Let's Play Yankees GM - Roster Moves As Players Return

The New York Yankees have missed a major chunk of their expected starting lineup and yet the team is in first place and playing very good baseball. The wounded have been slowly dribbling in and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. So many of the "fill-in" players have been playing so well that a roster crunch is definitely on its way. So how should the Yankees handle the roster as players return? Let's take a look at how this could (or should) play out.

I should point out ahead of time that these thoughts are contingent on no further injuries and based on expected return times of missing players. Let's first look at the non-pitchers.

Didi Gregorius should be the first one back. Didi is the only one not surprised that he is ready so soon. The caveat here is that the Yankees' infield has been as solid as I have seen it since the 1990s. DJ LeMahieu is so good at second base and he has been hitting so well. You hate to move him. But move him the Yankees will have to do. What is the corresponding roster move?

The easy answer is Thairo Estrada. The kid is ahead of projections and was not supposed to start his career yet. Plus, he is not playing every day to stay sharp. But the 23-year-old has a .380 wOBA and a 140 wRC+ while playing respectable defense. Would he learn just as much at the Major League level and contribute like he has?

My answer is to DFA Kendrys Morales. Morales is a dinosaur who cannot help himself hitting consistently into the shift. He is good for a walk here and there. But otherwise, he offers little value at the plate and no value in the field. And, he clogs up the DH and the base paths. Sending him away makes it easier for LeMahieu to get consistent at bats as either the regular first baseman and a rotate DH with Gleyber Torres, Gregorius (Torres plays short when Didi DHs) and Gio Urshela.

Didi Gregorius becomes your regular shortstop. Gleyber Torres moves to second, which is a shame. Urshela is your fixture at third, Luke Voit is your first baseman / DH and LeMahieu is the rover with Estrada the backup.

The next player back appears to be Troy Tulowitzki. This should be an easy one. Thanks for trying, Tulo. See ya. Any other decision would be stupid. By missing half the season already, he has lived up (or down) to his injury reputation.

Then there is Aaron Judge. I do not know about you, but I sure miss Aaron Judge. This should be an easy decision as well. Cameron Maybin has been good for the Yankees and is a great team guy. But he is the only logical choice. Brett Gardner is part of the furniture. Aaron Hicks is a newly-contracted guy and Clint Frazier is one of your best prospects and is mashing reasonably well in between his strikeouts. The only logic behind keeping Maybin is that he can play all three positions in the outfield. But as long as you have Gardner and Frazier, things are covered.

The last position player back will be Giancarlo Stanton. His long absence this year has been extremely disappointing. Not that the Yankees could not cover his absence, but he makes a ton of money and together with Judge could be hitting moonshots all over the place. Things get really interesting when he returns. What should the roster move be?

The problem is that you cannot trust Stanton in the outfield. I hate a clogged up DH. If he could play LF every day, I would be fine with that with Gardner as the backup and then you have to send Frazier down. But if he is a DH only, then you need Frazier for depth and the move is to send Estrada down. I am okay with four rotating infielders as long as they do not get hurt.

I am not even going to discuss Greg Bird. I am not even going to think about him or Jacoby Ellsbury. In fact, I am fine if I never see them in pinstripes again. And, of course, Miguel Andujar is gone until next season.

Okay, the return of Dellin Betances is long-awaited and hoped for. His roster move will be easy as the Yankees have been carrying a fringe pitcher all season.

As for starters, I do not see any point in bringing in Dallas Keuchel. First, he will be expensive for what, a little more than half the season? If CC Sabathia can hang in there and if Luis Severino comes back in August, the Yankees should be fine. Plus, Jordan Montgomery is somewhere out there in the ether too. The only worry is how many innings you want to put on Domingo German. German could be a bullpen piece in the second half and then a full-time starter next season. I guess I am fine with either signing Keuchel or not signing him.

Personally, I do not think Keuchel is as good as he used to be. His strikeout and ground ball rates have dipped. The only reason, perhaps, to sign him is so that the Rays or Red Sox do not.

