Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Bye, Chapman. Hello, Lots of Cubbies.

Via Jon Heyman:

The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs have a deal in place revolving around reliever Aroldis Chapman. Sources tell Today’s Knuckleball that Hal Steinbrenner has signed off on the deal that will send Chapman to the Cubs for prospects Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Rashad Crawford and former Yankees pitcher Adam Warren.

Cubs top prospect Gleyber Torres (SS) is the centerpiece of the return for New York. MLB.com rated the 19-year-old as the 28th-best prospect in baseball and top in the Cubs’ talented system. Torres is hitting .275 with nine home runs in 94 games with the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Pitcher Adam Warren is also said to be going to New York. After spending the last four seasons with the Yankees, Warren is 3-2 with a 5.91 ERA in 29 appearances with the Cubs this season.

McKinney is the fifth-rated prospect in the Cubs system and 75th overall, per MLB.com. Drafted by the Athletics with the 24th overall pick in 2013 and acquired by the Cubs in the same deal that netted them Addison Russell for pitcher Jeff Samardzija, the 21-year-old is currently hitting .252/.355/.322 in Double-A. Over his three-plus minor league seasons, he is slashing .281/.364/.408 with 22 home runs in 375 games.

Crawford, 22, is hitting .255 with three home runs and 30 RBI in 83 games for the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Chapman was originally acquired by the Yankees via trade with the Cincinnati Reds back on December 28. He went on to appear in 31 games while in pinstripes following his 30-game suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy.

A four-time All-Star, Chapman sports a 2.01 ERA alongside his perfect 3-0 record in 31.1 innings of work. He has 20 saves, one blown save and 44 strikeouts against eight walks this season.

He spent his first six big league campaigns as a member of the Reds. In his final season in Cincinnati in 2015, he posted a 1.63 ERA while converting 33 of his 36 save opportunities.

Obviously, we all knew this was coming – I wrote as much in my last post – but when I take a closer look at the deal, it makes me wonder. Torres sounds like a terrific young shortstop, though only 19 and playing in A-ball. My question is don’t we already have a good shortstop? And if the Yankees plan to move Torres to second base as is rumored, what happens to Castro? McKinney and Crawford look promising too, and it’ll be nice to have Adam Warren back in the pen, if the Yanks can fix whatever problems he’s been having in Chicago.

Maybe Cashman plans another trade or two, spinning off today’s haul. More to come.

Not Happy About This

david price sox

I figured the Yankees wouldn’t touch Price, given how much money he’d command. I just hoped he’d wind up in the other league. Or even another division in our league. But no. The Red Sox needed an ace and they got one, and paid dearly. (“The seven-year, $217 million deal is the richest awarded to a major league pitcher and the largest in Red Sox history,” said Peter Abraham in the Boston Globe.) So now we’ll face Price a zillion times. Swell.

Where does that leave the Yankees in terms of a starting rotation? In the same place we were in last year. We’ll have Tanaka (arm trouble), Evo (doesn’t go deep in games), Nova (inconsistent), Pineda (inconsistent), Severino (prodigy or fluke), Warren (so-so) and CC (who knows). Is there an ace in that group? If healthy, Tanaka’s still my go-to guy, and I’m betting Severino will only get better. The others are question marks for me, but they’re ours for better or worse.

I’m wondering if Cashman intends to make any deals to strengthen this team. I get that he’s hamstrung by bloated salaries that are still on the books, but this is the Yankees we’re talking about. It’s not in our DNA to stand pat and do nothing. Or is it? Will Cashman really wait a few years to spend on Bryce Harper, etc? Doesn’t he have a Stadium to fill in the meantime?

I wouldn’t mind a shiny new player under my Christmas tree. Just saying.

