Giants Will Pick 6th

With their loss today, and a comination of other results, the Giants will have the 6th overall pick in the 2019 Draft. Today, Saquon Barkley also set all sorts of Giant rookie records and became only the 3rd rookie in NFL History to gain 2000+ yards from scrimmage.  So why do I have a picture of Sam Beal up, and not Saquon?  To remind everyone that Beal, like OBJ, will be back and ready for the 2019 season, and becuase the Giants already spent their 19 third rounder to acquire him.  As it stands now, the Giants have their 2nd, 2 4ths (though a 3rd 4th is expected in all the comp calcs) 2 5ths, one 6th, and 3 7ths.  With what the new FO was able to do with just 6 picks this past drafts, getting them 12 or more - if trades are made - could really speed the rebuild.

The Giants cannot keep Eli at his current cap number of 23 million, so they have to fix that, one way or another.  I personally, don't think he is consistent enough from game to game, to get us into and through the playoffs anymore, so time to cut bait and take the heat.  The Giants might be able to get Haskins at 6, and if he's there, they should probably do it.

In order to be ready to go anywhere but OL at 6, the Giants have to sign either a starting caliber C, RT or G before the draft, not sure who will be out there in FA, but that will be optimal.

We'll see if there's any turnover on the coaching staff, as well which street free agents they can pick up in the coming weeks.

They should be much better next year.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, the Knicks and Rangers kept almost winning, come to think of it, so did the Giants.  And that's fine, the Rangers and Giants, at least have lots of picks. The Knicks are way overdue for their second lottery win.  Hopefully, our teams and everyone here, are enjoying the holidays. Yesterday, sources started coming out of the woodwork to say that Manny Machado will choose or has chosen the Yanks. We'll see. Let's take a look at the coming week.

Yankees: The Yanks seem to be focused on on bringing back Zach Britton. That makes a lot of sense, if it can be done - if you're going to go the veteran reliever route - might as well go for one with closing experience. Not sure they really need to add 2. What's the farm for? I guess we might hear about Manny this week.  And we also might hear about Kikuchi. I agree with those who don't want to trade Andujar even if the Yanks sign Manny. Have Manny teach him 3B and play Manny at SS. Who knows when Didi will be back - the TJS was in his throwing arm. Anyway, going forward, I think Andujar and Manny will be very similar hitters. Thus keeping them both should be the way to go.

Giants: Win or lose, the Giants season will end tomorrow. If they win, I think, they could end up picking 12th. If they lose and other things break their way, they could pick 4th. I think we could see some street free agents signed, and maybe some dismissals around the roster and coaching staff, thow I think Shurmur is safe.

Knicks: The Knicks keep falling apart in the fourth quarter, which is fine in a league that aggressively rewards failure. Their D does miss Mitchell Robinson, and all the kids need to get much stronger.  Once Kevin Knox gets his "man strength" and can finish, he'll be a great, great player. Hopefully, KP will come back stronger as well.  They're going to have some interesting decisions to make about Vonleh and Mudiay.

Rangers: The Rangers keep blowing leads. How does that always happen when they have a Hall of Fame type goalie?  Is this like late career Eli with his bad OL? Who knows?  Every loss bumps them up the draft order, and they still have a bunch of picks. They shouldn't trade Kreider. Otherwise, find suitors for the vets. They should consider keeping Hayes, too.  Seems like he's getting a point or two every game. Scoring is good.

So there we have it. Yanks perhaps on the verge of making sense, Giants ending another terrible season, Knicks and Rangers staying on schedule for their lotteries.  Have a great one, and may 2019 be all of our best years yet.

This Week on the Blog

Knicks and Rangers still coudn't finish games, Giants looked bad again, and the Yanks met with Manny, but have only been giving out minor league/st invite kinds of deals. Not terrible. but not particularly interesting. Let's take a look at this week.

Yankees: The Yanks are clearly in the mix for Machado, said to be in the mix for Britton, and still haven't traded Sonny Gray. The Dodgers, yesterday, sent a lot of homers to Cincy so that they could pursue Kluber and probably Harper. I think everyone must be thinking they could also make a Stanton trade if Harper, perhaps, wants to be somewhere else. We'll see. Meantime, it would be nice to see the Yanks tighten up the bullpen, as those guys are starting to come off the board, and we don't want Adam Warren after Adam Warren to get to Dellin and Chapman. There was some noise that Manny isn't going to make his decision till January. Again, we'll see.

