The 2020 season has been tough on the Boston Red Sox. First, the Sox lost key guys, one on the pitching front and another on the offensive front. Boy, as a Yankee fan, I am real glad that one of our toughest American League rival was knocked down a bit.

In recent events, I became even happier that we took an even more dominant blow toward Boston’s ballclub.

As Yankee fans, we all know that the Hal Steinbrenner ownership is big on rebuilding from within and he cashed in on the 2020 MLB draft class. The Yankees targeted Austin Wells as the No. 28 pick. He was drafted as a power-hitting catcher and hopes to continue to play that position at the professional level.

The reason for me saying, “In recent events, I became even happier…” is, Wells grew up a Red Sox fan. According to Chris Bengel of cbssports.com, “Austin Wells spent his entire life as a fan of the Boston Red Sox…Wells became a fan of the Red Sox during their historic World Series run in 2004…” Bengel continued to say in his piece that,”…Yes, that’s that year the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series…” With that being said, I am glad that we turned a Boston fan into a Yankee contributor.

As a matter of fact, the Las Vegas raised kid told NorthJersey.com, “I think everybody’s mind changed (Wednesday) night after hearing my name called. I’m definitely a big Yankee fan now.” Well, that is music to my ears and quite frankly, I will use that information when I am debating with my friends that are Red Sox fans.

It sucks that 2004 was the year that  the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. In turn that lead to Boston sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to win their first championship since 1918. You know, I am real glad that Wells knew about that part of baseball’s history, because Yankee fans now get the bragging rights.

The Yankee fanbase now have the right to brag that, “A Boston fan chose the route to Yankees Stadium over the route to Fenway Park”. Trust me, I won’t let my Red Sox friends live that one down for quite a while. Man, I can’t wait to have him succeed at the major league level.

A lefty-righty combo to man the backstop position in the Bronx would be super beneficial to the Yankees’ major league lineup. Whenever the world recovers from this virus plagued year and baseball returns to the diamond, I will be keeping an eye on the backstop position in the Bronx.

So far, baseball has taken massive blows in 2020. The sport has been stopped due the COVID-19 outbreak. As a DOMINO effect, the sport is in the process of a slow comeback because the players’ and the owner have yet to finalize a proposal that will work for both sides. The summary of my previous post is, they seem to be getting somewhere on reaching an agreement.

Baseball may or may not return, due to the spread it is taking upon the players. A decision has not officially been announced on if baseball will shutdown, until that happens, there is only one thing to talk about.

What can we make of the current Yankee state?

They have a lot of injuries, I can tell you that much. One positive thing that came out of the virus plagued season is, it has allowed the injured athletes to recuperate in quarantine. Quite frankly, that is probably the only good thing that this virus has allowed for.

If there is baseball in 2020-2021, I would like to think that the Yankees’ injury list will be almost depleted when the game returns to the field. If the baseball season will get underway soon, the New York Yankees figure to be healthier than if the season had started back on March 26th.

Per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, Aaron Hicks recently posted a video of himself taking batting practice at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Florida. I don’t know about you, but I am glad he is progressing well, because that means we 2 bats per one player. Also, he is an outstanding defensive athlete in the outfield.

With so many guys out due to injuries, it is good to know that at least our switching hitting-elite outfielder is progressing well from Tommy John surgery. Originally, because Hicks was deactivated in October due to the surgery, the Yankees believed he was going to miss eight to 10 months. According to Adam Wells of bleacherreport.com, “June marks the early end of that recovery time, though it’s unclear if Hicks has been medically cleared to play in games.”

At least Brian Cashman told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch in May that Hicks “…playing center field for the New York Yankees this summer is a legit option, as expected.”

Unfortunately, Hicks was among a group that no team wants to have in their organization, especially during spring training. Hicks was among several starting players that were injured during the offseason. Aaron Judge, James Paxton and Luis Severino rounded out that group.

