Entering the offseason, there were few more obvious team/need pairings than the Yankees and shortstop. General manager Brian Cashman frankly stated in October the club “(has) to address” the position over the winter. Yet through the offseason’s first few months, the club hasn’t made a meaningful addition.
At the GM Meetings, Cashman said the Yankees had been in contact with the representatives for two free agent shortstops, later reported to be Carlos Correa and Corey Seager. There’s no indication talks with either player progressed, however, and Seager went on to sign with the Rangers. Correa won’t sign until after the lockout, but multiple reports have since indicated the Yankees would prefer a shorter-term option at the position. Highly-regarded prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe aren’t far off MLB readiness, and the Yankees do have to weigh whether splurging on a shortstop could limit their ability to upgrade the rotation and/or hammer out an extension with Aaron Judge.
If that’s actually the case, that’d rule out Correa and probably Trevor Story, the other All-Star shortstop still remaining in free agency. There’s not a whole lot of interest behind that duo. Andrelton Simmons and José Iglesias would be affordable, but that’s a reflection of the seasons off which they’re each coming. Simmons hit .223/.283/.274 over 451 plate appearances with the Twins; Iglesias’ production at the plate was acceptable, but he had an uncharacteristically poor year with the glove.
New York could also look into trade possibilities. They’ve already been tied to Rangers shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who might be displaced by Texas’ pre-lockout spending spree. Other potential trade candidates at the position include Paul DeJong, Nick Ahmed and Adalberto Mondesi. The A’s would probably love to move Elvis Andrus, but that’s a challenging endeavor, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored last week.
The final possibility is to rely on the in-house options. As things currently stand, Gio Urshela would be the presumptive regular shortstop. Gleyber Torres got kicked over to second base late last season, and the Yankees probably wouldn’t want him bouncing back and forth between the two middle infield spots. But someone like non-roster invitee José Peraza could crack the roster in a reserve capacity behind Urshela. That wouldn’t be ideal from a defensive standpoint and certainly isn’t what the Yankees had in mind entering the offseason, but Urshela would likely offer more at the plate than any of the stopgap options mentioned and wouldn’t come at any additional financial or trade cost.
We’ll turn things over to the MLBTR readership. If you were in the front office’s shoes, how would you handle the shortstop situation in the Bronx?
(poll link for app users)
Look, they have the money to sign Correa and still have plenty left to sign Judge. Personally, I wouldn’t let a prospect affect my decision because many times they don’t pan out. And even if they do, it usually works itself out (trade, find another position, etc.).
They don’t have the money if they want to stay under the luxury tax every third year or so. Those would be long term contracts. It might be mathematically possible but more big long term contracts would prevent them from being able to fill future holes that might pop up.
If the luxury tax goes way up they can afford to do that. No one knows what will happen. If the tax stays around the same next year the Yankees would be better off signing a stop gap until one of the prospects are ready and spending money on short term high AAV pitching contracts. Signing Correa or even Story would hurt them long term and it still wouldn’t fix the rotation.
Plus, what happens when the prospects are ready and Correa is blocking them. Then the payroll would be screwed and the rotation would still have problems.
Did you ever actually read what the penalties are? And yes, they are escalating and teams want to “reset” every couple of years, which the Yankees did. But the penalties are only a fraction of the amount you go over the tax threshold. Bottom line is, The consequences are vastly overrated – owners use it as a soft cap because they want to be able to point to something to say “well, fans, we’d really like to sign player X, but we have to stay under the tax threshold.” Big market teams can all afford to go over the tax line as long as they do that reset every couple of years. The point about a long-term contract affecting their ability to do this reset s overrated too. As long as teams only have one or two 30MM+ AAV deals, they can easily stay under once in awhile by supplementing with shorter-term contracts at other positions. Look, you can’t have an all-star at every position, or else you’d never go under. So you have to pick and choose who your top guys are going to be. If a team thinks that Correa is worthy of being THAT GUY, then go ahead and do it. But yes, you have to be cognizant of how this affects other signings down the road. ,
True, even if the Yanks go over the top penalty to address some of their issues, they’re penalized approximately $40M. That’s a lot, but would be made up my just making it to the WS and contending perennially.
@rememberthecoop: Are you talking about first year, second year or 3rd year penalties? 1st year isn’t much but 3rd year is pretty stiff. It also includes dropping down in the draft order. That’s why I said “every third year or so.” Did you not read that part or are you just going to pretend first year penalties and third year penalties are the same thing?
