Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed what most fans had already expected, telling reporters that “it’s probable you won’t see” Zack Britton in 2022 (link via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post). Cashman didn’t fully rule out the possibility that the lefty could return for a playoff push. The long-time Orioles closer and Yankees set-up man underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in September — something of a surprise at the time, as both club and player had only planned on a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow, but that procedure evidently revealed significant damage to Britton’s UCL.
The southpaw arrived in the Bronx from Baltimore in a July 2018 trade and had no problems shifting from closer to a set-up role, logging 25 innings of 2.88 ERA ball before posting a combined 1.90 ERA (and an elite 232 ERA+) across 80 1/3 innings between 2019 and ’20. His 2021 came off the rails, however, as his ERA ballooned to 5.89 behind a BB% spike to 17.1% (his career mark was 9.5% entering the season). Britton’s $14MM salary — which became guaranteed when the Yankees picked up his 2022 option in October 2020 — essentially becomes dead money. The news may mean a bigger role for 2021 deadline acquisition Joely Rodriguez, who re-signed with the Yankees for one-year, $2MM on Wednesday.
Some other notes on injury situations around the game:
- Per The Athletic’s Nick Groke (Twitter link), righty Scott Oberg has undergone another procedure to further address issues arising from repeated blood clots in his arm. Though the righty reliever hasn’t seen a mound since 2019, Groke reports that the Colorado front office wants him in a Rockies uniform next year “even if he’s not able to pitch,” and Oberg has confirmed his desire to return. Oberg scouted and coached while on the IL in 2021, serving as something of a “bullpen Yoda,” per Groke. The Rockies may ask him to shift to that role more formally in 2022. Oberg has a solid 3.85 ERA (3.98 FIP) across 257 1/3 big-league innings spanning five seasons. The 31-year-old had planned to pitch in 2021 after undergoing thoracic surgery in September 2020 that doctors thought would keep the issue from recurring, but the issue returned following a March 2021 Spring Training appearance. As Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette explained last month, Oberg spent a night in the ICU earlier this year ahead of an emergency surgery after his hand went numb and trainers couldn’t find a pulse in his wrist. This more recent procedure was planned, Groke notes.
- The Cubs announced to reporters that left-handed reliever Brad Wieck has been cleared for all baseball activities following a heart ablation procedure to address a irregular heartbeat — the second such procedure he’s undergone in two years (Twitter link via Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). The importance of Wieck’s numbers pale in comparison to his health, of course, but he was a stellar bullpen option for the Cubs through early July, when he didn’t allow a single earned run while striking out 28 (albeit alongside 10 walks) in 17 innings. For his career, the 30-year-old Wieck has a 3.77 ERA and high-end 35.9 K% in 59 2/3 innings across parts of four seasons with the Cubs and Padres.
Que the:
“Yankees interested in ________ “(big name relief pitcher).
And Yankee fans flooding the board with:
“We’ll trade you Frazier and a low level prospect that will be really good some day for your All-Star closer”.
LOL
Yankees don’t need anyone else’s relievers – even without Britton. Their bullpen is loaded. The only problem with their bullpen is they don’t have enough roster spots for all the MLB caliber relievers that they have.
Scary thing for Oberg. People have died from blood clots. At one point Tom Glavine had one with the Mets and people were talking about him potentially needing to have his pitching arm amputated.
That’s cool and all, but what does it have to do with Jimmy’s comment?
Absolutely nothing. It has to do with the article that was posted before Jimmy’s comment.
*cue*
rememberthecoop
*cue*
====================================
I think technically, it can be both. My first instinct was ‘cue’, as in a signal.
But if you used ‘que’, you could mean it as in ‘to line up’.
@JoeBrady – even if that were to make sense it would be “queue”
You’ll get over it Sam.
Sam give it up!!!! Repeating the same line over and over is hardly interesting or thought provoking.
Mickey777 give it up!!!! Yankee fans repeating the same one-way nonsensical trades over and over is hardly interesting or thought provoking.
What nonsensical trades have I proposed over and over?
Something must be interesting Sam or you wouldn’t post nonstop with your obsession with all things Yankees.
Lol
Is Sam having a stroke? (Maybe I shouldn’t laugh about that?)
No one is presenting crazy trades but Yankee haters such as yourself. I am a huge Yankee fan, but know right now that many of the spare parts of the Yankees are not worth any empty can of Schlitz.
