4:59 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2024
Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Jon Berti

Photo by Jim McIsaac/ The Yankees needed some help in the infield and they got a useful, versatile player in Berti. The Yankees were about to enter the season with a mess of a third base/utility situation. You can say that even after trading for Jon Berti on Wednesday, it’s still less than ideal, but one thing is certain: the former Marlins player does a lot to help the Yanks fill a glaring hole on their roster. Yesterday, New York sent its 28th-ranked prospect, John Cruz to the Marlins and catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Rays to get Berti on a three-team trade (Tampa...

Pinstripe Alley

NYY News: The time is upon us, Paul

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Opening Day has arrived; Yankees trade for “security blanket”; positional projections favor New York; why a Gumby deal never came together MLB.com | Will Leitch: Opening Day is here, and we can start to answer some of the questions we’ve been asking all winter. For the Yankees, the big question is the general crossroads the organization finds itself in; with one year of control over a superstar, two of the very best in the sport only getting older, and no clear-cut path to the postseason. The team should be good, but certainly aren’t...

Pinstripe Alley

Today on Pinstripe Alley - 3/28/24

Photo by Bob Levey/ Let the games begin! Opening Day is here at last! We are READY for it. I’m not even afraid to use the all-caps. It’s merited! Today on the site, Peter will preview Nestor Cortes’ Opening Day start by strategizing how the southpaw can attack the Astros’ lineup, and Andrés will preview recent trade acquisition Jon Berti’s 2024 season. Sam will then opine about the Yankees’ unwillingness to add top-tier starting pitching despite Gerrit Cole’s absence, and Matt will remember the time 60 years ago when Whitey Ford started Opening Day as the...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees acquire Berti in three-team deal, Rortvedt to Rays

Photo by Rich Storry/ A three-team deal broke on Opening Day Eve between New York and the two Florida teams. The Yankees and Marlins have been much-predicted trade partners for a while now, and we finally got a deal done between the two — and that other Florida franchise. Jon Berti, the speedster who saw time at five different positions in 2023, comes to the Bronx, the Marlins get Rookie ball outfielder John Cruz, and the Rays picked up Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees. Miami also gets another young outfielder in Tampa Bay’s Shane Sasaki, who finished last season in...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees news: Monty makes his move

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Judge to make children’s show appearance; Monty signs with D-backs; Gonzalez fractures orbital bone; Johnson the photographer; Yanks rotation looks average without Cole ESPN | Jeff Passan: The final big free agent domino has fallen. Former Yankees southpaw Jordan Montgomery has reportedly signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that includes a second-year player option for $20 million if he makes at least 10 starts in 2024. There are escalators for the value of the option based on how much he exceeds that...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Will Warren

Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via This young arm has positioned himself to eat some quality innings in the Bronx this year. In recent years, the Yankees have excelled at finding and developing polished college pitchers in the draft. A lot of these pitchers have been used as part of trades in recent years, but a few have stayed and continued their development in the organization. Will Warren is one such example. Drafted in the eighth round out of Southeastern Louisiana in 2021, Warren has continually exceeded expectations at every level he’s pitched at so far,...

South Side Sox

Today in White Sox History: March 24

Bobby Knoop didn’t stick around Chicago long as a player, but suited up for two of the 17 worst White Sox seasons ever, in 1969 and 1970. | B Bennett/ Three trades, three modest returns 1962 White Sox third baseman Andy Carey, traded to Philadelphia on December 15, is instead dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers after refusing to report to the Phillies. Carey, just 30 but a veteran having played for nearly all of the 1950s with the New York Yankees, didn’t want to be shuttled (with no say) to his fourth team in four years. As he was a California native, the White Sox...

Pinstripe Alley

NYY News: Gil vs. Warren

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via It’s down to Luis Gil and Will Warren for the final rotation spot; the Mexico trip roster; an interview with Austin Wells; NY free agents with most at stake in 2024 NJ.com | Max Goodman: Ever since the injury to Gerrit Cole’s elbow was revealed, the biggest story at the Yankees spring training facility has been the competition for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Although a slew of arms had been in the running, it seems to have become a two-horse race with just a few days to go: Luis Gil, the young starter who has...

Pinstripe Alley

Alex Verdugo is more than an insurance policy for the Yankees

Photo by New York Yankees/ The Yankees swung for the corner outfielder from their archrivals before landing the big fish, but now they have a quality improvement across the field. It’s a rare day when two halves of the deepest rivalry in baseball history come together to make a trade with each other. The Yankees and Red Sox have made just eight deals since MLB introduced divisions way back in 1969, and the days of the massive Babe Ruth and Red Ruffing transactions are long gone. The 21st century has only seen some minor transactions, a swap of two highly...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Jorbit Vivas

Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Although Vivas is going to start the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with Torres pending free agency, he has an opportunity to prove as a future keystone option. There may be a job opening for the Yankees’ second base position next offseason. If the Yankees opt to replace Gleyber Torres with a cost-controlled alternative, Oswald Peraza would be considered the frontrunner for the in-house replacement at the moment — provided he gets closer to meeting expectations as a prospect in 2024. Another intriguing internal candidate to...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Chase Hampton

Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via The Yankees’ top pitching prospect has a chance to impact the big league club this year. When the Yankees pulled off their December blockbuster for Juan Soto, it required the gutting of their upper-minor starting pitching depth. In one fell swoop, they parted ways with three of their top-ten prospects in Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vásquez in addition to potential No. 2 starter Michael King. Because of this (highly necessary) trade, Chase Hampton finds himself as the new top pitching prospect in the Yankees...

