The 40 Man March

With  the Bombers 2017 season tumbling into  the abyss, the best players in the organization are not being called on to  replenish the rash of injuries.. Forget the horse shit  coming out of #HalCare’s press secretary Joe Girardi  saying we’re still in first place, and we’ll get it right

Girardi is in first place because the rest of his Division went into  a tailspin early in the season, and it’s taking them  time to  climb back up.. The Orioles ran into injuries and quickly tumbled from the top to  the bottom, and Boston just isn’t as good as the Chalk experts dictated

Boston is a bit more desperate to  win, they have a 3 yr window before it’s time to pay Sale, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, and in 3 yr’s Benintendi  will be starting to make money either with an extension or through arbitration

Price can opt out after his 3rd Yr, but who  would give Price more then 4 for $127M, he’s far from a $31M per yr starter  at his age

 Porcello is already making $21M, and he has that contract until  the end of 2019… They  also are paying Fenway Fats $18M through 2019…

The Cafeteria Lady is another joke player, they  can be rid of him after 2019, but he has a 2020 option that looks to be very doable

19:$22M vesting option, guaranteed if Ramirez has 1,050 plate appearances in 2017-18 and passes club physical after 2018 season

No wonder he doesn’t land on the DL despite rumors of his shoulder barking, he wants PA’s…

Anyway Boston had the same problem Cashman is going through Re: the 40 man roster, that’s why they Hired the Big Dombrowski, in 2 yr’s he cleaned out their farm  system so  brining in scrape heap icons like Fister and Peralta is much  easier, they  can thin out their 40 man easily

Let’s keep in mind the Yanks never had a good farm system so Cashman doesn’t have the experience smaller markets have when it comes to prospect hoarding, who  to keep  who  to trade, so  this is where hopefully Gary Denbo  comes in handy

Looking at  the Bombers  40 man roster let’s see what Cashman is up  against, if anything.. Of course he’d love to protect players who might have some upside, and not put his studs on the 40 man because more is better when it comes to Prospect Porn

We poached all intel  from MLB.com and Yanks Go Yard who also poached  from MLB.com.. Our time is limited this morning so just pitchers, and a quick  position player scan

Pitchers First
Dietrich Enns
Currently with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (SWB). Has made two starts with no decisions and has a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings of work. Enns is no longer listed on MLB’s Top 30 Prospects list of the Yankees.

Giovanny Gallegos
Currently with SWB, but has been called twice by the Yankees. Limited to nine appearances, he’s posted a 7.15 ERA with the big club. Gallegos is now listed as the team’s #30 top prospect. In 12 relief appearance with SWB, Gallegos is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA

Ben Heller
Heller is a relief specialist who has appeared in 23 games for SWB, holding opponents to a .191 batting average, while compiling an ERA of 2.71. He is not listed on MLB’s Top 30 for the Yankees.

Ronald Herrera
Herrera is having a pretty good year at Double-A Trenton. In nine starts, he’s 8-0 with a 1.13 ERA and is holding batters to a .173 average. He’s not a fireballer and sports a change-up as his out pitch. Herrera, too, is not among the organization’s Top 30 prospects according to MLB.

Bryan Mitchell
Mitchell is a familiar name to Yankees fans. Over four years, he has made 39 appearances with the Yankees, including eight spot starts. He was in contention for the fifth spot in the rotation that went to Jordan Montgomery.

Yefry Ramirez
This lanky Dominican is currently assigned to Double-A Trenton where he has a 6-3 record over 12 starts. He averages a strikeout an inning, but he also has 26 walks in 60 innings pitched. Again, he does not appear in the Yankees Top 30 prospects list.

I see at least 3 pitchers that can be replaced on the 40 man or traded

Enns, Gallegos, and Heller... There are no  Chance Adams or a Justus Sheffield, or  James Kaprielian’s on that list

As for position players

Refsynder and Williams are the two  glaring possibilities that could be exchanged or used as throw ins for a trade… Mateo a one time big prospect is stuck  at Tampa High A he’s another trade chip, but maybe too much upside to lose for nothing.

Tyler Austin, Tyler Webb, are two usable depth players on the 25 man right now but I’d trade them for an upgrade at first base.. If Bird can’t go in 3 weeks I’d put him on the 60  day DL and store him away  for 2018

Andujar should remain protected

Of course trading Hicks, Headley, Ellsbury, Gardner, and Castro  would also  work but none of that is happening at  the moment.. Hicks is out a month, flipping him in a sell high  mode would maybe bring back  something decent but probably not, he has no  track  record, he’s been a good player for 2 months das it

None of those guys will get flipped in 2017, or maybe never sans Castro who is owed only $20M over the next two  seasons with a $16M  team option.. Over the winter I’d move him if the deal  was right and make room  for Torres to play  2nd base…

Headley Ellsbury and Gardner are pretty much un-tradeable, you would have to  eat money on Ellsbury and Headley, or get next to nothing back flipping Gardner.. but flipping Gardner opens a 40 man spot and relieves the team of $13M AAV

I’m out back later