I do not think we need to talk about Jonathan Loaisiga or Ben Hiller. Hiller will need to prove himself again in the minors and Loaisiga needs to find some command.

So there it is. The Yankees will have some interesting decisions to make as the wounded come trickling back. How they handle the corresponding roster moves could go a long way toward determining how far they get in the AL East or, if the Yankees get there, the playoffs.

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 9, 2015

I've never been fond of short schedule days. There is no margin for error and the picks can go south in a hurry. Predictably, I went 4-4 yesterday with an incorrect Pick of the Day. Chris Sale was as remarkable as I thought he would be. But I worried correctly about John Lackey, who was pounded. I enjoyed watching the draft last night except that it was drawn out to the nth degree. Wow, that was slow going!  Good luck to all those drafted.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: The Red Sox have a good one in Eduardo Rodriguez and he has certainly delivered. He faces Miguel Gonzalez who only seems dominant against the Yankees and no one else in the AL East.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: This pick did not work out yesterday. And it seems a little iffy tonight too. Francisco Liriano is always an adventure and the Brewers are giving a MLB debut to Taylor Jungmann, the team's former #1 draft pick (2011). Jungmann has gotten bashed around a bit this year in the PCL, but that is a tough league for pitchers. Look for a lot of ground balls.
• The Yankees over the Nationals: The Yankees have made it a habit of spanking aces this year (while losing to stiffs) and can deliver their own ace in Masahiro Tanaka. If Tanaka can keep the ball in the stadium, I think he will out-duel Max Scherzer.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: I'll take Mark Buehrle at home most of the time. Besides, the Marlins have sunk like a rock since they changed managers. Dan Haren goes for the Fish.
• The Cubs over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez just doesn't seem to be himself this season. He's usually good in the first half and then fades. He's faded since April. Jon Lester knows these Tigers well (and vice versa).
• The Rays over the Angels: The Rays just keep winning and Nate Karns has been part of that. Matt Shoemaker is capable of being tough though.
• The Reds over the Phillies: Aaron Harang might be safe enough to pick against. I will laugh if he wins though. The guy does do a number on my head. Anthony DeSclafani goes for the Reds.
• The Padres over the Braves: I hate picking against Mike Foltynewicz, especially since I finally memorized how to spell his name. But James Shields doesn't lose.  So I have to go with him.
• The Mets over the Giants: Two good young pitchers toil in this one and it could go either way. "Charlton" Chris Heston has been just fine for the Giants and Noah Syndergaard has shown flashes of brilliance.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Carlos Rodon is certainly capable of striking out fourteen more Astros tonight. But I have to go with Dallas Keuchel, one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.
• The Twins over the Royals: Trevor May has been a complete surprise to me this season as have the Twins as a whole. The Royals are tough but I am going with May over Chris Young.
• The Rockies over the Cardinals: The Rockies, thanks to the re-emergence of Troy Tulowitzki, are flat out raking right now and at home, I think they can still do the same to Michael Wacha. Jorge De La Rosa is the key to this game though.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: It's a Sonny Gray day and that is enough for me, especially when he is home. The Rangers go with Nick Martinez, who has been very good himself this season.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray has pitched wonderfully since his call up and has nine strikeouts to only one walk. The Dodgers are just a different team when Yasiel Puig is on the field. Carlos Frias pitches for them.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Indians over the Mariners: I don't care if he is just 3-6. You can't pick against Corey Kluber. I cannot say the same thing concerning Roenis Elias.

Yesterday: 4-4, June: 56-49, Season: 434-402, Picks of the Day: 34-28

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: June 4, 2015

When I went to bed last night, both teams with "Los Angeles" in their names were ahead and I figured I was going to finish the day at 11-5. Both teams blew those leads in spectacular fashions and I ended up at 9-7. Bah!