Over the Monster

OTM Open Thread 3/21: It is Thursday

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports Another one signs Happy Thursday! Well, the Texas Rangers couldn’t wait any longer. Free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen in agreement with Rangers on one-year, $4.5M contract, pending physical, source tells @TheAthletic. Deal includes $2.5M in incentives, maxes out at $7M.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 21, 2024 Another pitching option snapped off the free agent market. Jordan Montgomery is still out there. The Yankees are apparently interested now. LOL. Sigh. The Red Sox are back in action against the Baltimore...

Pinstripe Alley

Can Marcus Stroman raise the Yankees’ ceiling?

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports The Yankees brought in Marcus Stroman to provide stability and raise their rotation’s floor. Can we expect more from him? At the beginning of the winter, Marcus Stroman might not have been at the top of most Yankees fan’s wishlists. In December, visions of Juan Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto danced in our heads. Even after the Yankees went 1-for-2 on their top targets, starry starting pitching options populated the free agent and trade markets. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and old friend Jordan Montgomery highlighted the...

Pinstripe Alley

Soto’s journey from teenage stardom to the Bronx spotlight

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/VIEWpress Soto became a baseball icon at just 19 years old and is already a World Series champion. As we approach his debut, Yankees pinstripes won’t intimidate him at all. In terms of the most exciting recent Yankees’ acquisitions, it’s hard not to put Juan Soto near the very top of the list. He is a free agent after this season and this may be his only year in the Bronx, but you only get so many chances to add a genuine possible generational superstar to your team. To add onto that, Soto is still not even 26-years-old, having already...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees show their new payroll limitation line in ‘Cohen tax’ era

Photo by Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via This week was an interesting test of the organization’s lack of appetite for going into the fourth-tier, 110 percent surcharge tax threshold. As Yankee fans, we are the rich kids of the league, and with that privilege creates a complex relationship when it comes to free-agent spending. The organization’s wealth stems from the large and passionate Yankee fan base, which contributes an extraordinary amount of money and time supporting the team, both through game attendance and backing a robust regional cable network. Because...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Caleb Ferguson

Photo by Norm Hall/ The former Dodger brings some much-needed lefty experience to the Yankees bullpen. The Yankees bullpen underwent something of a mini-overhaul this offseason, with stalwarts Michael King and Wandy Peralta departing for San Diego. New York replaced those outgoing arms by swinging a pair of trades with the Dodgers for a duo of lefty relievers in Victor González and Caleb Ferguson. Sam previewed the former last month, so today let’s look at what the newest member of the New York bullpen can offer in 2024. 2023 Stats: 68 games, 60.1 IP, 3.43 ERA (127...

Pinstripe Alley

Were Yankees smart to pass on Cease?

Photo by Michael Reaves/ The White Sox ace is headed to San Diego, not the Bronx. That may not be such a bad thing. It’s said that misery makes for strange bedfellows. The San Diego Padres and the Yankees both have had difficult offseasons in their own way that have unexpectedly intertwined the two clubs. First, San Diego was “forced” to trade Juan Soto to the Yankees for payroll reasons. Now that the Yankees are in even greater need of starting pitching after news broke that Gerrit Cole will miss the first couple months of the season with a dodgy pitching elbow,...

NESN.com

MLB Rumors: Yankees ‘Extremely Unlikely’ To Sign Potential Red Sox Targets

Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain free agents two weeks ahead of Opening Day, but a longtime MLB writer speculated they are “extremely unlikely” to find a home with a Boston Red Sox rival. The New York Yankees suffered a blow this week when Gerrit Cole went down with a right elbow injury. The 2023 […]

Lone Star Ball

Rangers, ChiSox talking Cease trade, per reports

Photo by Michael Reaves/ Trade talks involving Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease are reportedly cranking up MLB Trade Rumors: Dylan Cease, starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, has been the subject of trade talk in recent days, per reports, with the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees being among the suitors mentioned. Bob Nightengale says that the Yankees, in the wake of Gerrit Cole getting an MRI on his elbow, “made a new proposal” for Cease, having previously engaged in talks with Chicago for the righthander during the offseason. Ken Rosenthal,...

