Bronx Bomber Ball

“It’s my dream come true to be a part of this team.” These words were spoken by Yankees’ third baseman Miguel Andujar in a postgame interview following a game where he slugged arguably his most heralded hit of his young career, a go-ahead grand slam deep into the Rogers Centre stands, the first grand slam of his career. After this game, and a look at what he has accomplished in his rookie season, it is safe to say that Yankees’ fans dreams have also come true because Andujar is cementing himself as the Yankees long-term option at third base, after it appeared it was destined to be anyone but him.   Photo Credit: Getty Images

As part of the BBB’s ongoing lead-up to the 2018 Major League Baseball season we are previewing each member of the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Today’s preview features a new Yankee who has not yet donned the pinstripes, that being  28-year-old  outfielder Jabari Blash.   Photo Credit: Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images 2017 Review: Acquired from San Diego in the December trade that sent third baseman Chase Headley and RHP Bryan Mitchell to the Padres, Blash is another imposing outfield specimen in the New York outfield that already includes monstrous sluggers Aaron Judge and 2017 National League Most Valuable Player Giancarlo Stanton.  Blash comes in at 6’5”, 235 pounds.   Blash appeared in 61 games for the Padres in 2017 and produced a slash line of .213/.333/.341 with five home runs and 16 runs batted in over 164 at-bats.  Certainly nothing mind-blowing, and nothing that indicates he’ll be a major factor for the Yankees next season, but he has raw a...

It seems that even after acquiring slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees are not done shopping this offseason.  According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post , the Yankees have traded righty Bryan Mitchell and third baseman Chase Headley to the Padres for outfielder Jabari Blash. Photo Credit: Elsa | Getty Images Because of the small return in a 28-year old-outfielder with a career .200 batting average that has no chance of sniffing the Yankees outfield, this is a clear salary dump for the New York Yankees. This is also a two for one trade to clear space on the 40-man roster.   With the subtraction of Headley and the $13 million left on his contract for 2018, Todd Frazier automatically becomes a candidate to be resigned by the Yankees to man third base. Frazier, a New Jersey guy who clearly loves playing in pinstripes, should be fairly easy for the Yankees to retain if they want him to. Toward the end of the season, Frazier was favored at third base over Chase He...

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen | Getty Images Just last night, Giancarlo Stanton narrowed the list of teams in which he would waive his no trade clause to the Dodgers, Astros, Cubs, and Yankees. About 24 hours later, the Marlins and Yankees are making noteworthy progress on a potential trade to bring the reigning NL MVP to the Bronx, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports . Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was the first to report that the Yankees were serious players for a Stanton trade, even saying that the smoke is real.

The Yankees went into the 2016 MLB Winter Meetings fresh off another playoff-less season - and third in the previous four season (also 2013 and 2014). The Yankees sought help both in the rotation, which remained a question mark the entire offseason, as well as offensively after having traded Brian McCann to the Houston Astros just two weeks prior. These meetings would be highlighted by two monster trades engineered by Chicago White Sox GM Rick Hahn; trading ace LHP Chris Sale to Boston for a package of prospects headlined by Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, as well as his trade of star CF Adam Eaton to Washington for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.

The Yankees have several routes they could take over this offseason following a surprisingly successful season which saw the Yankees take the world champion Houston Astros to seven games in the ALCS. The Yankees could stay stagnant and keep the roster the same while allowing the young talent to continue developing and hope they’re enough to push for championship twenty eight, or, the Yankees could also opt to trade some of the current pieces to try and acquire pieces which better fit the roster and possibly take the Yankees over the hill from World Series hopefuls to World Series champions. Here are some of the pieces the Yankees could consider trading this offseason if they take that path: Photo Credit: AP

The Yankees are making a strong push to make a trade before Monday’s deadline to lock up their 40-man roster in order to free up some space to protect some prospects. One name that the Yankees are making a “surprising push” for is Jurickson Profar of the Texas Rangers, according to Joel Sherman of the NewYork Post. Photo Credit: Jerome Miron

The Yankees come into this offseason ahead of the curve. The team wildly defied expectations in 2017 behind an MVP-caliber season by Aaron Judge and a Cy Young-caliber season from Luis Severino. The 91-win Yankees season concluded with a game seven loss in the ALCS to the eventual World Champion Houston Astros. From there, the Yankees wasted no time with their surprising that manager Joe Girardi would not return as the Yankee manager in 2018. With that, it is clear that Brian Cashman has full control of the New York Yankees, and they will look toward making some minor upgrades to field another competitive team in 2018. Unlike this past season, the Yankees will enter next year as one of the favorites in the American League, so many of the decisions made this offseason will factor into how this team can compete for a World Series in 2018, while also looking at the bigger picture of building a dynasty that is ready to begin in 2019 and run into the 2020's. Let's take a...