So Streaky

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Whether the girl in the above photo streaked her hair blue because she’s a Yankee fan I couldn’t tell you. I was just looking around for “streaks” images and there she was. The point is, after the Yanks and A’s finished up their series today, I was thinking that this team is so up and down it’s hard to figure out where they are in the scheme of things. They play the Royals, the best in baseball, and they sweep. They play the A’s, who stink, and they win one measly game. Consistency, boys. It would be nice.

And then there’s Slade. He was just beginning to look promising and – bam – lost to injury. Now the new kid is Ramon Flores. I wish him luck especially if, as reported, he’s taking his cues from Didi.

On the plus side, Beltran seems to have roused himself from his slumber. Adam Warren has established himself as a solid starter. And A-Rod, dear A-Rod, has inched 14 hits closer to the 3,000 hit mark. At some point, the Yankees will have to acknowledge these milestones of his with more than a mention in their game wrap-up press releases, won’t they?

Tomorrow night brings Seattle and King Felix. I’ll be asleep. Wake me if A-Rod has 14 hits.

A Series Sweep and a Birthday – Not Too Shabby

Arethusa birthday

Yes, I ate that chocolate confection on Saturday night – that and much, much more. After the Yankees edged the Red Sox in Game 2 at Fenway, I celebrated my first birthday on the East Coast in years. Michael and I and our two good friends, my old boss in publishing and his partner, dined at Litchfield County’s #1 destination spot, Arethusa al tavolo in Bantam. Readers of my Mainly Jane blog may remember that I wrote about Arethusa last summer when I was researching my new novel in which my three heroines take cooking classes at a farm resort in CT. (My agent is sending out the manuscript to editors this week.) As part of my research, I interviewed Arethusa’s Executive Chef Dan Magill, who, it turns out, is not only a brilliant chef and all-around nice guy but an avid Yankees fan. When he found out I wrote this blog, he dubbed me “Bronx Bad Ass,” hence the inscription on Saturday night’s birthday dessert (the dessert before the other desserts, I should add; we all ate so much amazing food our stomachs were bulging and we vowed to fast for the next century).

Back to the Yankees, they’re on quite a roll. Their road record is staggeringly good. And while the Red Sox aren’t the formidable team they used to be, the Yanks have gotten their defense together. Their pitching has been stellar, both starters and relievers. And they’re getting clutch hits.

The most talked about clutch hit, of course, was A-Rod’s milestone pinch hit homer against Tazawa in Game 2. What to make of this guy? (A-Rod, not Tazawa.) He’s being such a good boy doing and saying all the right things. It’s as if he’s been taking Jeter pills. (“I just want to help the team win games.”) Cashman finally came out and admitted the Yankees don’t intend to pay him for the “Willie Mays” homer, so it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. But if A-Rod keeps contributing, stays healthy and plays clean, they may have to acknowledge his achievements after all.

As for last night’s game, even Beltran was a hitting star. Tex has been a revelation with all those homers this early in the season. Gardner and Ellsbury have been huge for us. Everybody (well, almost everybody) has contributed. And Adam Warren has turned out to be a much better solution in the rotation than I expected. The idiotic “retaliation” pitch that landed on Ellsbury’s butt for an earlier Hanley Ramirez hit-by-pitch was mildly entertaining and put some spice into the rivalry, which hasn’t been much of one lately. We’ll see if there’s a carry-over the next time the teams face off. If CC’s pitching, it could happen. He seems to get fired up about those things.

Anyhow, a great birthday weekend for me and a great road trip for the Yankees. I hope everyone enjoyed the nice spring weather here in the Northeast too.

Bullpen Meltdown (With a P.S.)

Melting

Ugh. It was a reverse Janer at the Trop tonight. So ugly after Kuroda, who couldn’t go deep into the game, departed and made way for a parade of bad performances. The pen has been great so I can’t ride them too hard, especially Warren, but Cabral? Seriously? Three hit batters and an ejection? Not a good night for him. Apparently, he wasn’t given a reason why he was ejected by Joe West. Well, I have a bulletin for him: you don’t need a reason if you have no idea where the ball is going. Sheesh.