Severino’s season is over after having his own Tommy John procedure on his right elbow in February. It sucks that a guy who was an ace for us has to await healing time, but I am not too worried about Sevy. I want believe he will be back to his ace-like self soon.

As far as other guys on the list, Cashman told Hoch in the same interview that, “Judge’s fractured rib should be healed by the time games begin…” The general manager of the Yankees seem to be optimistic about his right fielder’s progression. As a matter of fact, Cashman also told Hoch, “…Once we resume play, we’re excited to believe that he’s going to rejoin us at full capacity.”

We won’t have Sevy back for a while, but Paxton told YES Network in May he is “back to full strength” after undergoing surgery in his back to repair a herniated disk and remove a peridiscal cyst. With Cole in the ace spot as a righty, it will be key to having Big Maple back in the starting rotation. The big lefty should be a restored weapon in the rotation for the Yankees.

With guys like Hicks and Paxton making progress, the team’s World Series aspiration look very likely. It looks like we will have to wait quite awhile for that though.

There is also the matter of prospects. It will be a while before they get in on major league action. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, among other reporters, broke the news that the Yankees agreed to undrafted free agent signings with  pitchers Carson Coleman, Ocean Gabonia, Trevor Holloway and Jarod Lessar.

By now, Yankee fans know that New York only had three draft picks because signing Gerrit Cole cost the team its second- and fifth-round choices.

By now, Yankee fans know the name, Austin Wells and he was the Yankees’ top choice at No. 28. Damon Oppenheimer, their lead scouting director, told YES Network’s Jack Curry that Wells has similarities to Joe Mauer. Oppenheimer said the following:

“I wish I could say yes, that there’s an exact player that he reminds me of. But it’s a little difficult because I’ve seen some Joe Mauer in this guy’s swing. I’ve seen some of that kind of pop at times. Just to say, ‘Yeah, he totally reminds me of somebody.’ I can’t really say that. That’s the swing he reminds me of….”

Adam Wells said, “If Wells turns into the hitter that Mauer was during his MLB career, the Yankees will have gotten the steal of the draft. Mauer, the No. 1 pick in the 2001 MLB draft, was a .306/.388/.439 career hitter and was named AL MVP in 2009.”

So for me, I can see the Yankees having a lot of success this season or whenever the world rebounds from all that is happening right now.

So, it looks like the MLBPA and the owners finally have a blueprint plan in the works. This one seems to be the one that both sides agree upon and will probably lead to a 2020 season. If you want information on the proposal between the two sides, please follow this link: https://thepinstripedballclub.travel.blog/2020/06/18/the-negotiations-continue/

Today, I want to talk specifically about a particular component of that negotiation. As a part of the new proposal to get the 2020 season underway, Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association are expected to agree with the placement of corporate advertising on uniforms in 2020 and 2021.

Like majority of the people who follow baseball, I like how the uniforms look with just the team colors and their logos. However, with this new proposal, the placement of ads on the uniforms will compensate for the lost revenue that fans brought to the ballparks.

According to multiple sources the idea has already been adopted by the NBA. As a matter of fact, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News said, “With no fans in the stands to gawk at dozens of tacky advertisements plastered around ballparks, MLB will instead plug those endorsements onto baseball uniforms. It’s a surefire way to create a source of revenue for clubs to bridge the financial gap the coronavirus pandemic has produced….” She also spoke about how the idea was being carried out in the basketball world. She said that with the adoption of the idea into the NBA, it would “…boast brands like StubHub, Goodyear and several others. It can be done tastefully, with a color-theme that matches team uniforms. It can be placed in an unobtrusive space, similar to where the Nike swoosh was introduced…”

I know I will probably get some heat for what I am about to say, but I will say it anyways.

You know what, at first I was against the very idea of turning athletes into walking billboards. Of course I am still against that, but I am coming around to putting advertisements on the uniforms. If it means that baseball can return, I guess I can live with it. Although, I do agree with Ms. Thosar, it must be done in a tasteful and organized way.

