Bronx Bomber Ball

In the eighth episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Chad Raines, Bryan Peng, and Steven Eareckson discuss the trade that brought Aroldis Chapman into the Bronx and its effect on the bullpen as well as the starting rotation. We conclude with answering your questions, which you can send by tweeting them to @bronxbomberblog using the hashtag #BBBMailbag on Twitter. Follow Chad  @chad_rain Follow Steve  @stevethescholar Follow the BBB  @bronxbomberblog

Man, where do I start? The 2015 season was our first season on twitter and as a blog. We started from scratch and we're now one of the most popular non-professional Yankee blogs. It just so happened that the Yankees made it to the postseason in our first season we've covered. On behalf of all contributors at the BBB, I owe it all to our followers and readers for the support this past season!

The 2015 season was a fun and surprising one for the Yankees. An aging team that wasn’t expected to contend, they exceeded expectations in part to a lethal offense and shut-down back end of the pen. There were a lot of great moments and here are the BBB’s selections for the best ones of the season.

With the Baseball Writers Association of America set to reveal the 2016 Hall of Fame ballot on January 6 th , Yankees fans anxiously await the possibility of seeing former pinstriper Mike Mussina achieve baseball immortality. Unfortunately for “The Moose” many writers have been reluctant to place him on their ballot because he never won a Cy Young Award or led the American League in ERA. In the righty’s first two years of HOF eligibility, Mussina was overlooked due in part to comparisons with inductees Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Randy Johnson, who are some of the best pitchers of all time. Because of those factors, Mussina garnered just 20.3% and 24.6% of the vote in 2014 and 2015 respectively. However, with Ken Griffey Jr. being the only shoe-in for the 2016 ballot, this could be the year Mussina receives the needed 75% of the BBWAA’s votes and his long overdue welcome to Cooperstown.

Just like many Yankees fans, I was jumping for joy upon hearing the news that Brian Cashman acquired Aroldis Chapman for four lower level prospects yesterday evening. Putting possible suspension issues for Chapman's role in an October domestic abuse incident aside for a second, I've been thinking about who should be the team's closer. Andrew Miller was nothing short of amazing as closer last season, and I would hate to disrupt what had been the team's greatest, and arguably only, strength. The Yankees were 81-0 when leading after eight innings in 2015. I understand Chapman is one of, if not the best, reliever in baseball, however if it's not broken don't fix it. Andrew Miller's transition from elite set up man to elite closer could not have been any more successful. Chapman is an amazing proven talent, however Miller earned the job last season, and it's rightfully his.

Have you heard? Some Cuban flamethrower has been traded to the Yankees for four minor leaguers. In what was a wildly unexpected afternoon, Aroldis Chapman has landed with the New York Yankees, hopefully leaving his handgun in Florida.

The Yankees have acquired left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds for minor league right-handers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis as well as infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda. Despite Chapman only being under control for one season and potentially serving a suspension for his domestic violence allegations, this appears to be a steal for the Yankees.

OFFICIAL: #Yankees get: LHP Aroldis Chapman #Reds get: RHPs Caleb Cotham & Rookie Davis and INFs Eric Jagielo & Tony Renda. — Bronx Bombers (@BronxBomberBlog) December 28, 2015 This trade was first reported by @JackCurryYES and the full deal was reported by  @BryanHoch.

This offseason has been full of Andrew Miller trade rumors, but the only late inning reliever the Yankees have traded so far is Justin Wilson. Wilson had a good year in his lone season in pinstripes, going 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA in 74 games. Wilson was a perfect fit for the 7 th inning and now it’s the Yankees job this offseason to replace his role. One possibility of a replacement might already be on the roster and that pitcher is lefty James Pazos.

