Pinstripe Alley 2 hours ago
NYY News: Nasty Nestor to don the Red, White, and Blue
Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Cortes named to Team USA; Mattingly on verge of joining Blue Jays; O’Neill’s YES Network future up in the air; Houston showing interest in Benintendi; Two former Yankees relievers find new homes MLB.com | Michael Clair: Nestor Cortes was arguably the Yankees’ best starting pitcher in 2022, and now he can add another achievement to his mantle — being named to the Team USA starting rotation. The team is looking to defend its World Baseball Classic crown from 2017 after the tournament was postponed from 2021 by the COVID-19...
Pinstripe Alley 12 hours ago
Yankees Potential Trade Target: Pablo López
Photo by John Fisher/ The Miami starter was the subject of trade rumors at the deadline. Could New York revisit him? With the 2022 season in the books, the Yankees need to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to improve the club, especially after Houston emphatically displayed its superiority over New York in the ALCS. With Jameson Taillon a free agent, an innings limit likely looming for Luis Severino in 2023, and Frankie Montas ineffective and then hurt after coming to the Bronx, shopping for starting pitching on the trade market seems a logical way to try and...
Pinstripe Alley 15 hours ago
Yankees Potential Free Agent Target: Willson Contreras
Photo by Andy Lyons/ The All-Star catcher is coming off the best season of his career. I’ve long been a fan of the idea of having two above average catchers on your team. It’s something that you often see in college baseball but doesn’t always make its way up to the big leagues. That’s probably more due to the lack of good catching in baseball rather than teams not wanting to do it, but either way, the short and long term benefits of having two good catchers has always been intriguing to me. On that note, the Yankees could have an opportunity to employ exactly...
Pinstripe Alley 17 hours ago
Yankees 2022 Roster Report Cards: Clarke Schmidt
Photo by Carmen Mandato/ He made positive strides during the regular season but looked overmatched in the playoffs. When the Yankees drafted Clarke Schmidt out of the University of South Carolina with the 16th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, it was a selection that showed an enormous amount of faith in the youngster. He had just undergone Tommy John surgery, but his elite breaking ball spin rates — even by MLB standards — and four-pitch arsenal hinted at a future as a top of the line starter. That outcome has yet to materialize, however he managed to carve out...
Pinstripe Alley 18 hours ago
Yankees potential trade target: Ian Happ
Photo by Dylan Buell/ Could the current Cubbie lock down left field? While not quite as big a concern as right field, left is an open question for the Yankees. Andrew Benintendi is a free agent, and while Oswaldo Cabrera showed some promise at the position in limited action, so much of his value comes from being able to play pretty much everywhere that locking him in one spot seems suboptimal. The Yankees could dabble in free agency for Benny or Brandon Nimmo, but if they wanted to split the difference between the two players for a whole lot less money they could do...
Pinstripe Alley 20 hours ago
Today on Pinstripe Alley - 11/29/22
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Time for your Tuesday lineup. Another day is here, and we’re 24 hours closer to some movement. The Yankees may not be simmering on the hot stove yet, but the league in general had a flare up when José Abreu reportedly agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros. The defending champs have officially made improvements to their lineup, meaning the Yankees have more work to do just to keep pace with a team that they were thoroughly distant from at season’s end. Ball’s in your court now, Yankees. Today we’ve got plenty of words...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 29, 2022
NYY News: Derek and Donnie back in the Bronx?
Photo by New York Yankees/ YES Network eyeing roles for Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly; which hitters benefit from the shift ban; Gleyber on the block. New York Post | Andrew Marchand: With a couple of high-profile former Yankees leaving posts with the Marlins, the Yankees’ in-house broadcaster is looking at additions to in-game analysis. Both Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter are not currently employed within the game, and the YES Network has discussed the possibility of one or both of the all-time greats coming into the fold. Neither man has expressed interest in moving...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
The case for Aaron Judge optimism
Set Number: X164211 TK1 The Yankees appear to be in pole position for the AL MVP. There are two styles the Yankees employ when they’re interested in a real, impact free agent. They’ll sit down with the player and his reps and present a contract they think is fair, and if the player finds a better option somewhere else, he takes it. This was the approach way back when for Robinson Canó, and also the entire 2019 free agent class. Or, the team targets a particular FA, and makes it clear that player is their priority and that they won’t be beaten on price. Think...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
Yankees Potential Trade Target: Alex Lange
Photo by Mitchell Layton/ The righty reliever is the most desirable arm out of Detroit’s bullpen, and likely the most expensive to acquire. Ever since Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Tigers would be listening to offers on their relievers, I’ve been scouring the Detroit bullpen for arms who could help the Yankees. Rosenthal picked out three relievers by name — Joe Jiménez, Gregory Soto, and Alex Lange — and over the last week or so, I’ve attempted to analyze what the three could bring to New York. I’ve already covered Jiménez and Soto, so...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
Yankees Potential Free Agent Target: Brandon Nimmo
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The OBP machine would look amazing at the top of the Yankees lineup. In MLB, having hitters who can boast a high OBP is a necessity. Getting on base is almost as valuable as hitting for power, making consistent contact or playing good defense, if not more. The Yankees know, understand, and embrace this. Much has been discussed about his power achievements, but the Yankees’ best player, Aaron Judge, had a .425 OBP in 2022. That’s extremely valuable, and they could be facing a scenario in which they lose that production if he decides to...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
Yankees 2022 Roster Report Cards: Anthony Rizzo
Photo by Elsa/ The Yankee first baseman came out of the gates strong, and despite a bad back, put together a strong season. After coming over to New York at the trade deadline in 2021, and then signing a two-year contract that offseason, it was a foregone conclusion that a healthy Anthony Rizzo would be the Opening Day starting first baseman for the Yankees in 2022. And for the most part, Rizzo was everything the Yankees could have asked for this season. After opting out of his previous contract after the Astros eliminated New York, he then re-signed with the Yankees...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
Yankees Potential Free Agent Target: Mitch Haniger
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Should the Yankees sign the oft-injured but solid vet outfielder? Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger. Andrew Benintendi. Trey Mancini. Ian Happ. Manuel Margot. The 2017 season saw an influx of rookie outfielders emerge on the scene, each of whom would receive Rookie of the Year votes in their respective leagues. Although a Jacob deGrom fastball to the face prevented him from playing enough games to become a finalist in a stacked field, Seattle Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger looked poised to join the new outfield youth movement, having...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
Today on Pinstripe Alley - 11/28/22
Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via The start of a new offseason week. We hope everyone had a good long holiday weekend, but now we’re back to business. MLB’s winter meetings will begin within the week, and with them should bring a flurry of action. It’s impossible to know for sure, but we could even be nearing a decision from the biggest man on the free agent market. On the site today, we have another suite of player targets; John tackles outfielder Mitch Haniger, while Andrés looks at Brandon Nimmo, the best available outfielder not named Aaron Judge. Peter...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 28, 2022
NYY News: The room where it happens
Winter meetings should be spur for offseason gears to move; Yanks explored three-team deal for Gallo at the deadline, former Yankee Tommy Kahnle getting attention on the market. NY Post | Greg Joyce: If you’ve been paying any attention over the offseason, basically every day has had a little tidbit update on the Aaron Judge free agent saga, with not much to actually report on. It’s a slow burn of a pursuit so far with Judge expected to take his time, but the Winter Meetings have been pinpointed as a potential acceleration point. That may also be the case for New York’s...
Pinstripe Alley Nov 27, 2022
Yankees Social Media: The Bombers celebrate Thanksgiving
See how your favorite players celebrated the holiday with family and friends! Since the start of the pandemic, we have kept you posted on what the Yankees have been up to on social media. The MLB season has come to an end, but we’ll continue to see action from our favorite players and Yankee figures. Here’s your weekly update on what your favorite Yankees have been doing on social media! Yanks celebrate Thanksgiving Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, Yankees fans! A bunch of players posted photos with family and friends. See below! View this post on...
