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Who Owned Baseball August 19, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB
AP Photo/Ben Margot
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Martin Maldonado missed the cycle by a single, going 3 for 4 with 3 runs, leading the Astros to a critical 9-4 victory over the A’s.
Starlin Castro hit 3 singles and 2 doubles, scoring 3 runs in Miami’s 12-1 thrashing of the Nationals.
Mike Clevinger struck out 7 Orioles over 6 shutout innings as the Indians blanked the Birds, 8-0.
Jose Urena threw a complete game, allowing 2 hits and 1 run, earning the 12-1 decision for the Marlins over Washington.
They all owned baseball on August 19, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball June 27, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB
Elizabeth Conley – Houston Chronicle
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Alex Bregman got 3 hits, including a 2 run walk off come from behind homer to lead the Astros past Toronto, 7-6.
Jose Peraza tripled and homered in the Reds 6-5 win against the Braves.
Mike Minor took a perfect game into the 7th, finishing with 1 hit over 7 shutout frames to earn the 5-2 victory for Texas over the Padres.
Madison Bumgarner threw 7 innings of 2 hit shutout ball, striking out 8 Rockies along the way. He did not get the decision but the Giants walked off the game, 1-0.
They all owned baseball on June 27, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball May 16, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.
Justin Verlander blanked the Angers with a complete game, 5 hit shutout where he recorded his 2,500th career strikeout in the Astros 2-0 win.
Justin Smoak homered, doubled and walked, driving in 3 to help the Blue Jays pound the Mets, 12-1.
Nick Pivetta struck out 11 Orioles over 7 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 run to earn the 4-1 decision for Philadelphia.
Starlin Castro got 4 hits, including a double, driving in a run and scoring another as the Marlins rallied to top the Dodgers, 6-5.
They all owned baseball on May 16, 2018
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owns October (#WOO) Tallies Updated For October 5, 2017
MLB Network
Well… it is safe to say Jose Altuve is ready for the big stage. When you hit 3 homers in a game, you join names like Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, Albert Pujols and Adrian Beltre for all time players to smash a trio of taters. (Oddly Adam Kennedy is also on that list.)
Chris Sale, the Red Sox best hope for a victory in the post season, pulled his best Clayton Kershaw in October impersonation, and that is no compliment.
Meanwhile Terry Francona held back his ace one day but got an ace like performance from the replacement starter. The Indians took Game 1 and have a rested and ready Corey Kluber for Game 2.
Good Luck Yankees.
So who owned October?
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO (Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From October 5
2017 American League Division Series Game 1:
Receiving 1 WOO
Jose Altuve had a historic night at the plate, launching a trio of solo homers, as the Astros ran away with Game 1 against Boston, 8-2.
Trevor Bauer kept the Yankees hitless into the 6th and finished with 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts to earn the 4-0 decision for the Indians.
Jay Bruce doubled and homered, driving in 3, to power the Indians past the Yankees, 4-0.
Justin Verlander worked out of trouble in 2 innings and finished with 6 innings and 2 runs to earn the 8-2 decision for the Astros over the Red Sox.
Receiving 1/2 WOO
Starlin Castro got 2 of the Yankees 3 hits in their 4-0 defeat by Cleveland.
Jaime Garcia kept the Indians scoreless and hitless for 2 2/3 innings, striking out 3, but the Yankees were blanked 4-0.
Sandy Leon got a pair of hits, drove in a run and threw out a would be base stealer in the Red Sox 8-2 loss in Houston.
Current WOO Totals MLB 2017
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Jose Altuve – Astros 1, Jay Bruce – Indians 1, Brett Gardner – Yankees 1, Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks 1, Starlin Castro – Yankees 1/2, Brian Dozier – Twins 1/2, Sandy Leon – Red Sox 1/2, Trevor Story – Rockies 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Trevor Bauer – Indians 1, Robbie Ray – Diamondbacks 1, David Robertson – Yankees 1, Justin Verlander – Astros 1, Jaime Garcia – Yankees 1/2, Chris Rusin – Rockies 1/2,
Who Owned Baseball September 4, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2017 #WOB Standings
Harry How – Getty Images
J. D. Martinez became the 18th player in MLB history to hit 4 homers in one game, driving in 6 runs as the Diamondbacks demolished the Dodgers, 13-0.
