I can't deny there's an illogical emotional reaction the Scherzer signing.

The Yankees weren't on the radar for Scherzer.

If Scherzer had signed with the Blue Jays, that would be bad news for the Yankees.

I am not bullish on the Yankees for 2022, but this is a kooky over-reaction to the signing of a 37-year-old whose career will be over soon.

Not in this article per se, but the idea is floating around that the Yankees are about to lose a generation of young fans to the Mets. 

In the near future, Yankee Stadium converted to a server farm for Amazon as ex-Yankee fans flock to CitiField:

"So the grand question becomes: Is it time for Yankee fans to panic as players continue to sign elsewhere?

The short answer right now is, well, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s bizarre to see the Bombers not doing a single thing before the expected lockout after Cashman’s lengthy comments about what must be done this offseason to get his team back to a World Series contender." 

The time to panic was when the realization began to set in that both Sanchez and Torres are slobs.

"And then there’s the shortstop market, with many believing Seager was the right man for the job. Some even thought Semien, after his pummeling of the Yanks last season in a Blue Jays uniform, would be a great fit.

But now those two and Baez are off the table, leaving Carlos Correa and Trevor Story as the ones left of the 'Power Five.' All hope isn’t lost but the Yanks aren’t helping themselves when you see SNY’s Andy Martino reporting that they're looking into stop-gap option Andrelton Simmons, as well as exploring Rangers SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s market.

These two shortstops are certainly defensive studs, but frankly, that’s not what fans expected when Cashman said this team needs a shortstop. Correa is more like it – an All-Star who can field and hit at an above average level."

Two words that will solve all these problems: Troy Tulowitzki.

The Mariners are playoff-hungry.

At this point, even Buck Showalter is wondering why this guy is so obsessed.

"First a conga line of executives didn’t want to come work for Steve Cohen.

Now an ex-Met, and a local kid, named Stephen Matz doesn’t want to take Mr. Cohen’s money.

It is why it is more incumbent than ever for Cohen, and for Billy Eppler, to get it right with the manager.

Buck Showalter isn’t the only candidate out there.

Just the best one."

 

"More incumbent than ever," he says.

Because two months ago, the manager didn't really matter.

I'm almost wishing for it to happen. Buck gets hired and the Mets win 77 games. Joins an immense list of Lupica misfires that he never mentions again.

Top Three Reasons

According to me:

1. He got a little fat and happy.
2. The ball was de-juiced.
3. His power numbers were artificially inflated by his success vs. Baltimore,
   

I didn't think Ortiz's candidacy was generally questioned.

"But while that will be a big storyline this voting year, two more controversial newcomers make the cut: Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz."

This is followed by a detailed description of ARod's PED problems, as well as Pettitte's.

No mention of suspicions against Ortiz.

I personally think Ortiz took PEDs and it's obvious and the voters should take that into consideration if they so choose.

But I seem to be in the minority. So I'm not sure why Ortiz's candidacy is controversial. I expect him to sail into Cooperstown.

Yankee fans are psyched to hear this news.

Attendance and viewership: The stats that really matter.

"What should be on the table, however, is how to reverse baseball’s downward trend lines in attendance, TV ratings and overall fan enthusiasm. Eventually, that Fox money will dry up, especially if viewership keeps shrinking.

...

What’s going on here, you ask? I think you know. The games are slow and boring: too many strikeouts, too many defensive shifts, too little action due to the suffocating dominance of pitching and defense. While it’s true the athletes are bigger, stronger and better-conditioned than ever, the final product is now governed by analytical efficiency, not entertainment.

We could devote an entire symposium on the pros and cons of Ivy Leaguers turning front offices into think tanks. The game’s IQ has increased exponentially. But clearly something is wrong if fewer fans are tuning in and a diminishing number of them feel like making the trek to the stadium. That’s what the players and owners should be discussing — not how to cut up the pie, but how to save the pie itself."

 

The Yankees should have acquired Jorge Soler! The guy who was batting .192 with the Royals!

"The Yankees had the same chance to improve themselves in July that the Braves did."

Each season, one team wins the World Series, and only one.

Of course the Yankees could have made better acquisitions at the trade deadline. This is puerile reverse engineering.

For that matter, the Red Sox had the same chance to improve themselves, but fell short. The Dodgers blew it by acquiring Max Scherzer instead of Jorge Soler.