On the positive side, it was just one game and not the end of the world. Also, Beltran didn’t break anything during his crazy tumble over the railing last night. Whew.

Onto the next.

P.S. Just wanted to alert everybody that Willie Randolph has a book out next month (May 13th, to be exact).

Willie Randolph book cover

Here’s the description from the publisher:

From a dusty diamond in Brooklyn to the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium, Willie Randolph has always loved the game of baseball, and over the course of his storied career, he has amassed a remarkable list of accomplishments—All-Star second baseman, World Series champion, manager—but, above all, he has been a Yankee. For almost thirty years, Randolph was a part of Yankee lore and mythology, whether playing with the legends Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson and witnessing the infamous Bronx Zoo at its rowdiest, or coaching as the Core Four of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada rose to fame and ushered in a new era of Yankee dominance. In his long-awaited memoir, Randolph shares stories from his life in pinstripes, opening up about the team that raised him and the city that molded him. With unparalleled perspective into three generations of team history, the former Yankee captain offers fresh, firsthand insight into some of the greatest players to ever play the game and the greatest teams ever to call the Bronx their home. From Don Mattingly to Bernie Williams, Goose Gossage to Mariano Rivera, and Billy Martin to Joe Torre, Randolph presents a view of baseball history from the inside, describing how teams became dynasties and managers became legends—all in the shadow of the man who brought them together, the Boss, George Steinbrenner. As fascinating and thoughtful as Randolph himself, The Yankee Way is a moving portrait of a legendary team, a unique city, and a remarkable man.

 

Is Adam Warren The Next….Somebody?

Adam+Warren+4_a9fy2daKFm

He pitched well in Houston tonight. I only watched part of the game, but maybe he’s a guy who deserves a closer look next year.

Otherwise, there wasn’t much to say about the game except the Yankees won (better late than never) and the Astros honored Pettitte during the game. Oh, and Robertson closed. I tried to get used to him in the role instead of you-know-who but it’ll take awhile. Sigh.

 

Pure Misery

misery_2

I decided to use a pic of Kathy Bates in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery” to describe how I’m feeling right now. Not only did I have skin cancer surgery on my legs (ouwww) but I didn’t win the $400+million jackpot in tonight’s Powerball drawing. And then there was the horrendous Yankees loss. I don’t even know how to measure how horrendous the game was except to say that in spite of the sudden home run bursts from Soriano and Nunez and the decent-for-half-the-game pitching by CC and the ninth inning homer by Cano to put the Yanks ahead, they still found a way to lose and get swept by the White Sox. Oh, the agony.

And then, of course, there was the fact that Mo blew the save and that Adam Warren stuck out his glove when he should have kept his hands to himself and that nobody on this team seems to be capable of driving in runs with a sacrifice bunt or anything similarly creative.

Yup, I’m disgusted. They had the famous closed door meeting and guys talked about needing to win and not getting down on themselves. I’d hate to be in that clubhouse tonight. Tough to shrug this one off, I’m sure.

I Really Didn't Want To Write About That Game

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Why would I? It was a heartbreaker. As I wrote in the previous post, it’s easier to go into the rest of the season with low expectations because you don’t get your hopes up, but last night the Yankees got my hopes up – and then dashed them. So I woke up this morning with writer’s block. Still, certain things must be said.

I’ll start with CC. He should sue his surgeon. He says he’s healthy. He says he feels fine. He says it’s just a problem with his “arm slot.” But here’s the truth: he hasn’t pitched well since he had the surgery during the off-season. So it’s either that something went wrong in what is usually a “minor procedure” or he’s just not good anymore. Either way, it’s not pleasant to contemplate.

