With the new season upon us, let's talk baseball!

Just heard word yesterday that Luis Severino was scratched from his Spring Training start and tests indicate he has inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Not a great sign. Hope he can work through it during the season and won't require surgery. The Yankees are going to shut him down for 2 weeks to see what that does and he'll more than likely miss Opening Day. Does this force the Yankees to go out and grab Dallas Keuchel or Gio Gonzales who are still available free agents? I doubt it. They'll try to plug the problem with internal options.

Looks like the Yankees are going to stand pat with their rotation. Really hope it’s nothing serious with Severino.

That makes 2 of us. I hope these young kids can contribute.

They’re going to have to. That’s the front office is really banking on. Which I like a lot. But we’ll see how much I like it if they end up not performing lol

I don't have much confidence in them. Until they show me otherwise, I'm pessimistic.

MLB rules changes for the 2019 season:

-There will be no trades after July 31. August trade waivers have been eliminated, though players can still be placed on and claimed from outright waivers, as they would throughout the rest of the year.
-All-Star voting will still be conducted by fans online, but the top three players at each position, in each league, will now participate in an All-Star Election Day. -The top three vote-getters at each position, in each league, (top six in the case of outfielders) will receive bonus payments.
-The Home Run Derby will now come with $2.5MM of prize money, including a $1MM prize for the winner.
-The maximum number of mound visits per game will be reduced from six to five.
-Commercial breaks between innings are reduced to two minutes in length for all games.
-The MLB and MLBPA will form a “Joint Committee” to discuss further issues and rule changes.

Effective Beginning in 2020

-The standard roster size in regular season games and postseason games will increase from 25 to 26 players. Beginning on Sept. 1, roster size will expand further to a 28-player maximum (as opposed to the current 40). A maximum number of pitchers will be designated by the Joint Committee. (Passan reported that the league has proposed no more than half a team’s players can be pitchers.)
-Position players are only eligible to pitch in extra innings or when a team is leading or trailing by seven or more runs. Certain position players may be designated as “two-way players,” but to be eligible, they’ll need to have accrued at least 20 innings pitched and started 20 games as a position player/designated hitter in the current season or the preceding season (including at least three trips to the plate in each of those lineup appearances).
-A pitcher must face at least three batters per appearance unless he is removed due to injury or the half-inning in which he is pitching ends before three batters have come to the plate.
-The minimum length of stay for pitchers who are optioned to the minors or placed on the injured list will increase from 10 days to 15 days. This change is still “subject to input” from the newly formed Joint Committee.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/mlb-mlbpa-agree-single-trade-deadline-expanded-rosters.html

I like that they’re giving people an incentive to compete in the home run derby.

I do too but as I've said in the past, I'm not a fan of the 3 batter faced rule. I think it's going to diminish the product, having pitchers go up against batters they shouldn't be facing.

I don’t understand that rule at all. Is that an official rule yet? There’s no need to mess with a game that has worked fine and has been played the same way for around 100 years.

It's going to begin next season, not 2019. It's all an effort to speed up the game but I'm with you, the game is fine and has been played the same way for 100+ years. This is just an effort to appeal to more millennials who can't sit through a game.

It’s ridiculous. And this severino injury looks serious.

And now add Yankees prospect Estevan Florial to the injured list as he injured his wrist trying to chase a fly ball in center. No timetable has been given to his recovery but I hope he doesn't have a lost season like Clint Frazier did last year with his concussion. Even if Florial is able to return, the season could be a bust for him with a wrist injury to his throwing hand.

Such a let down. Voit and bird are battling it out for first. I don’t trust bird, always has a great spring training. He’s a pull hitter.

Who do you think has the edge so far? I don't/haven't watched Spring Training and I haven't heard much between them. I'm guessing Voit gets the nod unless Bird just has such an unbelievable spring. Although Voit's defense leaves something to be desired; however, I heard he worked on it during the offseason.