The Yankees won’t have to worry about 3rd year penalties on short term high AAV contracts. Correa’s 10+ year deal would really hurt them in that regard. They already have Stanton and Cole in long term contracts that easily damage their ability to dip below every third year. LeMahue doesn’t help either. If you want to avoid 3rd year penalties you can only take on so many contracts that long and big at the same time.
gfh
Aren’t there also penalties around international prospect spending and forfeiting picks?
I don’t think they should sign Correa, because he’s getting a huge contract regardless, but I could see Story getting an still expensive but more affordable deal.
Also, they could stagger Story’s deal to go higher on years they plan to spend, and lower on a third tax year. That could possibly resolve alot of the issues from a tax threshold standpoint.
Story, especially for his size and stature, is a very good, quality athlete, but I also don’t see him sticking at SS the entirety of his next deal. The Yankees very well could trot him out at SS, then once one of their Uber prospects is ready, Story could slide over to 3B or move into the OF.
If the Braves magically are able to somehow land Correa, and by no means do I see that as an even likely outcome, they could then offer up Dansby over to NY.
Swanson’s beautiful locks of hair would instantly become their own celebrity in the Bronx, and Yankees fan’s love them some super model SSs.lol
They could allow Swanson to play out his remaining one to two years, and then they’d have the flexibility to start whichever one of Swanson or their two super prospects and continue on..
Either way, both prospects will stay at SS for now, because it is one of the premier defensive positions, but in reality, the Yankees are always going to just try to field their best roster and lineup possible. With that said, it isn’t any sure thing that Urshela nor Gleyber will still be performing well in a season or two down the road.
If thats the case, the Yankees could sign Story, and then move one of their prospects to 2B, or Story could move to 3B, and one of their prospects could slide in at SS..
Either way, it’s a good problem to have for the Yankees, but what you DO NOT want to do is risk mortgaging your future success by relying solely that Either prospect is definitely going to be a future stud..
You do that, and you only sign a defensive stop gap for this season, then next season you’re in the same boat, except you lost out in your chance to acquire one of the game’s top players at the SS position, and it continues to be a hole and deficiency for your team..
The Mets would spend the money and get the best SS there is on the open market
The Mets thought they did. How’s that working out for them?
One year and that’s the verdict? Funny.
Correa already has huge injury concerns at age 27, last thing the Yankees need is another 300mil contract to someone who can’t stay healthy. Their best option is give a short term high AAV deal to Story and hope Volpe or Peraza can make an impact in the next few years.
I agree. That’s the smartest if Story will take a high AAV short term deal. If not, the Yankees might be better off signing a stopgap until 1 of the prospects is ready and spending that money on guys like Rodon or Kershaw to help the rotation. Those guys will definitely take short term deals.
Even if you have a huge payroll short term deals are the way to go. That way you can retool every offseason and you never get stuck with a bad long term contract. Some short term contracts are bad but it doesn’t hurt much because you get out of them very quickly. Some short term contracts are great. When a long term contract goes bad it can kill the team over and over again.
I agree and I think the Yanks are smart enough to know that. I know it’s a lockout so he hasn’t been “waiting” as long as it feels but it seems increasingly likely that Carlos isn’t going to get the contract he wants.
I feel this is a good point many aren’t touching on — Correa’s health issues in the past should offer some concern. Of course that’s not to say he isn’t a great player; he’s generally been both a well above avg. hitter and defender at a premium position during his career.
Even for the Yanks, however, adding another huge deal onto their existing commitments to Cole, Stanton, and LeMahieu — I guess even Hicks is worth mentioning here — could be tricky given the club still has other holes to fill and has a notable crop of FA’s to-be after 2022.
I feel like either signing one of Iggy or Simmons makes the most sense but trading for DeJong might be the best short-term upgrade
I would try Iggy and hope his glove comes around. Simmons looks like a black hole in the lineup. .270 slugging? I’ve never heard of such a thing when signing a free agent to play every day. That would be terrible even for a catcher.
I’m just curious – did you use to call yourself the Polish Hammer by any chance?
Nah. I named my screenname after an MC Hammer album. I thought it was funny because the name of the album implies MC Hammer is some kind of violent person that everyone is afraid of. This is MC Hammer we are talking about.
Yankees aren’t a playoff team right now. If they’re going to spend, it should be on the rotation and outfield. They have decent in house options at SS, and the last thing they want is to block up Volpe by signing Correa
A 92 win team isn’t a playoff team that in fact made the playoffs?
