Yankees Should Pursue Mike Leake

           With the Yankees rotation in disarray due to injuries and the loss of pitchers Shane Green and Brandon McCarthy, the Yankees need to look towards adding a solid piece to a flimsy rotation. But where could the Yankees get this piece? Should it be via trade or free agency? I think that there are good options in both places but the best option might be on the trade market.

           Mike Leake, who pitched 214.1 Innings with a 3.70 ERA, is a solid young pitcher that would bring durability and a high ground ball rate to the rotation. Those two things would fare very well with the Yankees considering all the question marks that the rotation currently Leake would be great to fill the 3 or 4 spot in the rotation. His ground ball rate reaches around 52% which with the Yankees short porch in left field it is great to have pitchers that can keep the ball on the ground. Leake also pitches at Great American Ballpark which is even more of a hitters ballpark than Yankee Stadium which should cause less worry in the transition about a huge jump in ERA.

           Even though the Reds have traded away 2 of their 5 pitchers already, if they were to get a good deal for Leake it probably wouldn't matter considering they will most likely loose Leake next year anyways to free agency. The Yankees have some good prospects to give without giving away their top prospects like Luis Servino, Aaron Judge, and Rob Refsnyder. Gary Sanchez and Ian Clarkin might be more suitable considering that Leake would only be a one year buy.

The Yankees Whole Offseason Could Change If Robertson Resigns

         With the Yankees whole hesitation towards signing big name free agents like Max Scherzer and James Shields, it could all change quickly if Robertson were to resign with the Yankees. If Robertson were to resign with the Yankees, the Yankees would loose their first round draft pick for the 2015 draft. This could open the door for the top pitchers who have draft picks attached, because the Yankees would have less to loose, and as we all know it doesn't take much for the Yankees to go free agent crazy.

Mistakes the Yankees Should Avoid during Winter Meetings

Brian Cashman

          Brian Cashman has done plenty of things right this Offseason, such as acquiring Didi Gregorious from the Diamondbacks, and signing Andrew Miller to bolster their bullpen. But with tomorrow being Day 3 of the Winter Meetings, what should they be avoiding?

1. Signing Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer

            Now with the Yankees about to get a first round draft pick in the 2015 draft, should the Yankees really give that up for another 30 year old free agent? To me if there is any pitcher on the market that is worth it, its Scherzer. However with that being said the Yankees need to explore the options before jumping into a long term deal. Even though Scherzer has had better numbers than the other big name options like Jon Lester and James Shields, people seem to be forgetting that if the Yankees were to sign one of these elite starters they would most likely not be the Yankees ace. If Masahiro Tanaka is able to return as dominant as the first half of the 2014 season, then there is no doubt that the pitcher signed would be fill the #2 spot in the rotation. Even though the rotation would be stronger with Scherzer filling that role someone like Jon Lester might be the better overall option considering he is not attached with a draft pick and it would add another lefty to the rotation besides CC Sabathia.

Chase Headley 

2. Signing Chase Headley

           Right now one of the worst possible things the Yankees could do right now is sign Chase Headley. Now I know that currently the infield is a problem for the Yankees, but is having Martin Prado who with the Diamondbacks was pretty much their regular third baseman really that much of a problem? The way I see it is signing Chase Headley would move Prado to second, which would restrict prospects like Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela from reaching the majors. Now if I recall correctly, many Yankees fans last year were screaming for Refsnyder to come up and play 2B, and now that feeling has changed because now there is a 31 year old  3rd baseman that has below average offensive numbers? Now I get that we had Headley for the second half of the season but that was also when there wasn't anyone able to play RF besides Ichiro and Carlos Beltran so Prado was playing in RF a good amount of time. Also Derek Jeter was at SS and he needed to DH a decent amount of the time. Now with the OF full and with their being a good current infield the Yankees don't need to make anymore additions to the infield unless they manage to get some electric 3B/2B player like Ian Kinsler or Manny Machado, but I very much doubt something like that would happen so with the current options I say stick with the infield we currently have.

Cashman Becoming the GM the Yankees Need

Next elite in out of the Yankee bullpen? Or biggest bust of the
off-season?

       The Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman is turning into the GM the Yankees really need at this point. Cashman has been known as the GM who has really taken advantage of the Yankees budget, and given away large contracts like candy. But since the 2014 trade-deadline Cashman has really become a good GM with all the moves that he has made, such as acquiring players Martin Prado, Brandon McCarthy, and now most recently Justin Wilson. Not to mention the signings of many of top 2014 international prospects.
       The move to acquire Justin Wilson from the Pirates was one of the best moves he can make this off-season, while getting rid of injury-prone catcher Francisco Cervelli. Now don't get me wrong, I like Cervelli, however it was nice to get rid of a catcher that has only played 112 since 2011. Not to mention he was also apart of the Bio-genesis scandal in 2013 to which he was suspended 50 games.
       Justin Wilson is a giant question mark though. After coming off a terrible 2014 season, but showing elite potential in 2013 he could either be a huge upside in the bullpen, or one of the worst 2014-2015 off-season moves for the Yankees. It was also nice to be able to get another lefty reliever in the bullpen to counteract against the short right field porch.  

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