New York Yankees news and notes as we hit the new year

The New York Yankees have been busy even if it doesn't seem like it.  They have been making a bunch of smaller moves instead of signing some big free agents.  They have remade their bullpen.  David Robertson signed with the Chicago White Sox and Andrew Miller was signed by the Yankees.  David Phelps and Shawn Kelley were traded away.  The Yankees also just traded away former top prospect Manny Banuelos this  past weekend.  They acquired two relievers from the Atlanta Braves for him. 

The Yankees bullpen right now has Dellin Betances and Miller on the backend with Justin Wilson, David Carpenter who they just picked up from the Braves in front of them.  It would appear that Esmil Rogers will be the swingman like Phelps was.  The Yankees are expected to go with a seven man bullpen so they could have a couple more lefties such as Chasen Schreve from Atlanta or their top pick from last year Jacob Lindgren. 

The Yankees have also remade their infield from last season.  Mark Teixeira is the only incumbant.  Chase Headley was signed for four years and he was with the Yankees from the end of July on but he didn't start the season with them.  They have a new shortstop as their captain retired and they now also have a new second baseman in Stephen Drew.  Drew was also with the Yankees at the end of last season but he wasn't with  them for most of the season.  Alex Rodriguez is also back but he is expected to me mostly a DH and maybe only a part time one at that. 

The Yankees defense looks to be very good.  The left side has Headley and Gregorius which is very good with a lot of range and now the right side also has very good with lots of range in Drew and Teixeira.  Brian McCann is a very good catcher and the outfield defense especially in left and center field is very good.  Carlos Beltran might be the leakest weak defensively and he really isn't that bad he is just getting old. 

If the Yankees stay healthy they could have a pretty good season but that is a big if.  They are going to need their pitchers to stay healthy especially because they could really limit the runs allowed with their pitching and defense.  If their pitchers especially at the top are not healthy though that all changes.  I also think their offense will be better, how can it be any worse really and that should help them.  It should be an interesting year as they are definitely transitioning but yet still trying to stay competitive and a winning team. 

The New York Jets win their final game to end a miserable 4-12 season

The New York Jets won their final game of the season in Miami.  They had a dreadful season finishing it at 4-12.  The Jets didn't waste any time firing their head coach Rex Ryan who had a good run and changed the franchise to some degree with his brash style.  John Idzik the GM didn't survive either as he has been fired from the team.  The most amazing thing about this season is that Geno Smith finished the game with a perfect passer rating.  Maybe there is hope for him and the Jets after all.  He was benched earlier this season in favor of veteran Michael Vick who really didn't do much either in his time with the team.  The Jets just didn't have enough talent and they went to Vick too late in the season for it to mean anything anyway.  The Jets need to find a quarterback and I don't know if they will trade for one, draft one or sign a veteran free agent, we will see but they need to do something. 

The final score was 37-24 and this game took place in Miami.  Geno Smith was 20-25 for 358 yards and three touchdowns.  Chris Ivory led the rushing attack with 13 carries for 29 yards.  Owusu had one carry for 23 yards and it was a touchdown.  Eric Decker led the receivers with 10 catches for 221 yards  and a touchdown.  Sudfeld had two catches for 44 yards.  Chris Johnson had 10 carries for 20 yards rushing.  Nick Folk made three of four field goals and all four extra points. 

Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins was 23-39 for 259 yards and a touchdown.  Miller had 19 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown.  Hartline had five catches for 94 yards, Landry had five catches for 55 yards and Clay had five for 45 yards. 

Harris had 2 1/2 sacks for the Jets, Coples had two, Davis and Richardson each had one and Wilkerson had 1/2 a sack.   The Jets had a miserable season and it came to an end on a positive.  The team will not be the same at all as the head coach and GM will be different and I am sure they will be trying to find a new quarterback at the very least to challenge Smith. 

The New York Giants end their season with a loss

The New York Giants finished their 2014 season with a loss at home to the Philadelphia Eagles.  They finished the season at 6-10 but after losing seven straight, they were able to win three straight before losing this final game.  There were positives to take out of the season like Eli Manning having a very good year and rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. becoming one of the best receivers in the league.  The defense wasn't very good at all this season and they weren't very good in this final game.  Jason Pierre-Paul had a good season and will want to be paid but it remains to be seen if the Giants will bring him back.  Antrelle Rolle is also a free agent but he had a poor season and I don't see him coming back.  Tom Coughlin will be coming back after all with more changes expected on his staff.  If I had to guess I would think they fire Perry Fewell the defensive coordinator and keep the tandem of Coughlin and McAdoo together as the offense grew this season and are heading into the offseason feeling very good about themselves and what they can do in the future. 

The final score was 34-26, Eli Manning was 28-53 for 429 yards and a touchdown.  Andre Williams had 43 yards rushing on 15 carries and Rashad Jennings had 33 yards rushing on 10 carries.  Beckham led the receivers once again.  He had 12 catches for 185 yards  and a touchdown.  Ruben Randle had six catches for 158 yards and it is easy to see why they are excited with Victor Cruz coming back next year to pair with these two. 

Mark Sanchez for the Eagles was 23-36 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.  McCoy had 99 yards rushing on 17 carries and Polk had 38 rushing yards on seven carries.  Matthews had eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. 

