Bronx Bomber Ball

It was certainly an up and down year for the New York Yankees. Stars left in both the form of trades and retirement, while the youth movement finally saw its beginning. I have the privilege of putting together this piece for the second year in a row, but all of the writers here at the BBB had input in this piece. Without further ado, here are the BBB's top choices for the top moments of the Yankees 2016 season.

Over the course of baseball history, New Year’s Eve has remained relatively uneventful.   By this time of year, the Winter Meetings are usually over, and any teams planning on making a big splash in the free agent market most likely would have done so already.   This wasn’t the case in 1974. Photo via Si.com

Every year millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions in hopes of changing their lives for the better.   These resolutions are usually made after one too many glasses of champagne and are seldom kept. For the sake of our sanity and playoff chances, lets hope these guys make and keep these resolutions for 2017. Photo Credit: Tony Gutierrez | AP

Photo Credit: AP Recently, there have been rumors about a potential three-way trade between the Yankees, Pirates, and White Sox, that would send Pittsburgh’s star outfielder Andrew McCutchen to the Yanks, White Sox star pitcher Jose Quintana to the Pirates, and prospects to Chicago. The prospects, specifically, are listed   in a tweet from Brian Bilek, and rumors were also confirmed by Dave Williams of Barstool. Outside of Glasnow, #WhiteSox would receive some combo of Mitch Keller, Blake Rutherford, Kevin Newman, Miguel Andujar & Elias Diaz. — Brian Bilek (@BrianBilek_) December 23, 2016 Many people probably don’t like the idea of trading for McCutchen, especially after his down year in 2016. However, I’m sure there will be a boatload of Yankees fans clamoring for the team to trade from its immense prospect depth and acquire the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player, which is why I will review both sides of the trade.

The Yankees made several splashy moves this past season at the trade deadline, moving two prized relievers for packages of prospects that have already been dug into quite a bit. The deal that hasn’t been talked about quite as much however is the deal that flipped Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for a package of prospects including pitcher Dillon Tate. Photo Credit: Bill Mitchell

The year 2016 was a very good year for Yankees prospects. Not only were top notch prospects acquired, but some prospects took the necessary step forward in their development to reach the Major Leagues. I want to take a closer look at one of those prospects in Dustin Fowler. Photo Credit: MiLB.com

Going into 2017, the Yankees see themselves in a bit of uncharted territory. The gaudy contracts of the past that anchored aging stars in the starting lineup are all essentially gone, and a fleet of youngsters is chomping at the bit to make their mark during their first full season in the Bronx. Let's go position by position and predict who will be on the field for opening day. Photo Credit: Kim Klement

The hot stove may be cooling down, but there is still plenty to talk about at this time. In the last BBB podcast of 2016, Steven Eareckson and Chad Raines discuss the latest Yankees news. Steven and Chad cover the Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman signings, the recent trade rumors surrounding Jose Quintana and Andrew McCutchen, and the upcoming Hall of Fame vote. This podcast also previews what you should expect from the BBB moving forward into the New Year! We have many exciting features planned, and look forward to providing you, the readers, with more quality pieces as we get closer to the 2017 baseball season.

In case you're unaware, manager Joe Girardi is entering the final season of his contract. Having managed the team since 2008, Girardi has seen his share of ups and downs with the Bombers. The Yankees have given Girardi a fairly long leash. Considering the Yankees have missed the playoffs more times than the've made it under Girardi, he should be on the hot seat. Granted, Girardi hasn't exactly been handed the best rosters as of late, but this is still New York. I've been one of Girardi's strongest critics here at the BBB over the last few years, so I felt it would be timely for me to chime in on his future heading into the 2017 season. For some reason, the Steinbrenners and GM Brian Cashman really like Joe Girardi. It will be very hard for the Front Office to continue defending a guy who has not won a playoff game since 2012. Girardi's future will largely hinge on the 2017 season. If we go yet another October with no baseball in the Bronx, the Yankees may be for

Everyone likes to talk about reflecting on their lives this time of year so in the spirit of the holiday that a lot of us just celebrated and the holidays that some of us are already decorating for, I would like to share some thoughts on things about the Yankees that I’m thankful for. Now, as Yankee fans we have extremely high and very often unreasonable expectations for the team year after year.   This is probably even more true for people like this 26-year-old who was just old enough to watch them dominate postseason baseball at the turn of the century. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger | USA TODAY Sports