Carlos Martinez threw a complete game 3 hit shutout, striking out 10 Padres enroute to St. Louis’ 2-0 final.
Starlin Castro went 3 for 5 with a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored to help the Yankees overcome an early deficit and defeat the Orioles, 7-4.
Dallas Keuchel pitched into the 8th, allowing 2 runs over 7 2/3 innings to earn the 6-2 victory for Houston over the Mariners.
They all owned baseball on September 4, 2017
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
New York Yankees Payroll In 2017 + Contracts Going Forward
Brian Cashman can finally see some relief from some exorbitant contracts plaguing him from the last several years.Alex Rodriguez is still on the book for this years salary of $21 MIL. What is worse is that his Annual Average Salary of $27.5 MIL per year for the duration of his 2008 – 2017 contract still counts towards the $195 MIL Luxury Tax Threshold limit this season. Will the Yankees spend beyond that mark, or will they finally get under the limit and reset their penalties?
The Bronx Bombers have a projected payroll of $195 MIL already – and are perennial abusers of the Luxury Tax Threshold – so they are at a 50% penalty for any money spent between $195 – $215 MIL.
Don’t look for them to add much – unless they can orchestrate a trade of one of their salaried players already.
The brass is playing this smart. The young players will make or break this current roster of players, however if the season gets away from New York, they will assuredly deal a few players away to get under the Luxury Tax Threshold once and for all.
By doing such that, they will reset the penalty to a 1st time user.
The 20 Least Powerful MLB Hitters Who Slugged 20-Plus Homers in 2016
There aren’t many better ways for a ballplayer to display their power than by sending an incoming pitch over the outfield wall. That happened plenty this past season, which was one of the best cumulative power performances we’ve ever seen.
There were a grand total of 111 players who surpassed the 20-homer plateau. Not only is that an increase from the 64 players who accomplished it in 2015, it’s a new record.
However, as we detailed last week, there are other ways to determine how powerful a hitter actually is.
So, going off our idea to find the most powerful players who didn’t hit 30 homers, we’re now looking for the opposite. Below is a table displaying the 20 least powerful players who collected at least 20 round-trippers last year.
To figure this out, we limited the search to qualified hitters, sorting them by their ISO (Isolated Slugging Percentage).
Now, to be clear – none of these hitters are “below average.” They’re actually all above average in the ISO department, according to FanGraphs.
Check out who made the list:
Aroldis Chapman Signing Is The First Step In Yankees Reload
Aroldis Chapman is on pace to be one of the best ALL – Time Closers in the game. Toting a Career ERA of 2.08 – and a incredible 15.2/Per 9 IP SO rate, this man is about as hard to hit as they come. At entering the 2017 season at just Age 28, a 5 year deal worth $86 MIL is not as risky as it sounds. This organization is used to having elite Closers like him during their 23 year over .500 streak, so this is par for the course.
Brian Cashman is handling the offseason like he should. If the brass can somehow pull off a few more trades, than I would really like the projections for future years.
Aroldis Chapman inked a 5 year deal worth $86 MIL (or exactly 5 times the what the Qualifying Offer was this year.) New York didn’t have to pay the Cubs any compensation for the signing since he was traded to Chicago by these very Yankees at the Trade Deadline.
The whole concept of trading players though the year, only to re-ink them after those said seasons, is a practice that MLB clubs have not done in the past.
This is a common maneuver for NHL teams over the last 15 – 20 years, and we may it see it happen a whole lot more in future campaigns.
Not only do the Yankees get their man, but they also are armed with all of the prospects they acquired from the July trade. (Rashad Crawford (minors), Billy McKinney (minors), Gleyber Torres (minors) and Adam Warren. )
Out of those 4 players. Torres may be the best down the road. He may also even free up the ability to deal a Starlin Castro or Didi Gregorius in the next few years.