Lone Star Ball

Cease to the Padres, per reports

Photo by David Durochik/MLB Photos via Starter Dylan Cease is reportedly heading to the San Diego Padres from the Chicago White Sox MLB Trade Rumors: Dylan Cease is heading to the San Diego Padres from the Chicago White Sox, per Jeff Passan on Twitter. The market around Cease seemed to have heated up over the past few days. Whether that was due at least in part to the New York Yankees re-engaging after Gerrit Cole’s elbow resulted in him being sidelined, or if it is just a matter of Opening Day looming hastening things, the White Sox have apparently now gotten...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees reopen Cease trade talks with the White Sox

Photo by Michael Reaves/ Gerrit Cole’s elbow reportedly played a role in the Yankees sending a renewed offer to Chicago for the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Earlier in the offseason, the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox discussed a trade involving Dylan Cease. Conversations didn’t reach much momentum because the South Siders reportedly demanded the inclusion of blue-chip prospect Spencer Jones in the deal and the Yanks were reluctant. In the wake of Gerrit Cole’s tenuous right elbow situation and the Yankees’ reported unwillingness to pursue Blake Snell or...

Bluebird Banter

Tuesday GameThread: Yankees @ Jays

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports The Jays get to play the Yankees again. Jose Berrios gets the start. Dennis Santana for the Evil Ones. The Yankees have had some bad news. Gerrit Cole is in for an MRI. He won’t be starting the season with the team, that much we can be sure of, but it sounds like he might be out for a good part of the season. And there is news that the Yankees are trying to trade for Dylan Cease. Aaron Judge also had an MRI on his abdomen. He says it returned clean, and he’ll be ready for opening day. He hasn’t swung a bat for a few days. The...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees Making the Team Meter: Week Three

Despite another round of cuts and multiple injuries, the bench and bullpen remain in flux. It’s a Monday in March, and you know what that means — it’s time for another edition of the Pinstripe Alley Making the Team Meter! After a fairly quiet first two weeks, the third week of spring training games threw some wrenches into our equations. Injury concerns surrounding Tommy Kahnle and Oswald Peraza have intensified the battles for spots in the bullpen and on the bench, free agent rumors have suggested the Yankees are dissatisfied with certain parts of the roster, and...

Pinstripe Alley

NYY News: Trevy’s triumphant return

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Trevino’s triumphant return; Soto goes deep again; things to know about the upcoming Spring Breakout; counting down the Yankees’ best ever free agent signings New York Post | Dan Martin: In Sunday’s game against the Braves, catcher Jose Trevino made his spring training debut after the start of camp due to a calf injury (and of course the wrist surgery that curtailed his 2023). Trevino described his journey back as a “long, long road” and described his frustration at not being able to help the team during last year’s...

Pinstripe Alley

2024 MLB Season Preview: Los Angeles Angels

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports The Angels took a gamble when they decided to be buyers during last season’s trade deadline, and now they are trying to recover from their huge flop. The 1920 Red Sox went 72-81-1 the year after selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees during the offseason — which, to be fair, was a three-game improvement from the previous season with him. That’s the most recent precedent of a team losing their two-way star that has elite talent both ways. For the Angels, life marches on without Ohtani and a familiar story: they have a promising lineup,...

The Crawfish Boxes

Astros Crawfish Boil

Chas McCormick | Photo by Megan Briggs/ Welcome to the Wednesday Boil. Houston Astros News Verlander (shoulder) needs time to build strength, will open season on IL Small-town guy Trey Cabbage dreaming big with Astros this spring (Houston Chronicle) Here’s how Astros next extension candidate might actually catch you by surprise (Sportsmap Houston) We have the depth’: Analyzing Astros’ rotation after JV injury Astros’ Alex Bregman could be at the center of uptick in Mets-Yankees free agency battles AL West News Blarts — Rangers spring training postcard: The...

New York Post

Astros’ Alex Bregman could be at the center of uptick in Mets-Yankees free agency battles

For most of the nearly half century of major league free agency, the New York teams have avoided each other on that financial battlefield until both almost pulled out all the stops to not get Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offsesason.

DodgerBlue.com

Kiké Hernández: Dodgers Were Free Agency Decision Over Yankees Because Of Guarantee

With the Boston Red Sox facing a roster crunch at the 2023 trade deadline, it created an opportunity...

Stephen A. goes off on Yankees for failing to acquire a starting pitcher | Stephen A. Smith Show

Stephen A. Smith goes off on Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees, saying he doesn't see them winning the 2019 World Series after failing to pick up a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. ✔

The Marcus Stroman trade makes NO SENSE for the Mets | Time to Schein

Adam Schein gives his take on Marcus Stroman being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Mets and how this unexpected deal does not make any sense. Adam Schein also discusses potential trade targets for the New York Yankees now that Marcus Str

Which AL East team needs to add Trevor Bauer? | FOX MLB

Which AL East team needs to add Trevor Bauer before the trade deadline? The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are both interested in starting pitching. #FOXSports #MLB #TrevorBauer #Yankees #RedSox