1:45PM: The Mets are no longer candidates to sign Wilson, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link).
FEB 15, 8:46AM: The Yankees appear to me “moving toward a deal” with Wilson, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). Wilson would fit well as a third southpaw to slot in ahead of closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Zack Britton.
FEB 14: The Yankees are “in serious talks” with free agent reliever Justin Wilson, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported yesterday the sides had been in contact.
If they were to come to terms on a deal, it’d mark a return to the Yankees for Wilson, for whom he pitched in 2015. Wilson had a productive season, but they sent him to Detroit for Luis Cessa and Chad Green at year’s end. The veteran southpaw has generally remained productive since that trade.
Over the past five seasons, Wilson has worked to a 3.48 ERA with a strong strikeout rate (28.5%), albeit with a bit of an elevated walk percentage (11.4%). It was more of the same in 2020 for Wilson, who managed a 3.66 ERA/3.92 SIERA with fairly typical strikeout and walk numbers for the crosstown Mets. Now 33 years old, Wilson has maintained his 95+ MPH average fastball velocity and continues to induce swings and misses at a decent clip.
The Yankees’ bullpen looks strong, as has become typical in the past few years, but could stand to add some left-handed help Wilson would provide. Aside from closer Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton is the only southpaw reliever on New York’s 40-man roster.
Wrong team Wilson. Lol
Not if he actually wants to win.
Mets are better than Yankees this year.
Said by every Met fan, every year.
Better at losing yes.
When the Mets win the division will you stay here or hide from me???
@MetsFan22- keep believing that. Maybe it can come true.
Even if the Mets somehow win the division, if they have a worse record than the Yankees will they still be better?
Yes bc they are in a tougher division and have a better roster.
As a Yankees fan I hope they win the division! Love seeing the Mets good. Was at a Mets bar in the city rooting for them every game when they were in the World Series. But they are not better then the Yankees on paper sorry to tell you. Yanks always scrape by with their pitching because of their bullpen and lineup that can put up 15 on any given night. Other than Linder that lineup still does not scare me enough to say they are better then the yanks before the season starts… sorry!
@MetsFan22 We can sit here and debate which team is better, but I do not think you can debate that the Yankees are more likely to make the playoffs. Simply because the NL East is more competitive top to bottom IMO. Not better. More competitive. Also the Yankees have already proven themselves as a playoff team in the last few years. The Mets have not.
LOL!!!
When the Mets lose the division will you finally grant everyone’s wish and disappear??
The better NY team will be the one that avoids the most injuries.
Chapman isn’t getting younger.
Stanton makes a ton of money under the trainer.
Will Voit return to earth?
Will any Yankee infielder be healthy all year?
Will Sanchez hit over .185 or find his glove?
Which outfielder plays 145 games?
Yankees have starting pitching questions, too.
Honestly, it’s hard to bet against the Jays and Rays at this point.
As for my Mets:
McCann should be worth 3 games over Ramos.
Alonso should be over his sophomore slump.
McNeil should be healthier and flourish at his more natural position.
Lindor might be worth 7-8 games over Rosario.
JD Davis will more than make up for his average defense, especially if he gets a full ST to work on it.
Dom Smith and Conforto might prove to be the best two left handed team mates in the game.
Center field will be a rotation all season long with righty/lefty match ups.
The rotation AND the bullpen look so much better than last year after 25 games. And for the first time in decades, we have a front office that will do whatever it needs to do to address shortcomings.
I hope 2021 makes for a great NY debate all season long!
Really, Mets in a tougher division……then try playing the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rays, 18 times a season and tell us how the Mets have a tougher opponent schedule….and by the way the Orioles probably won’t be push overs this year either…..why do Mets fans have to engage in this “who’s better” crap all the time…..it would be great for the NY-Tri state area if both teams were successfully in the playoffs this season……
Need a lot more key players to do that a week bullpen and cheap Sandy doesn’t help
Like those people who were moving to Canada, I doubt it.
Seager and Bellinger > Conforto and Smith. The Yankees are by far the superior team to the Mets. Especially if the Yankees can actually stay healthy. Man the Mets got a new owner and made one big trade. I’m actually happy they are trying to compete unlike some of these other teams/owners that have been sleeping but you Mets fans sure have gone delusional over this offseason. Lol the games still have to be played before you can win it all or even make the playoffs for that matter. Remember the 2015 Padres or last years Reds? Just cause you win the offseason doesn’t mean a thing once April starts.