Rotation help? Over pay for the FAs? Or overpay prospect wise in a trade?
Remember it was the over abundance of swing and miss hitters and lousy relief Corp. The starters actually did a good job.
That hurt the team.
Trade for Didi.
Simmons would be cheaper and better
Iglesias would be cheaper still and better still.
True. Depends on what you value.
Iglesias was horrid on both sides of the ball over the past two seasons for all except three months.
@Yankee Clipper
In 2020-2021, Iglesias is credited with +3 Outs Above Average with a .294 BA, a .759 OPS, 106 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR.
Great points. However, His dWar was a -1.7 and he had -22 DRS, the lowest of MLB SS.
So, that’s what I based my statement off of; I can’t stand how D stats are so disparate.
I would go with ” hellloooo shortstop!”
@riffraff
Depends on the formalness of the setting but I liked your cheery brightness…..
@a’sfan.. its actually a reference to an old honeymooners episode
Ed Norton addressing the golf ball? Classic episode!
They won their last 5 world championships without a shortstop so why do they need one now.
Like the guy that made the HOF on the first ballot with one vote not making it unanimous?
LOL
That man also had the worst DRS of any player in MLB history
And if the game is on the line, there’s no one I’d rather have the ball hit to.
I’ll jump in, if it is hit TO HIM, then he is at or near the top of the list. What the metrics say is if it was in the hole or up the middle then then you would be better off with most other shortstops. btw… I also want the ball in his hand on making decisions on cut-offs etc. But it’s hard to argue with the defensive metrics that say Ozzie Smith, Andrew Jones, Brooks Robinson were the best and somehow not think they may be pretty accurate.
Even with those defensive metrics, still a no-brainer first ballot HOF.
Drs is not the prime defensive stat
Nearly everyone in the front office guy/analyst I’ve seen thinks UZR is a confoundingly bad stat in comparison. I do think that OAA appears to be a marginally better metric, however. There aren’t too many other defensive metrics other than bbref’s dWAR so take your pick
As long as it is hit directly at him. (He had no range whatsoever, is the point I’m beating into the ground).
DRS is calculated by human beings watching plays on computer monitors and grading them for Baseball Info Solutions. It’s hardly a foolproof system.
That is big market bias though. The fact that Jeter of all players was able to accomplish that when vastly superior players couldn’t just shows it really doesn’t mean much.
Big-market bias? Based on his offense alone he’s a first-ballot HOFer. He had very good defense, but he suffered with range. There are plenty of SS like that, and other positions too.
Good thing he played for the Yankees instead of their favorite teams, huh Clipper?
You aren’t kidding. I’ve never seen anti-Yankee bias for a player like there is toward Jeter, particularly as it pertains to these HOF narratives, where his range is prioritized as the chief disqualifying component and his top-tier performance in all other areas is so readily dismissed.
Yankee, I don’t think that even those people would deny that he is a legit HOF’er. As a guy who criticized the gold gloves he got (because he was overrated defensively), I would still have been strongly in favor of his selection as a first ballot Hall of Famer. I have to think there are others like me who can still understand his greatness while at the same time recognizing his weakness.
Jeter is an all time great, deserving of getting in on the first ballot. He was just a poor fielding SS, that’s all .
All in on this response. No brainer HOF. Gold gloves can also be circumstantial. When Ozzie was in NL nobody else had a shot. Cal Ripken likely has zero gold gloves if Ozzie is in the AL. Arguably there were no ‘all-timers’ for defense when Jeter won his gold gloves. Under the current rules for qualifying he likely is never even a candidate, but i am sure there are a LOT of examples historically where the ‘name’ player got the gold glove. He is a all time great no matter where this conversation goes.
This is in response to the reasoning of a previous comment? You disagree with what I said? Jeter missing out on being unanimous by one vote doesn’t really say much considering better players missed out by more. It just doesn’t mean anything at all to me since the all time greats don’t get those accolades, and I think its a pretty lazy argument when somebody tries to use it to prove a point.
I would do what the braves did a couple years ago with Donaldson- 1 year 25-30 mil for story and wait for one of the SS prospects for 2023
Story still has a decent market, don’t think he’s going to accept a 1 year deal
Story probably would need a higher AAV to take a 1 year deal.