Warren is probably headed back to the Bullpen permanently again in 2017, however he can still grant you a spot start for the rotation. Read the rest of this entry
The New Luxury Tax Threshold Means The Top 11 Salaried Clubs Will All Be Affected In The Present + Future
The Dodgers have spent over $300 MIL on salary in back to back years, and are the clubhouse leaders in Luxury Tax penalties paid in that time frame. At a 50% penalty currently until falling under the limit for a year, the Los Angeles forked out $40 MIL in Luxury Taxes in 2016. With an estimated $193 MIL payroll already is signed and team controlled players – considering there are several roster holes now created by departing guys, the team will need to spend around $235 MIL in 2017 total payroll in order to be competitive.. With a 50% penalty – and an additional 45% hit for going $40 MIL over the new $195 MIL limit in 2017, I highly expect the organization will be less willing to spend 90 cents extra for every dollar spent beyond that.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
With the new CBA being tentatively signed yesterday through 2021 – the lower payroll teams will finally see some steeper enforcement of higher payroll squads.
With several penalties that range up to a 90% max penalty for spending over the limit, the dollars finally make sense for the MLB to curtail a team going rogue on their payroll spending.
Under the new deal, the format will jump from a team’s AAV (Average Annual Value) limit of $189 MIL to $195 MIL in 2017, $197 MIL in 2018, $206 MIL in 2019, $208 MIL in 2020 and $210 MIL on 2021.
The penalty for a 1st year abuser went from 12.5% to 20%, The 2nd year Still remains at 30%, the 3rd season escalates from 40% previously to 50% already. Each campaign the team is over following 3 years, the team is nailed for 50% of money spent over the limit.
Additionally, the franchise will pay a fee of 12% for spending between $20 MIL to $40 MIL over the Threshold.
If a organization goes $40 MIL over, they are faced with a surcharge of 42%.
3rd time abusers will pay 45% for every dollar doled out past $40 MIL over.
This means a 1st time penalty would still spank a team to the tune of 60% if a club spends more than $40 MIL over the limit. Read the rest of this entry
New York Yankees State Of The Union For 2017: Stemming The Tide For Upcoming Seasons
The Yankees shocked the baseball world by contending for the last 2 months in 2016 after dealing away Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran at the Deadline. With a the young ‘”Baby Bombers” on the way, tt will take a few good veterans to compliment the talent in order for the Yankees to become extremely dangerous once again. It all starts with the GM Brian Cashman.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I will be the first one to give credit to Brian Cashman for arranging the July Trade Deadline deal moves to free up a rebuild on the fly. The Yankees rewarded their longterm GM by continuing their season streak of over .500 to 22 years.
The management has also been fortunate that Gary Sanchez fared so incredibly well – so they could sell Brian McCann to the Astros, and effectively free up another $10 MIL into their couch cushions.
As it sits right now the clubs projected roster is looking to be in the $167 MIL range for total team salary. Unfortunately they are still on the hook to CC Sabathia for $25 MIL and Alex Rodriguez for $21 MIL in 2017. even though latter is not even on the roster anymore.
So what do the Yanks do this winter? They are perennial abusers of the Salary Tax Threshold, and have been paying 50% of their dollars spent beyond the limit for the last several years.
With the news of talks proceeding on that number potentially reaching $200 MIL or under the new CBA, the Pinstripers should definitely dole out some bread for Free Agents this offseason.
I would say that for the Bronx Bombers to be competitive for the AL East, they need to add at least $50 MIL in players salaries this winter in order to fight the Jays and Red Sox for the Division.
Who Owned Baseball September 15, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
ELISE AMENDOLA/AP
Hanley Ramirez launched a walk off 2 out 3 run homer to give the Red Sox a shocking 7-5 victory over the Yankees.
Daniel Mengden threw 7 shutout innings, allowing 3 Royals hits as the A’s took the 15-2 laugher.
Andrew McCutchen homered twice and added another hit in the Pirates 15-2 thrashing of the Phillies.
Johnny Cueto threw a much needed complete game win for the Giants, finishing 6-2 over the Cardinals.