Giants: the Giants have two games left - and if they lose both they may be able to get whomever they want in the draft without making a trade up. Sadly, these are our last two chances to see Saquon Barkley, Will Hernandez, Lo Carter and BJ Hill this season. The spectacular news is that the Giants have a ton of picks coming up in the 2019 draft, and if they can keep hitting on them like they did in the 2018 draft, they'll be good soon, and perhaps great as soon as they plug in the next QB.

Rangers: the Rangers can't hold a lead.  But that's okay, because, like the Giants, they have extra picks, and getting back in the lottery could be a great thing.  Chytil scored again the other night, and Buch has been scoring frequently, so has Kevin Hayes, who they should perhaps KEEP. That said, they will still have parts to deal for more picks and prospects at this deadline, so, the rebuild continues.  One proviso: I think Quinn is the guy, there was some grumbling this week about his not having the right kind of players. I hope that was supposition as I don't want to see a bunch of veteran crap rolling in for marginal wins.

Knicks: Kevin Knox is an exploding star.  But, he can't win without Mitchell Robinson and Alonzo Trier, who've both been out. They lost another one last night, which helps draft position. Anyway, Knox started out like a house of fire, then he sat, perhaps too long, in the second and after the half only added 5 more points.  Mudiay then scored 34, but I wonder if he was part of Kevin's second half slowdown. We need a PG who can orchestrate and distribute to KK and, eventually KP as well as hitting Robinson with lobs. Still the rebuild is coming right along and another lottery pick is essential.

So there it is: maybe some Yankee news under our trees, but probably more losing elsewhere.  Merry Christmas to all!

Yanks to Meet Machado on Wednesday

So now we know. I think Tex signed on December 22nd or 23rd, I remember because my Dad was flying into Burbank that day and it happened while he was en route. Let's hope this tips the plan.

This Week on the Blog

Well, the Giants started looking like a football team, the Yanks may have taken the course of least resistance, while the Rangers continued to keep no lead safe, and the Knicks have an emerging Knox. So let's take a look at what's on deck.

Yankees: the Yanks haven't really ticked much off their to do list, other than trading for Paxton and bringing back Happ. Oh, and there's been some noise about adding yet another starter.  Who knows? They still have all of their picks in June, and that's always a good thing. It's unclear whether or not relievers are next, but Manny Machado begins his world tour this week and that should be of big interest to all of us. Obviously, Harper is the better bat, but they don't yet seem interested. They should sign both if it's something the players will go for. Harper costs a pick and IFA space, plus astronomical dough.  I like Manny the 3B, but I really don't think he's very different from Miguel Andujar at the plate. They both have good contact, and the possibility for high averages, and good power, but neither walks.

Anyway, we still don't know the plan and unless Mannny makes a quick decision, we may not this week.

Giants: The Giants have 3 games left, and that gives us three more chances to see Saquon before next season. Actually, if they win all three, they could make the playoffs, with a little help from the rest of the division. It's too bad, OBJ has an injury from the dirty, cheating Eagles, but the Giants need to see what they have in Shepard and Engram, and they now have a chance to show it.  Play-action has been a bit of a thing again and should continue to be so during the Saquon Era. They are hemmoraging draft position, but they've become fun again. Right now they'd pick 8th.

Rangers: the Rangers can't play for 60 minutes yet, and they've been pretty banged up, too. Lost in OT last night, after taking a 3-0 lead.  Annoying, but there's no pressure on them, and getting back in the lotter could be great.  Buch was finally back and scored right away.  That's a really, really good sign, that what he was showing before he got was his true level.  Niceness.   Chytil assisted and they are skillsy together.

Knicks: the most fun team of the Bad Knicks Era. And we have to continue to give Coach Fizdale credit. Before Frank hurt his ankle, he's been a terrific since his benching. And Mitchell Robinson reinjured his ankle last night, and he's as good as his fouls allow him to be.  Last night the explosive Mr. Knox had a good first half and a slower second half, but Mudiay (MUDIAY!) made up for it with impressive help from Luke Kornet. It's like they take turns having big nights and it's been fun. The old Michael Ray, Ray Williams Knicks used to have comebacks like the one the Knicks had last night, and they were fun, too.

Alright, so there it is.  Sudden hope for the Giants, and fun and meaningless, beside young player development for the Knicks and Rangers.  Yanks are doing their own thing.  Have a great one!