My take in that is that they will be all over Hader !
Wait for it !
Moron Yankee Troll..you and the other 4 that gave you a thumbs up!
Britton getting dumped to another team and Yankees will include some random prospect they don’t believe in
And the receiving team irrationally believing they hit the jackpot. Don’t leave out that part.
Yankee fans will expect the other team to throw in their all star player to complete the deal.
Kane….Why not..that “All Star Player” would rather be on the Yankees fighting through the playoffs than on an also ran club ending up in the cellar….after all the Yankees have been in the playoffs for 20 -of the last 23 years..BEAT THAT!
I’ve seen some Cubs fans do it, too. In a chat a couple years ago a Cubs fan asked why they hadn’t tried to trade Heyward to the Braves for Acuna. His logic was Acuna is younger so he could fall apart and for some reason he thought, “Braves fans love Heyward.” At least the chat host set him straight. Unfortunately it was during a chat so no one could find out his screen name to call him out later. It really makes you wonder if some of these “fans” know anything about baseball.
@ rocky7;
Yes, the “that All Star Player” would love to be “fighting through the playoffs” on a team that hasn’t gotten to the WS in 12 years.
And I’m sure the owner, FO, and teams fans would be utterly delighted to be stuck with the Yankees garbage (much better than the garbage that every team has plenty of in their farm system) so that the perennial contender can play some games and get home in time to watch the WS on TV.
Because rocky7, as every Yankee fan is taught – don’t respect the other teams, just figure out who they have that the mighty Yankees can use. Because using others is a way of life in NYC – while the hicks in the rest of the country going around respecting and growing and enjoying life with one another. What losers! No?
P.S. I love you Yankee fans, because you know so little about baseball – and you persist in showing it. You all think that as long as the budget keeps going up your dynasty will revive……..12 years and counting. And you got Mets fans doing it! LOL
Yes. All fan bases at times suggest uneven trades, even ridiculous trade proposals. It’s hardly relegated to one team.
Every team has some fans that do it but from my personal experience I’ve read far more from Cubs and Yankees fans. To be honest I think it has more to do with media than anything. Cubs fans were certain they were getting some superstar in Heyward even after he had a couple bad seasons. Once they realized he sucked I think some of the fans thought other teams might not have realized it yet. In some New York media outlets the prospects are absurdly overhyped and frequently compared to hall of famers. Some less informed fans buy into that and think other teams do as well. I don’t think they pay a whole lot of attention to prospect rankings. As guy a guy who mostly knows Braves fans I’ve only met one or two in my life that think that way about Braves prospects. I can probably name about 6 Yankees fans I know that fully believe the Yankees have at least 5 future hall of famers in their minor leagues right now. That have vast over expectations for them because Yankees players get so much more attention in media outlets. They just figure it’s because they are that much better. The Cubs fans I know didn’t do it so much with their prospects as they did their free agent signings. They were clearly the last team to realize how overrated Heyward was but once the figured it out they thought other teams valued him as much as they used to. All teams have some fans like that but some teams have more. I’ve met some Mets, Phillies and Red Sox fans that were similar. There are some regions of this country where a lot of people just constantly talk up everything that has to do with them. Whether it’s sports or personal life.
@samuel
The Yankees were unable to use Hicks as he was injured all year!
It’s probably most fans. But imo, the amount of posts in here regarding Frazier, Urshela, Andujar, etc., was really high. It’s probably partially due to having more Yankee posters in here, but some of the trade proposals were really far afield.
Even now, some of the fans think Dominguez is untouchable.
That said, there is another side to this. There are no small amount of RS fans that will want to get rid of a rookie if he goes 0-3. I’ve been to maybe 500 Yankees games. Guys like Velasquez, will be adored by Yankee fans. The higher prospects can booed eventually.
But the little guys, and most prospects in general, never get booed in NY. They’ll understand that guys like Velasquez aren’t really players, but if he sticks with the Angels, and starts a game in NY, I guarantee you a standing ovation.
Disagree, @Brady.
More often than not, it is non Yankee fans posting that nonsense. Look at the very first comment! Bro. A bunch of us came over from River Ave Blues. Mr Axisa brought a whole lot of Yankee fans up to speed (self included) on modern baseball.
No.
The Yankee fans – as a group – are one of (if not the) most savvy & nuanced fans on the board. This is not bias. It’s an end result of us having – for the most part – much clearer perceptions around analytics & “new” baseball stats & practices. & that is a trickle down effect due simply to the sheer number of blogs that are Yankee centric.
