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Chad Green is Baseball’s Best OTTO

It’s great to win a game, but it’s better to win a trade. In December 2015, the Yankees sent Justin Wilson to Detroit for Luis Cessa and Chad Green. At the time, not many people thought they got the better end of the deal. In the two seasons since, Wilson has moved on to the Cubs […]

MLB: New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels

Lineups for All Occasions

Setting a lineup is the most idiot-proof aspect of baseball. Except for catchers, the best players take the field every day. There are slight nuances, such as a player needing a rest, playing an occasional platoon advantage, and managing minor injuries. On the whole, the lineup changes very little. Furthermore, batting order doesn’t even matter too […]

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How Can the Yankees Fill the Void at the Hot Corner in 2018?

Following the acquisition of reigning National League MVP, Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees looked to shed payroll elsewhere on the roster in hopes of staying under MLB’s 2018 luxury-tax threshold of $197 million. Third baseman Chase Headley was subsequently traded to the San Diego Padres, freeing up $13 million. While Headley could not replicate his Gold […]

MLB: Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

Aroldis Chapman is (Probably) Fine

When the Yankees signed Aroldis Chapman to a 5-year, $86 million contract, they expected to have an elite relief pitcher for most of that term. They did not expect the first year to feature a very shaky 3.22 ERA/2.53 FIP/3.34 DRA, lots of blown saves, and for Chapman to lose his closing job briefly over […]

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Clint Frazier, Third Baseman

The 1968 Detroit Tigers won 103 games and the American League pennant. However, they had a serious lineup construction problem as they prepared to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series: four of their best players were outfielders (there was no DH yet). Willie Horton (167 wRC+), Al Kaline (146 wRC+), Jim Northrup […]