A short schedule on Thursday after 33 games the previous two days. The picks:

• The Athletics over the Tigers: Shane Greene has been getting pounded of late, so I can't really go there. Jesse Hahn looked like an all star against the Yankees, but he isn't. But I'm thinking he'll be better than Greene.
• The Astros over the Orioles: There is no other choice here but to stick with the hot team over the really cold team. Besides, Dallas Keuchel has become one of the game's best pitchers. Wei-Yin Chen is only 1-4 on the season but is much better than that.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: This game is full of contradictions. The Twins are a hot team. The Red Sox are a cold team. The Red Sox do not hit lefties well. But Tommy Milone isn't much of a lefty and has been taking a beating. Steven Wright is a knuckleball pitcher and who knows how that will go. Pick one.
• The Nationals over the Cubs: Gio Gonzalez has been pitching a little bit better. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta hasn't blossomed into the star I thought he would be this year. Going with the Nats.
• The Phillies over the Reds: I'm not picking against Aaron Harang. I'm just not. I have too much emotional damage from his wins in the past. The Reds pitch Anthony DeSclafani.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: The hot Rangers' offense will succumb for the second straight day against a power lefty. This time it will be Chicago's Carlos Rodon, who has been most impressive. Yovani Gallardo goes for the Rangers.
• The Mets over the Diamondbacks: The D-backs are fresh off of a bit win and Troy Tulowitzki is perhaps heating up. All that said, Matt Harvey is on the mound for the Mets and the D-backs counter with Jeremy Hellickson.
• The Dodgers over the Cardinals: Carlos Frias stifled the Cardinals the last time he faced them. But that bothers me. Michael Wacha lost his last time out but that bothers me because he is 7-1. So this pick bothers me.
• The Rays over the Mariners: I'm not buying that trade the Mariners just made at all. A #4 and a #12 prospect for Michael Morse and Vidal Nuno!? What is Z, nuts? Apparently so. Meanwhile, the Rays have somehow turned Erasmo Ramirez into some kind of mythical creature and Roenis Elias never fills me with confidence.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Royals over the Indians: I got too cute with this pick yesterday. The Royals are simply the better team here. I'm not sure about super tall Chris Young, but he wins somehow. The Indians go with Trevor Bauer.

Yesterday: 9-7, June: 25-17, Season: 403-370, Picks of the Day: 31-26 (+1)

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: May 30, 2015

Another up and down day that saw my picks finish a pick above .500 with an incorrect Pick of the Day. Blah.

Saturday's Picks:

• The Twins over the Blue Jays: Kyle Gibson has his share of very good outings and not so good outings. I never seem to be on top of when each will occur. So I'll probably be wrong with this one again too. Aaron Sanchez goes for the Jays.
• The Rockies over the Phillies: This is my reverse Aaron Harang theory. Since Harang always messed me up last year, I pick him every time to win now. But in this case, if last night's game shows a Troy Tulowitzki getting hot, then the shortstop can carry this team all by himself for a while. Jorge De La Rosa starts for the Rockies.
• The Orioles over the Bay Rays: I'll take Wei-Yin Chen over Erasmo Ramirez just about any day of the week.
• The Brewers over the Diamondbacks: Jeremy Hellickson got mad at me and had a good outing last time out (about time!). Can he repeat it? I'll believe it when I see it. I like Kyle Lohse at home.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Two words: Dallas Keuchel. Two more words. Jose Quintana
• The Mets over the Marlins: I have often said that Jon Niese was better than people thought. Then he goes out and throws three stinkers in a row. Come on, Jon, I can't keep defending you until you have a good game. Tom Koehler goes for the Marlins.
• The Nationals over the Reds: Now that we have Strasburg out of the way, the Nats can start another win streak. Gio Gonzalez should be better than Raisel Iglesias and last longer.
• The Cubs over the Royals: This pick was dumb yesterday and is probably dumb today. But I like the Tsuyoshi Wada match up against the Royals' hitters. Yordano Ventura might really make the pick look stupid.
• The Cardinals over the Dodgers: Say what you want about the money the Dodgers spent, but their offense has been kind of toothless lately. So I like Michael Wacha here to continue his win streak. Carlos Frias has had two good starts and one disaster thus far.
• The Giants over the Braves: It does not appear that the Giants will lose another game this season. That's just how it seems. Tim Lincecum over Williams Perez.
• The Tigers over the Angels: I don't have a lot of confidence in either Jered Weaver or Shane Greene at this point. But somebody has to win the game.
• The Yankees over the Athletics: Sooner or later, the Yankees have to win a road game. Today might be the day as it will be Nathan Eovaldi versus Jesse Hahn. The Yankees have done a nice job so far of making this awful A's team look mighty good.
• The Mariners over the Indians: Another game where I don't like either pitcher to win. Roenis Elias versus Shaun Marcum. :::shrug:::
• The Padres over the Pirates: I do like Tyson Ross at home. Charlie Morton against Justin Upton will be a key match up.

