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RAB Thoughts

RAB Thoughts

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RAB Thoughts activity

January 31st, 2020: Tanaka, Senzel, Flores, Thole, Loaisiga, Rule Changes, Mailbag

Couple things. First, I wrote a CBS post looking ahead to 2028, the year a lot could change in baseball. If you're tired of read...

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January 28th, 2020: Happ, Andujar, Urshela, Judge, Top 100 Prospects, Astros, Alvarez, Medina, Garcia

In case you missed the announcement last week, I will indeed put together my annual Top 30 Prospects List this year. It'll be released next Friday, Feb. 7th. The Friday before pitchers and catchers rep...

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Previewing the Yankees' potential 2020 non-roster invitees to Spring Training

Spring's comin'. (Presswire)

In two weeks and five days Yankees pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa to open Spring Training. The marathon that is the 2020 baseball season starts in less tha...

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January 24th, 2020: Jeter, Top 100 Prospects, Ottavino, Avilan, Minor League Signings, IFA Deals, Mailbag

Some news: I've decided to put together my annual Top 30 Prospects post. I am certain it will take no more than 24 hours to regret this decision, but I figure once I announce it, I'm committed, so here's the announcement. Patreon's editor is limiting, so the post won't look as pretty as I usually...

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January 21st, 2020: Hall of Fame, Arenado, Torres, Andujar, Infield, Manfred, Tanaka, Cressey

Only three weeks and one day until pitchers and catchers report to Tampa. Do the Yankees have another move up their sleeve before then? Or was the offseason plan really just sign Gerrit Cole, re-sign Brett Gardner, and do nothing else? I hope not. Well, whatever. Here are today's thoughts.

...

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January 17th, 2020: Cora & Beltran, ZiPS, Britton, Nelson, Cole, Mailbag

Folks, the sign-stealing stuff is gonna get a whole lot dumber before we get any real answers (if we ever get any real answers), and yesterday was pretty dumb on the ol' internet. I hope you're ready for it. MLB accidentally turned into the NBA with all the offseason drama and I am pretty sure th...

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January 14th, 2020: Astros, Arbitration Signings, Judge, Voit, Tarpley, Escotto, Sabathia, Tanaka

Four weeks and one day until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. I'm in full countdown mode, if you can't tell. I'm ready for the offseason to be over and baseball to return. Here are today's thoughts.

1. Astros punished. MLB and commissioner Rob Manfred announ...

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January 10th, 2020: Paxton, Torres, Andujar, Iannetta, Tropeano, Red Sox, Maybin, Mailbag

Today's an important day on the offseason calendar. It is the deadline for teams and their arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures for 2020. Most players will sign prior to the deadline. O...

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January 7th, 2020: Cressey, Trades, Mets, Three-Batter Rule, Triple-A Rotation, Colas, Herrera, Hudson, Thames, Draft, Arb-Eligibles

Pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa five weeks from tomorrow. Spring Training is slowly drawing closer, and thank goodness for that. I'm starting to get sick of the offseason even with the increased hot stove activity. Anyway, here are today's thoughts.

1. Yankees hire Cresse...

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January 3rd, 2020: German, Torres, Roster Check-In, Lefty Bats, McHugh, Haase, Mailbag

Happy New Year everyone. I hope your 2020 is going better than your 2019. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in six short weeks. It's so close and yet so far at the same time. Anyway, here are today's thoughts as I realize 2020-01-03 13:24:16 +0000 UTC View Post

December 31st, 2019: The Decade in Review

Welcome to the final day of 2019 and the final day of the 2010s. Did you know Marty McFly traveled to 2015 in Back to the Future 2? My hoverboard is five years overdue! Anyway, with the 2020s less than 24 hours away, I figured I'd break from the norm and use today's post to look back at the last ...

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December 27th, 2019: Betances, Gregorius, Longest Tenured Yankees, Perez, Mailbag

Only a few days remain in 2019. Pretty crazy, isn't it? Feels like the whole Y2K freakout was only a few years ago. May the next 20 years be better than the last 20 years, for the Yankees and all of us personally. Here are today's thoughts.

1. Betances leaves. This is the b...

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December 23rd, 2019: Lindor, Happ, Kratz, Krause, 2019 Draft, 2020 Draft, Hader, Maldonado, Panik

Happy holidays, folks. I have family obligations the next few days and I don't feel like waking up earlier than I need to tomorrow to publish the regularly scheduled Tuesday post, so here it is a day early. Santa has already left Cole in our stocking (I'm sorry, I'm so sorry) and I hope there's s...

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December 20th, 2019: Cole, Panik, Gardner, Adams, Voit, Ellsbury, Mailbag

The Yankees announced their key Spring Training dates yesterday. Pitchers and catchers will report on Wednesday, Feb. 12th, and position players on Monday, Feb. 17th. Here's the Grapefruit League schedule. The Ya...