As was evidenced by last season's outcome, the fate of the Yankees ultimately rests on the shoulders of the overpaid veterans that many fans have become accustomed to complaining about. It is no surprise that the resurgence of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira fueled the Yankees offense, and helped propel the team into first place up until early August. Following Teixeira's inevitable injury, and Rodriguez's decline in production, the entire Yankees offense followed suit. I've identified six veteran players whose production is essential to a successful 2016 season. This is not to say that the younger players are not as important, however the threat of injury and lack of production from the six players I've singled out will go a long way in determining whether or not the Yankees can make a return to the playoffs. Considering the amount of money tied up in these six players, it is essential that they play to their fullest ability, or we will be looking at yet another d...

When the Yankees included Brendan Ryan in the trade that landed them Starlin Castro, most Yankees fans were more than excited to see Ryan gone. But in getting rid of Ryan, the Yankees got rid of their only legitimate backup third baseman. They could try Castro, but he has seven games of third base experience, all in the minors. They could try Refsnyder, but the Yankees don’t seem willing to make him learn third when he’s still trying to transition to second. The Yankees also don’t have any legit third basemen waiting in the minor leagues and the free agent market is pretty thin. Even with a thin market, a free agent I do think the Yankees should target is Juan Uribe.

After providing a comprehensive look at the Yankees recently weakened bullpen , I decided I'd write a sequel of sorts regarding the starting rotation. Thus far, the Yankees haven't made any moves to improve one of the roster's most overt weaknesses. In fact, it was further weakened by trading away Adam Warren for Starlin Castro. Warren provided much needed depth, however it was unlikely he would begin the season as a starter anyway. Currently, the Yankees rotation has a number of question marks. Below, I will give a profile on each starter, along with what can realistically be expected out of them in 2016. That being said, it's painfully obvious that this team is in dire need of a consistent starter or two. For this reason, I will also provide a brief analysis on what I believe the Yankees must do this offseason in order to get better in this department. None of our current starters can be counted on for consistency, therefore it is imperative that Brian Cashman strengt...

Is there a better bullpen duo in baseball than Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller? Probably not. Another duo that is amongst the best in the MLB is Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis. But do you remember when the Royals had a big 3? The other member was closer Greg Holland who was non-tendered by the Royals recently and is now a free agent. Certainly there will be numerous clubs in the mix for Holland, but his story has a twist to it. He will not be able to pitch in 2016 because he underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2015.

I'd like to preface this article by thanking Brian Cashman for refraining from trading Andrew Miller. Throughout most of the 2015 season, the back end of the Yankees bullpen was the team's biggest strength. This week we've witnessed a depletion of the aforementioned strength. At the winter meetings, Brian Cashman included Adam Warren in the trade for Starlin Castro. He also moved Justin Wilson to the Tigers for two minor league starters. Although I've always liked Adam Warren, and think he can make it as a starter, this is a move the Yankees had to make. Acquiring a former all-star who is as talented as Castro, not to mention only twenty-five years of age, is an opportunity that can not be passed over. After the grueling experience of watching Stephen Drew at second base for a year and a half, I'm ecstatic to see a competent player man the position. The Wilson trade left me quite perplexed, unless it's part of something larger. That being said, I won't rush ...

Yankees GM Brian Cashman arrived at the winter meetings with a solid bullpen and a second base situation filled with question marks. Although Cashman’s decisions were considered a success by many Yankees fans, the Yankees left Nashville with this situation reversed. To mitigate this problem, the Yankees should look to the help of some former pinstripers – who could help bolster the pen.   The hole in the Yankees bullpen began when the Yankees acquired 3x all-star Starlin Castro from the Cubs. After moving from SS to 2B in August, Castro hit .339 in 38 games, finishing the season with a respectable .265/11 HR/69 RBI line. Although this deal solves the Yankees pressing need of 2B help, the bombers unfortunately had to part ways with RHP Adam Warren, whose versatility and effectiveness will certainly be missed, as he pitched to a 3.29 ERA in 43 appearances (17 starts). Instead of following up this deal by acquiring an arm as many expected, Cashman left Yankee...

Finally, Yankees GM Brian Cashman made his first big move of the offseason as he acquired Chicago Cubs SS Starlin Castro in exchange for P Adam Warren and Utilityman Brendan Ryan. This trade looks to be a good one for the Yanks and for more information on the specifics of the deal and analysis, refer to the BBB’s rapid reaction on it BBB's rapid reaction on the Starlin Castro trade . Even though the Yankees have found their new second basemen, the deal leaves both Dustin Ackley and fan favorite Rob Refsnyder as options in the infield. It’s becoming clear that someone will have to go.

In the seventh episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Phil Akre, Chad Raines, and Bryan Peng discuss the two most recent trades that occurred during the week at the Winter Meetings. First, we break down the trade that sent Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers and the impact it has on the Yankees bullpen. We conclude with a discussion on the trade that sent Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs to the Yankees. Subscribe for weekly podcasts starring your BBB writers! Follow Chad Raines  @chad_rain Follow Phil Akre  @philakre Follow Bryan Peng  @bpeng7 Follow the BBB  @bronxbomberblog

Just before 7:00 PM Eastern on Friday, December 9, 2015, and less than 24 hours after the Yankees acquired 2B/SS Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs, the Yankees traded LHP Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for RHPs Luis Cessa and Chad Green. Please keep in mind that this trade may transition into another one where Cessa and Green are packaged to acquire a bigger name, so stay tuned for breaking news by following the BBB Twitter account! Update at 7:22 PM ET : According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated after the Wilson trade that “I’m not done.”

Before I get into a ny explaining, I’m going to answer the question. Are the New York Yankees World Series ready? They have made a few trades so far this offseason, acquiring RHP Ronald Herrera for 2B Jose Pirela, OF Aaron Hicks for C John Ryan Murphy, and the biggest trade so far, SS/2B Starlin Castro for RHP Adam Warren and SS Brendan Ryan. Castro is a nice pickup from the Cubs, solving the second base issue, and getting a young, consistent .280 hitter. While these are steps towards becoming World Series contenders, they are small steps. So that begs the question: are the Yankees World Series contenders? The short answer to this question, for now, is no.

Just before 8:00 PM ET, the Yankees acquired middle infielder Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs. Anticipation for the return on Castro was heightened for nearly 10 minutes before Jack Curry of YES Network broke the official deal. Right hander Adam Warren and a player to be named later were going to Chicago. That PTBNL ended up being infielder Brendan Ryan. OFFICIAL: Cubs get: RHP Adam Warren and INF Brendan Ryan Yankees get: 2B/SS Starlin Castro — Bronx Bombers (@BronxBomberBlog) December 9, 2015

Before I dive any deeper into such an exciting but unlikely subject, let me say that I do not expect the Yankees to trade for Jose Fernandez .  Sources say Yankees have also been in touch with Marlins about Jose Fernandez. And Yanks, Dodgers & Dbacks all doing background work on him — Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 7, 2015 As you've likely heard by now, the Yankees have been confirmed as interested in Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and are doing "background work on him" (via Jason stark). Not real sure what that means (maybe Fernandez is secretly a criminal mastermind) but what we do know is that the Yankees have interest. Let me be clear: The Yankees have enough to acquire Fernandez at a fair price, the only question is whether or not they're willing to overpay (they shouldn't). The Marlins want 5-6 MLB ready players who can make an impact and the Yankees have the pieces to fit that description (via Jon Heyman). In this article, we will ...

Dear Yankees GM Brian Cashman, Today marks the start of the second day of Winter Meetings. While other teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks have made signature signings, your team and our team, the New York Yankees, has done basically nothing. While other teams have fulfilled their needs this offseason, you have stood still and might as well have been vacationing in the Bahamas. I would hope that you know that there are holes all over our roster, both in the infield and outfield, and in starting and relief pitching. The only reason why we even made the one-game playoff was due to the overperformance in the first half of the year. As soon as the second half came, our team’s lifeline ran flat, while teams like the Toronto Blue Jays ran right over us. We even lost to the lowly Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox to end the season. How pathetic. There are simply too many issues for our roster for you to pick this offseason to not make any moves. I’m not asking fo...