And the Pick of the Day

• The Red Sox over the Rangers: Wade Miley goes for the Red Sox. Chi Chi Gonzalez goes for the Rangers. Chi Chi?

Yesterday: 8-7, May: 198-172, Season: 365-337, Picks of the Day: 29-23

MLB Game Picks - Friday, May 15, 2015

Alas, my streak is over. As the Cal Ripken of bloggers, I hadn't missed a game during the season for over four years. But the wifi at the hotel I stayed (The Senator Inn) was wofo and was unusable during the times I needed to get my posts done.  I was proud of that streak. Oh well.

Friday's picks:

• The Cubs over the Pirates: The Cubbies are hot and just swept the Mets. I'm not sure how well Kyle Hendricks will do, but I think the big bats of the Cubs will get to Jeff Locke.
• The Diamondbacks over the Phillies: Chase Anderson has been pitching very well and although I root hard for comeback kids like Chad Billingsley, I think the D-Backs with this game.
• The Orioles over the Angels: Jered Weaver tried to tell me his last time out that he was not done as a MLB pitcher. I'm not convinced. Wei-Yin Chen needs to pitch well to keep this pick on track.
• The Marlins over the Braves: David Phelps has been holding his own and I'm sure he likes that big ballpark compared to Yankee Stadium. Julio Teheran is a tough customer though.
• The Mets over the Brewers: The Legend of Shrek...er...Bartolo Colon continues, especially at home. Kyle Lohse will feel the Mets' wrath after they were swept by the Cubs.
• The Giants over the Reds: I have to go with Madison Bumgarner here even if he is pitching in that little band box in Cinci. Jason Marquis goes for the Reds.
• The Rangers over the Indians: If you pitch with your left hand, you can pitch forever if you want to. Take Wandy Rodriguez and Bruce Chen. They still have jobs after throwing soft junk for years.
• The Yankees over the Royals: Two undefeated pitchers who are both very tall. Michael Pineda versus Chris Young. There will be two Chris Youngs at the game. Confusing.
• The Twins over the Rays: There are former Yankees everywhere! Too bad they can't develop ballplayers and pitchers (sarcasm). Phil Hughes at home and not in April is a good pick here. Jake Odorizzi has been pitching pretty well.
• The Astros over the Blue Jays: This pick isn't against R.A. Dickey because last time I did that, he won and I was stupid. This is more a pick for Dallas Keuchel who has become one of the league's best starters.
• The Tigers over the Cardinals: The Tigers go flat once in a while, but when their offense is clicking (read Miguel Cabrera), they are pretty unstoppable. I think they will get to Carlos Martinez and Shane Greene will be good enough to win.
• The White Sox over the Athletics: Carlos Rodon sure was impressive in his first start. I am excited about him. I am not as excited about Chaka Jesse Hahn. I'm going with the White Sox.
• The Red Sox over the Mariners: The Red Sox have been playing well since their players only meeting. And Clay Buchholz pitched well his last time out. Besides, I think they will hit J.A. Happ.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: Clayton Kershaw pitching in Coors is one thing. Him pitching at home is another. He has to be the pick here. Eddie Butler has been hit or miss in his starts.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Nationals over the Padres: Jordan Zimmermann should have a good day and Odrisamer Despaigne is still one of the hardest names to spell.