Even though you are a sox guy, I find I usually am in accord with your posts. But, if every fan base was as well versed in baseball as the Yankee guys, dialogue on the board as a whole would be *much* improved.
Bet.
You are such an idiot, @sam.
Your takes are completely backwards so much of the time. Every single Yankee fan on the board knows significantly more about baseball than you. That is not hyperbole.
You know about trolling & being a long winded fool. Just so you know that we have you figured out. You have a worse batting average than Phat Sancho when it comes to being right, fool.
The only comment about trading Frazier was yours dip****.
Missed war… Such a ‘well researched’ opinion.
It wasn’t an opinion. I was just stating my personal experience. I’m sure other people have had different experiences. Judging from the comments on this site there are other people who have also had the same experience as me though. When I lived in New York it was kind of strange with some of the younger people around my age at the time. I was in my 20’s. Certainly not everyone was like this but a lot more than I have met anywhere else. You couldn’t tell a story or an experience without some of them immediately trying to top you and say they went through something even bigger. You couldn’t say you were good at something without them immediately saying they were in someway better. You couldn’t point out good players on your team without them saying their team had some player that was better. I couldn’t even go on a date with an attractive girl without some of them talking about how they dated way more attractive girls and did it all the time. It was strange. Once you got through all the superficial bragging they were usually really solid people. I just couldn’t figure out why they constantly did that. A lot of it was exaggerating, too. In the south people don’t really do that at all. I can’t tell if it’s some people being insecure or what. I don’t really understand the culture some people have where they feel the need to top everyone else all the time and constantly talk themselves up. Like I said, they aren’t all like that by any stretch but there’s definitely entire groups of people who all do that when they meet someone new and I don’t really see that in a lot of other regions.
@missed. Heyward is almost forgotten about by Braves fans now. At his massive 6’5” 240 size he vastly was a disappointment in the home run department. I was excited by him a few years but in the end glad the Braves moved on from him.
Britton AND Bryan Mitchell to the Padres, AJ Preller on the phone right now.
I can’t imagine this actually happening.
It’s called comedy
Some fans will believe it can happen. That and trading Torres and Frazier for someone like Bryan Reynolds.
This comment was satirical
I gathered that from your first reply, but thanks for reiterating things for me.
My point is there is a portion of Yankeedom that essentially expects other teams to give up their treasure for Yankees trash just because they’re the Yankees. Of course, other teams have similar sunsets within their fanbases.
You know really tired of hearing all the trash regarding Yankees fans and the trade expectations….like other teams routinely offer up their best players in trades and don’t include some of if not all of the “trash” as you so eloquently put it….glad you admit this is indicative of every team in MLB!
rocky, you must have stopped reading before my final sentence where I said other teams have fans who do the same thing. Or maybe it was the autocorrect of “subsets” to “sunsets” that threw you off.
Aww, not you too, @gbs42.
Yankee fans don’t post those kind of trade proposals, man. Posters like sam sure do though.
Ya know: trolls.
@gbs42
It wasn’t Torres and Frazier. It was Andujar and Frazier.
Like I said, Ducky, every team has some fans who call for crazy one-sided trades. The Yankees ones just seem to have been beating the same drum the last several months.
Sorry if I came off as condescending earlier my bad
I have never once seen a Yankee fan post “Frazier for Trout.” Ever. Not a single time. But: I have seen that post…man…100 times?
More?
Because a Royals fan – for example – posts something like that does not in any way mean that Actual Yankee Fans do.
The entire thing is absolute BS. & it’s actually pretty annoying. To talk baseball with my actual guys, I have to wade through all of that gunk & it is never creative, interesting, or productive. Same old crap every thread.
God. I get. We’re the Yanks. People dedicate large portions of their erstwhile lives “hating” us. Dare I label that “pathetic”? I think so.
Ah well.
Comes with being the best, I suppose.
gbs42 first of all to my thinking, trade proposals are a fool’s errand if there ever was. Nobody ever gets one right.
Secondly a lot of these proposals are not the posters ideas. I read a lot of media trade ideas and sure enough they will be on here in the next day or two.
Third there are more Yankees fans than a lot of other teams. More fans, more opportunity for idiots. And there are a couple of Yankees fans on here that give us a bad name.
tstats – if you’re addressing me, no worries. I do the same thing sometimes.
Ducky – how about Judge for DeJong?
How about Frazier & Andjuar for DeJong & Bader.
I much prefer that.
Ducky – DeJong, Bader, Flaherty, and O’Neill for Torres – and that’s my final offer!
Done.
Now that’s the way it’s supposed to go!
gbs42 – You, me, Ducky, and others have said that every team has a portion of their fan base that from time to time propose uneven or even idiotic trades. A fan by definition is a fanatic as a result is not suppose to be unbiased or perfectly fair. gbs42 root for your team! And if you feel like proposing a one sided trade go ahead and do it. It’s hardly a crime. It’s part of the charm of being a fan.
@Mick –
You’re a good poster with a great attitude, man. You’re right! It’s *supposed* to be fun. Sports are supposed to be fun.
Thanks for that little reminder. Yeeeesh. I was getting all serious & ****. Good catch.
I’ve always got your back, even when I disagree with you!
No we do not.
How would you know if it’s not a real, full blooded Yankee fan with those trades. I mean, it’s not going to happen but growing up on 17th street, walking distance to Yankee stadium and sitting next to Yankee fans, it could easily happen
Wieck mirrored quite a few of the Cubs relievers by having success until the sticky stuff ruling came down. That Cubs pen was lights out until then.
Coop—-that has to be the worst attempt at trolling in a long time.
I’m going to make an educated guess that Wieck’s heart issues had absolutely nothing to do with the sticky stuff ruling. (his performance nor stats changed at all post-surgery or post-sticky ruling)
And going to also surmise that the Cubs bullpen was lights out until they traded the lights out guys——Tepera, Chafin and Kimbrel.
The Oberg injury sounds quite scary. I wish him the best.
If the Yankees are expecting Rodriguez to fill Britton’s shoes they are in for resounding disappointment. If Joely was a righty he would have washed out of the league years ago.
Yeah, it’s going to be difficult to replace 18.1 innings and 5.46 FIP. Britton wasn’t a factor in ’21 and the Yanks had a top bullpen. He’s already been replaced.
That’s not what they’re seeking. He’s an arm they can utilize within a system of pitchers and relievers. They have been retooling the type of arms they’re deploying post the sticky stuff ban. They actually have more relievers now than open spots, and that doesn’t include about three or four arms in the minors who could immediately be used in high-leverage situations. Expect some trades. I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved Chad Green as part of a deal to fill other needs. Outside of the Rays who do magic with their pen every year, the Yankees are regarded as one of the better teams when it comes to building pens, including even restructuring them on the fly. Peralta, Holmes, Rodriguez all were picked up midseason and pitched better for the Yankees than their previous teams. There are some things the Yankees can do better. One thing I don’t worry about is their ability to construct a pen.
I have started to look at bullpens like I would position players groups in football. Offensive lines are a good example. Rather than viewing them as separate pieces trying to see how the pieces compliment one another.
Endgame:
Chapman – big true LH power arm.
Loaisiga – true power RH reliever. Can go multiple innings. Believe in his breakthrough. Fangraphs identified him as “the next Hader” years ago.
Set up:
Green – always an above average to elite reliever his entire career with us. Lives on those high 4-seamers
Luetge – LH curve & cut FB guy.
Both of these can go over an inning
Matchup & Specialists:
Rodriguez – isn’t a “buzz saw” for LH bats. He’s a portable saw mill. Last two years sub .500 OPS against LH bats. Only gave up one jack against a LH & that was in ’16.
Holmes – 73% GB rate. Enough said
Peralta – he’s probably on the bubble with this group. But a LH change up artist is a nice complimentary arm if he makes it through the winter.
Generic young RH power arms:
King, Abreu, Ridings, Medina, etc – hopefully we can hit one one or 2 of these guys to fill in the gaps.
Stepping back…what’s missing or could be added? Maybe a RH slider guy, or side armer, etc. Ray’s frequently go outside their org for a reliever like that (Ziegler, Romo, Roe, Drake et al). But really, not very much.
I see this pen as an adjustment by Cashman. He couldn’t seem to replicate the Big 3 endgame of the ’15 Royals. We just never had all 3 throwing well in October. Because: relievers.
Anyway, I believe Cash is purposefully building a 6+ deep pen like the recent A’s/Ray’s have. He has put together a pen (by November 12!) that will be both a regular & postseason force.
In Summation:
Sam the troll totally sucks & he wishes his Royals (who are careening toward another 90+ loss season) had a bullpen like this.
{fist bump Brian Cashman}
OMG Ducky, I didn’t realize Sam is a Royals fan. That’s just too funny.
On the bullpen, I hope Cashman stays away from the high dollar relievers in the future. If nothing else, the Yankees can put together a bullpen.
I also think you’re higher on Green than I am. He just isn’t as dominant as he used to be. Which isn’t terrible if he’s being used in lower leverage situations.
I think King can be a starter but there was a lot to like about Ridings.
Took me awhile to figure it out, Joe.
But: things start to make sense now that you know, uh?
On Green: this young man has been so overused by us. Man. Sadly, buyer beware when he hits free agency. He had a pretty loud home run problem in ’21. But he did put up good numbers again. I have him as a “co set up arm”. But he & Luetge have some protection above with Loaisiga being able to go multi-inning towards them & can be supplemented below with the match up arms.
I read an article on Fangraphs exploring the concept of building a pen through free agency. The upshot was: top shelf, name brand relievers was the safest investment. After that, it was those little deals involving older arms (think how Oakland builds out there pens with free agents.)
I am very open to high end relievers in the future.
I don’t believe Cash has moved away from a big-three concept. He’s been slowly building out below them with specialists. He previously was focused on spin, while that’s less reliable post sticky stuff. They’ve moved to add slider and changes at the bottom of the zone.
Green does get gassed late in the season but is highly effective. Fine he returns, but also fine if they want to cash him in. I have high confidence in their ability to build pens. Look at what the Phillies and other teams go through yearly. Cashman will pay for the big relievers, but he supplements with no names who then become names.
Johnny Lasagna will be replacing Chapman as closer after 2022. Could even happen in season this upcoming year if he doesn’t perform.
Interesting.
So do you think we will see a bullpen addition?
I kind of thought Cash was – more or less – done with the pen. Maybe we see a scrap heap pickup & we know he will sign a bunch of MiLB deals per usual. But for the most part, I picture him dusting off his hands & looking around for the next little project to tackle. A bunch of his earlier efforts bore fruit.
Graveman would be a nice arm to augment set up.
I don’t see a necessity or whatever. But if he can nail a Big 3 onto this bridge, I would probably be cool with just kicking the can down the road with the starters. That would be ferocious.
Agree on the changing of the guard at closer.
I heard a suggestion recently that made sense. Yankees trade Voit for a bullpen arm that has the peripherals but not the results. Someone like Holmes.
Ducky, thanks so much for a great summary of the Yankees bullpen! Especially like looking at in total, like you did. Per usual I don’t disagree with anything you said. I would, however, add that the bullpen is the part of the team which need the least amount of help. Unfortunately resources are limited. We need a catcher, SS, 1B, CF, and a starting pitcher more. Never hurts to dream though. Who knows maybe Steve Riddings will be a real solid addition to our bullpen this year.
Samuel, I hope you won’t say that I’m suggesting an unrealistic addition to our bullpen.
I wonder about the Brewers as a landing spot for Luke. They need offense. Desperately. They also have an opening at first. & they have a surplus of bullpen arms.
Voit still has a trade value (from BTV) of about 4 mil. Hey…has anyone else noticed that – like the stock market – players values change regularly? I thought I was imagining it at first. But I took screenshots. They do change.
No problem, Mick.
I kind of wanted to get it down so I could see it myself. Helped sort through everything. & I am with you. I just hope we can hang onto what we have in the pen until spring. I hope we can find other ways of improving our club without chipping into that depth. But unless Cash wants to go fairly big, or bullpen is set & is looks like a real strength.
But aside from ’20, Cash builds really good bullpens. I think he has done at least that again.
@Ducky, I didn’t even know who you were referring to until I scrolled up. Yeah, I ran across him when I started posting here a few months back again, and called him out on a few items he was clearly wrong about. I then realized he was simply a troll. I can only imagine being so butt-hurt that you are obsessed with another team more than your favorite team. To paraphrase Joe DiMaggio, I thank god for making me a Yankee fan. Trust, me, though, he’s made up for it by making me the fan of some truly frustrating teams in other sports!
Right on Rob M!!!
@Ducky, maybe, but only if they clear some other arms out. Cashman will cycle relievers out as they get closer to free agency. Green has one more year, so for the right offer they’ll move him. If they were to trade him, then maybe they’d bring someone else in. Mostly, though, I think he’ll work with the arms in house. One guy they absolutely should transition to the pen this year is Clarke Schmidt. He has the stuff to be a starter, but not the health. In that sense he’s similar to Loaisiga. Starter stuff, not blessed with the health to hold up as a starter. Move him to the pen and he’d be excellent. Luis Gil might be bullpen bound. I could see him even being a closer post Chapman. He has the attitude and stuff, but I believe the Yankees will give him 2022 to work on command and be available for 6th starter duties out of Scranton. They don’t have a shortage of arms, which is why teams are calling. Decent chance we may see one significant trade involving relievers before next Friday’s Rule 5 roster freeze. Stephen Ridings? What are they going to do with him?
I do believe when Chapman leaves after 2022 that they won’t spend big to replace him. They’ll save a big chunk of money and they have credible in-house options.
@RobM, It’s funny. I don’t mind trolls if they’re having fun. I’m in the minority, but Mets22 doesn’t bother me as he does most. He seems to be enjoying his game. Did you ever post on RAB? There was a guy there named Eddard. He was a troll but he was having fun. A bit of blog performance art. Malicious trolls though are different story. They add nothing. No humor. Just hate and arguments. I never engage. Waste of time.
That is something I would like to see the Yanks do differently. We hold out hopes with our pitching prospects to become starters for so long.
Look at Tampa bay. They make the starter or reliever call really early. Gil is a good example. He would have been in their (Ray’s) pen since ’20. I get why Cashman holds out so long. If just one can make it in the rotation it’s a huge jackpot.
But we tried too long with Loaisiga. Same with Abreu. I’d like to see the Yanks see the writing on the wall much quicker. Jonny Lasagna is a perfect example. Fangraphs saw his value as a reliever way before the Yanks did.
Yes!
The trolls were good at RAB. They were funny, creative, & interesting. It’s all the same here & it blows. Same stupid stuff every time. Look at the first comment. So lame.
Give me an interesting troll over the parrots; “SQAAAK…Frazier for Trout…BRAWWWWKK…Andujar for an ace…BRAWWKK…lol…BRAWWWKK”
I was a regular, Lord99. I miss the place.
It seems Ducky like there’s only about three or four different troll themes here, or even attempts at decent conversation. Just about every thread will have some lame comment on the Mets situation. I mean, I’ve participated, but it grows old quickly. I probably shouldn’t expect much, but this place used to have higher quality commenters, although I was more of a reader than a poster in those days.
If wasn’t simply just the best Yankee fan blog, it was the best of any team blog. I do follow Mike A’s patreon blog, so his insightful RAB articles can still be found a few times a week.
Still mad about him blowing the Field of Dreams game. Hope he makes a full recovery though so he can get back to giving up late game leads for another franchise.
Well…he was apparently throwing with a torn UCL. So: I have forgiven him.
Very big of you, Ducky. : -)
Yeah, he was never right. If there was an error in that game, it was one that highlighted a consistent problem with Boone. He kept putting Britton in critical situations when it was obvious Britton was not right.
Right?
Remember back in ’17 when Chapman had a midseason meltdown comparable to last summer? Joe G took him out of the closers role until he got his act together. Did the same with Dellin when he hit a rough patch.
Boone (meaning Cash) stuck with Chapman. & it cost us. Just that one decision cost us HFA in the play-in game. Girardi wouldn’t’ve stuck with either of them in high leverage. They would have had to earn their way back into the Circle of Trust.
I do remember that, painfully. That’s why when people were burying Chapman this summer, I told them we’ve seen this before and he will pull out of it. He did by September, but they kept putting him in critical situations. I’m telling you, Boone cost them four or five wins this year. A lot of weird things went wrong for the Yankees in 2021. That’s why, even without changes, they will be better in 2022, but they should also make some significant changes to ensure they’re better.
You’re right, though. Girardi pulled Chapman from the closer’s role. He demoted Betances too when he had problems. Boone, however, just keeps throwing them into high-leverage situations when it’s clear something is off. (BTW In Chapman’s case, there is high probability it was a badly cracked fingernail on the finger he uses to throw his breaking pitches. Lost all command. They should have just shut him down for a month.)
Me too Ducky.
Lol
Too bad for Britton after all he did to get back on the mound. Too bad somebody traded Ottavino and weaken the bullpen.