Pierre-Paul had two sacks for the Giants, Herzlich had a sack along with Kuhn.  Harris had an interception.  Josh Brown the kicker was 4-4 on field goals and made both extra points as well. 

The Giants lost their first two games of the season and then won three straight to be 3-2 on the season.   They then lost seven straight before winning three straight coming into this game.  Their head coach and GM have been on the hot seat but it appears that both will be staying.  The Giants are going to need to turn it around next year though and make the playoffs or else I could see both of them not returning. 

The New York Yankees and Miami Marlins hook up in a five player trade

The New York Yankees made a surprising trade with the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon.  They traded versatile infielder Martin Prado and pitcher David Phelps for pitcher Eovaldi, first baseman Garrett Jones and a minor league pitcher.  It is surprising because the Yankees really liked Prado and had him penciled in at second base and he could also provide backup to third base and the outfield.  The Yankees needed pitching though and they really never had a spot for Phelps.  Phelps was bounced around between the rotation and the bullpen with the Yankees never fully knowing what they wanted to do with him.  Eovaldi is a 24 year old pitcher with a lot of upside.  He threw about 200 innings last season which is important to the Yankees but they also like that he is young and cheap.  He is one of the hardest throwers in baseball and the Yankees feel they can work with him to make him a better pitcher. 

The most interesting part of this deal for me is Jones.  He is definitely the backup first baseman to fragile Mark Teixeira which will assure that Headley only has to play third base and further marginalizes Alex Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was going to be the backup to third and first and the full-time DH.  I would say maybe he is the backup at third now and a part time DH.  He will be the DH against leftie and won't play the field unless there is an emergency.  Jones has a left power swing which is perfect for Yankee Stadium.  He has hit 15+ homeruns in six straight years and the Yankees figure that number will go up with the short porch in right field.  He is a guy that if he plays enough should hit 20/25 homeruns and provide much needed left handed power to the team.  He can also backup RF which is important to the Yankees with Beltran also being a little bit fragile. 

The other part of this equation is second base is wide open now.  It looks like the Yankees will have a spring training battle between two youngsters Rob Refsnyer who is 23 years old and Jose Pirela who is a little bit older.  Pirela is also a younger cheaper version of Prado so it is possible he could be a bench player who backups multiple positions.  He may also be at AAA ready to step up if anything happens with Refsnyder as the second baseman which I think the Yankees and most of the fans want.  It is also possible the Yankees don't risk this at all and they sign a veteran such as Stephen Drew or Asdrubal Cabrera to play second base.  The Yankees now have their rotation set with Eovaldi slotting in behind Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia.  The fifth starter job right now looks like it belongs to Chris Capuano but by May or June Ivan Nova should be returning from Tommy John and figures to slot in the rotation as well.  The Yankees bullpen seems set as well with Betances and Miller at the backend and Shawn Kelley, Justin Wilson and Adam Warren in front of them.  They also have Esmil Rogers who can serve as the longman and there could be a battle for the last spot between recent pickup German from the Mets and youngster Jacob Lindgren. 

The Yankees have clearly gone the youth rout this offseason.  They could have a double play combination that is 25 and 23 years old and have them for years to come if it works out.  They are also clearly setting up 1B and RF for the next couple of years to be taken over by youngsters Aaron Judge and Greg Bird and Headley although not a youth is in his prime and signed for four years.  They have McCann and a young backup behind him who could take over when McCann is ready to go.  Gardner and Ellsbury in the outfield are also in their prime and most importantly to them is the pitching with four of their five starters being under 30 when Nova comes back and their bullpen also filled with young guys and more coming behind them.  We will see how this all works out but the Yankees have decided to change business and go the way that they built their late 90s dynasty.  They will go with homegrown talent and then the right trade or free agent signing that won't kill them. 

The New York Giants win second game in a row

The New York Giants won their second game in a row on Sunday afternoon.  They defeated the Washington Redskins 24-13 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  The Giants started the year losing two in a row and then won three in a row before losing seven in a row.  They are now on a modest two game winning streak with two games left to play.  Eli Manning had a good game and Odell Beckham Jr. continues to be a beast as he caught three touchdown passes.  The defense was better then it has been as well. 

Eli Manning was 23-34 for three touchdowns and no interceptions.  He had 250 yards passing and a rating of 118.5 which was his second highest of the season.  Beckham caught 12 passes for 143 yards and had all three of the Giants touchdowns.  The 12 receptions were the most ever by a Giants rookie.  The other seven Giants to catch passes totaled 11. 

The running game had trouble once again which they have most of the season.  The Giants offensive line needs to improve if they are going to improve next season.  Williams had 18 carries for 44 yards and Jennings had one carry and left with an ankle injury. 

The defense was much better.  Jason Pierre-Paul and Jonathan Hankins each had 2.5 sacks to lead the defense.  Cullen Jenkins had a sack and Damontre Moore and Devon Kennard had a 1/2 sack each.  The Giants have 41 sacks this season which surpasses last year when they only had 34.  They have two games remaining so they are well ahead of last season. 

Pierre-Paul leads the team with 9.5 sacks this season and Hankins is second with seven sacks.  The Giants have won two in a row and have two games remaining.  They will play in St. Louis on Sunday late afternoon and then return home for their final game on December 28th against the Philadelphia Eagles.