exactly will our new “Manager in Wait” - New Haven, Connecticut born Brad Ausmus bring to strategic brilliance of Boone the Ejectulator? I just can’t wait to dig my grey cells into THIS part of the 2024 experience.
~And what of this, the first FULL year of Starr Insurance’s influence on the Yankees? What exciting things does this multinational juggernaut have in mind to make financial uncertainty and accidental loss more manageable and entertaining?
…….off to grind and brew…….
This team is a Cole injury away from a last place finish. Also now that Frankie Montas is gone can we get Chris Montez to come in and sing Call Me on opening day?
Player - W/L ERA
Cole - 15-4 2.62
Rodon - 3-8 6.85
Schmidt - 9-9 4.64
Cortes - 5-2 4.97
Beeter - No MLB experience, but 5th most starting experience on the roster (9-7 3.62 AA/AAA)
I can smell the fear dripping from the other teams already. I'll buy the 1st round of champagne.
Soto and done.
A few lame attempts to sign free agents that fall woefully short. Even if, somehow, the monetary offers are good enough, who the hell wants to play for this team? It's going nowhere.
We might have good fun watching Judge and Soto beat the crap out of opposing pitchers, and seeing Cole do his thing, but otherwise...
Even the kids have been ruined by the assinine coaching that fucked with their swings.
It's kind of amazing how bad this organization is. I hope Cole and Judge enjoy the money, because the idea of them winning rings is laughable.
It seems waiting to sign players, instead of yielding bargains, will now cost slow-acting teams more $$$. Right now, there are barely even any rumors emanating from the team. Yariel Rodriguez???
Messrs. Cassman + Steinbummer: our balls are in your court.
Happy New Year to all!!!! Hope 2024 is better than this freaking slog fest that's just about passed us by.
Been awful busy lately. Too busy to check in the blog. End of year is always the worst time for moi. Tons to do and a time limit ticking down to do them. Not good!
Well, I'll see ya'll on t'other side of the calendar! I'll be checking in today but then it'll probably be spring training before I'm back. Again, Good Fucking Riddance to 2023! Let us all raise our voices and sing "Should old acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne ...."
@ JM "It's kind of amazing how bad this organization is. I hope Cole and Judge enjoy the money, because the idea of them winning rings is laughable."
And I think it's all by design. They really DON'T want to win. Rake in the profits, avoid paying taxes, don't rock the boat, keep on keepin' on, kick the can further down the street ... to the bank.
Then Happy New Year to you Hammer!
I kind of think that Cole had a good year in 2023 because the Yankees sucked and didn't contend. Look for a return to prima donna hood in 2024, the go-fer balls, the blown leads, gettin' rocked in the 1st inning, inability to finish off hitters, the insistence on NOT throwing to Austin Wells, etc., etc., etc.
Look for Rodon to be even worse than he was in 2023. A ghastly 12.75 ERA? Yeah, entirely within the realm of possibility in the wonders of Yankee Land. Might even reach 18.75!
@ BTR999, And a Happy New Year to you!
It's just as we all thought. They should've moved on guys like Hader, Bauer, Snell before the Yamamoto charade. Now the price is climbing, and most likely, Cashman will do absolutely nothing more. Soto and Verdugo, that was it.
Doctor T…that rotation is scary for all the wrong reasons. Making the call now…year two of Rondon will be worse.
Hamner? Loving the autoC!
You will be missed, Hammer! Have a great New Year's, and hurry back.
And yes...you're probably all too right about the Yanks. Soto is it...and they may well not even have him after this year! I don't think their "chase" of YY was sincere for one minute. Oh, yes, I suppose if Yamamoto had confessed that he's always dreamed of wearing pinstripes, and would accept $200 mill to do it, they might have bit (Though maybe not even then. Look at the reaction when the likes of Beltran, Machado, and Harper came around offering discounts.).
This is indeed a con game, an endless effort to do just well enough to contend and keep the cash registers ringing. What neither HAL nor The Brain understand is that this equilibrium cannot possibly last forever. It's already starting to break down...
...And yes, how is that hunt for another starter going? Right now, it's down to Monty, realistically—and that's not happening; it would mean Cashie admitting a mistake.
Which leaves us with "super-charging" the bullpen. The other day, Hader let it be known that he'd like something in the range of $100 million, over 5 years. That's not happening, either. Which means...what? And yes, I can easily see Cole reverting to full "Flouncy" form.
Gonna be one grim year.
I had thought Bellinger would be a good sign because he can play first if Rizzo can't come back from his concussion, and center field if Rizzo does. Of course, won't happen now. And Monty won't come back after the Yankees screwed up his wife's internship. And a platoon with Ironman Stanton and Red Headed Nephew Verdugo won't happen because both of them would balk.Which would send the runner home after Rodon walks the bases loaded.
Yankees were done after Soto, well except for Cashole's usual dumpster diving. Gonna be a long 2024. Cole should demand a trade
Our options are dwindling because we squandered them. As some immortal person once said, "If you're eating a shit sandwich, chances are you ordered it."
Another year of jettisoning all of our prospects for nothing in return. Hell, jettisoning some good players, too, for no return. Another years of limp-dicked playing, bad training, sub-mediocre managing and coaching and stat-jockeying.
We suck and it's because of Brian and Hal, who enables him.
I am a Yankee fan forever, but these are hard times.
We must endure.
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