I wonder if $35 would even be enough
Someone has to sign Correa, hoping it’s the Yanks
Please no. That’s a contract we don’t need. He would make the team better, however, and there’s no question about that.
I’m not a Yankees fan, which is why I said I hope it’s them 🙂
Lol, I hear ya. But, c’mon, we aren’t that bad, are we?!
If you have to ask that question….
Okay, okay, noted…..
If George was still alive they would have signed Seager, Correa, Scherzer, Freddy, Gausman & Ray… and traded for Ketel… especially after this long of drought
Probably by acquiring a shortstop.
Trade for Mondesi. He is a low cost stock right now. KC is down on him. If he can stay on the field, he would put up Tatis type numbers.
Nothing in Mondesi’s career, minors or majors suggest he’d ever be one tenth the player Tatis is. This has got to be sarcasm?
No, it’s not sarcasm and he has already shown the ability to be a top ballplayer and if he were in Yankee Stadium, he could put up Tatis type numbers. In 2018, he hit 14 homers and stole 32 bases, batted .273 in just 275 at-bats. Last season in the few at bats he had, he displayed a new confident power to right field. He looked like a HR threat at every at-bat. He is only 26 and I believe this would be a smart move for the Yankees. And there are skeptics like yourself that are dismissing him, which is more the reason to pounce on him. His biggest problem is staying healthy and on the field.
You’re nuts. I’ll repeat, there is NOTHING in his minor league or major league stats that suggest he’d even be a very good hitter, let alone Tatis-like. I can’t believe that wasn’t sarcasm.
His biggest problem is a career 7/1 K/W. I’m not sure anyone ever survived that. Not a bad choice, but I wouldn’t expect much.
Just because they “can” doesn’t mean they “should”.
“This is not the shortstop you’re looking for. Move along…”
As a Red Sox fan looking from the outside in, it seems like the Yankees have over valued power hitting. They need speed and defense within their lineup as well to give more of a balanced attack. I think adding a defensive first SS that can get on base is what they need. Iglesias and Simmons are good FA gets while Ahmed and Kiner-Falefa are good trade candidates.
Agreed. Well said.
Cleveland has a number of SS’s coming up to the majors shortly.
The Yankees can get one of the 2 SS’s the Guardians got from the Mets. It’ll take a few decent prospects, and the Guardians scout the minor leagues pretty well.
Agreed, but I think DeJong makes a whole lot of sense in the Bronx. Say for Joely Rodriguez and a prospect (or maybe even Andujar, if the Cards think they can rehabilitate him—maybe use him as a DH).
Pete, I really like DeJong, but based on the articles addressing DeJong’s trade potential, the Cards seem bent on keeping him. Obviously we can see why they want to. They have faith he can return to ‘18 form, and even if he doesn’t, he’s still a formidable defensive option @ a premium position.
That doesn’t really solve the on-base aspect. Iggy just had -22 DRS at shortstop and a .309 OBP. Simmons is still one of, if not the best defensive SS in baseball right now, but also had a .283 OBP. Kiner-Falefa was about average defensively, but had a .318 OBP. Ahmed also had a sub-.300 OBP.
Mlb1225: You’ve really got your fingers on the pulse of the Bucs – what’s your opinion on a return for Newman in a trade with the Yankees, realistically?
BTV (I know it’s not the most reliable) has him at 0.7 (million $ trade value) but that seems too low to me.
I agree MLB1225 has shown a good feel for prospects. I’ll take a shot as a wannabe Pirate nerd. I cheated and looked at BTV to get a feel for Yankee prospects that have low (neighborhood of Newman) value but might interest Pirates. Anthony Garcia fits the Pirate mold of far from majors but potential for bigger things. His BTV(1.1) is close. I was surprised Florial had dropped as low as (1.8). If Yankees have really given up on him, Pirates have outfield playing time. I guess I just don’t see the Yankees giving him up yet. One thing in Newman/Pirates favor – his contract is still basically dirt cheap.
Newman is trying to be something he’s not: a flyball hitter. He’s better suited for line-drives because he doesn’t have nearly enough power to be a flyball hitter. In the Yankees’ case, he should be a last resort scenario. If the Yanks have to turn to Newman, then they’re probably better off riding the in-house options until one of Volpe or Peraza are ready.
Newman’s two most valuabe assets are his defense and affordable control. I’d glady take back Florial if he was offered. Gives the Pirates a high-risk, but potentially high-reward prospect. Not that it’s all that likely that they’d give up Florial for Newman though. Realistically, Newman for Andujar plus a low-level prospect wouldn’t be all that horrible of a deal for the Pirates and Yankees.