Not to mention the Mets haven’t even had the best offseason this year. The Padres, Blue Jays, and Dodgers have all added big names. I mean the Padres definitely have improved more then the Mets and even the Cardinals obtained a superstar right on par with Lindor.
Yeah right
As a neutral Sox fan, the Yankees should end up with the better record due to the imbalanced AL East. That said if the Yankees again overuse their bullpen, the Mets could go further this year. Should be fun to listen to the nonsense on the local radio.
It really would be since 2006 was the last time it happened as well as the only time it has occurred in the 21st century.
What data do you have to support the contention that Voit has been playing over his head?
Gasu.. he used wishfulthinking.com
@metsfan22
Hard to make that statement when there have been 0 games played so far…maybe we could at least wait til tax day before we start saying who’s better
Personally I prefer memorial day but you seem irrational .
@jim stem – as a NYY fan, I agree with you about Chapman. I start sweating bullets when he comes in with a one run lead.
Add the word “Will” to the beginning of each of your Mets points and it’s just as speculative as your list of Yankees points.
@Jim stem. Those are some very optimistic expectations you have.
Alonso:Players aren’t guaranteed to emerge from a sophomore slump. It’s incumbant upon Alonso to adjust to how major league pitching has adjusted to him and it isn’t a given that he will be able too.
Lindor. Your expectation is that Lindor is going to have a career year or close to it if you think he is going to have a 7 or 8 WAR season. You really think it’s wise counting on something like a career year, especially with how everything has changed for him now?
J.D. Davis. Saying Davis has average defense is a fantasy. Despite a shortened season, he still managed to be worth -1 DRS in left field and a whopping -8 DRS at 3rd. Go ahead and ask me about his zone ratings as well. That won’t help your delusion.
But before you presented the most optimistic possibilities for the Mets, you go and do the opposite for the Yankees? There are a range of results that could happen for both the Mets and Yankees and at the moment you just look like someone who is a Mets fan that wants to win an argument against Yankee fans.
You are the definition of an annoying New York fan.
I’m a lifelong Yankee fan and I say the Mets are closer to winning than the Yankees. Mr. Cashman acquires talent but he lacks the ability to construct a roster. Toronto will pass the Yanks this year. Tampa, as always, will be tough. The Yankees lack balance and are one dimensional on offense, defense and their pitching is overrated.
Haha, so things might go wrong for the Yankees, but McCaan & Lindor are going to have their best seasons ever and every bad player is going to return to being good? Got it. You’re totally realistic. Metsfan22 alt detected.
lmao !!!!! keep dreaming fulla if Lindor has any brains he’d be outta there at year’s end
@violentdreams11- you definitely might have a point there. So much better playing on the other side of NY. Just ask Justin Wilson… lmao!!!
You guys say the same thing every year..lol
They don’t have a better roster. You are dreaming
@Dom- your 100% right. All that losing catches up with you. Just ask him.
Lol like the mets hire Beltran fire before season start hire gm fire month later Callaway sketch but at least gone before news (phew) and always overpay free agents. Mets suck!
When do the Mets ever sign a free agent
Would James McCann count since he was the 2nd best free agent catcher this offseason or do you mean the best free agent at some certain position?
Then he’s on the wrong team.
Win WHAT????
Lol
Win… Really… am i missing something?? its been 12 long years since they won anything. I know mets won nothing in almost 35 years, but come on now u make it sound like the yanks won something in the last decade. Anyway… the last NY team to make the WS is???
The Yanks have had winning records for nearly three decades. The longest current winning streak by far. They’ve won five WS in the last 25 years. 4 in 5 years at one stretch. They were in the postseason 7 of the last 10 years. It’s been more than okay for Yankees fans. We’re good.
This dude’s dedication to Mets crusades on a baseball website is seriously, astoundingly impressive. The day the Mets are mentioned and he doesn’t comment, I will be dialing the authorities for a welfare check.
My two cents (and I know I’m a red Sox fan so I’m probably biased) but the Yankees seem to be a Garrett Cole injury away from 4th place in what will be a surprisingly strong division. Too many questions marks in that pitching staff and on that offense
Where’s the money coming from to sign Wilson coming from for the Yankees? I hear they only have a few million left to stay on the luxury tax. Justin has made salaries of 4,250,000/5,000,000/5,000,000 the last 3 years. Are they expecting him to take a pay cut?
@FredMcGriff for the HOF- the Yankees got about $10 million dollars to play with. My guess is Wilson will take a little more then $5 million this season. It will likely be with the Yankees or the Mets.
Next season Lindor hops over to the Bronx if the Yankees decide they want him over Story. Or, quite possibly, goes to LA, in the slight possibility Seager doesn’t extend.
Yankees are in a better position to succeed this year. BUT, this is the best chance the Mets have had in a long time, hence the conspicuous arrogance of deciding they are pre-2021 WS champions.
Mets22 deserves credit though. He’s a supportive fan to the end. Diehard doesn’t adequately illustrate his fandom – far too weak. He believes unconditionally that his team is the best and will win; actually, believes they need to, at all costs. Wait, didn’t they make a movie about this, I’m thinking DiNero?!
The thing I appreciate the most about messt22 is that he’s willing to share what he’s leaned with all of us in his capacity as Cohen’s personal foot masseuse.
He’s picked up a lot of unique (yet kinda smelly) insights which he freely brings to the board. Pretty cool.
His motto: “eyes & fingers on toes & heels but ears open to The Word of Cohen.”
Mest22 isn’t just some stinky foot rubber. He’s a direct channel into the inner workings of Steve Cohen Hero of Dorks.
Welcome back Wilson and Robertson!
“In Serious Talks” sounds like two high schoolers sending sexy texts to each other.
Anthony weiner
Carlos Danger
Serious talks serious time
Are you the dude formally known as Xabial?
Wow. Xabial. That’s a time capsule; completely forgot about that, uh, gregarious fella.
He was a nice kid. The wolves on this site ate him up.
Every Xabial: post 2 likes and 29 dislikes. Ahh the good ole days!!
@Xabial is definitely still here with a new username. Let’s not act like he’s gone.
Love it, wonder how much it’ll cost since it appears the Yanks are looking to be under 210
@driftcat28- hearing it will cost $5 million or a little more. Hope it’s less then that. I doubt it though
Loup signed for ~ 3 mil AAV
McGee 3.5
Claudio 1.1
I’m guessing it’ll be in the 3 mil AAV range from looking at the other similar pitchers this winter. With some kind of “bidding war” in play I’d guess a multi-year deal. 2 years, maybe an option year tacked on.
That would take Yanks to around 4 mil shy of the threshold. Pretty much the same thing they did in ’17. I’ve been thinking they’d do one more small MLB deal based on precedent.
Really hoping it’s Wilson. He’d mesh well in our current pen.
Thinking someone will be moved soon. They’re going to be right at the 210 mark if they sign him. Using in house depth is ok however it would suck not being able to grab a SP at the deadline if someone went down. They are doing a great job at getting players to fill the roster that have high upside however they are gambling on performance. At least 2/5 of the rotation did not play last year. (Yes the inning Kluber threw does not count!)
Would rather have Trevor Rosenthal.
A sentence literally no one would have uttered a year ago.
But yeah, he’s obviously more desirable. But money is the key factor atm.
Rosenthal wants to close.
if I recall the yanks did sign him to a minor contract last yr or yr before
At the end of the day I just hope everybody has a good time
and everyone gets orange slices
Gimme yer melt
I’m in “serious talks” with a breakfast baconator sandwich from Wendy’s.
Now I’m hungry
I’m glad they’ve progressed from the comedic talks phase
Another Yankees lefty for the Rays to torment
Imagine if the Rays ever won anything hahahaha
The Rays are a joke bud, expect major regression for them this year.
@pinstripes17- yeah bro, the Rays probably are 3rd place this year, like 5-7 games over 500 behind Dunedin.
You will soon be in “serious talks” with your coronary bypass physician, baby!!
When it doesn’t work playing for one NY team. You might as well join the better one. He probably misses playing for the Yankees from his lst go around.
He played for the Yankees then when he got a chance to come back to New York thought the Mets couldn’t be that bad. He’s now begging Cashman.
Do they have enough money left for D Rob or Rosenthal? Bruce probably means the end of Gardy and Mike Ford
They have about $10m before the Wilson singing so yes.
@Perksy- if Paxton getting $8 million as a starter, then Wilson as a reliever is getting $5 million or a little more.
@Yank4Life. I see you’ve thrown out your Metsfan lure. Gotta catch them all, right? =D
@mlbnyyfan –
Probably not Rosenthal. But I’d rather have Justin Wilson in this pen. We’ve plenty of talented young fireballers on the 40 man; Loaisiga (Fangraphs loves him), Gil, Albert Abreu (100+ mph FB).
D-Rob will get a minor league deal. Yanks were at his tryout.
Wilson & D-Rob & I’d be good with middle relief.
Bruce is unrelated to GGBG. Greg Allen – more than likely – meant the end for Gardy. & good riddance to Ford*.
*Haven’t built a good truck since the Excursion, anyway
5 mil total or AAV, @Yank4Life?
He’ll certainly break 5 mm in his overall contract but Loup & McGee signed in the 3-3.5 mil AAV range. I’d guess he lands somewhere around there.
That’s true which means Gardner would have to take a severe pay cut. Problem is he sees other left handed OF bats with 1 year deals like Rosario, Pederson, Schwarber etc getting $7-10m and probably feels he should be in that range.
The best AL NY for this year may be the one playing in Buffalo.
As for the Mets-Yankees debate, I believe I had a t-shirt growing up: “I have two favorite teams – the Mets and anyone who plays the Yankees…” So, that’s where I stand, but the key for both teams is health and adjustment. I don’t think either team failed by not landing every big free agent they discussed bringing on board. Even though the Mets’ owner is fantastically wealthy, it doesn’t mean he’s going to be like the Phillies’ Middleton and spend “crazy money.” Spending “crazy money” doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win it all, but it’s good to have an owner who is willing to go there. I think the Mets need to think about keeping and extending their young stars before bringing in the top outside free agents. Thor, Stroman, Lindor, and Scooter will be the ones who will require significant $$$$ contracts starting next season.
@phenomenalajs- seriously what have the Blue Jays done this off-season to make them better then the Yankees? Sign George Springer? What kind of pitching do they? Any ace on their staff? Dunedin would be lucky to be in 2nd place this season. They will battle the Rays and the Marlins just to be the best team in Florida this season.
Why is there no news on Shane Greene??
Hoping Greene comes back to Detroit. A year as their closer will take pressure off the young pitchers, and then he reenters FA as a closer. Win, win!
Strange guy to exceed the lux tax for. And strange time of the off-season to finally make that decision.
The Yanks will not be exceeding the luxury tax.
They’re not. Otherwise Ottavino would still be a Yankee.
Has anyone seen Sandy Alderson? He is losing every FA with his stubborn approach no wonder. LOL
Alderson doesn’t get into bidding wars. In the long run, that’s a great practice. Friedman and the Dodgers do the same thing.
Alderson is not a “closer,” no pun intended. He’s spent his career with the A’s and the pre-Cohen Mets, so his signings have often been on the fringes. Even when he’s had big name signings like Cespedes, they were players with question marks, and he overpaid. The Dodgers can go small game hunting and big game hunting. Alderson is in his 70s and spent his career mostly as a small game hunter, rarely having to negotiate against teams like the Dodgers or Yankees. I’m not sure he’s the right guy to be leading the Mets based on where Cohen wants them to go.
Being strategic and fiscally-responsible doesn’t equate to being stubborn.
Screw the Yankees…. There trying to buy another championship……
Only shopping the discount rack behind the Dodgers, Mets, and Padres.
Not the only team trying to do so, though.
I legitimately miss the days when this was true.
On paper the Yankees rotation could be much better with a healthy Severino, Kluber and Taillon. That is a big IF across all three.
I don’t think there is going to be any in between. Either the Yankees win over 100 games and run away with the division or finish around 3rd and ending with winning just over .500 games.
I figured they would try to put one more guaranteed, competent starter behind Cole.
That’s exactly it with the decision to stay under the LTT. High risk, high reward.
What’s the difference between being in talks and being in “serious talks?”
@Giants51 so tell me what has the Dodgers been doing all along and to a higher extent.
Next headline: Wilson in deep discussions with Yankees.
Wouldn’t be surprising if this was leaked by Wilson’s agent, who recognizes the Mets might now be more inclined to up their offer with Lugo dealing with an arm issue. Leverage the Yankees through the media to get a higher offer from the Mets.
I speculated similar below, Taking it one step further, I’m not sure the Yankees have even seriously considered Wilson, unless his market collapses. This seems like a leak targeted at the Mets.
Supposedly having interest, but only do it to drive up the price for other teams interested in some certain player and really wanting that player.
I think it’s agent talk for my client is now only weighing offers from teams A, B, and C. Thanks for your interest teams D and E! A courtesy call to let them know they can move on.
Mets are better as are the Nats and Braves. On pure talent level Yankees have more. Lindor is a great acquisition and a steal at that. Injuries and Covid will decide who has a better season
Al Avila is such a genius!
Only he could device a plan so devious and complicated, to distract BOTH Ny teams with ex-Tiger catchers while he swoops in and snags Robbie Grossman!
Go Tigers!
Err…..pitcher. Catchers did their work earlier.
Hold my phone calls, I’m having a serious talk with Justin.
Phone rings.
It’s Brett again, can you talk now?
No!
The current two bullpen lefties will make $29 million.
We need another one.
Sorry Brett.
It’s only a little that.
& even in a non cost cutting way I can see it. Wilson will mix really well with O’Day & Greene bridging to Britton/Chapman.
Yanks finally got a legit LH power bat. That plays into it some. It was always going to be tough to hold onto Tauchman & GGBG at the same time. Yanks also added former Cleveland Indian Greg Allen, as well.
So it’s more like Wilson + Allen + Bruce in lieu of Gardy. It’s a gamble. But not much of one really.
So earlier we hear that Wilson is interested in both NY teams and is talking to the Yankees and the Mets, but he prefers his most recent team, the Mets, who only recently engaged in conversations. Then we hear that he’s in “serious” discussions with the Yankees. Sounds like his agent is trying to play both NY teams off each other to drive up his price. The “he prefers” the Mets message is targeted at the Yankees, and the “in serious talks” with the Yankees is targeted at the Mets. I know one thing, the Yankees don’t leak information like this and don’t like it when agents do it. They’ve even been known to cut off negotiations when that happens, so I suspect that maybe the Yankees are simply monitoring his situation, checking in with his agent, but aren’t really in serious discussions. This is a play to get more from the Mets.
Annnnnnd youre wrong lmao
Looks like that conspiracy stuff wasn’t really the deal, huh?
To the question of the respective strength of divisions:
Total Wins and Wins vs. >.500 teams
2019
AL East- 404 – >.500 – 170
AL Central – 372 – >.500 – 139
AL West – 422 – >.500 – 152
NL East – 414 – >.500 – 233
NL Central – 408 – >.500 – 205
NL West – 409 – >.500 – 200
2020
AL East- 154 – >.500 – 67
AL Central – 155 – >.500 – 77
AL West – 140 – >.500 – 25
NL East – 146 – >.500 – 62
NL Central – 143 – >.500 – 80
NL West – 160 – >.500 – 39
I still find it suspicious this negotiation has been leaked to this level.
Who cares, obviously Justin Wilson would rather play for the Yankees rather then the Mets( no-brainer)! anyone who thinks otherwise might be their delusional fans. When have the Mets ever won? 1969 and 1986… Wow! that sounds like a winning organization, not! Smh
Dork4Life, all those Yankees championships in no way reflect on you. Ditch the kiddie stuff (unless you’re actually a kid).
@Cey Hey- so I guess it’s my fault that nobody wants to play for the Mets? No Springer, No Bauer, No Realmuto, and no DJ… lol. You obviously can’t see the trend? Gotcha! Put your big boy pants on and root for a REAL winning team. Good luck, you seem salty?
You seem a little sensitive there, bro.
@Yank4Life never even mentioned any Yankees championships.
But…you did lol!
Ahh, man. So many fans so jealous of the Yankees.
Love it.
@Ducky Buckin Fent- Lol! Sorry bro. Met fans and Blue Jay fans make me laugh though. They got all this $ and still nobody wants to play for them. Unless the players are traded there against their will, having no choice. I really didn’t wanna rub it in about those 27 championships!!! Oh well!!!
Was responding to say hay, just to be clear.
Yeah, it’s sorta looking like that. I remember a time when players took less money elsewhere instead of playing for the Yanks. Thank goodness for Stick. Yanks were a mess before he took over.
@Ducky Buckin Fent- yeah Stick was one of a kind. My favorite Stick story was when George Sr. Was trying to trade Andy Pettitte( a big mistake) and how Gene Michael the Yankee GM was telling all the other teams that Pettitte was hurt, when he was fine the whole time. Lol! Fortunately #46 stayed with the Yankees and won 5 World Series.
“@Yank4Life never even mentioned any Yankees championships.”
I think this pretty much implied the championships without needing to mention them:
“Justin Wilson would rather play for the Yankees rather then the Mets …When have the Mets ever won?”
“mOsT mOnEy In BaSeBaLl” – mets fans lmaoooo
Seems interesting that the Yankees, who are on a tight budget, and could easily get outbid, are the likely landing spot. Also surprising that Wilson would be willing to be the 3rd lefty, and 5-6 option out of the pen, for what is likely a short term contract. Not setting himself up well for his next foray into free agency.
Seems like Wilson doesn’t envision himself as being anything other than what he is…a reliable bullpen option but not either a setup or closer as evidenced by his 4 saves in 2019, and then nothing for several years prior….why is this surprising to anyone….guess it is to you and whoever gave you a thumps up……he’d obviously be a part of a team that is proven to be in the playoffs consistently, while as good as the Mets may be, they just don’t have the playoff record (being in them) the Yankees have.
Also, as far as him “next foray” into free agency, maybe he’s more focused on “this foray” rather than down the road.
Watch the Mets swoop in and outbid them to punctuate the new power dynamic in NYC baseball.
Justin Wilson “New Power Dynamic”? It is not like the Mets will be getting in your prime Mariano Rivera if he signs?
It’s not about which player, only about what happens when both NY teams are interested in the same player and which team can outbid the other and who the player chooses to sign with. For years, it’s been 1-sided.
I direct your attention to D. J. LeMahieu. I believe both teams were interested in signing him.
They could be outbid but there has to be a team or teams that want to outbid them for Wilson’s services. While the Mets have more breathing room in regards to the cap space, they may want to focus that on a starter and also leave room for a potential Lindor deal that could raise his AAV another $8 to 10M. Their interest in Bauer says they’d go over the first threshold, but it would have to be for a significant upgrade.
Wilson is no doubt looking for the best deal. Maybe the Yankees are offering a slightly higher AAV, or maybe they’re willing to go two years instead of one.
His role would be similar on either club. He’s not really the “third” lefty out of the Yankees pen, if indeed he does sign with them. He’d be the primary lefty out of the pen. Chapman’s a lefty, but he’s the closer. He’s not used to get specifically lefties out. He’s used to close out games. Ditto for Britton. Not a lefty-on-lefty reliever. He’s the 8th inning guy. Wilson would be the primary guy who gets called on to face tough lefty batters. Wilson’s advantage is he has no real platoon splits. In fact, he’s slightly more effective against righties over his career. That’s critical in today’s three-batter minimum. Wilson should get paid a slight premium for that, but this has been a tough offseason for relievers.
I’m tired of these “serious talks” posts. I want to hear about a team that gets on a Zoom call with a player and his agent, and they just exchange knock-knock jokes.
exactly!
This would be a good move, I think Wilson would help the yankees more than Gardner would.
Wilson is gonna get smoked in the A.L.
@jimmyduzo523- doubt he’s getting smoked pitching in the 7th, besides he still has a good lefty power arm.
Hi Anthony,
Can you fix the word ‘me’? i believe it’s ‘be’, not ‘me’. Please & thank you.
The Yankees appear to ‘me’ “moving toward a deal” with Wilson, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). Wilson would fit well as a third southpaw to slot in ahead of closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Zack Britton.
The guys on MLBN made a casual reference to Wilson signing with the Yankees on a minor league deal. Haven’t seen reported anywhere else yet. Obviously, if this is true, it’s only a minor league deal until they clear roster space, but it’s another reminder of how difficult this market has been for good relievers, many of whom are only signing now, days before camp opens.
If it turns out to be a minor league deal, this is a steal for the Yankees. It will be like DJL taking less money to go to The Bronx
Agreed. Wilson on a minor league deal will still be 3m or so, I’d assume. It’s just procedural at that point.
I’m still not sold on Bruce instead of Gardner. Bruce may be better offensively, but Gardy is the heart of that team and can still play a decent LF. I’d rather they paid Gardy instead of Bruce.
100% agree. Gardner hate is absolutely bizarre and not at all consistent with measurable reality. Bruce is merely a cheaper option. The yanks have multiple needs and little cash they’re willing to spend. They, seemingly, chose Bruce+Wilson over just bringing back Gardner. In a non-luxury tax world, Gardner would already be resigned.
I originally thought the Bruce signing was less about replacing Gardner and more about replacing Mike Ford. Bruce can serve the backup lefty 1B’man role Ford had, plus he can play the OF too, so that versatility makes him more valuable than Ford, especially when factoring in he’s a more dangerous hitter than Ford. Fine with that. The issue though is if they sign Wilson, then they really don’t have any additional funds for Gardner, so it looks like Gardy’s days are done, unless he’s willing to take a $2M contract to return.
I’ve said this before. Yankee fans overall love Brett Gardner, but there is a small but vocal minority who live on social media who don’t. They are not representative of the fanbase and they generally highlight their low-baseball IQs whenever they discuss Gardner.
Where is louiebeans? For the last two years he’s crapped on Gardner non-stop. Now that it looks like Gardy might be gone, louie is nowhere to be found.
So I listened to the replay of MLB Now, and they edited out the Justin Wilson reference. It appeared on the original broadcast just as they were finishing a piece about the offseason reliever market. Wilson wasn’t included in any of their charts, but they mentioned him at the end, saying it was surprising that one of the most consistent lefty relievers had to settle for a minor league contract with the Yankees. That reference was gone on the replay. My guess? One of the hosts, I believe it was Kenney, while recording live and reporting the story about relievers, mixed up his Yankee stories. He was perhaps aware of the stories about Wilson likely signing with the Yankees, but he then transposed that with the story about the Yankees signing Jay Bruce to a minor league contract. After it ran the first time, they realized the error and edited out, and quite skillfully, on the replay. I can imagine Wilson’s agent calling, “there is no deal!”
You could be right. Though I find it odd they reported that it was a minor league deal.
*Disregard my post. I had a moment of poor reading comprehension.
Mets finally figured out they are a total loser organization. 0-5 in free agency. No Springer, No Bauer, No Realmuto, No DJ, and now No Wilson… The list continues. Ask yourself, who in the hell wants to play in Queens? Answer: Nobody
Well… I’d sign with them.
I’d like to break my tie with Jed Lowrie on their all time career hits list.
Which would also separate me from you fellas, as well.
Just curious, when were they in on Realmuto When they signed their catcher in Mid December? When did they offer contracts to DJ or Wilson or go beyond contacting? Not wanting to over pay for a 31 year old center fielder is not a terrible strategy and Bauer was a miss that will turn out OK. This coming from an arrogant Yankee fan who like many, probably claimed Trout was coming, Harper was coming and all they ended up with was Stanton, who can end up on the DL if the wind blows too hard on him and they’re going to be regretting that contract the same way they did with A Rod’s. Now they have that albatross, Cole’s deal and did nothing to improve their weaknesses. In fact their weakness got worse when Tanaka left. Sadly the only thing most Yankee fans get excited about these days is the fabricated misses the Mets allegedly did
Are contract talks ever not serious? Oh that contract offer we put out, yeah we weren’t serious we were just messing with you. We have 0 intention of signing you, cheerio!
Wilson is good enough to be the third lefty in the pen, but the Yankees should be pursuing a trade for Hader
@NY_Yankee you are so right. There is something to that, although I believe a lot of it is self-induced.
I also believe they can shake that stigma with a prolonged period of success. One example to a lesser extent are the Ray’s, past ownership was a joke but new ownership has changed that conversation. If the fans ever backed that team they’d be more of a thorn.