Bronx Bomber Ball

Ahead of tonight’s Hall of Fame Class of 2023 announcement, the writers of the BBB held our own mock balloting, following the same rules as the BBWAA.  Each voter is allotted 10 total selections, and a candidate must receive 75% or more of the vote in order to be inducted into the HOF.  Voters are not required to use all 10 selections but may if they so choose. 11 out of 14 votes were required for enshrinement in our polling.

On Wednesday Carlos Beltran was the latest candidate to interview for the managerial opening.  Yes the same Beltran who won his first World Series ring and retired. This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise since Beltran was vocal about his interest in managing someday. Apparently that day is now. Photo Credit: CBS Sports

Add Carlos Beltran to the list of candidates to fill the role of next Yankees manager.   Per Steve Phillips this morning, Carlos Beltran will be the sixth person to interview for the position, following the initial round of interviews with Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge, Hensley Meulens, Aaron Boone and Chris Woodward. Photo Credit: Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger

The two most critical non-player positions are open as the 2017 offseason begins, as GM Brian Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi contracts have expired. The GM of the New York Yankees is one of the most coveted positions in all of the sports and probably one of the most stressful as well, but Cashman has done his job incredibly well, and will likely garner a lot of interest. Let’s look at the man himself. Photo Credit: John Munson | NJ.com

The Yankees parted ways with quite a few impactful players during their sell off at the trade deadline and in free agency in an attempt to decrease their payroll and get younger as they roll into the youth movement. Obviously, Brian Cashman since reacquired the traded Aroldis Chapman, but I will be providing you all with an update on the former Yankees who the team has seen depart over the last season.   Photo Via Outside Pitch

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

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!

As the Yankees head closer to the 2016 Winter Meetings, it is crucial that they lock up a reliable designated hitter to pad the middle of the lineup. With a lot of different options out there, the one that makes the most sense to me is Mike Napoli. In 2016, Napoli (35) had one of the best years of his career belting 34 home runs while driving in 101 runs and playing in 150 games. Not only did Napoli put up big time numbers, he did it in one of the least hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball. I can only imagine what kind of power numbers Napoli could put up in Yankee stadium. Photo via Fansided

Photo Via Washington Post The Yankees will hold a press conference at 3:00 PM ET today where they will announce that first baseman Mark Teixeira will be retiring at the age of 36. In the final year of an eight-year, $180 million contract, Teixeira had initially stated that he was seeking an extension and wanted to play baseball for five more years. However, in wake of his recent struggles, and likely observations that the team is making a point to get younger, Teixeira has announced that he will be retiring.

Ladies and gentlemen, the New York Yankees are officially in rebuilding mode. As a fan who has seen nothing but winning, never in my life did I think I would utter those words. In the days leading up to the deadline the Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran, and even Ivan Nova! While seeing the first three players depart saddens me as a fan, they were moves that had to be made. The Yankees brought back a significant return in terms of prospects for Chapman, Miller, and Beltran as they look ahead towards a brighter future. While General Manager Brian Cashman has been lauded as a genius in many circles, I find such praise to be grossly premature. Let's not forget that he's the same man who dug us into this hole. That being said, I'm looking forward to seeing the many talented young players the Yankees acquired develop in the coming years. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Cashman, fully embracing Hal Steinbrenner’s endorsement to sell off on the 2016 Yankees and begin preparing for a Yankee rebuild, while remaining competitive made a two blockbuster deals headlined by top prospects, and he continued his pursuit of young talent during today’s trade deadline. Cashman reached a deal with the Texas Rangers parting ways with the heart and soul of the offense, Carlos Beltran, in return for the Rangers fifth ranked prospect, RHP Dillion Tate, as well as two other right-handers Erik Swanson and Nick Green. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger | USA TODAY Sports

As a New York baseball fan, this is one of the best times of the year, the Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets. Although neither team will probably win their respective divisions, the Mets are still within reaching distance of a Wild Card spot, as they sit just 2.5 games behind the Marlins.  Last season was just the fourth time that both made the playoffs, as the Mets ended up losing in the World Series. This season, the Yankees have entered sell-mode and the Mets have struggled with their offense and key injuries. Entering this series, both teams have really struggled lately. The Yankees have lost four straight, including getting swept against the lowly Rays this past weekend. The four-game skid has dropped them back to a .500 record at 52-52. The Mets were also on a four-game losing streak before yesterday’s comeback victory, as they head in with a 54-50 record.