Built like an NFL tight end, Aaron Judge has been a prospect with lofty expectations hanging over his head as he has come up through the Yankees’ minor league system. Listed at 6’7” and weighing 275 pounds, Yankees fans have been hearing about Judge’s towering home runs as a minor leaguer, and seeing him rise through the system so quickly has been rewarding. But after getting the call to the big leagues in 2016, Judge looked lost at the plate, striking out at an alarming rate, and failing to hit above the Mendoza line, albeit in just 27 games and 84 at-bats. Through his struggles and growing pains, the Yankees and their fans need to be patient with him as he continues developing into the middle of the lineup slugger that he is destined to be. Photo Credit: AP

Trading Andrew Miller wasn't an easy decision. He may be the best reliever in all baseball and had a contract that's pocket change compared to what relievers are getting this offseason. As a result, the package the Yankees got in return needed to be a sizable one. And to their credit, the Yankees got just that. A few weeks ago I wrote about Clint Frazier , who highlighted the return for Miller. This week I'm going to cover Justus Sheffield, who doesn't seem to get the attention he deserves. Photo Credit: Mark LoMoglio

In what many see as one of the weakest free agent markets for starting pitching, the Yankees have plenty of questions and not too many answers regarding the 2017 starting rotation. The first three starters that are virtual locks to make the rotation out of spring training are Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda. After that, there are seemingly five guys vying for two spots. Youngsters Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa, and Chad Green will all compete for a rotation spot with proven reliever Adam Warren being a darkhorse in the race. Joe Girardi will have plenty of options to fill the rotation, so before we look at what is left on the free agent market, let's address what the Yankees do have. Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

After a paradigm shift in 2016 the likes that most of us have never seen in our lifetimes, the New York Yankees enter the 2017 MLB season with a brand new look, a brand new philosophy, and a significant buzz that fans like myself haven't felt in years. Photo via Getty Images

Signed as an undrafted free-agent in July of 2011 as a ripe young 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Miguel Andujar has quickly risen the ranks in the New York Yankees' farm system.   He is currently considered the best third base prospect in the organization and is listed as the Yankees' seventh best overall prospect according to MLB.com . Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports

I’m going to preface this article by saying that I’m aware that it doesn’t make much sense to sign any slugger heading toward the wrong side of 30 to a big money deal. This is especially true for the Yankees since they seem to be shying away from lengthy contracts for older players and because they just brought in Matt Holliday whose best fit for the team is at the designated hitter position. In spite of those reasons, I think they should sign Edwin Encarnacion anyway.   My reasoning for this is that simply put, even at the age of 33 and even though he’s pretty much only a DH just like Holliday, he’s still a hitter to be feared at this point in his career. Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton | USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees will enter the 2017 season with many question marks surrounding their starting rotation and offense. At this point in time, the relief core should be the least of the team's concerns. After announcing the return of closer Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees appear to be set in the bullpen. Chapman, along with setup man Dellin Betances, Tyler Clippard, and most likely Adam Warren will comprise a formidable group to pitch pivotal innings. The 2017 unit may not be as aesthetically pleasing, or exciting as last year's no run DMC-- Betances, Andrew Miller, and Chapman-- but it may actually be better in the aggregate. While these four spots are settled, spring training will determine the rest of the bullpen's composition. This piece will not only assess the four players who will definitely help form the team's biggest strength heading into the 2017 season, but also look at other potential members of the unit. The Yankees are more than likely headed for another slightly a

With Aroldis Chapman officially returning to the Yankees, Dellin Betances is back to being the set-up man in the eighth Inning. The bridge to the two, however, is a bit more in question. The roster currently has some viable options such as Tyler Clippard, Adam Warren, and a few others. But, the addition of Justin Wilson would add some flexibility in not only the bullpen, but the starting rotation as well. Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac | Getty Images

In today’s game of baseball, overpaying for free agents is inevitable. If you want to sign your guy, you are going to make sure nobody outbids you in the process. Nowadays, it seems like every free agent is getting overpaid. Seven years and $161 million for Chris Davis? Eight years at $184 million for Jason Heyward? Seven years for $153 million for Jacoby Ellsbury? Sure, the Yankees overpaid Aroldis Chapman signing him to a five year deal worth $86 million, a deal that shattered the previous record for any relief pitcher. But the point is, they intended to overpay him. Resigning Chapman after dealing him to the World Series champion Chicago Cubs was a priority for Brian Cashman, and after getting it done, this is a signing that should be celebrated. Photo Credit: Jerry Lai | USA TODAY Sports