According to recent reports by MLB Trade Rumors and Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Washington Nationals are expected to shop Drew Storen during Winter Meetings, which start tomorrow (Monday, December 7) in Nashville, Tennessee. The Nationals may make Storen available due to Jonathan Papelbon’s current role as closer, which makes Storen their seventh or eighth inning man. He had a rough stretch in August where he lost his role as closer and then broke his thumb by slamming a locker room door on it after losing his closer role. Although the Yankees currently have an above average bullpen, headlined by Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, adding Drew Storen would not be a bad idea as long as it doesn’t cost the Yankees too much. Storen would fit nicely within the Yankees pen right now, creating a deadly Storen-Betances-Miller trio, with Justin Wilson, Adam Warren, and potentially Chasen Shreve anchoring the rest of the pen. This would allow flexibility for bullpen usage, as Betances is consis...

Recently, one of the more subtle issues for the Yankees has been Dellin Betances. By league standards, he and Andrew Miller are probably the second best 8th & 9th inning duo, just behind the dominance of the Royals bullpen, but toward the end of the year, many Yankee fans like myself almost suffered cardiac arrhythmias watching Betances. Once the offseason came, there were rumors that Andrew Miller was on the trading block for a high-end starting pitcher. What are you thinking, Brian Cashman? Cashman was giving up the only reliable arm that the Yankees could have for a closer. Unless he was getting someone like Stephen Strasburg in return (which he wasn’t), any subsequent trade should have been grounds for an immediate firing. Anyone with baseball comprehension knows Dellin Betances is unsuitable to be a closer and is only effective as a set-up man. Trading away Miller is and will be a huge mistake; especially with the way the free agent signings have gone for relievers, there is...

You’ve heard it all this offseason. The Yankees need a starter, second baseman, a new outfielder, and help for Dellin and Miller . You’ve heard proposals, ranging from trades for starting pitching, to signing Ben Zobrist, or promoting Aaron Judge to the Bronx. But simply put, there are way too many needs for the Yankees right now to satisfy all of them. The Yankees are no longer willing to drop check after check to solve the team’s issues and it seems like our GM Brian Cashman is complacent with where the team is currently. Just a couple of days ago, he said the Yankees would more than likely keep Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller. The Miller part is okay, but saying that arguably our biggest trade asset, Brett Gardner, was going to stay in the Bronx, did not sit well with me. This offseason, two of our biggest needs are in left field and starting pitching. The Yankees struggled down the stretch with Brett Gardner’s typical second-half slump and the lack of reliable starting pitching. ...

As the days get colder and the nights get shorter, many would expect the hot stove to heat up in the Bronx. That would be a wholly mistaken assumption. The days of George Steinbrenner’s spending sprees are a distant memory, therefore those fans expecting the Yankees to make their signature free agent splashes are holding out false hope. The Aaron Hicks trade will the most significant move of the offseason. You heard it right here first folks. Since many of our writers are contemplating possible moves the Yankees can make to improve for the 2016 season, I won’t engage in such conjecture. I have finally come to accept that the Yankees will be mediocre for the immediate feature. With an apathetic owner and an incompetent general manager running the show, I have no reason for optimism. For purposes of this article, I will focus much of my attention on the former, because I believe the problem in the Bronx is one of systematic proportions. My prediction is as follows, the Yankees will make...

Well, the David Price madness is finally starting to settle down. A few days ago half the Yankee fanbase went nuts when the rival Red Sox signed David Price to an awful contract that will surely come back to haunt them in the future. For more on that you can read here . But with that simmering down, it's time to refocus on the Yankees and what they can be doing to improve this offseason. It's mostly been quiet and I personally don't think that's a good thing, at least if it stays that way. I don't want to Yankees to go make it rain on Zack Greinke or Jason Heyward, but the team definitely needs improvement if it wants to be a serious contender this year. One way to do that that's been a very popular discussion is to trade Brett Gardner for a starting pitcher (presumably signing Justin Upton or Alex Gordon to fill the hole, or something of that nature). Now I'm all for that - if it's in the right deal. While there's been no...