They all owned baseball on September 15, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Who Owned Baseball September 12, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
Jeff Roberson / AP
Kyle Hendricks took a no hitter into the 9th before surrendering a lead off homer. He would finish with that single hit and run over 8 plus inning to secure a 4-1 victory for the Cubs over St. Louis.
Yasmany Tomas went 4 for 5, homered, drove in 5 while scoring 3 to help the Diamondbacks take a wild 12-9 slug fest over Colorado.
David Price struck out 9 Orioles in 8 innings, surrendering 2 solo homered and nothing else as the Red Sox rolled to a 12-2 final.
Rougned Odor reached base 4 times, drove in 3 including a go ahead extra inning homer that secured the Rangers 4-3 win in Houston.
They all owned baseball on September 12, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/26/16
P- Justin Verlander (vs. Los Angeles Angels): $10,400. Verlander has been absolutely dominant since the All-Star break. Over his last three starts, he has a 1-1 record, 2.25 ERA, and 17 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. In 72 career at bats against Verlander, the Angels’ offense is batting .153, with a .247 OBP, and a .256 slugging percentage. In his last start against the Angels, Verlander went 7.1 innings, giving up four runs, and he struck out seven batters.
P- Bartolo Colon (vs. Philadelphia Phillies): $7,600. Colon has been very consistent all year long. During his starts in August, he owns a 2.25 ERA. In three starts against the Phillies this season, Colon has held them to a .206 batting average. In 117 career at bats against Colon, the Phillies’ lineup is batting .231, with a .272 OBP, and a .372 slugging percentage.
SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/17/16
P- Homer Bailey (vs. Miami Marlins): $8,900. Bailey looked really good in his last start. He went six innings, giving up three hits, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. He will be facing the Marlins on Wednesday, who just recently lost Giancarlo Stanton for the year. Over the last seven games, the Marlins have a .686 OPS, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball.
P- Yordano Ventura (vs. Detroit Tigers): $7,800. In his three starts against the Detroit Tigers in 2016, Ventura has put up 15.85, 24.65, and 18.35 points in DraftKings. He has also not allowed more than three runs in a start since July 3rd. In his last three starts, he has a 2-0 record, 2.89 ERA, and 15 strikeouts. Over the last seven games, Detroit has a .693 OPS, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/16/16
P- James Paxton (vs. Los Angeles Angels): $9,400. Over Paxton’s last four starts, he has a 1.59 ERA. Unfortunately, is last time out he was hit in the elbow, and he hasn’t pitched since. Luckily he is coming back on Tuesday against a team he has dominated throughout his career. In seven starts against the Angels, he has a 3-2 record and a 2.17 ERA. Keep an eye on his injury status heading into this game just in case he doesn’t start.
P- Ervin Santana (vs. Atlanta Braves): $9,000. Over Santana’s last three starts, he has a 2-1 record, 2.11 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. In 185 career at bats against Santana, the Braves’ lineup is batting .222, with a .243 OBP, and 37 strikeouts. The Braves offense has struggled this year, so hopefully Santana’s recent success can shut them down.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/22/16
Thank you for taking the time to view my daily fantasy picks. You can find my picks for pitcher for tomorrow and a link that forwards you to the rest of the picks. If you have any questions or comments, please send me a message on Twitter (@dynasty_digest).
P – Trevor Bauer (vs. Baltimore Orioles): $8,900
P – Gerrit Cole (vs. Philadelphia Phillies): $7,400
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/20/16
I’m sorry for getting these picks out so late. I was unfortunately involved in a small car accident, which took forever to sort out. I am completely fine and so is my truck, but it has been a long night. Due to the late post, I’m not going to post explanations for each pick. If you have any specific questions about players, please feel free to reach out to me on social media.
P – Felix Hernandez (vs. Chicago White Sox): $10,100
P – Jaime Garcia (vs. San Diego Padres): $7,900
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 5/28/16
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
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If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog.
P – Zack Greinke (vs. San Diego Padres): The Padres’ offense has been one of the worst in Major League Baseball all year long.
Not only have they struggled this year, but they have struggled against Greinke every time he stepped on the mound. In 178 career at bats against Greinke, the Padres’ batters are batting a cool .191, with one home run, eight RBIs, 44 strikeouts, and a .237 OBP.