Brian Cashman no longer has the unlimited budget to build a winner in New York as he once did. Though, he still faces the same pressure from the New York media, the Yankee fan base, and most of all his bosses, to be a contender year in and year out. There certainly have been growing pains under the new Hal Steinbrenner way of operating. Over the past four seasons, the Yanks have only seen the playoffs once and it was an abbreviated appearance, losing a one game wildcard playoff to the Astros in 2015. The idea of the Yankees NOT making the playoffs year in and year out is a difficult one for some of the most spoiled fans in all of sports. But this recent spell should not be considered a knock on Cashman, as much as it is on the “old guard.” Photo Credit: Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

As the 2016 season came to a close for the Yankees in early October, the organization and its fans bid farewell to a longtime friend.   The Yankees starting first baseman since their championship season of 2009 hung up his spikes for one last time.   Photo Credit: Chris McGrath | Getty Images

So the baseball winter meetings have concluded and the Yankees made their moves inking Aroldis Chapman to the richest contract for a relief pitcher in history and bringing in Matt Holliday on a one-year deal presumably to be the everyday DH.  There are 58 days until the Yankees pitchers and catchers report to Tampa for Spring Training and we are to believe Brian Cashman's statements, we will be getting a very slow trickle of news out of Yankeeland until then. Photo Credit: Michelle Agins | NY Times

Now that the Yankees have filled their designated hitter and closer needs through free agency in the form of the soon to be 37-year old Matt Holliday and flamethrowing Aroldis Chapman, respectively, Brian Cashman's focus shifts to filling out the remaining holes in the 2017 Yankees roster. Namely, adding another middle reliever (likely one of the left-handed variety) and, more importantly, bringing another impact starting pitcher on board to fill out the rotation.  No name screams more of an obvious than the Chicago White Sox's newly crowned ace, left hander Jose Quintana. Photo Credit: Al Bello | Getty Images

Just last week, the Washington Nationals gave up a boat load of top prospects to acquire outfielder Adam Eaton from the Chicago White Sox. The Nationals gave up number one prospect Lucas Giolito, number three prospect Reynaldo Lopez and number six prospect Dane Dunning. While many around baseball thought that the Nationals gave up too much, the Yankees and their fans should rejoice because the trade made Brett Gardner’s value go way up. While Eaton has had a higher WAR than Gardner over the years, Gardner does have an All-Star nod and a gold glove to boot, something Eaton doesn’t have. Because the Nationals gave up their number one, three and six prospects, I decided to do some unrealistic hypotheticals and took the number one, three and six prospects from teams that might line up for a Gardner trade. Still, it is important to note that Gardner is not likely to get the same return that Eaton received, but here's what some trades could look like if he did, just for kicks. (E

With the Major League Baseball offseason in full swing, teams are making moves to either help bolster their rosters for the upcoming season or stock up on on prospects for the future. So far this offseason, the Yankees have taken an approach pretty much right in the middle of the two. The Yanks are at an in-between period right now having a lot of talented young players on the roster as well as some veterans. After signing closer Aroldis Chapman and designated hitter Matt Holliday, you would think they will not be adding any more veterans. The question is, how many veterans does Brian Cashman want on the Opening Day roster? One veteran that comes to mind as a player the Yankees could look to move is outfielder Brett Gardner. Photo via Presswire

Jordan Montgomery is a left handed pitcher who was selected in the 4th round with 122nd pick in the 2014 MLB draft to the Yankees.   After his selection, Montgomery started working his way up the Yankees farm system. In just two seasons, he has risen from rookie ball all the way to Triple-A. It is only a matter of time before his name will be talked within Yankees fans. Needless to say, Montgomery has the track record to back up his sudden rise. In his career, Jordan sports a 2.61 ERA in 60 games (56 starts) and shares a solid 25-14 record. Those statistics combine all his time in the farm system, and if you just single out this recent season, you can see the improvement he made. In 2016, he started all 26 games he appeared in had a 2.13 ERA (AA & AAA combined) and claimed to a record of 14-5. photo via MiLB.com

When the Yankees decided to sell and traded Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs, the biggest name everyone liked to talk about in the return was Gleyber Torres. While his name is definitely worth mentioning as the headliner, another name worth digging into from the trade is outfielder Billy McKinney. Photo Credit: Martin Griff | Pinstriped Prospects