Voit is definitely winning. But cashman loves Bird. They’re just so fascinated with having a left handed bat in the lineup even if it means forcing a lesser player in. I say you play the best guy regardless of what side of the plate he hits from. And that’s Voit. Voit has also shown improvement defensively. He is winning the job but do not be surprised if Bird gets it.

Watched the Yanks/Phils play, Tulo looked like his old self. Heard Severino is out until May, that's pretty serious if so.

I wouldn't mind getting a left-handed bat in the lineup (one of the reasons I desired Harper over Machado if the Yankees were going to get either). But I agree, put the best guy out there.

Shutting Severino down for the month of April is not a good sign at all. Plus Sabathia is suspended for 5 games for throwing at the Rays at the end of last season. Plus he's working back from some offseason surgery. Rumors are the Yankees have reached out to Gio Gonzalez as well but a deal doesn't appear imminent. Although I've heard Luis Cessa has been throwing the ball well in spring training and I'm sure the Yankees are going to go with him. Hopefully it'll translate to the regular season as well. Looks like Loáisiga has been up and down but German hasn't been bad either. The Yankees have some youthful arms; they just need to produce at the major league level.

Hicks hurt. I liked the Hicks signing a lot. But not off to a good start with this.

The money isn't bad but I think the years might be a little much. Every season he has something going on though. I like Hicks, but I'm not high on him. I hope this opens up an opportunity for Clint Frazier to get some major league AB's since last year was a lost year for him due to his concussions.

Hopefully Gonzalez can still pitch

I hope so too but it's a low risk, high reward deal IMO. It's a minor league contract and if he makes the roster, it's $3 million.

I can't believe Trout just got a 12-year, $430 million extension!

Trout deserves it too. What a talent. I don’t like people putting him over certain all time great players just because of his War(I like the stat itself a lot but there’s more to baseball than that) but he is on his way to break some records.

The season is officially underway. First yanks game next week.

Can't wait! But it's always at noon and I'm at work. But I'll see what I can't do in terms of watching it.

Ichiro received some send off over in Japan.

Heard from a MLB source.

A leak is spreading regarding a test performed by MLB having pitchers and catchers using electronic devices allowing for communications during games in order to end sign stealing.

They are leaning towards this but leaked the info on purpose to get feelers on how it would be viewed by public.

Not surprised in the least he retired in Japan. The man had one of the greatest careers in the history of the game and he deserved it. However he's not the all-time hits leader IMO as I don't count his numbers from Japan. You gotta do it in MLB.



I don't mind this at all and perhaps it could speed the game up as well so pitchers/catchers don't have to continually go throw missed signs, switch signs up, mound visits, etc. They already do it in football with the quarterback and the coach, so I don't mind at all this implementation.

Beat 'em Bucs!

Pirates don’t have a bad team at all this season right?

Well well well, it's FINALLY here. Another season kicks off today for every team outside Seattle and Oakland. The Yanks got bit by the injury bug a little in spring training, but it's a long season. Enjoy!

Loved the way the yanks swung the bats today. Against a bad team but you still like to see them being aggressive out there and not relying totally on the long ball.

Exactly. That's one thing that's frustrated me for years, especially under Girardi. Their unwillingness to manufacture runs, play ball.

Too early to get excited but they look good. We’ll see when they play some tough teams.

Exactly. Not bad for an Opening Day, but it's also Baltimore. Too soon to get excited.

Wow, they lose 2 out of 3 to Baltimore? Only saving grace is Boston's 1-3 after starting the season against Seattle.

And now Stanton's on the 10 day DL because of a biceps strain. This season has not started out good in terms of health for the team and hope it's not a precursor to the rest of the season.

Andujar May be out for the year. I’m seeing some of the bad habits carry over into this season. Especially on offense. Judge said what needed to be said but if the team doesn’t react to what him and all the fans have been saying for about a year now then we’ll continue to see lousy at bats and defense.

I cannot believe the amount of guys injured. And they might lose Andujar for the season. Wow, "great" start to the year.