Greinke has struggled at some points in 2016, but he has been very good in his last two games, which were against the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.
Greinke has thrown one game against the Padres this year, in which he threw 7.1 innings, giving up six hits, two earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts.
P – Wade Miley (vs. Minnesota Twins): $9,100. In Miley’s last six starts, he is 5-0 with a 3.12 ERA. So far this season, he hasn’t had a noticeable “easy” matchup, so it should be nice to face a struggling Twins’ offense.
The Minnesota Twins have by far the worst offensive stats against left-handed pitchers this season out of all Major League Baseball teams.
In 263 at bats against lefties, they are hitting a whopping .209 (last in MLB), 21 runs (last in MLB, and a .285 OBP. Well folks, we are in luck because Wade Miley does in fact throw with his left arm.
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New York Yankees Must Make Changes To Take Advantage Of Their Greatest Asset
Matt Musico (Featured BBBA Writer/Owner – chinmusicbaseball.com)
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The New York Yankees entered 2016 with questions surrounding both the rotation and starting lineup, but nobody questioned one spot of the roster: the bullpen. Dellin Betances,Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman would combine for a three-headed monster of potentially historic proportions.
Games against the Bronx Bombers would basically be over before the seventh-inning stretch. Right?
While Chapman is still serving his 30-game suspension and hasn’t debuted yet, a sluggish April has prevented New York from utilizing what we all figured would be its greatest strength.
General manager Brian Cashman has toed the line between getting younger and remaining competitive for quite a while and has done a great job.
He found Derek Jeter’s successor in Didi Gregorius and despite not signing an MLB free agent this past winter, he made what appeared to be solid additions in Chapman, Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks.
However, the one thing on Cashman’s to-do list that he couldn’t cross off was finding depth (or just better options) for the starting rotation.
He even sacrificed some depth by sending Adam Warren to the Chicago Cubs in the Castro trade.
This area was a cause for concern, but there seemed to be enough positives where an overwhelming bullpen would make up the difference.
It hasn’t.
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MLB Fantasy Daily (DFS) Picks For FanDuel – 4/30/16 + Bonus 2nd Lineup
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
The Tigers have definitely heated up their lineup in the last week – and are perhaps still vastly underrated on FanDuel right now. Looking to capitalize on low values for Miguel Cabrera, Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez.
I also believe in the NY Yankees getting the better of Rick Porcello on Saturday with LHB Brett Gardner and Brian McCann. I added Starlin Castro to the fold at Fenway Park.
For some reason, the Yankees do well at Fenway for batting anyway. Plus I can’t think that Porcello will keep up his success either.
There is a lot of frontline pitchers throwing on Saturday, so I am steering clear of a a ton of cash on FanDuel. I do love Francisco Liriano vs the Reds. Heck, I love anyone against the Reds – who are starting their freefall.
The Yankees and Tigers are kind of an old unconventional duo for a couple of stacks, and that is what I am hoping for. I may play a Chase Field lineup as well – and just call it a day. Read the rest of this entry
“Stoking The Fire Segment” – Tanaka Will Miss Over A Years Worth Of Work In 7 Year Deal From ‘TJS’ Avoidance
Pitching with a partially torn UCL in his pitching arm since July of 2014, the Yankees and Tanaka’s camp have avoided having Tommy John Surgery thus far, but how far can they go in avoiding the procedure? I also make the point that even if the Yankees ace somehow eludes the injury for the duration of his 7 year contract – that the fans are only seeing him at 85 – 90%. I thought the move was to have TJ Surgery in 2014, and upon returning from it, he would be able to turn it lose like an ace should.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_Hunter21
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What is better: 5 Years and an average of 200 Innings Thrown, or 6 years of throwing 150 – 165 IP?
The diagnosis of Masahiro Tanaka‘s slightly torn elbow was first disclosed in July of 2014. Had he gone for Tommy John Surgery there for repair, he could be back at full strength right about now in time.
