Coach Steve's Corner

The Yankees are coming off a very successful weekend after taking three out of four from the division leading Boston Red Sox at the Stadium. They picked up two games and cut the Sox division lead down to 3 1/2 with just about a month to play. It's a shame the Yankees don't play the Sox again down the stretch because if the race stays this close a late season series with the division crown at stake could've been a real treat. However, head-to-head the season series with Boston was a success for the Yankees who took 11 out of 19 games from their rivals. This weekend was huge for the Yanks who bounced back nicely after being swept earlier in the week by the red hot Cleveland Indians. The Yankees were successful on many levels this weekend and in my opinion proved that if they can find a way into the playoffs either as division champs or more likely a Wild Card, they could potentially do some damage. The Yanks got strong starting pitching, some timely hitting, and good relief...

When Brian Cashman said that the Yankees would be “cautious buyers” leading up to this year’s trade deadline I didn’t expect the team to be part of any major deals. However, Cashman pulled off a major coup this week when he was able to land 3B Todd Frazier and relief pitchers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox. When rumors started flying around on Tuesday night that a deal was in the works with Chicago, I started to get a bit worried. I was afraid that the Yankees would deal away some near major league ready prospects, especially considering Boston was also in on Frazier. My mind instantly went to the likes of Clint Frazier, Chance Adams, Jorge Mateo, and Miguel Andujar. What would it take to land three quality players from Chicago ahead of the Red Sox? In the end the Yankees didn’t give away a haul nearly as large as I had feared it may have been. They gave up former first round picks OF Blake Rutherford and LHP Ian Clarkin, minor league outfielder Tito Polo, and...

The Yankees received a boost to their line-up this weekend in Boston with the returns of DH Matt Holliday and All-Star 2B Starlin Castro from injury. However, the rotation was dealt a major blow when it was announced that RHP Michael Pineda would be out for the remainder of the season with a partially torn UCL in his elbow. All signs point to Tommy John Surgery even though Pineda will seek a second opinion. Pineda had a solid first half of the season posting an 8-4 record with a 4.39 ERA in 17 starts. Now the team must find a way to fill the hole that he leaves. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees will be "cautious buyers" in the time leading up to the July 31 trade deadline so I don't expect the team to replace Pineda with anyone of significant value via trade. The Yankees have spent the last couple of seasons building one of the top farm systems in baseball and I don't expect them to deal any top prospects to replace Pineda during a sea...

The Yankees great start to the season can be attributed to many things, including the emergence of homegrown players like Aaron Judge, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino, and Gary Sanchez. However, there are three players who Brian Cashman acquired via trade in recent off-seasons that have been just as important. I am talking about Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, and Aaron Hicks. All three have been big contributors to the Bombers lineup this season. The beauty of all three trades is two-fold; the Yankees brought in very productive players in their prime years while giving up next to nothing to them. Let's break down all three trades. Trade 1: Didi Gregorius acquired in a 3 team deal with Arizona and Detroit. (12/5/14) After the retirement of Derek Jeter the Yankees were in need of a shortstop to take over for the legend. No matter who they brought in for the 2015 season he would be under immense pressure. However, over the two plus seasons that Didi has donned pinstripes he has...