It is an unfortunate reality of the sports world, but we all have to make do with it in these uncertain times. I don’t like it, as I am sure that many of you don’t either. We’ll all just have to get used to the added symbols that are on our favorite athletes’ uniform. It is a minor dilemma that in turn will allow us to see baseball action soon. Hopefully, this proposal will be the one that brings baseball back.

Did MLB and the MLBPA Find Common Ground?

Here we go again, the internal debate continues. As Adam Wells of bleachereport.com puts it, “There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel in the ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball and the players for a 2020 campaign.” Hopefully, we are actually going all the way with this blueprint.

Multiple news outlets reported that there may be something in the works to actually get baseball back on the diamond soon.

News began coming out yesterday that thing were moving along. According ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it was reported that MLB has sent a new proposal to the union and this is “seen as significant progress considering where the parties were 48 hours ago” even though a deal hasn’t been fully put into action yet.

Personally, when a guy like Ken Rosenthal takes to Twitter and puts out information, I believe it. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweeted out the following information:

 

Ken Rosenthal✔@Ken_Rosenthal

Source: MLB proposal includes:

•60 games in 70 days
•Season starting July 19th/20th
•Full Prorated Salary
•Expanded Playoffs in 2020 and 2021
•Waiving of any potential grievance 15.7K 3:08 PM – Jun 17, 2020

It would be really nice to have baseball back up and running again, especially because it would provide a stress relief in these rough times.

Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the owners and players are close to a deal for the season that will include prorated play and an expanded postseason.

Originally baseball was halted because the the ongoing spread of the corona virus, but it is the least of the problem when it comes to having baseball back on the field.

By now, everyone that follows baseball knows about the issue at hand. The main debate between MLB and the Players’ Union is the matter of prorated pay based on an agreement the two sides made in March, when it was unclear how long the season would be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The union wants a deal that provides language guaranteeing players full prorated salaries depending on the number of games played. The league’s proposals have included players receiving a percentage of prorated salary.

Now we see with this newly found common ground, there is full prorated salary. Along with the salary, in the deal, there is also an outline of 60 games in 70 days and a season beginning on July 19th or the 20th. Hopefully, this proposal will be the one that will clear the way for the return of baseball.

With a possible deal in the works that may benefit both sides, I am looking forward to having America’s Pastime return this summer. I can’t wait to see my Yankees in action against their opposition to obtain another title.

Championship No. 28 Would’ve, Should’ve, Could’ve Been

When Gerrit Cole joined the Yankees on the richest contract for a pitcher in history this offseason, he fulfilled a destiny Yankees fans dreamed of long before the Pirates made him the first overall selection in the 2011 MLB Draft. Now even through this pandemically infected season, baseball experts and Yankee fans both projected that 2020 would have been the season that the Bronx Bombers would have raised the world series trophy for the 28th time.

Now, all Yankee fans know that there is another fantasy universe that projects an even earlier signing of the Cole Train. Yes, that is right, I am talking about 2008. The Yankees originally picked him 28th overall in the 2008 Draft, hoping to lure the high school starter to go pro. At the time, Yankees GM Brian Cashman thought the team had a good chance of signing the pitcher. For Cole though, he changed his mind and decided to honor his commitment to UCLA.

Now, the flame-throwing right-hander could of gotten his start in pinstripes over a decade ago, but we now know that UCLA was the right route for Cole. With Cole’s cyber-metrics knowledge, I am glad he went down the educational route back then. After all, he still ended up in the Bronx.

Just for a moment though, what would the Yankees pitching arsenal look like if the Cole Train had come to a 2008 Yankee pitching staff. Forget about money, lets just talk pitching. Imagine if the Yankees had Cole along side pitching artists like an A.J. Burnett, an Andy Pettitte, a Marino Rivera, or an eventual signing of CC Sabathia in the following season.