The other day: 9-6, May: 91-74, Season: 255-239, Picks of the Day: 20-17

MLB Game Picks - Sunday: April 12, 2015

I have to laugh. What else can I do? It totally amazes me how badly the start of my picking season has gone. I can't do anything right (except predict the Yankees will lose). Guys like Kershaw lose. I'm just shell shocked. A large part of me wants to just give up. But what the heck. It's hard to give up a feature you've been writing for five plus years now.

So the only option is to keep plodding along and hope people want to stop by just to rubberneck at the car crash.

Sunday's picks:

• The Tigers over the Indians: Probably the only fan base unhappier than the one in the Bronx is in Cleveland where the Indians were supposedly a contending team. It's way early to say they are not, but they don't look very good. Two erratic lefties go today. T.J. House goes for the Indians and in the age of the pitcher, he has a career WHIP of 1.46. And Kyle Lobstein goes for the Tigers.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: While Carlos Martinez has not convinced me he is a starting pitcher, I know nothing about Reds' starter, Raisel Iglesias, other than he was signed out of Cuba in the off season and did not have blow away numbers in Cuba.
• The Marlins over the Bay Rays: Nathan Karns wasn't very good for the Rays his first time out, but he'll probably be better today. Henderson Alvarez was a hard-luck loser his first time out. If his team scores a few runs, he'll win.
• The Mets over the Braves: Picking for or against Bartolo Colon is a crap shoot. I picked against him his first outing and burned for it. Now I will probably burn picking him. Alex Wood is a good pitcher for the Braves.
• The Orioles over the Blue Jays: Drew Hutchison pitched very well his first time out, but that was against the Yankees, who can't hit. The Orioles almost always win when Chris Tillman starts. So that is the pick.
• The Nationals over the Phillies: Sean O'Sullivan has given up 40 homers in 132 big league innings. That is quite amazing. The Nats should feast on that. Meanwhile, Max Scherzer goes for the Nats.
• The White Sox over the Twins: The White Sox will get a boost from Chris Sale's first start of the season. He might be a bit rusty and not pitch deep into the game. Phil Hughes has become a good pitcher for the Twins but is still prone to the homer.
• The Brewers over the Pirates: The Pirates with a hurt Andrew McCutchen are not the same team. Casey Sadler makes his first MLB start after a cup of coffee in unsuccessful relief last year. Kyle Lohse is somewhat reliable at home.
• The Astros over the Rangers: The Rangers have had their way the first two games of this series. But I like Dallas Keuchel and Colby Lewis always scares me. A reverse happens today and the Astros win.
• The Royals over the Angels: C.J. Wilson was excellent his first time out. And so was Yordano Ventura. So which one will keep the hot streak going? I'm goin
• g with the Royals.
• The Mariners over the Athletics: Felix Hernandez in Oakland is not as much of a lock as King Felix in Seattle. And Jesse Hahn is better than what he did his first start. I'm still going with the Mariners.
• The Rockies over the Cubs: Kyle Hendricks makes his first start of the year for the Cubs who won yesterday. And Hendricks was great last season. But I'm going with Jordan Lyles in this one as he seems to know how to pitch in Coors.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: The Dodgers' bullpen has been brutal thus far and that has to be a huge concern. That said, I think Zack Greinke will have a good day and will out pitch Josh Collmenter.
• The Red Sox over the Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka does need to prove he can still pitch like last year. Even so, he didn't do well against the Red Sox. Clay Buchholz looks like an ace again and the Yankees cannot hit.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Padres over the Giants: I have no faith in Jake Peavy making his first start of the season. I have a lot more faith in Tyson Ross at home.

Yesterday: 6-9, Season: 32-44 (man...), Picks of the Day: 1-5.  Pathetic.