Knox Time

It took an early season ankle injury and, perhaps some teenage overwhelm to hold Kevin Knox back, but all of that's been overcome and no one can now believe Allonzo Trier was the Knicks best pick-up on Draft Night. Holy crap is Knox good and gaining consistency. He followed up his explosive 26 and 15 game with a foul limited 19 and 7 game last night, but, honestly, had he not had to sit, the Cavs would have had no chance. They noticed this on MSG, too, but KK has had some absolute Dr. J moments lately, and you almost never see anyone have those anymore. I'll throw in another - his short game of finger rolls and tear drops - is reminiscint of George Gervin. And if you think those are stunning comps, his jumper looks like Durant's and his aa makes you think of Giannis. And when the only comps you can come up with for a kid are Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers, you've got something, and that something is Kevin Knox.

Btw, Frank is also starting to consistently shine. We have to give major props to Fizdale. I think most NBA coaches would be content to play an elite defender every night. Not Fiz, who saw more in Frank and was willing to sit him down. Holy crap does he look good all of a sudden.

The Winter Nothings End

The Rule 5 just ended the the Yanks and other teams are heading home after massively uneventful Winter Meetings. Last year, they traded for Giancarlo Stanton, this year they may or may not be at the goal line with JA Happ, redux. Btw, that could be delayed because the Yanks still have a full 40 man roster. Thus, at some point, and they don't seem to be in any rush, they'll have to make a trade or DFA someone before they can announce Happ.

Breaking Yanks Bring Back Happ

And this morning, the Yanks are in agreement with JA Happ on a new three year deal. This is from Rosenthal. The dollars seem reasonable. This means they keep Florial.  Happ has been very good over the past four seasons.  He slots in at #4 now, but becomes CC as soon as next season. I would not be surprised if he is very comparable to Corbin over the first two years of the deal, and the term and dollars are such that he can be traded to make room for Clarke Schmidt or whoever's next from the farm.

UPDATE: Rosenthal might have been ahead of himself. This is still developing.

Is Manny the Planny?

So Rosenthal is now saying that the Yanks would be open to moving Miguel Andujar to make room at 3B for Manny Machado. As hitters, Miggy and Manny are pretty similar.  Good contact, lots of homers, lots of doubles, don't really walk much. In the field, Manny is a great defensive 3B, and I'd assume that's what they'd ask him to play, rather than short. Of course, the return for Miggy would have to super substantial. They've can't give sell a near rookie of the year (players voted him rookie of the year) just to create space.They have to seriously upgrade the rotation or more. even if he goes in a Sonny Gray trade, an ace, plus, must come back and that's whether we get Manny or not. Though it does seem like the plan or a plan, is based around us getting Manny.

Btw, getting Manny would fit with the patter of continually trying to trade for a guy before getting him. We saw that with Stanton, probably should have seen it with Corbin, but the Yanks tried to get get Manny from the O's at least 2x and their owner wouldn't make a deal with them,

Breaking: Yanks Trade Sonny Gray

Don't know the team or the palyers involved yet. Will keep updated.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, the past week started with the Giants beating the Bears, which was followed up by the Knicks losing more, the Rangers barely playing, and the Yankees letting their "number one target" go without a fight. At least 3-8 beat 8-3. This week could be slightly more eventful. Let's take a look.

Yankees: as alluded to, the Yanks whiffed on Patricl Corbin, and we'll see if that was the right move in pretty short order. With the top free agent pitcher already off the board - as well as the illusory Eovaldi - the Yanks can either sign a free agent like Happ or go back to the trade market for something better. Of course, in either circumstance, they can't overpay in years for a free agent or in prospects for a a 4th starter. They've also got to restock the pen and find someone to play SS or 2B while Didi is out. By now, in the process, Cashman usually has a pretty good understanding of what everything will cost and what trades are makeable. Last year, we had a feeling they were interested in Stanton and it turned out they were. Corbin had sort of been that guy this year and they didn't get him. Should be an interesting week,

Giants: The Giants aren't going to play Lauletta till they are mathematically eliminated from the post season. Ah. That said, they've looked more and more fixable (or less broken) lately, and they clearly had a monster draft. Not just Saquon, but Hernandez, Carter and Hill all look like fixes.  Heck, Hill might break LT's rookie sack record. And undrafted guys like Will Tye and Grant Haley have looked like "guys."  They still need to fix the OL, and it would be great to get more pass rush. But they're not as bad as they've looked over the last year and 8 games.

UPDATE: OBJ has been ruled out for tomorrow's game against Washington.