In the sixth episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Bryan Peng, Matt Cote, and Phil Akre break down the David Price signing for both the Red Sox and the Yankees and the impact on both, the current status of Yankees pitching and looking at both the free agency and trade market, and further analyze the outfield situation with Brett Gardner potentially on the trading block. Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties, the final 3 minutes of this podcast was cut out and lost but due to the majority of it being uploaded, we'll keep it up for you all. Follow Bryan Peng  @bpeng7 Follow Matt Cote  @mcote31 Follow Phil Akre  @philakre Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog  @bronxbomberblog

The Red Sox just signed David Price to a bigger contract than Clayton Kershaw makes. $2 million more to be exact. Clayton Kershaw's total contract is $215 million over seven years as opposed to new Red Sawk David Price's  $217million over seven years. Confirmed: Price deal with #RedSox is seven years, $217M. No deferred money. Three-year opt-out. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2015 That should really say it all folks. Is David Price a good pitcher? Absolutely, but he's not better than Clayton Kershaw and no Yankee fan should be upset they made the mistake of paying him like he is. Will it suck to face him on the rival Red Sox? It sure will. But the Yankees had to face an even better pitcher several times a year from 1998-2004 named Pedro Martinez and still won three World Series and made the the playoffs every year in that time span. This is not the end of the world.

Cashman via Jim McIsaac We’re new nearly a month into the offseason and other than acquiring OF Aaron Hicks from the Twins for backup catcher John Ryan Murphy, the offseason has been rather quiet for the New York Yankees as well as most of baseball. As a team, there aren’t many glaring holes on the Yankees roster and the argument can be made that the Yankees are faced with a good problem: they have too many serviceable players. But that doesn’t mean they won’t make any more moves.

Welcome to the first edition of the Bronx Bomber Mailbag! Here, you can tweet your questions (make sure you use the hashtag #BBBMailbag for future purposes) you have for us and we will respond to them in an article. We will keep these going in the future!

It wasn’t too long ago that every time Ivan Nova took the mound, you could feel confident in his ability to toss a solid all-around game. Fast forward to the present and Nova is a shell of his former self as inconsistency and injuries have derailed his career. A recent report from the New York Post’s Joel Sherman has indicated that the Yankees are indeed willing to trade him.

Thanksgiving is upon us in 2015 and there are many things I am grateful for as this year comes near the end. I thought I would share my list of what I am thankful for as a Yankee fan and hopefully hear from others on what they are thankful for as a Yankees fan as well.

With the days of handing max contracts to top free agents seemingly gone, Brian Cashman has turned his focus to acquiring players with a high ceiling that haven’t quite reached their potential. This strategy has quickly shown signs of success, as the Yankees return to the postseason in 2015 may not have been possible without the emergence of Didi Gregorious, Nathan Eovaldi, and Dustin Ackley. Unfortunately, due largely to their lack of right-handed power bats, the Yankees were dominated by Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel in their one-game playoff. Should Cashman decide to forgo giving large contracts to the big righty bats on the market like Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes, acquiring Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig may be the perfect solution to prevent a repeat of game 163.

The Hot stove is heating up and the Winter Meetings are approaching. At this point of the offseason, the trade market creates the most buzz. One of the names being thrown out there is OF Brett Gardner. It is no secret the Yankees are trying to ship Gardner as he’s been involved in rumors with many teams like the Mariners, Cubs and Dodgers. The Yankees certainly won’t get an ace for Gardy but he can bring back a controllable middle of the rotation type pitcher. That of course, would leave a hole in LF. As the Yankees showed us in 2015, they are not afraid of going inside the organization to find a replacement. Here are five guys who could take over in left, with Gardner possibly on the move.        Might Judgement Day be Coming?