Yankees fans can finally exhale. On Wednesday night, the Yankees made closer Aroldis Chapman the richest reliever in baseball history. The Yankees and Chapman agreed to a five-year, $86 million dollar contract, easily topping previous contracts given to relievers. In a move that had seemed inevitable to some within the industry, the Yankees showed that they still have the financial resources to make a big deal happen. While the Yankees have shied away from handing out big contracts the last few off seasons, the re-addition of Chapman addresses a major need for the team. The elite reliever will resume where he left off prior to being traded to the Cubs around last year's trade deadline in a deal centered around top-prospect Gleyber Torres. During his appearances at Yankee Stadium last season, Chapman often dazzled the crowd with his ability to consistently top 100 MPH. The Yankees may be a few years away from competing for a championship, but one thing is for sure. Assuming he stays

We’re now at the most exciting point of the MLB offseason, where executives and reporters collide for a few days of an abundance of roster transactions and intense rumors at the Winter Meetings. Already in day one at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, we have received quite a bit of interesting rumors that directly affect or involve the Yankees. Screenshot via MLB TV

The Yankees found their guy to man the designated hitter role Sunday evening signing 13-year veteran Matt Holliday to a one-year deal worth $13 million. Although Holliday, who turns 37 in January, is on the downward slope of his career, this is another example of a low-risk, high-reward type deal that Brian Cashman was able to swing heading into the Winter Meetings. As a guy who changed his uniform number to seven before the 2010 season in honor of fellow Oklahoma native Mickey Mantle, the Yankees may have found the perfect match in Matt Holliday. Photo via USA TODAY Sports

As many Yankees fans, including most of the writers here at the BBB, begin speculating on moves the team should make this offseason, I decided I'd provide the fan base with a dose of reality. The Yankees will not compete for a championship next season, unless they make drastic moves this offseason. Since this will almost certainly not happen, we are likely looking at a 2017 Yankees team that is quite similar to what we've seen the last few years. Good enough to stay in the race for most of the season, maybe even good enough for a wild card spot, but nowhere near good enough to qualify as a championship contender. Ever since foolishly handing out big money contracts to Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, and Masahiro Tanaka during the 2013 offseason, the Yankees have avoided high profile signings. Three things must occur in order for the Yankees to be big money spenders in free agency again. The Yankees must be in a position to field a championship caliber team, have

The baseball Hall of Fame system is broken and Mike Mussina has been an unfortunate victim. In years past being a “Hall of Famer” was pretty cut and dry. There used to be certain stats that were the gold standard of ensuring a plaque in Cooperstown - 300 wins, 500 home runs, a lifetime .300 batting average. These were all benchmarks that guaranteed you your place in baseball immortality. Then things changed. The game evolved and unfortunately the HOF voters didn’t. Fueled partially by chemicals (hello PED’s) and partially by analytics (hello Moneyball), these statistical milestones no longer punch your ticket to the hall.   Photo via NY Daily News

The long awaited MLB CBA has finally been agreed upon and it seems the MLB offseason should become quite busy in the near future. However, the CBA itself is an interesting point of discussion. Qualifying offers won't necessarily cost first round draft picks, rosters will not expand to 26 players, the international draft has been squashed, and the luxury tax threshold will increase to $210 million in five years. Another noteworthy piece is the fact that the All-Star Game will no longer determine home field advantage for the World Series. Via USA TODAY

In a rather surprising move, the San Diego Padres non-tendered former All-Star Tyson Ross last night. The move comes as such a surprise as Ross posted a 2.81 ERA in 2014 and a 3.26 ERA in 2015. On top of that, he's only 29 years old. 2016 was a bit of a train wreck for the righty, however, as he was held to just five innings pitched due to injury. Injury is quite obviously the determining factor here in San Diego's decision to decline to tender Ross a contract. In October, Ross underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and is expected to miss 4-6 months as a result. San Diego likely didn't feel comfortable paying for a player who could miss parts of the season while they try and recover from their colossal failure when they built an on-paper super-team a few years back. Via FoxSports.com

Happy Holidays, Yankees family! On behalf of all our writers, I would like to express how thankful the Bronx Bomber Blog is for our loyal readers. To show our appreciation, I decided to do this Q&A. My plan is to do at least one every month, so always send the BBB any questions you have!

The elite prospects are in place. The huge contracts of the old Yankees regimes will soon be gone, too. A bright future is imminent for the New York Yankees, that’s for sure. But, for now, we are here in the present. Yes, the Yankees have that unmistakable identity. It’s that sense of always contending, never being out of it. The reality is while the Yankees haven’t been totally out of it the past few seasons, they’ve been fringe contenders. The last time the Yankees were truly always a threat for the World Series every year was the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. AP Photo