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December 17th, 2019: Ellsbury, Happ, Urshela, Warren, Luxury Tax, Free Agency, Schwarber, Coaches

At some point soon, maybe even tomorrow, the Yankees will introduce Gerrit Cole with a press conference in Yankee Stadium. Cole is currently in New York -- "Unfortunately," he jokingly told 2019-12-17 14:43:53 +0000 UTC View Post

December 13th, 2019: Gardner, Romine, Hader, Cole, Rule 5 Draft, Mailbag

(I accidentally hit publish while writing this post yesterday afternoon, so I hope you enjoyed the partial preview that hit your inbox before I took the post down.) 

Happy Friday the 13th. Gerrit ...

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Thoughts after the Yankees land Gerrit Cole

(Presswire)

Eleven years after being the team's first round pick, Gerrit Cole is finally a New York Yankee. 2019-12-12 02:13:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Thoughts after Didi Gregorius signs with the Phillies

(Presswire)

The Sir Didi era is over. 2019-12-11 01:56:14 +0000 UTC View Post

December 10th, 2019: Cole, Gregorius, German, MLB

It's been a sneaky quiet two days at the Winter Meetings aside from the Stephen Strasburg deal. No trades yet and the only other Major League free agent signing is ... Joely Rodriguez? Joely Rodriguez. The Rangers gave the hard-throwing lefty reliever two years and $5.5M after he spent the last t...

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December 9th, 2019: Cole, Gardner, Gregorius, Betances, Bullpen, Gausman, Voit, Maybin, Rule 5 Draft, Sabathia

(UPDATE: I never received the email for this post when it went live, so I'm sending an update just to make sure the email goes out.)

I gotta say, this offseason is much more fun than the last two. It is (way) too early to say the market has corrected and the labor climate i...

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Quick thoughts after the Yankees make Gerrit Cole a contract offer, maybe

Sunday brought us significant hot stove news even though the Winter Meetings don't begin in earnest until Monday. According to Bob Klapisch, the Yankees have offered Gerrit Cole a seven-year contract wo...

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December 6th, 2019: Cole, Free Agents, Rotation, Adams, Hall of Fame, Kim, Mailbag

It has been brought to my attention that embedded GIFs do not work in the Patreon email or in the mobile app. I had no idea and I'm sorry I didn't know about it sooner. That's a Patreon problem, not a me problem. The Patreon content management system doesn't even have a way to embed a YouTube vid...

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December 3rd, 2019: Cole & Strasburg, Didi, Treinen, Profar, Non-Tenders, Hill, Backup Catcher, Minors, Misc.

Hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving. Last week I said Didi Gregorius would be signed by time this post rolled around and lol at that. Shows what I know. If you're batting 1.000 in this game, you're not t...

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November 26th, 2019: Ellsbury, Happ, Hill, Roster Check-In, Granite, Hall of Fame, Balkovec, Mailbag

As a reminder, I am going to skip this Friday's regularly scheduled post because it is the day after Thanksgiving. I will of course cover any breaking news, otherwise I'm going to enjoy the long holiday weekend, and I hope you do the same. I will bet you five internet dollars that Didi Gregorius ...

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November 22nd, 2019: Gardner, Gregorius, Betances, Mailbag

A wild free agent signing has appeared. The White Sox gave Yasmani Grandal a four-year contract worth $18M annually yesterday. Grandal reportedly discussed a four-year contract worth $60M with the Mets last offseason, instead took one year and $18.25M from the Brewers, and got an even bigger payd...

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Thoughts following the 2019 Rule 5 Draft protection deadline

The Rule 5 Draft protection deadline came and went Wednesday night and the Yankees made a flurry of roster moves, as is the case every year. The Yankees added seven prospects to the 40-man roster and cleared three spots (they had four open 40-man spots going into the deadline). Here are the moves...

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November 19th, 2019: Prospects, Blake, Bird, Rule 5 Draft, Sign-Stealing, Bold Predictions, Alternate Jerseys

Just a heads up, I am planning to skip next Friday's regularly scheduled post since it is the day after Thanksgiving. If there's breaking news, I'll cover it, otherwise I'm going to enjoy the long holiday weekend after spending Thursday with the extended family. Thanks as always for the support. ...

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November 15th, 2019: Hot Stove Rumors, Dominguez, Andujar, Cubs, Sign-Stealing, Mailbag

Rocco Baldelli beat out Aaron Boone for the Manager of the Year award earlier this week -- they received the same number of first place votes (13), but Baldelli had more second place votes (13 to 9) and Boone was left off four b...

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November 12th, 2019: Coaches, Betances, Dodgers, Pirates, Deivi, Minors

The GM Meetings began yesterday and Brian Cashman confirmed the Yankees have interest in Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, among others. "Of course we're going to talk to Strasburg. We’ll talk to Cole. We’ll talk to the higher end guys, clearly. We’ll also talk about some surprise guys, Iâ...

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November 8th, 2019: Pitching Coach, Dickerson, Kim, Backup Catcher, Awards, Minors, Robot Umps, Mailbag

The GM Meetings are next week and those usually bring some hot stove rumors and/or news. Four years ago the Yankees made the Aaron Hicks trade at the GM Meetings. Last year they re-signed CC Sabathia. The odds on favorite for this year's GM Meetings transaction is a new contract for Brett Gardner...

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