I really don’t want to sound like a scummy self-promoter with this, but if you really are curious about what I think of Newman as a player, I write for a Pirate blog and you’re more than welcome to read my thoughts on the matter as I go more in-depth about it, using what I found statiscally what is wrong with Newman. It’s on a blog called Rum Bunter and the article should be out tomorrow morning.
I read it regularly!!
Well thank you for viewing our content!
Yeah, Newman simply can’t hit.
If they believe in Volpe, they should tread water for a year. Throwing 200+ million at Correa is an expensive way to bridge a one year gap.
Doesn’t matter who plays Shortstop with their rag arm pitching and their manager and GM they have no chance of anything but a possible wild card and first round sweep.
Last season their pitching was near the top in several categories. It was actually their strength. That said, I sure hope it was Matt Blake’s success and not pure dumb luck.
Find a stopgap, keep your power dry, and wait for the prospects. Gio and Torres can play the position as well–they don’t need a 9 figure contract right now. None of the shortstops, including Correa, will make them championship-quality. Look at last year, and once you get past Judge and Stanton a lot of underperformance. If that continues, Correa isn’t a difference maker
Iglesias or Simmons can be had on one year deals. Both are still solid defensively and neither is an automatic out in the 9th spot in the lineup. If Peraza and/or Volpe is ready mid-season it would be easier to replace them than have to trade off the prospects because of a 10 year commitment to Correa
Still think Story is a distinct possibility. Odds increase if Hal gets his flat CBT tax rate and lower/same ceiling because it would give NY and LA a spending advantage over the next tier markets.
He’s my pick for splitting the baby. He can rotate positions if Volpe sticks at SS and is that good, he provides flexibility in allowing for a trade including Peraza, and he can effectively man SS while not pressuring Volpe / Vargas.
Instead of giving Correa 10 years/300+ million, they should sign Story (granted he’s open to a similar deal as Baez). This also gives the Yankees flexibility in terms of locking up Judge (if that’s what their plan is).
Story also is not as injury prone as Correa.
Yes, my thoughts exactly. Story is a good match for what they’re looking to do and provides speed on the base paths.
Him and LeMahieu are close friends too
@ CravenMoorehead;
Here is the problem with your suggestion…..
Story knows full well that the Yankees are hot on 2 SS’s in their minor league system. Say he signs for 4-6 years. He knows his chances of remaining at SS are slim, so either he’ll be moved to 3B or 2B….or to another team.
Based on the way Cashman has been jacking around players by making expedient moves, does he want to put himself in that position? And in addition to the Cashman / Boone cluelessness, add in that at some point the NYC sports media (and subsequently the fans) will make life h on him and his family once they sour on him.
He has other options.
Just give Story plenty of opt outs. Yanks are in a good position to offer them.
I just don’t want to see that jabroni Simmons popping up or grounding into a double play with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd lol
I can never ever understand the fascination with prospects… they are just that, prospects. Most whom never live up to the hype. They should have signed seager but now all that is really left is Correa ( story cannot hit outside of Colorado just look at the numbers). If one of the prospects live up to the hype, move the ss they sign to 3b. If not, no need to worry we are set at ss!!
And i never understood the fascination with expensive veterans. They aren’t guaranteed either.
In addition, if you don’t develop as many kids as you have veterans, you won’t be able to afford to be competitive. Even for rich teams, you can only afford a small amount of $30M players.
@ Bigtimeyankeefan;
Well put. You are truly a Yankee fan.
Tread water with Kevin Newman. Would do the trick until Volpe is ready.
Lol! Posted to trade for Newman then I read the posts. Great minds??
It kind of makes sense because they can spend the money on their other needs without breaking the bank or a glut of prospects. He hit his rookie year and in spring training. Maybe the Yankees could do wonders to get him back on track?
I bow to both of you as I keep wondering why Newman is not listed with the other cheap and short term options in the same pile as Simmons /Iglesias other than he is not a free agent. Based off of last year I would put him behind Simmons with the glove and behind Iglesias with the bat but he qualifies as the proverbially scrappy player who gets bat on ball. Sometimes good things happen when you do that.
What do you find particularly appealing about a shortstop with a career 76 OPS+, a low batting average, and only one out of four seasons when he wasn’t ranked among the poorer defenders? Plus, the Pirates are lousy trade partners lately, usually asking the moon in trades, possibly to overcompensate for their embarrassingly bad trade for Chris Archer.