On the fifth episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Steven Eareckson and Bryan Peng discuss the recent John Ryan Murphy-Aaron Hicks trade, issue with the starting rotation, Brett Gardner trade rumors, address Robinson Cano's possible unhappiness in Seattle., and the second base situation with Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder.  We also get Steven's opinion on signing an outfielder if Gardner were to be traded. Subscribe to the  Bronx Bomber Blog Youtube Channel  for weekly podcasts featuring your BBB writers! Here is  the audio-only (SoundCloud)  podcast in case you wanted to listen while multitasking. Thanks for tuning in! Follow Steven Eareckson @ SteveTheScholar Follow Bryan Peng @ bpeng7 Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog @ bronxbomberblog

We’re now heading into year 18 of the Brian Cashman regime and it’s definitely been a rocky relationship between he and the fans throughout his tenure. The Yanks have won four championships since he’s been in office but people are starting to grow weary of him and some of the decisions he’s made. But, a few seasons ago, Cashman started acquiring players that fit a certain criteria. Hear me out and let me tell you why even through all of the poor contract’s he’s shipped out, Cashman has figured something out.

Today it was reported that Robinson Cano is apparently unhappy in Seattle and wants back in New York. I don't think anyone is overly surprised by this. When you bolt for a poor franchise for nothing more than money this kind of thing happens. Robinson Cano reportedly unhappy in Seattle, would like to go back to New York https://t.co/yGoTIYWIjn — HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) November 23, 2015 This is coming off the heels of Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay advocating the team trade Jacoby Ellsbury to Seattle for the once beloved-in-New-York second base star. That's probably a decent starting point but I guarantee neither franchise would do that deal. Cano in Pinstripes

About a week ago or more Yankees YES Network broadcaster Michael Kay was discussing a trade that would have Robinson Cano landing back in the Bronx. He suggested that the Yankees and  Mariners swap outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury for Cano. Crazy right? Not as much as you might think?

Throughout the last couple of days there have been rumors circulating, which indicate that the Yankees are looking to move closer Andrew Miller as a way to improve the starting rotation. While starting pitching is an urgent need for the Yankees, they should not do so at the expense of losing Miller. In his first year in the Bronx, Miller put up terrific numbers, and quite frankly made me forget David Robertson even existed. Late inning relief is one of the few spots in which the Yankees have an advantage over most of the other teams in the league. To surrender this advantage would be asinine. With that being said, I would like to emphatically beg General Manager Brian Cashman to refrain from trading Andrew Miller. Losing Miller would be extremely detrimental to the team’s prospects in 2016. While trading from a source of strength to improve a glaring weakness would normally reconcile with conventional wisdom, in this case that source of strength is too important to weaken.

It's been a very quiet offseason for the Yankees thus far. A minor and rather uninteresting trade for Aaron Hicks has really been it for the Yankees. However, rumors still continue to swirl about the Yankees trading Brett Gardner and he has been reportedly a chip in discussions with the Mariners and more recently the Cleveland Indians . I personally think the Yankees should try and unload the more expensive, and perhaps inferior, Jacoby Ellsbury - this however will almost certainly not happen. #BlueJays , #Dodgers , #Yankees among the teams to have at least preliminary trade talks with #Indians , sources say. (1/2) — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 18, 2015 For each of 3 teams mentioned, #Indians would obtain everyday OF and part with a starting pitcher. Many scenarios in play for CLE. (2/2) — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 18, 2015 Let's say for a second that Gardner is traded. Then what? Apparently Brian Cashman thinks the aforementioned Hicks could be ...