I have not the slightest idea about what they’re going to do

Especially if Andujar is done for the year. Heard they passed on Manny because of the faith/hope they see in Miguel. As a ROY runner up last year, that would be a big blow. Not to mention Didi's still down until later in the year. They'll probably promote Tyler Wade who I heard had a good spring but until I see him do something at the big league level, I'll reserve my expectations.

They’re losing games that they should win. That’s all I can say at this point.

I know. Very frustrating. They've gotta take advantage of Boston's early struggles and they're not.

I pray that they’re turning the corner now

Me too. Doing what they're supposed to do, beating up on teams like Baltimore. Glad Frazier's making an impact at the MLB level and encouraged but Sanchez's bat today. Hopefully he can help right the ship (along with Judge) while they await their teammates return to the lineup.

Yankees announce that Luis Severino was diagnosed with a Grade 2 lateral strain and will be shutdown for 6 weeks. He suffered the injury while rehabbing from rotator cuff inflammation, and it's not shoulder-related. What is going on with all these injures? The Yankees lead the league with 11 men down at this point in the season (and they're only 10 games in!).

Seems like I'm posting in here daily about another Yankee player getting injured. This time it's Gary Sanchez, who's going on the shelf due to a left calf strain. That makes a dozen only 12 games into the season. Unbelievable!

It’s maddening. They’re not beating teams they are capable of beating by a wide margin and they are injured as well. Need to wake up soon. Hope they do.

Let’s see how they perform in this series. A lot of injuries but even when they’re healthy, they need to get out of the rut that they’ve been in with their unenthusiastic offense.

Agreed. Add another to the list. Bird's down now with a left plantar fascia tear. They don't know how long he's gonna be out.

Yanks doing good, Mets getting creamed,

Yanks have a chance to use this past game against the Sox as the formula for offensive success. They hit the ball and didn’t worry about hitting it out of the park(homers still came). Paxton looked great first and foremost.

Mets have a chance this year. We will see if they take advantage

Bird getting hurt is something we can count on every single year. Cashman has more patience with him than he did Jeter and Arod. I’ll never comprehend it.

I'm encouraged by Paxton's outing yesterday and glad they took it to Boston. No better team I'd rather them rebound against (especially against Sale as well). Reports state Beltran actually told Paxton he was tipping his pitches in Houston. Looks like the advice worked yesterday. At this point, and I've been saying it for years, the Yankees need to manufacture runs and play small ball. It's always great to hit a homerun but that shouldn't be your focus every time coming to the plate. Glad Frazier got another homer last night! Kid's batting .293 with 4 homers and 11 RBI's in the early part of the season. I hope they hold on to him. Rumors are the Yankees might make another run at Madison Bumgarner this year at the trade deadline and some are saying the Yankees might have to part with Frazier as part of the deal. I wouldn't want them to do it. Bumgarner's a rental and once Gardner retires, I wanna see Frazier with Hicks, Stanton and Judge.



Very true. Not surprised. Just tired of seeing guys wind up on the DL (I refuse to call it the IL). Disabled list is not insensitive in my book. It's been called that for decades without issue.

Any Cardinal Fans? I was raised in STL, but I don' watch sports. You know how they're doin?

They're 10-8 and 1 1/2 games out of first. However, they did just drop 2 out of 3 to Milwaukee and are 2-5 against them on the young season. Yelich has been killing them in the early going though. Seriously, they should start to pitch around him.

Glad the Yanks got another win against Boston yesterday. Hopefully, this will get them to turn it around. Wasn't happy with Happ's start though. He supposedly had such great numbers against Boston but his last 2 outings (playoffs and last night) haven't shown it.

Cards have series starting tomorrow with the Mets.

Yanks playing now but not looking good.

Nope. They lost 6-1 to KC. German has good strikeout stuff, but the kid gives up too many homeruns.

Going to be tough in the NL East

My Bucs are in first place. Madonne!

That judge injury did not look good. For the sake of the yanks I truly hope that he’s back in a short amount of time and he’s not done for most if not all of the season. I really thought this would be his year and it still can be. Just waiting on the Yankees to give an update on when he can be expected back.