And then there’s the offense. No, it wasn’t that we didn’t score any runs this time. We scored plenty to win – maybe not at Fenway but at most ballparks. What we can’t seem to do this season, aside from those heady, early days when Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells had their moments in the sun, is hit homers. Which is the height of irony. In the past everybody was bemoaning all the homers – “homer happy,” the Yankees were accused of being. Right. I’d take some of those long balls right now. They’re how you win a lot of ballgames.

And then we come to Adam Warren. There’s a reason he’s not used a lot. He’s not one of Joe’s go-to guys. He and Joba have sort of been persona non grata, and last night was a good reason why. I don’t have any stats on this, but Napoli has hit homers against us – including walk-offs – with every team he’s been on. No surprise that he went deep to win the game last night.

I’d like to end on a cheerful note, but then there’s the matter of A-Rod and his quad. Jeter strained his running the bases. A-Rod strained his running the bases. Tex re-injured himself after coming back. Granderson re-injured himself after coming back. Youkilis re-injured himself after coming back. If there’s such a thing as a team being “snake bit,” the 2013 Yankees are that team.

It’s a shame. The players are trying as hard as they can to fight the odds and – despite how many times Girardi has said “Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us” – I feel sorry for them.

I Really Didn’t Want To Write About That Game

writers-block1

Why would I? It was a heartbreaker. As I wrote in the previous post, it’s easier to go into the rest of the season with low expectations because you don’t get your hopes up, but last night the Yankees got my hopes up – and then dashed them. So I woke up this morning with writer’s block. Still, certain things must be said.

I’ll start with CC. He should sue his surgeon. He says he’s healthy. He says he feels fine. He says it’s just a problem with his “arm slot.” But here’s the truth: he hasn’t pitched well since he had the surgery during the off-season. So it’s either that something went wrong in what is usually a “minor procedure” or he’s just not good anymore. Either way, it’s not pleasant to contemplate.

And then there’s the offense. No, it wasn’t that we didn’t score any runs this time. We scored plenty to win – maybe not at Fenway but at most ballparks. What we can’t seem to do this season, aside from those heady, early days when Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells had their moments in the sun, is hit homers. Which is the height of irony. In the past everybody was bemoaning all the homers – “homer happy,” the Yankees were accused of being. Right. I’d take some of those long balls right now. They’re how you win a lot of ballgames.

And then we come to Adam Warren. There’s a reason he’s not used a lot. He’s not one of Joe’s go-to guys. He and Joba have sort of been persona non grata, and last night was a good reason why. I don’t have any stats on this, but Napoli has hit homers against us – including walk-offs – with every team he’s been on. No surprise that he went deep to win the game last night.

I’d like to end on a cheerful note, but then there’s the matter of A-Rod and his quad. Jeter strained his running the bases. A-Rod strained his running the bases. Tex re-injured himself after coming back. Granderson re-injured himself after coming back. Youkilis re-injured himself after coming back. If there’s such a thing as a team being “snake bit,” the 2013 Yankees are that team.

It’s a shame. The players are trying as hard as they can to fight the odds and – despite how many times Girardi has said “Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us” – I feel sorry for them.

5 Hours & 35 Minutes of Torture

OK, I can’t claim that I sat through the entire ordeal. The game started at 12:30 here in California and I worked until late afternoon. I figured it was long over by the time I went online to check the score and was surprised to see the Yanks and A’s locked in a 2-2 tie in the 8th. I pulled up a chair and settled in to watch. And settled in. And settled in. I could not believe all the scoring opportunities that went nowhere. It was an exercise in futility. When Tex popped up with the bases loaded I went especially mental.

The stats for guys like Wells, Youkilis and Hafner were brutal, but at least Wells made an incredible throw that saved a run and nearly cost Stewart his head in the collision at the plate. The pitching was uniformly great, with essentially two starts by Kuroda  and then Adam Warren. But the second Girardi brought Mo in, I cringed. I didn’t like the fact that it wasn’t a save situation or that he’d gotten up earlier in the game and sat back down. It was just a feeling that he’d blow it. On the other hand, somebody had to be the goat because the Yankees were not about to score any runs. Not this crew.