Jon Moros i reports that the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Yankees have had 'preliminary talks' with the Cleveland Indians about one of their starting pitchers. We wrote not too long ago that Cleveland might be a good trade partner in the way of Carlos Carrasco and now it appears as that may come to fruition. #BlueJays , #Dodgers , #Yankees among the teams to have at least preliminary trade talks with #Indians , sources say. (1/2) — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 18, 2015

As the 2015 World Champion Kansas City Royals proved, a good bullpen can take a team deep into the postseason. As we all so helplessly witnessed last season, the New York Yankees bullpen needs some work. Both Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances were virtually lights out for the majority of the season and the Yankees also received solid 2015 showings out of LHP Justin Wilson, RHP Adam Warren, and LHP Chasen Shreve. Outside of those 4 relievers, the Yankees bullpen was wildly inconsistent the entire season which left Miller and Betances with over strenuous workloads. With a lot of question marks in the Yankees bullpen, signing multiple relief pitchers with a strong track record will be imperative to their success heading into 2016. Let’s take a look at some of the arms that could help bolster the Yankees bullpen at a reasonable price tag.

Although the offseason is young, the hot stove in the AL East is already burning. Yankees GM Brian Cashman has already made a few moves of his own and the Red Sox made a bold move in acquiring flamethrower Craig Kimbrel. Cashmans’ moves were relatively minor ones and under the radar, so as Yankee fans, we can hopefully look forward to some bigger ones as the offseason rolls on. Lots of rumors have been floated around by analysts and fans alike, some more believable than others.

This past season the Yankees surprised many when they over-achieved and made the postseason. They did this with timely hitting (that was extremely streaky at times), a pretty lethal back-end of the bullpen, and a so-so rotation. It is expected that teams like the Red Sox and Orioles won’t just sit back and do nothing this offseason, so if the Yankees expect to make the postseason next season they need to upgrade their rotation. One guy who in my opinion is one of the most underrated starters in the Bigs is former Baltimore Oriole Wei-Yin Chen. Here are 3 reasons the Yankees should sign Wei-Yin Chen.

It was announced Thursday evening that Yankee Catcher, Brian McCann won the AL Silver Slugger award. This is McCann’s 6 th silver slugger award and 1 st while playing for the Yankees, as the other 5 came in a Braves uniform.   The second half of 2015 wasn’t kind to McCann (or to the Yankees bats as a whole), but he still finished with 26 home runs and 96 RBIs. His batting average for the second consecutive year ended up being .232. Nevertheless it was still a productive year for a guy the Yankees invested highly on 2 winters ago. He has certainly been an upgrade over the production guys like Francisco Cervelli, Austin Romine and Chris Stewart gave the Bombers prior to the signing.

In what looks to be a busy offseason for the Bombers, GM Brian Cashman has made two trades today. We learned earlier in the day that Cashman shipped infielder/outfielder Jose Pirela to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Ron Herrera. Later, Cashman traded backup catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks. Needless to say, neither of these moves makes the Yankees any closer to being World Series contenders, however sometimes shaking things up may not be a bad thing.

Baseball history has its share of true legends who have transcended the game into a greatness that seemed unmatched by other sports. Players like Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron and the “Great Bambino” Babe Ruth, have blessed the sport of baseball with their powerful swings, presence, and all around great play. Since this time a lot has changed. Baseball has become sort of a secondary if not some people’s last choice in sport to follow. This isn’t because those much appealing “long balls” are gone, it just has more to do with how they have managed to hit the seats and whom the sender was. The once glorified home run ball has now become, in some eyes, a mockery of sorts. Players like Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and star New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez have participated in providing baseball’s biggest value of entertainment. It’s how they did it that kills many baseball fans.

Ten Years, $200,000,000. This is the contract, free-agent left-handed hitting outfielder Jason Heyward, is projected to receive this offseason according to the MLB Trade Rumors website. The team they are predicting to sign Heyward is the New York Yankees.