Your points are valid, but outside of Story / Correa the entire list of options is pretty sad. Only speaking for myself, my only point is he qualifies as another sad option. It sounds like he made significant changes to make his solid defense last year possibly not just a one year mirage. If they want cheap glove only he fits.
Not sure your reference about the asking for the moon. They have made a lot of trades in the last two years which means 2 teams agreed on the return. Only ‘moon’ situation I see is Reynolds and they have zero reason to trade him without being overwhelmed (the moon).
The proviso with fielding metrics is that it takes three years’ worth of data to get a good read. Newman’s defensive stats in all but the last season were terrible. Fielding metrics are dubious, but when they all say the same thing, both the advanced metrics and conventional ones, they’re possibly telling you something.
Yes, he had a high contact rate this year, but good things didn’t happen. He had the lowest BA, OPS and wRC+ of the 26 qualified shortstops listed on Fangraphs.
Newman’s numbers were not good last season. They’re right back to square one if he performs like that again.
He is a poor hitter but was a gold glove qualifier and if you are a believer in defensive stats panned out pretty good. He is clearly just a stopgap as Simmons or Iglesias would be but I would not think he would cost much in a trade. To me he should be in the pile of options if they choose not to go the Story / Correa route.
It makes no sense to spend trade capital on a stop-gap shortstop when they can plug that hole cheaply with a free agent and they have real needs at other positions like first base, center field and starting pitcher where that capital would be more wisely invested.
SouthernBuc: Yeah, I thought he had a worse defensive season than he actually did. He was good defensively which is really what they need. Plus he’s a good LH bat. Question is, are the Bucs going to ask for a return based on his ‘21 numbers, or demand a higher return? What’s your opinion on a return for him?
He would certainly be preferable to many of the other stopgap SS candidates for me. Even if his offense rebounds some, it’s a win with his defense there. They could always then trade him, use him in a utility role, or keep him at SS if Volpe ends up at 2B.
I think a trade that would work for both teams would be Aaron Hicks and Ken Waldichuk for Kevin Newman then even the trade out with some low level lottery ticket prospects, Yankees sending some cash to cover part of Hicks’ deal, international bonus money if teams can still use that in trades or whatever.
Works for Yankees because they get a cheap stopgap SS to play the waiting game of their top prospects and get Hicks’ contract off the books to reallocate to other roster spots.
Works for Pirates because they need near MLB ready pitching if the have any real desire to try and contend while Reynolds and Hayes are on the team.
Then who plays centerfield? Teams are having more trouble filling holes in center than they are at short. Hicks has problems, but for now he is their best option.
Clipper, they’d even be worse off than they were with Gleyber. Gleyber’s fWAR at short in 2021 was 1.7 while Newman’s was 0.3, and Newman had more plate appearances than Gleyber.
Ah, interesting. Maybe that’s why I thought he had a down defensive year. I tend to rely on OOA & DRS if they’re consistent, but defensive measures are all over the board. He would have to be a significant improvement defensively for it to be worth it. I hate defensive stats’ inconsistency!
Thanks Person! I guess we will see, but one thing is true of Simmons, he’s always at the top of the pack defensively.
Trade for Kevin Newman. Can’t hit but does play great defense!
Apparently the front office has no faith in Florial, and Dominguez won’t be ready by the end of 2022, if he’s even a viable option in center field at all. In other words, there’s no viable center fielder ready in the minor league pipeline. Hicks cannot be counted on to stay on the field.
On the other hand, they have four shortstop prospects, two of whom could potentially be ready to come up before the end of 2022 (although Cashman seems terrified of risking failure by giving prospects their shot in the majors).
IMO, they should use their trade capital (including one of the shortstop prospects) to acquire either Cedric Mullins (my choice) or Bryan Reynolds. If they have enough chips left over to trade for Olson, they should do that too. If not, I’d prioritize center field. Alternatively, if they only have enough chips for one, they could spend that trade capital on Olson and sign Suzuki, allowing him, Gallo and Judge to share center field duties.
What I definitely would not do is spend $300M+ for a 220-lb. shortstop with a bad back when two of the top three Yankee prospects play that position.
It’s pointless to opine that the Yankees “can afford” to sign Correa and extend Judge. It should be clear by now that they won’t. Hal is not that kind of owner. He let Cashman bid against himself for Cole and so far has nothing to show for it.