Rangers: the Rangers, somehow, have had 5 games off in the middle of the season. So, most of the news this week was that a bunch of their prospects like Kravstov, Miller, Lundkvist and more, were invited to participate in their respective National U20 camps. Chytil's invitied but won't take the time off. Getting invited, and hopefully making the teams, is a very good sign. For those 4 or 5 years when the Rangers didn't have picks, this wasn't happening. But, if the years before that, when guys like Stepan, Kreider and McD were always playing for the National Team. So, good stuff.  There's also word that Kravstov will join the Rangers at the end of his KHL season.  So there's that to look forward to in the even that they don't make the playoffs.

Knicks: Frank's been getting DNP's lately, and it hasn't been a good look for the D. We'll see if he returns today. It's interesting that Coach Fiz and Coach Quinn both use the "healthy scratch" on young players who aren't performing. We'll see if it helps Frank be more aggressive on O - like he is on D. They're playing the Nets later.

So there it is. Possible big week for the Yanks, and playing out the string for the other 3 teams right now. Rebuilding is good, but only sometimes fun, so far. Have a great one.

Yanks Are Talking to Cleveland Again

Alright, maybe it won't be Happ or EO.  Apparently, the Yanks are talking to the Indians again about their available pitchers. The hold up before was said the be Florial. If they are to give up Florial, they need to demand Trevor Bauer. But he seems like the one they want to keep. So let's see where this leads. I hope they don't give up Florial for Kluber, though he's pretty great, he's also on the wrong side of 30.  There are some others I'd draw a line around as far as keeping, too, so it's probably going to be hard for them to make a trade - unless they can flip Sonny Gray for parts that could then be moved to Cleveland with other non-elite parts from the farm.

Yanks Whiff of Corbin

The Yanks didn't want to go past 5 on Corbin, which makes some sense, since he was unlikely to be their ace.  So, it looks like they've be welcoming back either JA Happ or Nate Eovaldi before the Winter Meetings begin. But let me pitch this: sign them both and use Eovaldi in the old Ally Reynold role until his arm explodes. I'm not kidding. Getting them both will be cheaper than 6 years of Corbin, and Eovaldi will offer dynamic flexability as long as he lasts.

This Week on the Blog

The Knicks just came from 16 back to beat the Bucks in OT, in a thriller.  And Kevin Knox broke out of his early season blews with 26! Mudiay had 28! And Dot - who should be playing more - had 21 including 5/5 from 3. He did that in 33 minutes. Hardaway also had 21, but he played 47 minutes. But this is not exclusively a Knicks post.  The Rangers are down 3-0 after one in Montreal, the Yanks are sitting on their hands, and the Giants still want to play Eli. Let's take a look at what might be coming.

Yankees: The Yanks are said to want to get their starting pitching figured out before the Winter Meetings start. And those start on December 9th.  So that leaves this week to, hopefully, wrap up Corbin or sing up, or trade for, a plan B. Also, over the past couple of days, some pretty plugged in guys in the media are saying the sense around baseball is that the Yanks will end up with Bryce Harper. I think we'd all prefer that, if only a little bit, to getting Manny, though he's also a great player and the Yanks would be improved by having either. If they get Bryce, you have to wonder if they will also trade Giancarlo Stanton. It will be a crowded OF/DH if they don't. Having brought back Gardy shouldn't stop them from doing it.  But he really might not play much.

Giants: The Giants insist on playing Eli Manning, and even made noise this week about possibly having him next year.  Better not be at the current cap number.  That's about all there is to stay about them.

Knicks: The Knicks are a young, inonsistent fun to watch team.  So it's important not to get down when they get down by 16.  They've shown a knack for coming back.  Frank didn't play tonight, but other guys like Dot and Burke have come back strong from scratches, and here's hoping Frank will, too.  Meanwhile, here's hoping the Knicks can trade Hardaway.  He plays hard, if not brilliantly, but they should really be able to cover the 2 comfortably and cheaply with Dot and Trier. I think the fans on Twitter might have needed this Knox game more than the kid did.  He's still got all the talent in the world to become a start and is also one of the two youngest players in the league.  He'll get there. But if he can build off tonight, he'll get there faster.  Big win.

Rangers: The Rangers look like they're going to be 1 and 4 since Thanksgiving. That's hideous. On the streak that had them in first, they were never out of games and winning the battle of wills on a nightly basis. They're currently down 4-1 in the second with a goal from Vesey, his 9th. We have to remember, though that, just like the Knicks, the Rangers  are YOUNG, and that can leads to inconsistency.  They have more talent in the system, and the assets to keep adding. They should still be sellers at the deadline, thoough.  Now it's 4-2, Strome with his 3rd.  So maybe....

So there it is.  Two young teams, one bad team, and the Yanks still need help.  Have a great one.