Instead of going ahead with a procedure (that is operating at about an 86% rate of full return for pitchers,) the Japanese born Tanaka has been nursing the injury since the start of the 2015 season.
Having signed a 7 year deal worth $155 MIL – that also included a $20 MIL posting fee, the Yankees were hoping to land an ace that could pivot their rotation from 2014 – 2020.
While it is amazing the man can even throw with this lingering issue, Tanaka authored a great WHIP of 0.994 and a respectable ERA of 3.51 in 24 Game Starts during 2015. Here is the problem though, he missed 2 months of the season when his elbow flared up. Read the rest of this entry
New York Yankees Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward
With almost $100 MIL tied up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for this season if injuries occur. It may take a small miracle for them to make a playoff spot next campaign again without spending some cash.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
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Brian Cashman can finally see some relief from some exorbitant contracts plaguing him from the last several years.
2016 sees the last year on deals for Aroldis Chapman, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran. Alex Rodriguez is still on the book for one more year after this.
Sabathia does have a Vesting Option for $25 MIL if salary guaranteed if he 1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury.
The Yankees can’t guarantee this will happen. Therefore the club must treat this contract as part of their deal for 2017 as well. The Buyout would be $5 MIL.
Sabathia’s drinking aside, they are paying for the good years right now, and he is no better than a 5th Starter – and at 36 years of age with 3000+ IP logged for his career, there may be not much left in the tank. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB World Series
The Cardinals continued their great play in the MLB since the turn of the millennium – with an MLB best 100 wins in 2015. The organization has transitioned to the next core of a young nucleus, while still holding on to a couple of capable veterans. Considering they have plenty of depth, and lots of payroll flexibility coming forth, the franchise could orchestrate a blockbuster trade soon. While I would favor Chicago over them slightly for the NL Central, the RedBirds, Mets, Dodgers Tigers and Mariners have the best value, while the Angels, Giants, Padres, Red Sox and D’Backs have the worst on the board this week.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I was all set to pounce on my 1st American League bet for the Fall Classic in 2016 earlier this week – when the O’s were at +5000, and presumably bringing both Dexter Fowler and Yovani Gallardo into the stable.
With Fowler opting back to Chicago, the odd also dropped to +4500 in the meantime (also following the Gallardo wait time for the physical fiasco), and the value is no longer there.
Baltimore is a low 80 wins team in my view, and will not have enough for the postseason. Fowler would have added a few W’s for sure.
Of course with the chaos that has ensued, the Cubs have gone from +700 to +650 prohibitive best odd. There is no doubt in my mind they should be the consensus favorite.
One of these years the #1 seed will capitalize and win. I am still not plunking down cabbage at that clip though.
If I were to do my year end picks right now, I would still have Chicago ending their World Series 108 seasons drought – but I can’t place them as twice the favorite as the St. Louis Cardinals.
Still not sold on the Cubs Bullpen either, and I think Jon Lester can be had in the postseason. The Mets also line up favorably versus Chicago based on pitching matchups. New York has the better odds to wager with.
I am currently writing a faceoff piece between the Cubbies and Cards that I will post over the weekend. The difference is not a whopping 8 or 10 games like ‘FanGraphs’ and ‘PECOTA’ say. St. Louis should still be in the mid 90’s for victories on the campaign.
I have them as one of my best bets again this week.
New York Yankees have been taken off the best odds list with their injury to Brett Gardner. It is absolutely paramount that he and Jacoby Ellsbury set the table this campaign – and stay healthy.
All of the incoming help with Starlin Castro, and internal improvement from Didi Gregorius will be for not.
Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez also will not hit a combined 79 dongs this year like in 2015. The club is also substantially thinner in the Starting Rotation.