I’d bet good money that he won’t approve another massive contract for Correa AND extend Judge.
If I had to choose between Correa and Judge, I’d choose Judge, all day, every day.
I think it’s a stretch that Hal would even approve smaller contracts for Suzuki and Rizzo. If they can’t land Olson, Rizzo would seem to be the logical fallback option at first. Voit, like Hicks, is not dependable.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why they don’t just let Florial man CF. His defense is good, he’s got speed, and he’s a natural CFer. Even if his bat doesn’t keep up, let him stay up and get used to the pitching. If he’s completely overmatched with no signs of improvement, address CF in the offseason.
In both of his tiny chances in the bigs, Florial acquitted himself very well. Instead of keeping him up with the club, they wasted three months of at-bats on a struggling Gardner. They might as well trade Florial, because it looks like Cashman will never give him a real shot.
Yes, exactly. And by all accounts, he’s got the tools to hit. If they’re aren’t going to effectively address CF through ML talent (Reynolds, Mullins), which are both too expensive, give it to Florial. Sheesh, they gave Sanchez 5 seasons to try to figure it out. I don’t get Cashman most times.
Let super-atheletic Judge to play SS.
I think they should sign Simmons or Iglesias or make a trade for another stopgap shortstop.
Peraza is almost definitely not ready, and Volpe, whom I like, is still two years away. I’d look for a two-year option like Ahmed. With is salary, and his 2021 results, and AZ’s lack of competitiveness, I can’t he would cost much.
Why would you want to invest in two years of a shortstop with a career 76 OPS+ at a salary of $18,125,000 when there are multiple free agents available who’d likely sign for a year and at a fraction of the cost?
Because Hal and Cashman do things like that?
Another excellent synopsis based on [your] facts, Samuel. Always presenting such articulate arguments for your postulations. Let’s look at the pithy comment again, shall we?
“ Because Hal and Cashman do things like that?”
Whoa, look at the brilliance! Nobody is able to match that depth and breadth of research. And the Mets last made it….anywhere when? Yep, twelve years and so bad, bud.
Becuase I think Ahmed will be closer to the 2018-2020 version, rather than his 2021 version. He was a steady 4.1 player over those three seasons.
I’m a gambler by nature and would prefer to gamble on someone that might have just had an injured off-season, than someone that just had a career season.
Correction: with the signing bonus owed him in 2023, Ahmed would cost $18,500,000.
I don’t think the rangers are moving IKF. They will probably play him at 3b. So teams can stop dreaming about that.
Yankees need to leave Urshela at 3b, Torres at 2b, and Lemieauh at 1b.
That means they should trade/sign for temporary replacement for SS.
I think DeJong would be a good fit and little underrated. Simmons is a nice fallback option with the gold floor of good defense that can help the pitchers.
They should use $$$ on pitchers if they want to compete. They have many holes and issues there.
Hal and Cashman have backed themselves into a corner. Whether or not the luxury tax ceiling is raised they’ll still be in that corner.
The only players they have to trade that other teams would want are Montgomery, a couple of the young relief pitchers, and maybe Gleyber if a team has a need for a decent 2B. The other players are either old, overpaid, and one-dimensional types; Cole and Judge that they won’t trade; or youngsters like Florial that haven’t played enough at the ML level to get a read on.
They can spring for Correa or Story – if those players want to play there – knowing the team will continue to be inflexible the next 3-5 years. More likely they’re hoping that one of their minor league SS’s can play well at the ML level in the future. Until then they’ll do what they did last year – look for a stopgap and hope something better comes along at the trading deadline that they can trade some low-level prospects for.
They have a lot of prospects who’d be coveted by other teams in trade. Teams like the A’s generally prefer young, cheap players under team control for multiple years.
Why would the Rangers consider trading IKF? He’s a gold glove third baseman with the ability to play multiple positions. It’s not like theyd be getting any pitching back in return.
Gallo
Trade for Kebran Hayes of the pirates and Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman issues solved pirates save future payroll and get lower level specs
@ JR513;
Another true Yankee fan.
Good job!
JR513 – In your dreams!
JR513 I’m curious I’ll bite what would the Yankees be willing to trade for those guys?
@Bruin – given it’s pantomime season (every day in NYY/NYM world) – I’m guessing it’ll be magic beans. From the jar marked “roster construction”.
None of the above. I’m for signing Correa but not at any price. I’m for trading for someone but it doesn’t have to be someone inexpensive or even a veteran.