After trading Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians for four prospects early Sunday morning, the Yankees took the field trying to salvage the last game of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays. As has been the case all series long, the Rays got the timely hits that the Yankees didn’t and completed the sweep with a 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara | AP

In many ways this game encapsulated the story of the Yankees' season. Nathan Eovaldi pitched well enough to win, but the Yankees offense couldn't provide him with enough support. Five of the Rays six runs came way of the long ball. Decent starting pitching, inconsistent offensive production, and awful middle relief have been three defining aspects of the 2016 New York Yankees, all of which were featured tonight. It's even more sad that the Yankees couldn't take advantage of facing a pitcher who entered the game with a 2-11 record. With the deadline only two days away, this series loss to the Rays may be the final nail in the coffin for this Yankees team. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

The New York Yankees (52-49), will begin a three game set on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays (39-61), the final series before the trade deadline. Winners of seven of their last ten games, the Yankees will look to continue their hot streak and (unfortunately) not sell at the deadline. This series could ultimately decide the Yankees future. If they lose two of three or get swept, they will almost definitely become full-blown sellers. But if they win two of three or sweep the Rays, they will most likely stand pat at the deadline.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports As this season draws closer and closer to the postseason, the Yankees will start building for next season as they appear to be headed home after the regular season. Trade rumors have been a hot topic in the Bronx, as Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller, and Nathan Eovaldi have been among the names thrown around, along with the team already trading away Aroldis Chapman for a plethora of young talent. In the last year of his mega contract, Mark Teixeira’s name hasn't really been thrown around as a potential trade option, but the Yanks front office has reportedly discussed cutting him, along with fellow teammate Alex Rodriguez. His disastrous season thus far leaves his future in the Bronx in severe doubt. If not released in the next month, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the offseason. Here's options the Yankees have with Teixeira and which one I feel is the best move for the future of this team:

Coming into tonight’s game, the Yankees have been firing on all cylinders going an MLB-best 7-2 over their last nine games. With another shut down performance from their starting pitching, CC Sabathia had a stellar night on the hill allowing just four hits, and two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings pitched. He really made two bad pitches all night and paid the price for them allowing solo homers to Marwin Gonzalez and Evan Gattis. The offense was able to get behind Sabathia early getting contributions from nearly every starter as the Yankees rattled off 13 hits as a team and six runs giving them their eighth win in their last 10 games by a 6-3 score. Photo Credit: Eric Christian Smith | AP

Join Steven Eareckson and Chad Raines as they discuss the Aroldis Chapman trade rumors that took the internet by storm last night. This podcast focuses heavily on the Chapman discussions, however we devote an ample amount of time to some of the other rumors surrounding the Yankees. Andrew Miller, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, and Carlos Beltran have had their names circulated in trade talks. Whether it be a blockbuster with the Chicago Cubs, as many reports have indicated, or another team, the Yankees look to be a busy seller this deadline. It's impossible to know when the trade will break, but we provide our listeners with some hypothetical trades that we can realistically envision the Bombers engaging in. Needless to say, keep up with our Twitter for the latest Yankees news and rumors! Follow Steven:  @SteveTheScholar Follow Chad:  @Chad_Rain Follow the BBB:  @BronxBomberBlog

Taking two out of three from a premier team like the San Francisco Giants was not something the Yankees were supposed to do, if you want them to sell. But, for now, that sell mentality will once again be put to rest after a 5-2 victory over the Giants on Sunday afternoon. Finding himself in the middle of trade rumors, Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 4.80 ERA) tossed 7.2 innings of two-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking two. Today’s start coupled with his strong start against Baltimore last week have increased his trade value, and it should be interesting to see if a team makes a deal for him in the days leading up to the deadline.

Fresh off a series victory against the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees welcomed the San Francisco Giants to town for a three game weekend series. Game one was a highly anticipated battle between the Aces Masahiro Tanaka and Madison Bumgarner. Tanaka was stellar across six innings before handing the ball off to 'No Run DMC,' who didn't quite live up to the name tonight despite hanging on for a 3-2 win. Photo Credit: Mike Stobe | Getty Images