Here’s what I’d do if I were Cashman. I’d package up Hughes and ship him to a team with a good offensive player and slide Warren into the rotation. But more likely, there will be call ups coming for the rest of this road trip with somebody (perhaps Warren) getting sent down. Maybe Overbay will be DFA-ed too. All I know is that getting swept by the A’s isn’t a terrible thing on the face of it. It’s how we got swept that stings. This team is just not very good right now.

 

5 Hours & 35 Minutes of Torture

OK, I can’t claim that I sat through the entire ordeal. The game started at 12:30 here in California and I worked until late afternoon. I figured it was long over by the time I went online to check the score and was surprised to see the Yanks and A’s locked in a 2-2 tie in the 8th. I pulled up a chair and settled in to watch. And settled in. And settled in. I could not believe all the scoring opportunities that went nowhere. It was an exercise in futility. When Tex popped up with the bases loaded I went especially mental.

The stats for guys like Wells, Youkilis and Hafner were brutal, but at least Wells made an incredible throw that saved a run and nearly cost Stewart his head in the collision at the plate. The pitching was uniformly great, with essentially two starts by Kuroda  and then Adam Warren. But the second Girardi brought Mo in, I cringed. I didn’t like the fact that it wasn’t a save situation or that he’d gotten up earlier in the game and sat back down. It was just a feeling that he’d blow it. On the other hand, somebody had to be the goat because the Yankees were not about to score any runs. Not this crew.

Here’s what I’d do if I were Cashman. I’d package up Hughes and ship him to a team with a good offensive player and slide Warren into the rotation. But more likely, there will be call ups coming for the rest of this road trip with somebody (perhaps Warren) getting sent down. Maybe Overbay will be DFA-ed too. All I know is that getting swept by the A’s isn’t a terrible thing on the face of it. It’s how we got swept that stings. This team is just not very good right now.

 

Here Come The Baby Bombers! (With a P.S.)

It was quite a day for the next generation of Yankee players – AKA the Scranton team – as several of them got the call to help out with the doubleheader in Cleveland. While the Yanks did lose the opener in a shutout, Phelps pitched very well, minus his walks. It was in the second game that the Baby Bombers really did their thing. Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren, two pitchers who’d been impressive in spring training, were impressive today, shutting out an Indians team that had been red hot. And how about emergency infielder Corbin Joseph getting his first major league hit and Austin Romine getting in on the offensive action too. And then there were the usual heroics from Wells, Nix and Overbay (I still can’t believe it every time I type their names). I don’t know what magic pixie dust Girardi is sprinkling in their Gatorade, but it’s working.

The YES guys were talking about Granderson coming back and I’m glad, I really am, but I like the chemistry of this group right now. I don’t want the big stars screwing it up!

Now if I can just stop calling Austin Romine “Austin Romaine” and Vidal Nuno “Vidal Nunez,” that would be nice.

P.S. Just wanted to post this pic sent to me by Yankee Fan and FOB Cesare (he reads but doesn’t comment). I got a kick out of it.

 

 

Rocky Mountain High

Or maybe I should have written “Rocky Mountain Bye.” The Yankees left Colorado with a series win, but it wasn’t easy. What was up with all that rain? CC only got four innings in before the tarp went on the field, which was a shame. And the Yanks had to do a lot of sitting around, knowing they needed to catch a flight to KC right after the game.

But they got the win. Not a lot of hitting in this series, but the pitching was great. Adam Warren did a nice job taking over for CC and Mo was his usual godlike self for the save. I loved seeing all the Yankee fans at Coors Field snapping pictures of Mo. It reminded me yet again that this is his last tour through the majors. Sob.

Cano’s homer was fun, but I do hope this lineup will find a way to score more runs so the team can keep pace in the division. Granderson seems to be on a fast track to come off the DL, but I don’t want to jinx him so forget I said that. Shhhush.

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