Honestly, I'm not surprised. It was just a matter of time with the way the injury bug has absolutely decimated this team thus far. Only thing working in our favor is that it's still only April.

It said to be a “significant” injury.....at least a Month.

Clint Frazier doing well though

Yeah I heard that too about Judge. Not a good sign. Obliques take a while to heal. Sanchez should be coming back this week I believe so that should (hopefully) help.

As a Sox fan I'm kind of glad the Yanks are suffering but I'm not if that makes sense. No team should have injuries like that, that really does suck. Whoever handles any strength & conditioning for the Yanks should be fired. That really makes it seem like anything they are doing is bad because so many are getting injuries on the Yanks watch.

I will say I respect the Yanks and upper management because y'all will spend the money to try and have a good team. I never understood why so many hated George, if I was a fan I would want my owner/GM to spend the money too instead of being like Atlanta or Miami where they hardly spend and then wonder why fans don't show up while charging outrageous prices on food and beverage. I guess the Yanks are a lot like Alabama, everyone hates a winner.

I've always said the exact same thing: at least George put the money back in to the team and didn't pocket it! However, under the new regime, they're trying to be more fiscally responsible, which I don't necessarily mind. I don't believe we needed either Harper or Macachdo this offseason so I wasn't heartbroken that we didn't get them (not to mention the fact, those contacts, like so many others, will not age well). But yeah, the only good thing about the Yankees having 13 players (Yes, 13!) on the DL already is that it's still only April. 2/3 of the Yankees Opening Day roster is on there. That's absolutely ludicrous this early in the season. I'm just happy they're treading water for now and only 2 1/2 behind Tampa for first place.

German had a solid start last night. The team is moving Chad Green down to Triple-A to fix him up. He needs it. Kid's got a 16.43 ERA this year. I don't know what's going on with him but they need to figure it out. Sanchez is off the DL today as well. Hopefully that's the start of everyone else getting healthy and coming back.

The Yankees offense is playing better than they have with most of their starters so far. Quite strange. They just keep fighting. I haven’t seen that same fight in the starters yet. Last season or this season(small sample size so far this year). I’m hoping this will rub off on them.

I'm hoping so as well. Great come back from behind win last night (down 5 runs to win 6-5). However, during their recent winning streak they've beat the likes of Anaheim, KC and a struggling Boston team. I'll take it, I mean a win's a win. And these are games they're "supposed" to win. I'm just glad they're treading water for now, but today I heard Frazier's on the DL with an ankle issue. I swear, every day it's someone new! He's only supposed to be out 10 days. Also, Stanton's biceps injury is healed but now he's having problems with his left shoulder that may delay him coming back.

Yanks looking good tonight , leading 2-0

Bases loaded.

What's up with my Bucs? They were in first place, but have lost 5 in a row. Where's the pitching?

And they coughed up a 4-0 lead to lose 11-5. Tanaka got shelled by the long ball (his achilles heel)

Is there truth to andujar returning next week? Sounds a little risky being that it was being reported as a season ending injury just a few weeks ago.

From what I've heard, they're going to go the nonsurgical route for now. He can bat but fielding is what'll hold him back. But I've heard they'll either DH him or maybe even move him over to first. I say give this a shot before opting for surgery, because I believe surgery will end his season.

I concur. Let’s just see how he plays. If he hurts he team then let him go have surgery.

Add two more to the list: DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela. LeMahieu left the game due to right knee inflammation. Urshela got hit on his left hand. Both X-rays were negative at least. I swear, anyone who starts producing for us at the plate suddenly gets injured (Sanchez, Judge, Frazier and now these guys).

At least they’re doing this early in the season. That’s the only positive if we are looking for a ray of sunshine.

Now Paxton is down. Just keeps getting worse. Maybe he’ll be ready for his next start.

I seriously can't look. Just waiting for Torres to go at this point. Glad LeMahieu is back and heard Frazier would be coming off the DL today. Bestances isn't due back until June and Severino they've pushed until after the All-Star break (that's not a good sign). Only thing we can hope for with him is he'll be fresh for the second half.

I think this team is putting pressure on the starters to perform.