They are a 85 win club as presently constituted, which should have them in the race for a Wild Card, but it is not worth betting at the +1600 odd. Read the rest of this entry
New York Yankees Need To Go Full Bore To Start 2016: Seek Reinforcements Midway Through If Need Be
The Yankees were almost flawless in their 1st 33 games to start the 2015 campaign. Quick starts by Teixeira and A-Rod fueled the offense, while Miller and Betances did not yield a run in this stretch either. Pineda was 5 – 0, Tanaka was healthy, and their duo of Ellsbury and Gardner were hitting north of .300. The club was able to coast for the last 129 games of the year when injuries and age caught up to them. Considering they spent no real money in the winter, they should go for bore early in the season, and then bring in a boatload of people late via trade to compensate for injuries that will probably occur to their roster.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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On May.11, 2015 – the New York Yankees had just finished an 11 – 5 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays – and this led to a record of 21 – 12 to start their first 33 games. It would be important on so many levels in completing the campaign.
You see – in the next 129 games the club would go just 66 – 63 to secure the 1st Wild Card Berth.
Mark Teixeira had clubbed 11 HRs over the wall with 27 RBI. Alex Rodriguez had 8 big fly’s with many of them giving the Bronx Bombers a shot in the arm for victory.
Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances both had not yielded a run to that point. Michael Pineda was a brilliant 5 – 0, and that was about the time that Masahiro Tanaka began having health issues.
You throw in Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner both hitting well over .300 – and it was easy to see how the Pinstripers had taken off to a great start. Read the rest of this entry
Make It Or Break It Year For The New York Yankees
The Yankees acquisition of Aroldis Chapman is great notion that the club will continue to make plans to acquire more players on the last year of their team control.
The Yankees have yet to sign one big-league player this offseason. This is very unlike the New York Yankees, who are known as big spenders every offseason.
While they haven’t signed anyone, they have traded for Starlin Castro and Aroldis Chapman. Both of these additions will be very influential to the Yankees success in 2016, but many people are still wondering what is going on during this odd offseason.
I believe the Yankees realize they are getting older and they are trying to rely on their minor league developmental process.
They should start to see some of their young studs make the move to the show soon, so there is no need to delay that process by overspending on a free agent this offseason.
The New York Yankees finished the 2015 season with a 87-75 record. This earned them a wildcard playoff spot, but they lost to the Houston Astros in the first round
. While the Yankees have plenty of talent on their roster, there is no denying that the average age of their lineup is a problem for the future.
They had the 6th highest average age out of all Major League Baseball teams in 2015 at 29.6 years old.
This doesn’t seem significantly high, but their core group of talent is much older than the average. See below for the age of each player, games played in 2015, and when they are a free agent:
Tampa Bay Rays State Of The Union For 2016
The Rays have still been one of the best teams in baseball since the start of 2008. Last year marked their 1st losing season since 2007 – and that was only at 80 – 82. But with the starting positional players listed on depth chart all being below league averages on offense – except for Logan Forsythe and Evan Longoria, they will need a few breakout players from their bench. It may be time trade one or 2 Starting Pitchers to add some offensive help. If they fall out of contention in 2016 it also may not be a bad idea to trade all veterans that they can. This may include Longoria.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
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The Tampa Bay Rays failed to make it to .500 or better for the 1st time since 2008 in 2015, however with a 5 game winning streak at the end of the campaign, they made it to 80 wins or better for an 8th year in a row. I highly suspect this year that may come crashing down.
First Boston went off on a spending spree to amp up its roster, and now the Yankees have added Aroldis Chapman to the fold, and upgraded at Second Base with Starlin Castro.
Toronto made its moves for the better in late July, and should be a team to be reckoned with again in 2016.
Only the Orioles don’t look to compete in the AL East during the 2016 campaign with the Rays thus far, and they still may be tough to play 19 times a year if they are to re-sign Chris Davis.
Tampa Bay still clearly has the best Pitching Rotation in the Division with Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi filtering in spots 1 – 5. But will it be enough to help a fledgling offensive in 2016? Read the rest of this entry
New York Yankees State Of The Union For 2016
The 2015 New York Yankees started off extremely strong at 21 – 12, before they finished the last 129 Games at just 66 – 63. With surprising years from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, the club still hosted the Wild Card Game with 87 wins. The club has done a couple of nice winter moves in picking up Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks for backup players, however the Bullpen is weaker, and the Starting Rotation has many health concerns. New York will need to address those before the season opener.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
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Okay so one of the things that happens when you own a website is you lose some of the hardcore enthusiasm for the team you love the most. This is my story with he Yankees. Don’t get me wrong, they are still my favorite club, it is just I cover all 30 MLB teams a lot more than I used to.