Now, now, I am not saying that I am not happy with how thing turned out, I am just think that we could of had an elite set of power arms to capture a couple more title than we have now. If you think about it, Cole would have come into the majors and develop alongside some of baseball’s greatest pitching craftsmen. An injection of Cole in his youth, along an eventually 2009 Sabathia signing could have gotten us a back-to-back title shots.

Ok, Ok, we don’t know that to be true, but 2009 and on would have been dominating seasons for us. Right now, he is viewed as, “The World’s Greatest Pitcher” because he is a product of the Yankee farm system and after so many years he found his way back home to the organization that he was meant for. It is fun to think about though, if he took Cashman up on an offer to come up to the bigs with the Yankees, he would have played alongside some Yankee greats. Gerrit Cole would have played with the Core Four and played alongside many other young studs on the offensive and the dominating defensive front.

Yes, Yes!, I know it is all in a matter of what could have been. A matter where all The Emerging Greats of that time period would be developing alongside The G.O.A.Ts.

I don’t know about you, but wouldn’t that be something?

Also, all the milestones that he compiled with the Pirates and the irritating Astros would have worked out in our favor. We could of use the help to avoid all those years that we got the short end of the stick. Those strikeout milestones would have sent batters back to the dug out with their heads down. I don’t know about you, but I would have enjoyed knowing a stud like Cole and a primed Sabathia were the guys leading the rotation in any given series.

It would have been pretty cool seeing a Sabathia-Cole-Severino trio to head the pitching staff. For me, I see that Cole will be bringing veteran leadership to the ball-club and he will be gaining some expert advise from other leaders in the club.

With Cole’s work ethic, I see him sliding in CC’s veteran role quite smoothly. With that being said, I already know that there will be a chemistry match that will be seen on the field and will extend off the diamond.

By now, everyone knows that baseball isn’t being played because of one sole reason, the MLBPA and the owners can’t see eye-to-eye. The halting of America’s Pastime no longer has to do with the corona virus, it all lands on the big corporate giants’ shoulders and their debate with the players. Some people might even look at the situation, and believe that the players’ are solely at fault because they are not accepting what is on the table.

As MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said on SportsCenter, in the above video, in response to the current state of baseball:

“…It is just a disaster for our game..it shouldn’t be happening. It is important we get passed it and get the game back on the field for the benefit of our fans…”

The way I see it, corona has nothing to do with the stopping of the sport, it comes down to decision making from both ends of the table.

When all is said and done, the 2020 championship belongs to ownership, but I still believe that 2020 was supposed to go down in the record books as a Yankee championship year. According to FANSIDE’s Adam Weinrib, “…The trophy will still exist, sure. But it might be used as a wedge to prop up a shaky window instead of a centerpiece. Like Rob Manfred said, ‘it’s just a hunk of metal after all, right?’ ”

Weinrib also made it a point to make a strong statement by leaning on the words of Buster Olney. He said the following “MLB has taken on a Jeff Luhnow-led Houston Astros mindset in its ruthless efficiency, cutting costs at every corner in an effort to streamline a product that angers the masses, but maximizes profit….” Winrib also continued by saying, “….That makes this yet another time when Luhnow’s Astros have trumped the Bronx Bombers, albeit on a league-wide scale…”

As a fan, I would’ve liked to see the sport play out, even in this corona mess. I do get it though, health comes first and that is a very important aspect in the world of sports. However, it’s not acceptable that the sport has to suffer because of corporate greed that is being displayed by both groups. I would have been excited to see the Yankee offense clicking on all cylinders and I was looking forward to seeing their entire pitching staff dominate opposing bats with the addition of seeing the Cole Train in the ace role.

I say this with the upmost respect for the game, I am not happy with the baseball world right now. I don’t care who is at fault, I blame both sides for the downfall of America’s Pastime. I say both ends need to get their act and meet each other half way for good of the sport.