Yankees Interested in Elvis Andrus?

        New reports have shown that the Yankees are "intrigued" by Elvis Andrus possibly replacing Derek Jeter at shortstop. Andrus had a down 2014 slashing .263/.314/.333, however it is possible that could be an affect of the injury plagued season that the Rangers had. Even though he played 157 games it is possible that the injuries could have affected Andrus's morale which lead to the down performance. Another reason is just simply a down year, many players have them and hopefully Andrus can regain his form in the coming 2015 season. Hopefully that is the case if the Yankees do make an attempt at a trade for him.

Could Andrus end up in pinstripes?

Pros:
       One of the good things about Andrus is that he is young. Being only 26 it would be good to add some youth to the Yankee lineup, being that currently there are no starting position players under the age of 30. He would also be able to hit in the #2 spot in the lineup in replacement of Jeter instead of Brett Gardner  Another good thing is that his trade value has lowered after the 2014 season with his down offensive numbers, and his large eight-year $120 million contract that takes effect in 2015. Andrus is also a solid defensive shortstop with a career .971 fielding percentage.

Cons:
       The cons of Andrus are his last years offensive numbers were a career low. Though his career has been very good before this season it is still cause for worry. Also although it helps his trade value, Andrus's contract is still very large, and with Alex Rodriguez returning from his suspension it will really increase the overall team salary if Texas doesn't eat up a big chunk of the contract.

Final Note:
       I believe that the Yankees should take a chance on a trade for Elvis Andrus as long as it does not involve prospects Luis Servino, Aaron Judge, or Rob Refsnyder. Even though Andrus is young his 2014 season shows that the Yankees should give up their best prospects for a player that has possibly hit a brick wall, even though I doubt that is the case.

Yankees Eyeing Alexi Ramirez?

The Yankees are looking at the White Sox Alexi Ramirez but is it the right move? Should the Yankees take a chance on the 33 year old All-star?

Ramirez had a great 2014 season slashing .273/.305/.408. Now the offensive numbers are good, nothing bad but yet nothing great. The good thing about Ramirez is he is an above-average defensive shortstop. It would also give the Yankees a chance to bring up their own shortstop options as a backup to Ramirez to get a feel for the Major Leagues without being a full time starter for 2015. Not to mention Ramirez only has 1yr/$10 million left on his contract with a team option for 2016.  This would be a very manageable contract for the Yankees without disrupting any flow of upcoming prospects.

Verdict: I believe that the Yankees should take a chance on trading for Alexi Ramirez as long as they don't overpay by sending over to many top prospects for a 33 year old veteran. 

Grading the Depth of Each Position with Solutions Pt.1 Rotation

Starting Pitching 

Projected 2015 Starting Rotation

1. Masahiro Tanaka: After the partially torn UCL right before the Allstar break, Tanaka was shut down for rehab until September to were he went 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. Now hopefully that is because Tanaka has not pitched since July because loosing him again would be a huge hit to the team. To me it was a mistake for the Yankees not to have Tanaka get Tommy John Surgery right away because after loosing Tanaka already for over half the season; loosing Tanaka for another year when the UCL finally does snap will be another year lost on his 5 year $155 million contract.

2014: 13-5/2.77 ERA/ 136.1 IP/ 144 SO

2. Michael Pineda: Another injury-prone year for the former Rookie of the Year, but can the Yankees rely on him to go the entire season? This is the second year he has missed playing (for the most part this year). To have a successful rotation the Yankees will need Pineda to go at least 160-170 innings in the 2015 season.
2014: 5-5/1.89 ERA/ 76.1 IP/ 59 SO

3. CC Sabathia: After another disappointing season for CC Sabathia it will be hard to rely on him as a set spot in the rotation due to his recent injuries. Though Sabathia is still confident can he keep going?
2014: 3-4/5.28 ERA/ 46 IP/ 48 SO

4. Ivan Nova: Nova has always been a very consistent starter, being able to get the wins but a higher ERA. He hit his stride in the 2013 going 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 87.1 ERA. However he had missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John Surgery.
2014: 2-2/8.27 ERA/ 20.2 IP/ 12 SO

5. David Phelps: One of my favorite starters in the rotation because he was able to switch from the bullpen so easily with the injury plagued rotation. Hopefully he will be able to go back to the bullpen if the Yankees can  pick up another starter off a trade or free agency.
2014: 5-5/4.38 ERA/ 113 IP/ 92 SO

What are the Options?

Max Scherzer: Scherzer would be a great option to back up Tanaka in the rotation. It could potentially be one of the best one two combos in the American League. It would also provide some security in the rotation in case Tanaka's UCL fully snaps.

2014: 18-5/3.15 ERA/ 220.1 IP/ 252 SO

Jon Lester: Lester is my favorite option because he is a lefty. With the short porch in left field the Yankees need an effective lefty in the rotation to counteract lefty's in the lineup. The only problem I have with Lester is his numbers haven't been as shut down as they were this year. His ERA was average but he is a workhorse who can eat up a lot of innings.

2014: 16-11/2.46 ERA/ 219.2 IP/ 220 SO

James Shields: Shields is another option because he is a workhorse. He is also a pitcher with a high ground ball rate at 47.20% which would fit the Yankee mold very well.

2014: 14-8/ 3.21 ERA/ 227. IP/ 180 SO

Brandon McCarthy: Brandon McCarthy I believe would make the most sense to bring back to New York. After coming to New York at the Trade Deadline he went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA. Not to mention having a very high ground ball rate at 55.28% would be perfect for New York.
2014: 10-15/ 4.05 ERA/ 200 IP/ 175 SO
With New York: 7-5/ 2.89 ERA/ 90.1 IP/ 82 SO

Francisco Liriano: This is a bit of a surprise to me as well but I feel that Liriano would be one of the best free agent pitching options for New York. Liriano had the eighth highest ground ball percentage in baseball at 56.07%. Also he is a lefty which is very good to have in New York as well. However lefties hit a .270 against Liriano while right handed batters hit .206. The only good part about that is lefties hit only three home runs against Liriano versus the ten right handed batters had against him.
2014: 7-10/ 3.38 ERA/ 162.1 IP/ 175 SO

Yankee's Coming Alive in Second Half

            In the first two games of the second half the Yankee's have come alive beating the Reds in the first two games of the series. David Phelps went 6.1 IP, 6 H,  3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, and got the win against the Reds with a final score of 4-3. And today Brandon McCarthy pitched a great game going 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO, and got the win against the reds with a final score of 7-1

Yankees Targeting Edwin Jackson?

                 The Yankees need pitching, they have already aquired Brandon McCarthy from Diamondbacks for Vidal Nuno. Now there are rumors that the Yankees are interested in Cubs starter Edwin Jackson. Now Jackson would come extremely cheap considering that he is 5-10 with a 5.61 ERA. But his groundball rate is 41.9 and last year is was 51.3%. Which is a good thing for Yankee stadium considering its right field short porch. This move would be perfect for the Yankees, considering that he would come cheap, and the Yankees wouldn't need to give up the few good prospects that they have.

Who's Left on the Market Before the Trade Deadline?

          It is no doubt that the Yankees are short on pitching since the loss of their ace Masahiro Tanaka. But who is still left on the market? Well we know that Jason Hammel and Jeff Samarjiza have been traded to the A's for the A's top prospect Addison Russell. I believe that one of the problems with the players that the Yankees are looking for is they are looking for stars. When really it would just make sense to find a decent pitcher that will 7-8 innings so that their bullpen doesn't get over worked but they also need impact pitchers that will win games but can the Yankees afford those guys?

So lets analyze the remanding options.

David Price: This is a real unrealistic option for the Yankees but it can still be gone over. David Price is currently at his top but are the Rays willing to sell just yet? They are just 9.5 games out of a division that really just isn't doing that well right now. On the other hand Price is 8-7 with a 3.42 ERA and 152 strikeouts so it would make sense for them to sell when he is at the top of his game. But it would be unlikely for the Yankees to get him considering that they don't have a deep farm system and it wouldn't make sense for them to to trade him within the division.

Tommy Milone: I think that this would make more sense considering the A's extra pitching. He is currently in with the Sacramento Rivercats the A's Triple AAA team because of their recent acquisitions of Jeff Samarjiza and Jason Hammel. He was 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 95 innings pitched. The Yankees should be able to afford him considering the fact that the A's would have no room for him because even when they loose Jason Hammel next year they would be getting Jarrod Parker and A.J Griffen.

Cole Hamels: This one would make a lot of sense considering the Phillies need of almost everything and lack of farm system. It has already been expressed that he is on the trade market and he is having a great season with currently being 3-5 with a 2.91 ERA. I'd say Peter O'Brien, Manny Banuelos, Francisco Cervelli would do the job considering that they could use a back up catcher and young talent.

Ian Kennedy: Ian Kennedy is my personal favorite considering that he is a above average pitcher that can eat up innings. Kennedy wouldn't come too expensive, he is having a decent season going 7-9 with a 3.47 ERA. I think it would be a good idea for the Yankees to make an attempt to reacquire Ian Kennedy. 

Shelby Miller: Shelby Miller isn't really an expressed trade candidate but it would make sense to go after him. Especially since he is having a down season being 7-8 with a 4.29 ERA. I think that this would be the time for the Yankees to make an attempt for him, especially with the Cardinals loosing their Allstar catcher Yadiar Molina. The Cardnials will be looking for a Major League ready catcher. Maybe a trade involving young catcher J.R. Murphy who has had some Major League experience and is only 22.

If the Yankees could get at least one of these pitchers it would greatly help out their rotation. Especially if they regain Masahiro Tanaka in a couple weeks it would greatly help out their postseason hopes. 

Yankee Pitching; What are the Options?

          The Yankee rotation is in trouble, it is being held on the shoulders of Masahiro Tanaka who has put up outstanding numbers in the 2014 season going 8-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 11 games, not to mention also 88 strikeouts, which not to bad for his first season in the Majors, but can the Yankees just rely on Tanaka; the new Yankee starter Chase Whitley has shown promise with a 2.37 ERA in 4 games, the only problem is he averages less than 5 innings a game. This rotation just isn't working because I'm sorry to say but you just cannot win games with David Phelps and Vidal Nuno starting. They belong in the bullpen because they are not doing well in the starting rotation. So what are the options?

Options

Adam Warren: Warren has yet to make a start this season but he has been dominating in the bullpen. In 33 appearances he has a 2.57 ERA with 30 strikeouts. He was one of the contenders for the number 5 spot in the beginning of the season along with Vidal Nuno, Michael Pineda, and David Phelps. Well Nuno and Phelps didn't work and Pineda is on the 60-day DL, so why not give Warren a chance? If it is a matter of taking another great arm out of the bullpen switch him with Phelps who does better in that role.

David Price and Jeff Samarjiza: I'm mainly showing Price and Samarjiza because they is one thing, an option. I don't believe that this will happen do to the Yankees lack of trade chips. Their farm system is weak, their major league talent is either needed or have a no-trade clauses in their contracts, and with what the Rays and Cubs are looking for in return it just won't happen.

Injury in Yankees Pitching Staff

CC Sabathia

Injury Status: 15-day DL, Right Knee

Expected Return: July

Michael Pineda

Injury Status: 60-day DL, Right shoulder

Expected Return: Early July

Ivan Nova

Injury Status: Out for season, Tommy John Surgery

Expected Return: 2015