Having said this, I have been railing on the Yankees for a long time on how they have conducted themselves. I traced it back to 2014, when they could have reset the Luxury Tax Threshold by trading Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda and Brett Gardner at the Deadline.
Instead, the club went for a half ass attempt to make the playoffs with Derek Jeter in his last season as Shortstop.
I do give Brian Cashman some credit in 2015 for the club making the postseason. I maintain that his building of the team was still flawed.
Bullpen withstanding, he has known his Starting Pitching situation has been in health peril since Masahiro Tanaka was diagnosed with a UCL injury in July of 2014.
Joe Girardi squeezed every ounce of the Veteran Lineup that he could last year. Who would have predicted the squad would have had 30+ Homer years from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira?
That helped the club jump out to a fantastic start, and then coasted with a .500 record for the last 4 plus months to the 1st playoff Wild Card spot. They lost to the Houston Astros in that game at Yankee Stadium.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 10, 2015
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
I know it is only December. But MAN the Cubs look like the team to beat in 2016!
They have been filling in their holes while the other NL contenders have bigger question marks.
Dare Cub fans dream?
It is a tempt the fates episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB World Series
Pittsburgh had the 2nd best record in the Majors with 98 wins, yet were simirarily dismissed in the Wild Card Game by the Cubs – and a lightning hot Jake Arrieta at the time. It may actually get worse for the Bucs in coming years with the emergence of the young NL Chicago squad and the continued dominance of the St. Louis franchise. My idea was to spend some money this offseason, but if you are 5 or 6 games behind the playoff bar near the Trade Deadline, to deal all guys on the remainder year of their contracts and retool for 2017. Instead they have made a boneheaded trade in doling out Neil Walker for Jon Niese this week. Their odd should not be +1400 as the #3 ranked team in the NL Central. I don’t think 3 teams qualify for the playoffs out of that Division in 2016.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
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Okay hands up, how many of you followed my advice minutes after the Zack Greinke deal – and pounced on that 40/1 play? I am happy to say I did, and voila, they jumped from +4000 all the way to+1600.
Sure there was an added bonus of the club picking up Shelby Miller via the trade route – but that is how quickly the odds fluctuate. The job is to render value.
So far we have given really sound advice on this whole off season. The first time the new odd was posted we said to stay clear of the Dodgers as the favorite. Look at them right now – they are considered the 5th favorite in the NL.
Now if you think the Los Angeles franchise is not done on the winter with high priced talent, you can get them at this nice odd. I personally believe they need to add 1 more #2, #3 starter in addition to the latest Dodgers Hisashi Iwakuma signing – and another premiere Outfielder as well. Read the rest of this entry
Chicago Cubs State Of The Union For 2016
I absolutely love the signing of Zobrist for the Cubs. He is a quality veteran Utility guy for this young versatile club. Zobrist at 35 may have been pricey at the four year deal work, but they were able to trade away Starlin Castro as a result. Zobrist was vital to the Royals 2015 World Series Playoff run – and is Joe Maddon’s favorite all time player. His ability to switch all over the field will give guys like Schwarber, Baez, Soler and Russell all the availability to thrive with matchup maneuvers. The Cubs should not stop here though. They need to acquire a CF – and trade for a #3 starter at some point in the next 8 months.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Cubs finally threw their names in the ring on the Free Agent front this week by first signing ultra Utility man Ben Zobrist to a 4 YR/$56 MIL -on the heels of John Lackey to a 2 YR/$32 MIL deal.
The club also dealt Starlin Castro away for another team controllable pitcher in Adam Warren. These are significant steps in the right direction to start their run at the 2016 NL Central Division Title,
2015 was a nice breakout season – and the furthest the team has gone in 12 years however this franchise needs to spend as much money and continue to pursue an end to their century plus World Series drought.
There is no question all other 29 clubs would trade their offensive rosters for the value the young Chicago NL squad is going to put forth the next 5 years. Read the rest of this entry
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