They need too. Not surprised to see Loaisiga get lit up, but been surprised by German and Cessa in the early going. Let's just hope they can continue to tread water. I think they said Paxton is out for at least 3 weeks.

Great win against Tampa last night. Only 1/2 game out of first and still a litany of injuries. Could be encouraging for when everyone comes back.

Took the series. Wanted the sweep. But 2 out of 3 is fine. Just have to keep winning. They’re playing small ball and it’s working. Tanaka looked fantastic.

I'll continue to take it. Hicks is supposed to come off the DL today. Slowly we're getting everyone back but I'll feel a lot better with Judge and Stanton back in the lineup (not to mention Betances in the bullpen).

Hicks needs to produce. If he’s our leadoff guy I don’t want to see a lot of homers. I want to see a lot of base hits.

Yanks RAINED OUT HERE IN ny

Yanks took both games of the double-header yesterday. 10 games over .500 and still only 1/2 game out of first.

I can't believe that Sale struck out 17 in 7 innings two nights ago and STILL DIDN'T get the win! That explains the Red Sox season thus far. He was only at 108 pitches, I would have at least let him trot out for the 8th to see what he would do.

The Yanks took 2 out of 3 from Tampa this weekend and are back in first place! Not bad despite having 17 different players on the DL at one point in time this season.

Have to admire the way the yanks are swinging the bats. Playing their hearts out.

Absolutely! 17 games above .500. 2 games up on Tampa, 6 1/2 up on Boston (and only a game behind Minnesota for the best record in the AL). You've gotta respect the way they've played after all of those injuries!

Yanks playin Well’

Wish we got the win last night but made up for it today. Need to keep this going.

I'm hopeful they can. Glad to see Paxton pitched well today. I'll take 2 out of 3 against the Padres. ESPN New York said Paxton has pitched 26 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium in 2019 with 0.34 ERA heading in to today!

I saw that. As long as he stays healthy he’s an ace. And if severino comes back and returns to form then we could have the best rotation that we’ve had in a long time.

Exactly. Severino would be the equivalent of a trade deadline acquisition. Plus, since he hasn't pitched this year, he'll be fresh and shouldn't gas himself out like he did last year! The Yankees just need to keep up the pace until then. Also heard Didi could be back in as little as 1 to 2 weeks. Another great addition to the lineup and a lefty with some power.

Will the yanks get kuechel?

Mets need to repair the bullpen

I'm not sure. I heard on SportsCenter this morning that Keuchel would settle for a one year deal. If that's the case, I'd love to see the Yankees get him. But I can also easily see someone offering him more than a one year deal and him taking it.

2 straight losses to the jays. Bullpen blew the game last night. But these are games they need to win.

Kimbrel is off the market. 3 years 43 million with a 4th year option to the Cubs.

I do not trust Kimbrel at this stage of his career but if you need a reliever he’s a solid pickup

As a long time Cubs fan, I was excited that they got Kimbrel. And not for the ridiculous 6 year/100 mill they were asking. I knew Theo wasn't going to let a Boston guy go to the competition after the time elapsed where they dind't also have to give up a Draft pic.

Kimbrel's off the board. Now where does Keuchel land? I'm hearing the Yankees and Braves are the 2 leading candidates.

Braves got him

Yanks could’ve used him. Don’t know why they wouldn’t go a little higher for a one year contract.

Probably due to the luxury tax bill is my guess.

And now the Yankees have put 9 game winner (tied for the league lead in that category) Domingo Herman on the DL.

Yankees have a homestand from June 17-26 and Boone said Stanton and Judge might rejoin the team during that time. Despite all their injuries, still proud that they're 16 games above .500 and tied with Tampa for first in the division (and up 8 on Boston).

There’s very little quit in this lineup that they are throwing out there. We can only hope that it stays that way when our starters return. Hicks has been pretty good the last few games but needs to get going still.

Honestly the way these guys have been playing who are filling in, I'm nervous/afraid to take them out. I'd hate for someone to come back and not be able to contribute the way these guys are.