
A daily look at New York Yankees News/Rumors of interest to Yankee fans
Michael Kay show interviews Sanchez, Ottavino, and Urshela:
Yesterday, the YES Network’s Michael Kay show interviewed New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez through his interpreter at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino. Kay first asked Gary how excited he was for the upcoming season. He responded that he was excited and offered that we had a good team, and now with Gerrit Cole, it’s even better. Kay asked how he felt. Personally, he said I feel good, I’ve been working out in the offseason, and I’m ready for the season. He added that he also has been watching a lot of videos.
Kay moved to the Astros sign-stealing, and that last game, and if Altuve knew what pitch was coming? Gary said I don’t know; I guess we will never know. He further asked if he felt robbed of a Championship, he responded it could be, we had a really good team. They could have stolen it. Kay questioned if the rest of the guys feel that way? “Yes, we feel that way, we were doing things right, and they shouldn’t have been sign-stealing.”
Regarding the trash can incident, Gary said he didn’t hear it, but he did when he listened to videos later.  Don La Greca asked if he does anything to protect himself from sign-stealing. Gary said: I have to notice if my signs are stolen, and adjust to it. He added that he uses multiple with Aroldis Chapman, he wants them.
Kay ended the interview by asking how many games will the Yankees win this year. Gary said the same or more. Kay needled Sanchez by saying: I’ve been trying to talk to you for eight years, and I can’t (referring to Sanchez not learning English). Gary responded, “well, keep trying.”
In a much shorter interview, Kay interviewed Adam Ottavino and Gio Urshala together. Kay first questioned Ottavino, asking him if he knew the Astros hitters knew what pitches he was throwing. Ottavino said I couldn’t really tell. Does it bother you? It was disappointing, Ottavino said, we played well, we could have won that game and gone on to a game seven. He was asked if it hurt more because DJ LeMahieu hit that home run? Adam responded that it was painful; it was almost disbelief. Gio Urshela was asked how he felt, and he answered that it was disappointing. He was asked about how he thought about how well he played last year. Gio said: I try to be myself and be the best I can be. On the subject of Andujar, he avoided the question by saying: wherever they put me, I’m ready to play. He was also asked about baseball in Columbia, and he indicated that the popularity is increasing in the last few years and there are more players.
In finishing up the interview, Ottavino was asked what the effect of losing Dellin Betances would be, and he responded that it shouldn’t be much different this year, he didn’t pitch last year. Kay questioned if there would be problems when playing with the Astros this year? Ottavino said I don’t know I won’t take part in it. Ottavino was quired on whether the Yankees will see the Cole of the Pirates or the Astros. He said the Astros; he changed his style, throwing more four-seamers and breaking balls. He was asked about losing his work out place, and he said he did all his offseason workouts at the stadium, he pointed out it has showers. On the pressure of pitching in New York, he said he insulates himself from that, your job is to win, to win a championship. They were both asked who they both most wanted to meet on Old Timers Day.  Ottavino said that I don’t know why, but Bernie (Williams), was always my favorite. Gio said his favorite Yankee was A-Rod.
In all three interviews, it seemed that the Yankee players were careful not to complain about the Astros sign-stealing scheme overly.
Is the Lindor trade rumor heating up again?
It seems like the Francisco Lindor trade rumors won’t go away. They heat up, cool off, and heat up again. The chatter around the internet seems to indicate the trade will happen by spring training, most likely, and the wishful chatter is that Lindor will end up a Yankee. This could just be a complete rumor as General Manager Brian Cashman has not mentioned Lindor in some time. But on the other hand, Cashman has been known to operate in the dark.
If you’re in favor of the trade you look at the pluses, Lindor is one of the best shortstops in baseball. Combine that with the fact that he is a switch-hitter, which the Yankees surely could use in their right heavy lineup. Last year Lindor (26) posted a .284/.335/.518 slash line with 32 home runs. It would also relieve the Yankees of using the relatively untested Gleyber Torres at short. On the downside, it would probably take a substantial trade and money to complete such a deal. Most likely, it would include Miguel Andujar and a couple of prospects from the farm system that might include Deivi Garcia. Lindor will be a free agent after the 2021 season.
The Yankees may not be the ultimate landing spot for Lindor if it does happen, even though Derek Jeter was an idol, as he was just learning to play shortstop. No doubt Lindor would like to be with a club where he could win a championship ring. Nevertheless, the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres are always mentioned when there is talk about a Lindor trade. I guess that this is just rumor, and if he is traded, it won’t be to the Yankees. The Yankees have too much faith in the near superstar Gleyber Torres.