The 2017 Yankees season was a wild ride that by most accounts exceeded our expectations. It delivered many exciting moments from players all throughout the roster and although the young players were the focus this year, there were veterans on the roster that played key roles and helped drive the Yankees’ postseason run. Even though the core stayed the same, Brian Cashman made a lot of deals this season to transform and improve the Yankees’ roster. One of the key pieces he acquired was third baseman Todd Frazier. Credit: Bill Kostroun/ The Associated Press

Fresh off a dramatic come from behind win last night in game four, the Yankees looked to take a 3-2 series lead on Wednesday evening. The Bombers sent Masahiro Tanaka to the hill, who was the massive hero the team needed tonight with Dallas Keuchel on the mound for Houston. With some serious offensive contributions from a large portion of the lineup, Tanaka was stellar as the Yankees shutout the Astros in a 5-0 win.   Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch | USA TODAY Sports

Absolutely stunning. After being dominated by Lance McCullers and being down four runs going into the seventh inning, the Yankees pulled off one of their most improbable comebacks in their rich postseason history. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez combined for five RBIs in the team’s final two at-bats, and Aroldis Chapman shut the door. Photo Credit: AP

The Yankees were put in a familiar spot down 2-0 in the series, and looking for a huge win at home to get right back into it.  It was C.C Sabathia on the hill for the Yankees in game three, facing off against Charlie Morton, both of which had surprising breakout seasons.  Sabathia was brilliant in the 8-1 win, throwing six shutout innings. The bats finally came to life in the series putting up eight runs, after only two runs combined through first two games. Photo Credit: Abbie Parr | Getty Images

As the Yankees completed an incredible comeback from a 2-0 deficit against MLB’s best team, the Cleveland Indians, on Tuesday night, one of the major keys was a trade the Yanks made back in July. By acquiring Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, and Todd Frazier, the Yanks added to their stacked bullpen and gave themselves depth at first and third base. Well, fast forward a few months later and all three guys played a crucial role in the ALDS. Photo Credit: David Richard/USA Today Sports

After Wednesday night’s exhilarating ALDS Game 5 victory over the Cleveland Indians, the Yankees are heading to the ALCS. The series against the Indians gave us many reasons to be hopeful about this current run but there are still some concerns that need to be addressed and some questions that need to be answered. One of the key points that need addressing heading into this series is the Designated Hitter position and how the Yankees can improve their productivity from it. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Going into the playoffs, there wasn’t a clear designated hitter for the Yankees. The lineup was set for the most part but the DH spot was up for grabs. So far, Joe Girardi has tried a combination of Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley. However, both haven’t produced to expectations. Headley has gone 0-10 dating back to the beginning of the ALDS and Ellsbury has gone 0-8 dating back to the wild card game. The Cleveland Indians have dominated both hitters this series. There needs to be a change if the Yankees want to keep their postseason alive in 2017. There are a few options on the bench, but the Yankees should turn to the veteran Matt Holliday in game five.  Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images

Technically, the Yankees are still in the hunt for the AL East title, sitting four games behind the Boston Red Sox with nine games to play. Realistically, however, the Yankees are cognizant of the fact that they will more than likely be playing in this year's American League Wild Card Game. Bearing this strong possibility in mind, I've decided to put together what I identify as the best lineup the Yankees can field against their potential opponent, whether it be the Twins, Angels, or Rangers. In all likelihood, the lineup I'll soon articulate will not match the one Joe Girardi trots out on October 3rd. However, it would be the best lineup, under the circumstances, the Yankees can concoct in a one-game playoff. Photo Credit: Paul J. Bereswill/New York Post

As the season winds down, the Yankees magic number does as well, and with it only being seven coming into the game against the Twins on Tuesday night, it was clear that there was no better man to have on the mound than the trusted veteran, C.C Sabathia, who turned in another solid performance, going six innings and allowing two early runs before settling down in during the middle innings. C.C also got some help from his offense, as Brett Gardner got two clutch RBI singles early on, and got further aid from Stalin and Judge, as the Yankees took their second straight from Minnesota and their sixth consecutive series win, by a score of 5-2. Photo Credit: AP Kathy Willens

After a beatdown in Thursday night's game versus the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees offense continued to roll as they collected ten hits and blasted two home runs against Baltimore pitching. Didi Gregorius led the way with a home run and four RBIs and Greg Bird made his lineup presence felt as he blasted a long home run as well. The Yankees young ace stifled the Orioles through eight innings with his only blemish being a two-run home run to Wellington Castillo. Photo Credit: AP Photo | Frank Franklin II

As the playoffs near and the Yankees continue to hold onto the first Wild Card spot, the last month of the season and into the playoffs will be especially crucial for first baseman Greg Bird. After sitting out all of 2016 with an injury, he’s had another underwhelming 2017 season that has also been filled with injuries. Photo Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP

Just when it appeared that the Yankees were about to waste another brilliant outing from ace Luis Severino, the offense suddenly did just enough to scrap together a victory. After blowing a four run lead last night to eventually drop the series opener to the Rangers 11-5, the Yankees sent their ace to the mound and he didn't disappoint. The Bombers struggled to get anything going against Rangers starter Andrew Cashner. Once they were able to get into the Texas bullpen, however, the Yanks rallied to walk away with the victory. Photo Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP