The Yankees used the winter to re-sign an American League MVP finalist and gamble on a pair of former high-end starters returning to form.
Major League Signings
- DJ LeMahieu, 2B: Six years, $90MM
- Corey Kluber, RHP: One year, $11MM
- Brett Gardner, OF: Two years, $5.15MM (second season is a player option)
- Justin Wilson, LHP: Two years, $5.15MM (second season is a player option)
- Darren O’Day, RHP: Two years, $3.15MMM (second season is a player option)
- Total spend: $114.45MM
Trades and Claims
- Traded RHPs Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras, INF Maikol Escotto and OF Canaan Smith to the Pirates for RHP Jameson Taillon
- Traded RHPs Adam Ottavino and Frank German to the Red Sox for cash or a player to be named later
- Traded LHP James Reeves to the Padres for OF Greg Allen (Allen was later outrighted to Triple-A)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Jay Bruce, Robinson Chirinos, Adam Warren, Derek Dietrich, Nick Goody, Jhoulys Chacin, Kyle Barraclough, Asher Wojciechowski, Tyler Lyons, Socrates Brito, Nestor Cortes Jr., Andrew Velazquez, Matt Bowman
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Adam Ottavino, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Holder, Ben Heller, Erik Kratz
The biggest question the Yankees faced entering the offseason was whether they would bring back second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who thrived in their uniform from 2019-20 after they signed the ex-Cub and Rockie to a two-year, $24MM contract. LeMahieu turned into one of baseball’s premier players during that two-season stretch, even earning MVP consideration last year, so it was naturally going to cost the Yankees much more this time to keep him in the fold.
Thanks to shortstop Gleyber Torres’ ability to play both middle infield positions, the Yankees could have let LeMahieu walk and seriously pursued a trade for Francisco Lindor or Trevor Story or dipped into free agency for old friend Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien or Andrelton Simmons. Otherwise, they may have left Torres at short and signed, say, second baseman Kolten Wong, though their offense would have taken a major hit in that tradeoff.
LeMahieu garnered serious interest from multiple teams in free agency after rejecting the Yankees’ $18.9MM qualifying offer, but remaining in the Bronx was always his preference. After a drawn-out trip to the open market, the two sides came together on a six-year, $90MM pact. Six years is an especially long deal for a player who will turn 33 in July, but the Yankees made that commitment in an effort to lower the average annual value and skirt the luxury-tax threshold.
Staying under this year’s $210MM tax seemed to be an important offseason theme for the Yankees (whether that should be a concern for such a rich franchise is up for debate), as they didn’t give out any other big guarantees in free agency, instead structuring various deals to lower the AAVs of the contracts. Outfielder Brett Gardner, the Yankees’ longest-tenured player, and relievers Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson are prime examples; they inked pacts which include cheap 2022 player options that they’re unlikely to exercise barring nightmarish results in 2021.
Gardner and Wilson will both earn $2.85MM in 2021 before deciding on player options valued at just $2.3MM. Should they decline that player option, the Yankees would then hold $7.15MM club options over the pair — each with a $1.15MM buyout. Exercising the player option for either player would only mean guaranteeing an additional $1.15MM for himself. In Wilson’s case, that would trigger a third-year club option at the league minimum, making it even less appealing to exercise his player option for 2022. As for O’Day, his $1.4MM player option comes with a $700K buyout even if he declines, so there’s little reason for him to pick up his end of the deal. It’s a complicated series of accounting measures, but the end result was adding three solid veterans while remaining about $3.5MM shy of the luxury threshold.
O’Day and Wilson should help replace Adam Ottavino, who departed in a rare trade with the archrival Red Sox that saved the Yankees more than $8MM (another move driven by the luxury tax). New York’s bullpen figures to be strong yet again, although key setup man Zack Britton is off to an inauspicious start in 2021. The team will go without him for as many as three to four months because of arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. The Yankees kicked off their winter by exercising Britton’s 2022 option for $14MM. Had they declined it, he could have opted for free agency this past offseason.
The Yankees’ starting staff underwent quite a bit of retooling, meanwhile, as mainstay Masahiro Tanaka went back to Japan, J.A. Happ signed with the Twins, and James Paxton reunited with the Mariners. Paxton and Happ were expected to leave, but it was somewhat surprising the Yankees made little effort to retain Tanaka, a quality regular-season performer from 2014-20 who earned a reputation as a big-game pitcher during his run with the club.
Instead of re-signing Tanaka, the Yankees took chances on two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in free agency and ex-Pirate Jameson Taillon in a trade. The two hurlers are intriguing additions because of their potential, but they’re also wild cards. Kluber’s an ex-Indians workhorse, but the soon-to-be 35-year-old missed most of 2019 with a fractured forearm, and enemy offenses had their way with him during that 35 2/3-inning campaign. As a member of the Rangers last season, he made his first start of the season, lasted one inning and didn’t pitch again on account of shoulder problems. Taillon, 29, produced mid-rotation numbers with the Pirates from 2016-19, but he underwent Tommy John surgery – the second of his career – in the last of those years and didn’t take the mound last season.
Kluber and Taillon are sure bets to begin the year in the Yankees’ rotation, as is ace Gerrit Cole. But Cole seems like the only lead-pipe lock to succeed. As for the rest of the group, Domingo German missed last year because of a domestic violence suspension; Jordan Montgomery endured a trying 2020 in his return from a TJ procedure; Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt (who’s down with an elbow injury) and Michael King carry little major league experience; and former No. 1 Luis Severino sat out almost all of the previous two seasons because of shoulder problems and Tommy John. Severino could come back this summer, but it’s anyone’s guess what he’ll give the Yankees. All things considered, it’s a risky bunch behind Cole.
Fortunately for the Yankees, if their rotation doesn’t live up to the front office’s expectations, the lineup still carries the ability to overwhelm opposing pitching staffs. Sluggers Aaron Judge (right field) and Giancarlo Stanton (designated hitter) missed a large amount of action with various injuries during the previous couple years, but they remain imposing threats at the plate. Elsewhere, LeMahieu and Torres make for one of the top offensive middle infield tandems in the sport; Gardner’s a capable fourth outfielder at the very least; first baseman Luke Voit led the majors in home runs last season; third baseman Gio Urshela carried his 2019 breakout into 2020; left fielder Clint Frazier finally broke out offensively in 2020; and center fielder Aaron Hicks, despite annual low batting averages and some past injury issues, has typically given the Yankees above-average production.
If you’re looking for question marks unrelated to injuries in the Yankees’ offense, catcher Gary Sanchez and outfielder Mike Tauchman come to mind. Sanchez has been inconsistent – sometimes tremendous, sometimes terrible – and was both a non-tender and trade candidate after a disastrous 2020. The Yankees ultimately kept Sanchez around for a $6.35MM salary, though they did explore possible upgrades in free agency when they showed interest in James McCann and Yadier Molina in free agency. Looking into McCann and Molina implies that Sanchez could be skating on thin ice with the organization. For now, he and and backup Kyle Higashioka – Cole’s personal catcher late in the season – remain intact as New York’s top two backstops, but veteran Robinson Chirinos is also in camp.
Tauchman was a great find for the Yankees when they acquired him from the Rockies heading into 2019, as he slashed .277/.361/.504 with 13 homers and accumulated a whopping 18 Defensive Runs Saved among all three outfield positions in 87 games. Tauchman was nowhere near that effective as either a hitter or defender last year, though. Now, with Gardner returning as the primary backup, Jay Bruce and Derek Dietrich in camp, and no minor league options left, it’s possible the Yankees will deal Tauchman in the coming weeks if they don’t think he’s worthy of a roster spot. Former Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar also finds himself without an obvious path to regular at-bats, although unlike Tauchman, he has a minor league option remaining, so there’s no immediate need to make a tough decision on the 26-year-old.
Longtime general manager Brian Cashman looks as if he has put together another playoff-caliber roster. The Yankees appear likely to once again pile up plenty of runs in 2021, but whether they’ll be able to jump over the reigning AL East champion Rays, fend off the rapidly improving Blue Jays and then win their first World Series since 2009 will depend largely on how well their high-risk rotation performs.
How would you grade the Yankees’ offseason? (Link to poll for Trade Rumors iOS/Android app users)
2nd-best team in NYC.
That’s not a pun. You’re almost as big of a disappointment to MLBTR readers as you are to your parents. Promising clever puns and never delivering. Sad really.
Consistency is hard to maintain, unless you’re the Twins getting swept out of the playoffs by the Yankees every year.
Yankees did nothing last year and they’re noticeably worse this year. Get a catcher and decent #2 though #5 starters, and you can talk. Your only ring in recent decades was provided by the biggest PED abuser in recent history.
Sanchez is a top 8 catcher and once Severino comes back the Yankees will have 3 top 25 starters plus a solid Tailon and many options as a 5
I’m a Cardinals fan, but I have it on good authority from several reputable MLBTR commenters that the Mets have already won the 2021 World Series, so my comment stands.
@ manbitesdog -Grrrrrrr, down boy down! Good boy.
Maybe Sanchez will actually keep his batting average above .200 this year! And counting on Severino, who hasn’t pitched in more than 3 games since 2018, and even being optimistic won’t come back until after the all-star break, is not what I’d want to base my team around.
I still don’t think that’s a pun
Alright, you want a pun? I’ll give you a pun.
Ahem.
I can’t (Aaron) Judge where the Yanks will land in the Stan(ton)dings until they start playing real games every O’Day.
ARE YOU HAPPY NOW YOU MONSTERS?!
@baseballpun- Cardinals fan? Smh. You sound like a Mets fan. Are you really sure? What a joke.
Yep, born and raised. I made that comment because (a) the Mets fans around here are hilarious and (b) to get the exact reaction you are providing here. So, mission accomplished.
Lol
@Yank4Life –
Why are you fighting with Cardinals fans? They have great uniforms & they are relevant every year.
Cardinals fans are kindred spirits, bro.
I predict a monster year for Sanchez. He’s gonna make everyone who called for his release eat their words.
I’m really looking forward to Phat Sancho. He spent the winter playing ball working on his swing. Say what you want about him, but not many two time All Star, Silver Slugger winners do that.
He’s also had over a year now to work with Swanson & the knee-down stance. He’s had fantastic results everywhere he’s been working with catchers.
I really expect a pretty big return to form from Gary.
I’m a Tigers fan and wouldn’t want Sanchez on Detroit. And our catching is bad. Sanchez is bad, but comes with expectations, so he is more disappointing.
@DBF- c’mon, we’re we ever going to get along? My NL team is the Cubs. That’s like asking Yankee and Red Sox fans to get along. Not happening. Lol
You have an “NL team”?
See. I employ a wide sweeping & unilateral dislike towards all. Well…red sox & then everybody else.
I like certain pitchers a lot of the time. But I’ve no room in my heart for another entire team. I’m good with it.
That’s cool @stymeedone.
I actually feel the same way in re to Tigers catchers on the Yankees. So it seems we’ve found some common ground of sorts.
@DBF- yes I take a lot of heat from all my friends for liking the Cubs. A long story. I used to watch baseball during the day and the Cubs seemed like their was always on. So definitely cursed. Never understood why you couldn’t root for a team in another league though? But If the Yankees and Cubs play each other I always root for the Yankees. I don’t have a choice really. Lol
@pun while I have no control over what a sports team does or doesn’t do. You DO have control over your horrible puns or lack-thereof. As you’re unable to even form a logical rebuttal maybe the pun is bridge too far for you. Possibly “baseballanecdote” or “baseballobservation” would be more fitting for someone of your mental capacity. It would alleviate some of the disappointment in you not being able to achieve the lowest form of comedy, the pun.
Wow you are an angry little bitter man
Yank4Life = Like to fight guy
@y4l
I do root for a team in another league: the New York Giants.
Hey, man, you fan however you want. Those daytime Cubs games really grew that team’s popularity didn’t it? I’ve actually been to Wrigley. Saw Bonds go yard twice.
I was there when they were still the “lovable Cubbies”. Had a blast.
@Twinsfan: Ok, I’ll bite.
“baseballpun” isn’t a mission statement. Instead of coming up with a baseball-themed pun as a screen-name I chose “baseballpun” because I didn’t want to spend more than 5 seconds on something so stupid. It’s not as earth-shatteringly clever as “Twinsfan333,” but there it is. Believe it or not, I don’t come to MBLTR to work on my material for my next set at the Laugh Factory.
Anyway, I’m sure that your rage is a lot more entertaining than the occasional bad joke. I hope that if the Twins ever do win a playoff game it doesn’t cause you to mellow out and lose some of that magic. Luckily we won’t have to worry about it this year, since the White Sox are going to stomp the Twins out of contention.
Thank You, Dr. Johnson.
Three of the top twenty-five starters? In MLB???
Okay. I guess we all have a right to be delusional at this point in the year.
Frahm_-I hope you are joking about Sanchez. On what planet is he a top 8 catcher? He stinks behind the plate and the guy that was crushing homeruns is a strike out waiting to happen. If Kluber is healthy and Severino comes back healthy. Maybe you are right. But those are HUGE ifs. They don’t even have 50 innings pitched in the last 2 years between the both of them.
Manbitesdog
Yankees did nothing last year and they’re noticeably worse this year.
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I’m a confirmed Yankee hater, but you make no sense.
They basically swapped out Tanaka & Happ for Taillon & Kluber.
How is that ‘noticeably worse’?
Can easily ask how Taillon and Kluber are an improvement. Taillon is a less experienced and less durable version of Tanaka and Kluber is a giant gamble. If by some miracle he gets back to 2018 form it would be a big upgrade. More likely he struggles and very possibly doesn’t make it out of SP or is out by June. Health is going to be a huge issue this season as all SP will be on IP limits. Rolling the dice on injury plagued players is a huge gamble.
I don’t think Taillon and Kluber are an improvement, as I mentioned elsewhere. But I don’t see that being noticeably worse either. And I can add back that they should have more players returning from injuries than going back on the IL.
If I were a betting man, which I am, I’d bet they have a better record in 2021 than 2020, and I wouldn’t think twice about it.
David Ortiz played for the Red Sox, not the Yankees.
“Your only ring in recent decades was provided by the biggest PED abuser in recent history”
Wrong….Ortiz never played for the Yankees
@bbpun lol yea according to a lot of commenters it’s already a cws and nym ws so all 28 teams should just go hit the links instead of the cage
as you should y4l of all the nl teams really the cubs i mean yeah they have a great dive bar they call wriggly but that’s about it.
MetsFan: On every leaderboard since he’s started playing….. I agree, if you isolate the past year (even two, possibly) he may not rank; however, the cumulative puts him up there and he seems to be having a good spring so far, so things are looking up. And, keep in mind I have been a pretty staunch critic, and will continue to be, of Gary and the rest of my team.
I’d argue that Kluber and Taillon could be massive improvements.
They could also not be. And Kluber’s arm could fall apart at any time. There’s obviously some risk there but I don’t think it’s a gigantic stretch if they actually were upgrades.
Although I disagree with ya Dog on Sanchez I agree completely on the rotation. Cashman has gambled with comeback and has been pitchers for too long. Even when he lucks out and gets his hands on a good one (Lance Lynn) he lets him walk. Kluber could have a good year but he’s not gonna be his old self. Hardly anyone comes back from 2 TJ surgeries and at 29 Tallion will have to baby his arm unless he wants to wind up the next Capuano. Cashman had a great prospect in Sheffield and let him go for an oft injured possible comeback pitcher. Now both of them are pitching for the Mariners. Ugh Cashman has a wonderful eye for positional players needing a shot at the majors. He has proven that with Urshela, Voit, Hicks and to an extend Tauchman. While also signing DJ out of Denver when nobody else seemed to want him. Cashman has shown again and again that he sucks at putting a rotation together. He needs to sign a AGM who can takeover rotation decisions.
Sanchez on the other hand has shown from his time in the minors that he gets bored with the game easily. They just need to light a fire under him and give him something to prove. Offer him a $10 million bonus for finishing top 2-3 in MVP votes and $5 million for a silver slugger. You will see Sanchez put up Hall worthy numbers with incentives like that.
Lol sure thing buddy.
@Twinsfan333- well said! He can’t do anything right!
@baseballpun- keep believing that. Whatever. We won’t be seeing your posts towards the end of the year. You know the Yankees are the best team in NY. The Mets play in NYC now? Smh
We’ll see. We’ll see. And, yes, the Mets play in NYC. Where do the Yanks play, again? Yonkers?
@Cosmo2- the Mets play in NYC? Smh No the Mets play in Queens. So get your head out of your butt.
….where do you think the Yankees play?
Ok, I’ll bite… why is Queens not NYC? (And the Bronx is?) Yankees are closer to Westchester than they are to Manhattan.
Queens and the Bronx are both part of NYC. If you weren’t so busy Yanking you might have learned some geography.
I guess if the Blue Jays are going to play in Buffalo this year it would be even more accurate to say the Yanks are the 3rd best team in New York State.
Yank4, you are taking this all very seriously for someone who’s viewpoint is borderline theater-of-the-absurd. Geography may not be your strong suit.
The funniest thing about this is that I live in Manhattan.
I don’t know what to tell you. There are five boroughs in NYC – Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. They are all governed by the same mayor. Of course, only Manhattan is “New York County,” so I guess if you want to be as hyper-specific about what is and is not New York City as you’re trying to be, then neither the Yankees nor the Mets play in NYC and NYC doesn’t have any MLB teams at all.
I don’t think you’re from NY. What are you talking about?
@baseballpun- why do you care so much about the Mets anyway? Aren’t you a Cardinals fan? Why do continue to troll Yankee thread? Probably because the team you root for sucks and is too boring for you. So get a life.
Because you’re cute when you’re angry.
@Cosmo2- to me the Mets are not a NYC team, sorry.
The fact that you apparently live in your own world explains a lot of your posts.
Yank4, I’m getting the sense that “to you” many things are other than what reality dictates.
@Yank
Oh okay. To me you are not so much human as a semi-sentient pile of banana cream crepes, late for work but cool under pressure.
Yank4life… This has got to be the most pathetic argument I’ve ever seen on here. I kept reading thinking it would get entertaining but it just got sadder and sadder, culminating with your “to me the Mets are not a NYC team”. I feel sorry for you.
@baseballpun- what’s wrong with living in my own world? I wouldn’t want it any other way. The crime rate is definitely lowered.
@whynot- the fact is, It doesn’t really matter where the Mets play. They’ll always big 2nd fiddle to the Yankees, right? So enjoy playing in NYC or whatever.
Doesn’t change the facts….it’s like saying, “To me, the moon is made of cheese.”
Trolling is boring. Unfortunate how common and accepted it is with sports fans
What’s more impressive is how deeply offended these same people get when their teams’ page is riddled with similar comments.
I don’t take offense to their opinions, as irrelevant and inaccurate as they may be. But, I do hate self-victimization when a comment is posted on their team and they curl up and cry, call for bans, and demand justice.
I say keep it coming. I’d love the Yankees to prove these people wrong this year; I expect them not to like the Yankees. Envy has been around since the beginning of time (Bible is the reference).
@yankee clipper while i may not follow your team or care for them that much (rays tend to be my al team for the fact there underdogs) other than on paper the nym aren’t any better right than nyy. both teams have big questions marks but the big difference for me is that nyy managed to be within striking distance of the rays last with having the whole roster in the dl at one point. nyy have a good team and a ws contending team if they can stay healthy. also who cares if sanchez can hit if he can improve his d, calling a good game and calming down/slow the game down for his pitchers that’s worth more than what he can do at the plate.
Yeah @brodie-bruce, all valid points. I just think Sanchez is best his defensive ceiling. He’s pure offense, which is why I’ve been so critical of him and the team. I’ve advocated for a more balanced catcher or very strong defensive backup. Obviously I’d prefer a Contreras type, but no joy there….. maybe Wells will be what Sanchez never could – an offensive powerhouse with reasonably good defense/gamecalling.
sounds like they need to find another spot for sanchez if he can’t improve on what i consider to import attributes for a catcher (also i may be a little harsh on the c position being spoiled seeing mo all these years) call me old fashioned but c,ss,cf are not positions you go off. 1st. a good c,ss,cf can make up for a lot of def. deficiencies.
Mets are lucky to field a team above .500.
If they don’t finish first their fans are going to take a beating on social media – even more than normal.
A-
B. Mostly on-value signings that fit with the team’s ditection. I think they did well in the Taillon trade and with DJ so that bumps them up spme
Dude, you’re kind… I thought about B. I gave C for now. I hate saying this, but until we know how Tallion and Kluber measure up it could end up an F; here’s why:
Kluber gets hurt
Tallion sucks or gets hurt
Gleyber blows up on D at SS
Those three things happen, this offseason is nothing short of a gigantic fail in my book, but I’m a fairly harsh critic. I still expect my wife to stay in shape too.
I look at this offseason and it’s solid and the Yankees are a good team, but I cannot help but think the 2021 Yankees are worse off than the 2020 Yankees. They lost a lot of valuable starting pitching and pretty much gained Kluber. I wonder if that’s enough. Now of course they were banged up last year. If they stay healthy that’ll be a huge plus.
This is the deal.
Hal won’t let the Yanks miss the playoffs. He’s too astute a businessdude for that.
It’s another Pretty Good Ballclub.
& that’s about it. Yanks are running back the formula that has led to a great deal of regular season success.
So…that’s good!
But this is certainly not a prohibitive World Series favorite. Sure. This squad could win one. But a lot of things will have to go right.
It’s the continuation of the Yankees current paradigm of: “the playoffs are good enough, bro”.
Still, it’s hard to reasonabley complain about a top 5 team in MLB. That would be unseemly.
Won’t miss the playoffs but will miss that chip
@Luc- we’ll see. Where are the Nationals finishing this season in the NL East? My guess is 3rd or 4th.
D’accord but that is the exact reason why they play the games.
So. We’ll see.
Once again going off topic and bringing up the Nats. Salty you are. Worry about Judge known as a POWER hitter trying to get 30.
Wait…what?
But I’ll take the over on 29.5 home runs by Aaron Judge. If that’s what we’re doing.
Afternoon Duckster
I’ll take over 120 on the Judge, Stanton, Voit & Sanchez
Add Mantle & Maris and we can tickle 220…
Catch you on the other side…
Ducky Buckin Fent
Still, it’s hard to reasonabley complain about a top 5 team in MLB. That would be unseemly.
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You’re an absolute slacker. The RS have 4 WSC’s in the past 16 years, and we have ‘fans’ that want everyone fired, and the park and city razed.
Past that, Cashman, so far, as not made the over-the-top moves for a championship. He was criticized for about 15 years for not being able to build a farm. Now I think he’s become gun-shy and holding on too long.
He’s got Cole, who is top-shelf, but he really needs to trade for a second ace. I think that’s where the playoff money is.
hey ducky i know how you feel i was cursing mo and the birds for doing nothing but jacking it all offseason then they got nolan. as an outsider looking in at the yanks i think cash man has done a good job keeping the team watchable to nyy standards. (just like in stl a losing season in nyy is 85~90 wins and just missing/barely making it). also let’s not forget nyy have been scratching at that door for the ws they just like the braves of the 90’s either run into a hot team or they find a way to beat themselves.
i can understand the frustration of gdi we’re good and if we can fix x with y or cash wtf are you doing (just little more frustrating here in stl because no likes low hanging fruit) but you know seems like your better off not getting that top fa guy
its 100% about team health to be honest. realistically if 2 of the last 4 starters can stay healthy and they get a full healthy season from at least two players between Frazier, Judge, Stanton, and Hicks then they have a serious shot at a WC spot or even the divison. wouldnt bet on that happening though.
You see them quite a bit more pessimistically than I do it seems @DarkSide830.
This squad looks like a shoe in for the playoffs. The Yanks have so overbuilt the pen & offense that those facets should be enough perfume for a number of in season pigs.
I’m not sure how I feel about Fangraphs seeing the 5th best AL rotation. Seems like they are pretty enamored with the “depth” as such. The rotation does look really top heavy right now. But there are a number of decent options.
Injuries are most likely going to be a pretty big deal for everyone this season. I think the only storm the Yanks would have difficulty navigating would be an injury to Cole.
Other than that, it’s tough to argue with Vegas about the Yankees being the AL favorite. Hey, maybe I’m just a homer. But I bet the Yanks’ll be playing in October. Odds are they’ll be playing in the Oct after next. & the one after that…
Ok honestly not sure why Vegas and others have NY ranked so high. I get that TB took a step back with some of the trades they made this off-season but NY barely finished above .500 on last year’s shortened season and they’re bringing back essentially the same team. Kluber is at best a replacement for what they lose from Tanaka, and Taillon at best replaces what was lost in Happ. The lineup is virtually the same. And a big part of why NY finished over .500 last year was being able to go 9-1 in their 10 games against Boston. The Sox aren’t going to be as easy to dominate this year with the rotation shored up much more than they had last year losing their top 2 starters unexpectedly. I just don’t see this as a runaway great team.
A lot of folks, particularly RS fans, don’t realize that the RS had a better record than the NYY over the final 36-38 games. The NYY started off 16-6, and the RS started off 6-18, and that was all she wrote.
After that, the RS outplayed them.
And with the unbalanced schedule, the Yankees played 7 of those 10 games against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
I don’t think this is entirely accurate. The team when healthy at the beginning of the season started 16-6 and looked great. It was after that when everyone got hurt and the subs couldn’t keep up that they went through a terrible stretch. Obviously it’s a big if, but if the team stays healthy it’s really not the same group that barely went .500.
Boston might not be the laughing stock they were last year but if we’re all being honest they’re still not a good team. You have to assume barring some big injuries to the Yankees and a come out of nowhere season from several young Boston players the Yankees will still take 12+ of the games against Boston. And I’m willing to bet they’ll do overall better against Tampa this year to balance out the other few games.
The AL East to me clearly comes down to how healthy do the Yankees stay, how does the pitching/young stars for Toronto do, and how does Tampa fill in for what they lost. Boston and Baltimore at least on paper are too far behind these three teams talent wise that if the Yankees can’t dominate them they really don’t deserve to win the division anyway.
And for the record, when healthy Taillon is way better than happ. The issue again is health. Not saying he’s an ace but he’s a solid 3/4 starter as opposed to happ who is more of a 4/5 guy. Unpopular opinion but I actually think the ceiling is higher for Kluber than Tanaka but we’ll have to see what Kluber shows up. I think even an aged not back to his old form Kluber is a slight upgrade from Tanaka. Bigger concern is Kluber not staying on the field. And don’t forget severino is potentially coming back. This yankee rotation to me has the potential to be great based purely on the talent level. The issue is there’s about a 0% chance they all stay healthy and play up to potential.
Yes, buuuuut, your speaking about the impacting factors in a vacuum. Then consider the influences of close games, injuries, double-headers, etc, etc. My point is there are/were too many variables to narrow down Yankees record being better than the RSox to playing each other, or the beginning of their seasons because one can take that to any extreme regarding any aspect of any part of their season.
Yankees were a better team, and that’s that. Nonetheless, I don’t count the RSox out…. ever. Neither do I count TB out, even if they suck. The reason is because even if they aren’t competitive, they have screwed the season for each other more than a handful of times.
I like to watch good baseball. If the RSocks win, they win. But, if not, please don’t start with the Mets-like excuses of, “Well, if our whole rotation wasn’t injured, and we acquired Bauer on a Wednesday, we would’ve won the WS by now BS.”
This was not a response to Baseballallday, I think he posited good points in his post as well.
I think the Yankees are going to struggle a bit this year. They need to hit on everything they’ve done this off season to be really solid. Their bullpen took a blow and you know some of their big boys are going to be sitting next to britton on the IL. It’ll be interesting seeing what they can pull off.
Truckloads of “vitamins”. Continued “injuries”. “Fans”.
Same old same old.
Hoping the Yankees bring in Lance Armstrong as a “nutrition consultant”. That guy wouldn’t have missed any games, @whyhaze.
I can’t believe his “privates” didn’t explode on the bicycle seat. Must’ve had good cushioning.
That’s because they inverted…….
All you guys are too negative. True, there are many “ifs” on this team, but it would seem “on paper” the Yankees only playoff competition in the east are the blue jays. Tampa lost two of the best pitchers in baseball, boston has done really nothing to improve a bad team, Baltimore is well ummm Baltimore lol
@Bigtimeyankeefan- so basically what your saying bro, there is really no competition in the AL East? And the Yankees will run away with the division. Lol
Tampa “loses” every off season yet is still better than most wen it comes playing time. I wouldn’t count them out.
injuries arent “on paper”
BigtimeYankeefan-Snell and Morton are big loses. But they are not 2 of the best pitchers in baseball. Tampa will be right in the mix again this year. They have a great farm system and have a way of bringing dead pitchers back to life. I do agree on paper that the Yankees are the top team in that division. But I don’t think Toronto will be there only competition.
Metsfan42632
BigtimeYankeefan-Snell and Morton are big loses.
===================================================
Too many people focus on the names. They are losses, but they were a combined 6-4. They didn’t run away with the ALE based solely on those two. And there is a decent chance Patino could add a lot before it’s over.
So getting Eduardo Rodriguez back and adding a competent starter like Garrett Richards does nothing to improve Boston from last year, when they had 24 of their 60 starts from guys like Zack Godley, Chris Mazza, Ryan Weber, Colton Brewer and Mike Kickham?
Garret Richards is not terrible imposing and erod has as many questions as anyone in the Yankees rotation. Also Erod had one great season in 2019 but I’ve never thought of him as a real ace. Don’t get me wrong he’s not a bad pitcher and obviously better than anyone Boston had last year but in reality he’s a borderline #2/very solid #3 pitcher. I’ve never been terribly impressed with his command or ability to work counts. Chris sale has the potential to dramatically improve Boston but he won’t be back right away and he’s got a lot of questions around him too. At the end of the day Boston should be a little better than they were last year but without a ton of luck and some breakout performances mixed in with injuries and down years on other teams it’s really hard to see them competing with NY, Tampa, or Toronto.
If NY had split the 10 games against Boston last year vs going 9-1 like they did they would have finished under .500 for the season. That’s hardly an imposing looking team. And they’re largely unchanged from last year. All their off-season moves were either bringing back players who were already there (LeMahieu, Gardner) or replacing players who left with equivalent counterparts. Boston actually HAS improved what they had for pitching over last season. So with Boston actually improved to where no one should be shocked if they can post a .500 head to head record against NY the idea that NY is clearly a run away lock for the playoffs in the AL East is more than a bit presumptuous. Without having watched it every game I don’t think many understand just how bad Boston’s pitching was last year or how much they’ve improved on it heading into this year. As for the AL East as a whole, other than Baltimore likely being the #5 team the remaining 4 could finish in any order 1-4 this coming season and I wouldn’t be shocked by any of those results.
So glad to hear all the negative feedback. I’ve never been more excited for a season to start. I wish it could start tomorrow. Play ball!!!
Yankees are gonna be fine. I say this as a Mets fan. Folks are just not used to the Yanks basically standing pat as opposed to trying to win the off season. I personally think they’re gonna regret signing a 100 year old LaMahieu to that contract based on an outlier, career year he’s likely to never come close to duplicating (and will likely decline in a hurry), but they’ll be fine. I’d guess they take the division if Tampa doesn’t surprise us yet again.
@Cosmo2- are the Mets winning the NL East this season? Citi Field is 15-20 minutes from my house. I live on Long Island. Queens is not NYC.
If queens is not NYC then the Bronx sure as hell isn’t.
A. The Mets have a shot at the division, yes. B. Educated folks would disagree with your, I’m hoping intentional, misrepresentation of urban jurisdictions. Anyway, you might wanna tell the mayor about your little theory, you could lessen his workload by 20%. Eliminate an entire burrough!
Thats delusional.
@Cosmo2- it just seems funny to me that I can get to CitiField in 15-20 minutes. I just never really considered Queens, NYC.
That’s like saying Cincinnati is in Kentucky because it’s two miles from Newport.
My mom is from Manhattan and doesn’t consider anything but Manhattan below 150th or so to be NYC. Dad’s from the Bronx. Me, from upstate, see all 5 burroughs as NYC. Certainly, though, if Queens isn’t NYC, neither is the Boogie Down.
Hey, I live in Manhattan and to me “upstate” is anything above like 72nd street. But that doesn’t change the facts.
@BadBenjamin- you make a good point
t’s like a smaller city within our massive metropolis. NYC has five of them—the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island—each with dozens of neighborhoods lending their own local flavor according to NYC official tour guide.
I guess Long Island doesnt matter and neither does their opinion. J/K 🙂
I think yankees basically will depend on 3 players, Kluber, Taillon, and Judge and then to a lesser extent between Stanton/Hicks. If they miss significant time as history has shown they usually do with regular season. Stanton and Hicks i think are only important in the fact that your outfield depth probably suffers a ton with those injuries where probably Frazier/Ford slides into a DH role and your production probably drops a bunch.
Mets are in a similar boat with their pitching in that they have had significant layovers especially in the case of Stroman and uncertainty in Carrasco switching leagues. Walker inconsistent, and Peterson is new.
or kc is in kansas or stl is in il even though both cities spill into both states
Okay, I’ve seen this convo and I have to ask because I’m confused: My family is from the Bronx. How is one NYC and not the other? The Burroughs comprise NYC and those are 2/5, and the largest one is Queens. I get it if it’s someone busting balls, but it seems like a serious discussion and I’m struggling to figure out…how?
yc this kinda sounds like when i tell people i’m from stl and technically i’m not i live in the burbs 30 mins west but if i tell people i’m from ofallon mo they would go where in the f is o’fallon so i just say i’m from stl. just like nyc the city of stl is more than just stl itself it is all the small little cities with a stones throw away around stl that really make up stl
Not sure, man. But either way I don’t think it’s ever been in dispute that Queens is a part of NYC since that Burrough was incorporated.
The yankees already lost their second best reliever for half the year. Their success consists on 2 pitchers who haven’t been healthy in the last two years one has to go back in time to be that great pitcher he was and the other has to become that great pitcher everyone assumed he could be. Thats too many ifs in my book
Still way too many right-handed hitters in a park built for lefties.
Bingo… they will be the easiest team to knock out of the playoffs. The lack of lefty/right balance makes them the easiest club to pitch to — especially with so many all or nothing slugger types.
Off-season grade: F
Yank4life, there’s always a team that seems to come out of nowhere, and if you read what I wrote, I said Toronto would be competition. They seem to have a solid team, though if they have to rely on matz that could be a problem lol. Btw, queens is very much part of nyc
@Bigtimeyankeefan- not so sure, if Dunedin doesn’t land another starter like they need, then Tampa Bay will likely get a wild card instead. I don’t look at Queens as NYC. I never will. Sorry just can’t. Lol. It’s what you believe right?
You didn’t hear about the Jays depth at pitching? Apparently they have great SP depth. This is according to the Blue Jays fans in-denial.
An outfield of Gardner, Ford, and Tauchman isnt going to win any world series
@Metsin7 – I told Boonie he should dump Ford but he wants to play him in centre field every single game. I don’t get it; do you???
Blue Jays fan logic states the Jays have good SP depth despite not having good SP. judging the Yankees roster, using said logic, Yanks have great SP depth.
Deivi, Schmidt if healthy, Abreu if healthy, Medina, King, Gil. Yep, Jays fans must concede the depth argument.
its going to be a matter of how much depth is needed. very possible the team that has the lowest number of pitchers with starts come year’s end is the divison champ.
@WereAllJustGuestsHere- If Abreu, Medina, or Gil are starting for the Yankees in 2021 then we’re definitely in a lot of trouble for sure. Medina has great stuff but gets so wild it’s scary. Gil is not ready yet for the majors. If Abreu makes the team then hopefully it’s as a middle reliever. Michael King as a emergency starter once in a while is fine.
Yanks you missed my point. Way too many Jays fans keep harping on this lie that the Jays have good SP depth. Judging the Yanks depth chart, they have a better and more attractive AAA staff. Rays too.
Jays fans do this whenever the team looks to make a move in the standings; ignore other teams, ignore facts, cross their fingers.
Yanks could deal three of their AAA arms for a player. Jays can’t.
@WereAllJustGuestsHere- I disagree, maybe Luis Castillo can’t be had in a trade for the Blue Jays. But Sonny Gray could be traded in a package that would include Jordan Groshans, Alek Monoah, and either Eric Pardinho or Adam Kloffenstein. The Reds don’t want to pay Sonny his $12 million this year and his contract for next season. It seems like a no-brainer for the Jays.
Yankee-4 – I’m referring to the Jays AAA pitchers. Since you are bringing up Gray you are indirectly agreeing with me.
To reiterate, many Jays fans believe the Jays have really good pitching depth. I disagree. All I said was I would take the Yankees AAA staff over the Jays AAA. Jays best pitching prospects are in AA and under.
Yes the Jays have enough to trade for Gray. No question.
i’m gonna ask a quick question why would any jays fan want gray didn’t he get ate up by the ale when he pitched in ny?
You mean eaten up?
Gray is better than Roark, Matz and probably Ray. Gray would serve as the Jays #2 or at worst a #3. Am I saying the Jays are or should go after him? Not exactly.
Gray has two parks he hasn’t pitched well in: Yankee and Fenway. I think he’d be fine in Toronto.
“only 2 parks he didn’t pitch well in are yankee and fenway” don’t you guys play a lot of games in them parks. if i was any gm of an ale team id stick away from gray. i get you wanting to see tor improve there sp but tbh i don’t think gray is worth it
The fact the Yankees fans think this patched together pitching staff will work and kluber isn’t done is funny af
MetsFan22- have you seen Kluber pitch this spring yet? He looks far from being finished. It wouldn’t surprise me if he is AL Comeback Player of the year in 2021.
Mancini is winning comeback player of the year and if you deny that, your a sad man. Not saying you are but if you think Mancini doesn’t deserve it your sad.
Yikes! So performance doesn’t matter?? He can hit 230 and get benched yet is entitled to a trophy? Is this little league or MLB?
Yanks best have a slew of comeback players if they are going to be relevant in WS talk….Stanton, Judge, Tallion, Kluber, Severino……heck you can throw Torres and Sanchez on that list too based off of performance last year…..
matz has pitched 5 scoreless with 6k’s.
@MetsFan22- but it’s only spring training. You sound like you want him back now on the Mets? What’s Matz at his very best, a #4 or #5 in a pitching rotation? Isn’t that what Robbie Ray is also?
I am a fan of neither the Yankees nor the Mets. Having said that I have a lot more questions about the Yankee’s rotation. Having to count on Kluber, Taillon and Severino, who haven’t had a plus season between them since 2018, is asking for trouble.
I am sure the Yankees will make the playoffs. I just don’t see them going to the World Series.
Same.
The same could be said about the Mets rotation…. every. Single. Year.
There a 1976 New Yorker magazine cover which sums up the yankee fans perfectly. Two avenues of NYC take up the bottom half, the sky takes up the top quarter and in between is the rest of the world. yankee fans honestly have no clue about anything beyond their tiny little slice of the pie which they think is the whole pie. What they don’t realize is that everyone else sees them as the crust, to be left in the box, and tossed away. No flavor, none of the good stuff, just boring crust. Most of their comments are nothing more than complaining about the rest of baseball or bragging about how many championships they’ve won and how great their team is going to be this season. Chomp, chomp. it’s just crust.
@whycrazyee – First off, what kind of crust are we talking about here? Pie, pizza, bread? And secondly, I didn’t know people in mental institutions had access to the internet, oh well.
P.S. I’ll try to come up & visit you next Sunday & whatever you do don’t forget to take your meds.
@whyhaze –
First, thanks for making an effort to inject some creativity into your Yankee trolling efforts. You are obviously taking my critique seriously. So thanks for that!
That all being acknowledged, it does read like the rambling of a crazy person. New Yorker covers from 1976, “crust”, etc. Umm…lol, what?
Now I’m not going to go all riddler on you & inquire whether your first draft was done on a wall in crayon. That seems fair but I shall refrain.
Keep working on it, @whyhaze. I’d recommend checking out the old RAB comments. Try schooling on the stylistic approaches of very good Yankee trolls such as Rainbow Trout. He was good.
Grade: D
@DBF- “now I’m not going to go all riddler on you” that actually made me Lol, Ducky! I mean how can I resist, the guys a lunatic. Btw, looks like you got in a couple good jabs yourself pal.
Do you even know the reference? Have you heard of the New Yorker magazine? It has cartoons, so maybe you have. It’s a quite famous cover and spot on the mentality of New Yorkers. The crust reference is also spot on. New York lies at the edge of the land mass known as America. Hence New York is essentially the crust. Sigh, there, explained.
Thanks for clearing that up whycrazyee. Ahahaha!
It’s hilarious you talk about yankee fans knowing nothing like we haven’t all read your posts on this site…
hey you gotta give whyhayzee some credit on blasting the yanks on a yankee post i mean it either takes some ball, plain stupidity or both to do so and not caring about getting railed by the nyy faithful. even though sometimes nyy fans can get a little bit delusional but hey when you win as much as the nyy you can be delusional. heck my team has only won half of what the yanks have won and i’m just as delusional.
No, you don’t.
Whyhayzee is a pretentious Dbag who judges himself to be better than 9 million people he doesn’t know and makes fun of them for being self-absorbed like….. um, every other human being in every other city.
He’s a hypocrite also who comes to troll and slam NYers while crying if they criticize any other team. And for someone who says NYers are too isolated, you seem to spend an inordinate amount of your time concentrating on them…… just an observation fella.
They are certainly the Upper Crust of MLB. The other clubs are ketchup packets.
Everything will depend on health and it’s already not starting off right. I like the Kluber signing a lot and I’m intrigued by what Taillon brings to the table, but I wish they had acquired a consistent pitcher to help solidify the rotation in case of injury. Either bringing back Tanaka or a trade for a guy like Kyle Hendricks wouldve really put the bow on this off-season. Don’t get me wrong, I love the DJ contract and the Wilson signing, to name a few, but the starting pitching will remain a questions mark all year long.
Ooooh, man! I really wanted them to go after Hendricks. Preferably Hendricks/Contreras, but even if they only landed Hendricks because Contreras was too much…. that guy is underrated IMO. Always has been.
Not only did the Yankees land Darren O’Day this off season.
They are working on a deal to bring another player on board by March 17th.
PATTY O’FURNITURE !!!
I gave them a B. They swapped out Tanaka & Happ for Kluber & Taillon, which I think is a negative. But they were also under payroll constraints since they became Tampa Bay North, or whatever the Red Sox haters like to call the RS.
To roughly maintain equilibrium, while getting under the cap, is a pretty decent job.
Joe, great points and I agree. However I think most critics miss a key point: TB losing Morton and Snell hurts their team worse than the Yankees losing Happ/Tanaka – especially when you consider the acquisitions of Tallion/Kluber v. Patino.
With that said, as I also cited above, if Kluber/Tallion both fail, the whole shebang is a failure and there’s no argument in defense. It’s going to be a hindsight judgement.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to name this website: “MLB News” or something like that?
I mean articles about players getting Covid, or previewing teams seasons really doesn’t have anything to do with “trade rumors”
Why are you opposed to expanded coverage of baseball? You do realize there will almost no rumors from now until June.
I put C but it’s probably more C+. Injuries have been their issue. Resigning Gardner wasn’t great and Kluber is a question. We shall see how he replaces the absence of Tanaka.
This offseason has come with more risks than we see Cashman typically make. Usually he goes for the predictable floor deals and takes smaller risks on bounce back candidates. Personally, I like the high risk/high reward signings and other moves. I also think that the young arms on the cusp/making the jump to the bigs will make an exciting impact. Plus, those players can reduce the risk. Wish they had found room for Tanaka and could have dumped German altogether, but that’s COVID business I guess
It looks to me as if the Yankees took steps to get old this season.
Tanakas coming back end of the season. Good way to circumvent the luxury tax and gives him time to rest in Japan.
Guess who fangraphs has projected to be the best starting staff in baseball? Seek any spelt backwards is a good place to start looking.
Oooo, so close but not quite, heh. Good effort, though.
You’re right I screwed that up. Yankees only have the best projected starting staff in the AL….#3 overall behind the Dodgers and Padres and ahead of #4 the NY Mets.
Thank you for pointing out my mistake : p
All in good fun. You’re a Yankee fan, I gotta bust your chops a bit when the opportunity arises.
Don’t worry it’s tough to offend me. I love a good rivalry, fans shouldn’t like one another when it comes to their teams lol. Just excited we might actually get back to some normal baseball. Hey maybe I’ll even have an over priced stale beer inside a ballpark this year.
Oh, I missed the last part. I thought it was just that fans shouldn’t like each other – eat it Cosmo!
Axisa I know you’re out there, probably with the name Eddard somewhere in this comment section. Let’s get the old blog rolling again! We need some good times these days…
As for the rest of yah….Reilly Joe Momma is coming at yah with pinstripes all season so get used to it, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! Ducky knows!
#RAB
Yankees aka Cashman did it again. He filled out the roster with high-end talent. The Yanks will likely win the AL East.
Kluber was the only bad signing. I like the Tallion trade. That leaves Severino, German, Garcia, and Montgomery to win games. Odds are 3 out of those 4 are going to be good.
On paper the Yanks are the ALEast beasts. Tampa won’t be there without Snell and Morton. The Jays rotation is awful, only looks good compared to the Orioles and RedSox.
A healthy Sale might turn the Red Sox into a better rotation than the Jays. But hey, glad the Jays have that great depth!
They should have passed on DJ and sunk their money into pitching. They can’t get by their philosophy of getting the bright shiny thing. Stanton was the last one, now DJ. They could have won a couple of WS, but they can’t change their ways. You can’t be that way if you are putting yourself on any kind of a budget, which they have. Pitching is what they need. You can’t have enough. Their bats are fine.
Defense and pitching win games – like Tauchman and likely won’t make the cut. Frankly signing Gardner was a mistake
Yanks have talent and some depth but they need to cross their fingers tightly with some of the guys they’re counting on. Too many key players coming back from injury and too many who are injury prone to call this team a WS contender.
I gave them a B. A lot of people bashing the starting pitching, which is fair to a point, but they get Montgomery back, Severino is back at some point, as well as German (we’ll see how that goes). They still have Cole and they added Kluber and Taillon.
There’s certainly some risk there, but on paper it’s a decent group with some young inexperienced depth available when someone goes down or doesn’t perform, and you know they will be active at the deadline if they need to add some pieces.
If Sanchez remains an issue defensively I think they need to move on from him, even if they take a hit in offensive production for better defense. You can’t have a catcher that the pitchers don’t trust behind the plate.