On the fourth episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Matt Cote, Aaron Carroll, and Bryan Peng discuss the trade rumors surrounding Andrew Miller, debate Jason Heyward and Justin Upton, whether the Yankees need a starting pitcher or a more consistent outfielder, talk Ben Zobrist, and finish with a discussion on how the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry needs to be more intense. If you'd like to watch it on Youtube, you can watch directly from here or follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez7jtKoSZ7U ! If you'd like to listen to the audio version on soundcloud, it is below so you can listen here, or follow this link to our soundcloud  https://soundcloud.com/bronxbomberblog/bbb-episode-four-andrew-miller-heyward-vs-upton-and-ben-zobrist . Follow Matt Cote  @mcote31 Follow Aaron Carroll  @ACarroll116 Follow Bryan Peng  @bpeng7 Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog  @bronxbomberblog

With the devastating imminent departure of Chris Capuano (I kid, I kid), the Yankees may look to the market to acquire a finesse left-hander to “replace” Capuano. Obviously, Capuano was absolutely dreadful and the need to a replacement for him isn’t necessary, but what if you can get a better version of him? What if that better version is Rich Hill? Am I going crazy for saying what I am about to say? I want Rich Hill.

Whether you hate him, love him, or have chosen to ignore him, there is one thing you cannot deny: Alex Rodriguez had one heck of a season. After being suspended for the entire 2014 season and the amount of injuries he had in the seasons before, there was not much expected of him. However, what started out to be a slow season for Rodriguez, quickly turned into one of his best in his career.

There are still various question marks as to what the 2016 team will look like, but I think all fans can agree one aspect will remain the same; Alex Rodriguez will be the designated hitter. No matter what, he is going to be back for the 2016 season. Well of course, unless he decides to retire which would surprise all of us considering the numbers he put up this year, and the fact that he wants to collect the money he is owed.

Arguably the weakest position on the field for the 2015 Yankees was second base. Stephen Drew was the starter for the first 5 months and was far from a fan favorite, because of his batting average which hung below the Mendoza line for the majority of the season. Yankee manager Joe Girardi backed up Drew, saying he was just unlucky. While Stephen did provide a spark at times, with a couple multi-homer games and a clutch 9 th inning game tying single in Seattle, Drew is set to hit free agency and a return to pinstripes is unlikely.

According to many sources, the Yankees will not be pursuing any top tier free agents such as David Price and Yoenis Cespedes. For a few reasons, I think it is a good idea to steer clear from most of these players that are in for a huge raise. One reason being, like so many other times, the Yankees would be paying huge money for past performance and the decline years and like so many times before, I want to at least wait until the other headache contracts expire. For this article, I decided to take a different and possibly more realistic path to free agency and who I would like to see the Yankees target this winter to fill areas of need.

A crushing loss in the World Series finally drew the Mets surprising season to an end. A talented and young pitching staff guided the team through the season while midseason additions jump started their once stagnant offense. Many in the baseball world were quick to jump on the Mets bandwagon and crown them as the Kings of New York. Let me say this, I was very happy to see the Mets do well and make it to the World Series. They are an exciting, talented young team that earned their place in October. I just could not bring myself to root for them because at heart, the Mets are a rival and I am a die-hard Yankee fan. The two teams are two completely different in their own ways and in this article, I’m going to give a position by position breakdown to see which team has the edge at each spot and why the Yankees still reign supreme in New York. in the present and future.

On the third episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Chad Raines and Matt Cote discuss more on free agency, which begins Saturday. Topics include Justin Upton, the Yankees needing a reliable left-handed pitcher, the inflation of MLB contracts, and trading for Craig Kimbrel. They also discuss free agent bidding wars in the AL East and look forward to the division for the 2016 season! Follow Chad Raines  @chad_rain Follow Matt Cote  @MCote31 Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog  @bronxbomberblog

We all know how the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new. After Derek Jeter’s retirement following the 2014 season, the Yankees had a glaring hole at shortstop. Yankees GM Brian Cashman made a surprising deal acquiring the young, unproven Didi Gregorius for another young, unproven arm in Shane Greene in a three-way deal with the Tigers and Diamondbacks. From the beginning, I saw this as an experiment for the Yankees. Didi had to play his way into pinstripes, and although his first year wasn’t perfect, Didi has earned another season with the club. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP