When the throw-ins are better than the card purchased

My eBay Bucks were going to expire late last week...all $1.50 of them.

I wanted to spend them on a card without spending extra, so I gave myself a fun challenge. Most of the cards I found were pretty standard base cards, like $.99 with free shipping. But then I saw this for $1 plus $.50 shipping, so I snagged it.

Sonny Gray is in the dog house and won't be returning to NY. Brian Cashman has been very open about wanting to trade him. For whatever reason, Gray never figured it out in NY. I am certain he'll be bounce back wherever he ends up. Anyhow, I thought it would be cool to have a relic of him as a Yankee, given that his tenure will end up being just 1.5 seasons with the team.

The seller also threw in two cards around the Gray gray swatch:

I was actually more excited about these, especially the Montgomery!

In all, I think I did pretty well for my massive amount of eBay Bucks.

Here's what I'm thinking

Accidentally, I haven’t posted since Friday. I don’t love a few-day absence, but I haven’t gotten many new cards lately, am still working on my re-organization (or rather, just “organization) project, and have been a bit busy in both my personal and professional life. So the blog took a back seat.

And while I still haven’t gotten too many new cards, I do have a few thoughts as Opening Day is just two days away. I’m very excited, and it’s hard not to be when seeing things like this:

Still, I know everything won’t go perfectly. It never does, and the Yankees (and every other team) will need to adjust on the fly. Case in point:

Greg Bird. I really like the guy. I love his personality and I think he has the sweetest lefty swing in the game right now. Just look at his homer in the ALDS versus lefty Andrew Miller. It’s a thing of beauty.

Bird has been dubbed the Yankees 1B of the present and future, yet has missed three straight Opening Days, including this one. He should be out 6-8 weeks after foot surgery today. Hopefully the comeback is smooth and he rejoins the lineup in June and takes his place in the middle of the order, but it’s getting a bit hard to count on him. I really, really like him and want him to be part of this Yankees core over the next few years. But it also wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Yankees to start thinking about the post-Greg Bird solution at 1B, whether it’s drafting one in the first round or trading/signing for one in his prime.

Hey Bryce Harper, any interest in playing 1B?

Starting at 1B on Thursday will probably be Tyler Austin, especially against lefty J.A. Happ. Austin has always hit in the minors, and should get an extended look to be a part of the every day lineup. I’ve always liked him a lot, and would love to see him see some prolonged success in the Majors. Plus, I have a lot of cards of his!

Jacoby Ellsbury.

I’m not sure what to really say about him. He was signed to a very large contract and hasn’t lived up to it. As Brian Cashman always says, he’s the one to blame for the contract, not Ellsbury. He’s right. I would have taken the money. You would have too. Still, it’s hard to believe he’s got three years left on his Yankees deal.

What’s harder to believe is that he still keeps finding his way into current card releases. I know he’s a Yankee and all, but I can’t imagine he has a big card market. Red Sox fans likely soured on him after the Yankees deal. And Yankee fans likely wouldn’t want his Red Sox cards, nor his current cards. Personally, I wouldn’t mind is he was omitted from future releases in 2018 and beyond, but I don’t see that happening.

One guy I’m happy to see returning for his 10^th year in Pinstripes is CC Sabathia. He has now got 10 years in NY, and then 8 in Cleveland and part of 1 in Milwaukee. That makes me feel better about his chances of wearing an NY hat into Cooperstown if that day comes. I think he’ll be a HOFer – a Cy Young, a World Series, 60+ WAR, 2800+ Ks, 3.70 ERA (mostly in the AL), 7 All-Star selections, 237 wins, 10 post-season wins. It’ll be close for sure, but the numbers are there. Maybe he'll win 13 this year and get to 250. That sounds a lot better than 237.

And if you haven’t taken a listen, I recommend his R2C2 podcast with Ryan Ruocco. It’s really good. The episode with A-Rod was terrific.

Lastly, I’m excited for year 2 of Jordan Montgomery. All winter, the Yankees were thought to be seeking another SP, whether it was Gerrit Cole or a free agent like Alex Cobb. They stood their ground, and in turn, Montgomery once again joins the rotation. Maybe he’s not the sexiest name, but he had a very good rookie year and think he can be a mid-rotation starter for a long time. And he throws with his left hand!

All-in-all, should be a fun season. Can’t wait!

Jolly 'ol Johnny Claus pays me a visit

Johnny of Johnny's Trading Spot might win the fictional award of blogger who sent me the most cards in 2017. It felt like I was regularly coming home to packages and found Johnny's name on the return address. He's always keeping a look out for cool Yankees for me.

John sent me one of his famous mailings a few weeks ago. Included in the most recent package was this cool mini pennant too.

My favorite card was quite easily this Yankees Postseason Celebrations card from 2017 Topps Update. It features the Yankees taking a victory lap after Game 6 of the 2009 World Series. I was at this game, so it holds a special memory for me. I was only a few rows up from left field, and I remember the victory lap well. I may send it off to Brian Cashman for a TTM signature.

I was really happy to see Ronald Torreyes get a Topps card this year. Right now he's probably penciled in as the Yankees starting 2B, but he's more valuable in a utility role. Still, he's a fun player and a guy you like having on your team.

It's funny how the hobby has cooled on these two guys since 2015. After Bird's 11 HRs in 46 games in 2015, his cards were very pricey. Then he missed all of 2016 and most of 2017. Still, his has a bright future and is a tremendous hitter when healthy, as we saw at the end of 2017 and during the Playoffs. I would love to see what we could do in 130-140 games.

Similarly, Luis Severino enjoyed a ton of success in 2015 as a 21-year-old, took a step back in 2016, then only finished 3rd in the Cy Young Voting as a old man 23-year-old. But he definitely does not generate the hobby buzz like he did in 2015. I guess it's because of Judge and Sanchez, but I find it surprising that his cards aren't gobbled up more than they are. It's good for me.

I was thrilled Johnny sent me this Jordan Montgomery RC. I know the Yankees are looking for another SP, but look what this guy did as a rookie: 9-7 record in 29 starts. 155 innings pitched. 3.88 ERA. 144 Ks. 24 years old. Throws with his left arm. I think a lot of teams would sign up for a 24-year-old southpaw with that sort of ability. He's not going to be a front of the rotation guy, but he can be super valuable and reliable in the back of the rotation.

A couple of shiny veterans! I love the beam of light coming from Betances' glove.

I hadn't seen this card but thought it was cool. PROtential. That's funny. Cool to see the old Thunder logo there too.

Johnny, thanks for all of the 2017 care packages, my friend. Happiest of holidays to you and your family!