I don’t want to see them bet the position on one of Cashmans “steals” either. I want a good SS. Not a good deal, a steal or anything tricky.
This isn’t a team that needs much if you make the right moves. A good SS is the big one and it’s the only real option given the catching market.
“ This isn’t a team that needs much if you make the right moves.”
Precisely! They get too cute when they simply need to adequately address the position. Doesn’t have to be Correa, can’t be Simmons. Just get a true SS who is decent.
Agreed Clipper…..Correa’s back is a concern moving forward, even if you consider moving him to 3rd in a year or 2 if either of the 2 kids work out……Simmons is a glove only option and even that is somewhat questionable forward, with diminished hitting skills that would pretty make him an automatic out….
Sports franchises use the media just like politicians do. All these Volpe stories lead me to believe they’re going with a short-term solution. Cross Correa off your list.
The best course of action in my eyes is signing either Story or Correa, and then moving them to a different position once Volpe/Peraza are ready. If you get Story, move him to second and trade Torres(maybe for a guy like Luis Castillo), and if you sign Correa, move him to third and trade Urshela(Possibly in return for a solid outfielder or reliever).
….and yet another true Yankee fan.
Sure, Why not. Just bounce around guys like Story, Gleyber, Castillo and Urshela since they’ll be honored to play for a team that year-after-year has one of the top payrolls, yet hasn’t been to a WS in 12 years.
@ Samuel
Your on a roll, don’t stop, keep it going—LOL!
91% of Yankees fans are oblivious to the way baseball works. It’s cartoonishly hilarious. Just sign this guy, that guy, whoever, like the player has no say whether he even wants in to that fishbowl.
George Steinbrenner never would have put up with Brian Cashman for this ridiculously long length of time. They could so easily poach a brainiac from another organization and within 5 years time would be another of the mega-superteams that will dominate the game over the next 5-10 years.
@ Bud Selig Fan;
Great point.
If Stearns does in fact leave Milwaukee for NYC – which I have doubts about, but who knows – it might well be for the Yankees and not the Mets.
Stearns calls the shots in Milwaukee. Cohen calls the shots in Flushing. Hal might well back off in the Bronx and just give Stearns (or a guy like him) a nice budget and leave him alone. There are a half-dozen MLB baseball heads that could bring in the Yankees for 80% of what Cashman spends each year. That team is out and out embarrassing. The 2 most important defensive positions are Catcher and SS. With all their money, the Yankees have neither – and they’ve been problem areas for years.
FYI – read up on the Yankees collapse in the early 60’s. It was shortly after the owners leveled the playing field in drafting. The Yankees big gun was 2B Horace Clarke. The team became pathetic. When FA came about George went into spend, spend, and spend mode. After some initial success he went 12 years without the playoffs in spite of having the highest payroll each year in MLB. Finally his “baseball people” convinced him to build from the farm system. They did, and the Jeter / Mariano / Bernie Yankees came back to contention each year. Now, due to changes regarding FA signings, drafting, and international signings; the Yankees FO is being exposed again. Their fans have been raised to think they’ll just spend and get the big name players. A sad situation, but as you noted – “cartoonishly hilarious”.
@ Samuel
As a life-long Brewers fan and obvious Stearns fan I can only hope he wants to accomplish in MKE what’s never been done in the revenue-sharing era, and that’s build a small-market mini-dynasty before moving on to a different challenge. There’s Tampa and then there’s MKE.
With each change of POBO the Rays have become smarter. Friedman built the structures for Bloom & Neander to fine tune. I’m in awe of that organization. Constant poaching seems not to faze them in the slightest. Amazing.
What Stearns has done at MKE is just as amazing, just different. He learned from Luhnow at Houston, but also with Falvey under Shapiro/Antonetti at Cleveland. He came out of both believing he could build a consistent winner with the Brewers without a long tank.
So after Doug Melvin helped jump-start the re-build just before Stearns was hired in September of 2015, with astute trades for Hader, Houser & Knebel that helped Stearns re-build faster, only one year actually, ‘16, and has contended or been in the playoffs ever since.
While Melvin helped with the re-build, he left Stearns a very poor organization structurally. Poor analytics, farm system, virtually non-existent international department, on and on. Stearns first hire was his best hire—Matt Arnold from the Rays, who did it all for them and learned with Neander, Bloom, Friedman etc. I’m sure he’s been invaluable as Stearns right-hand man.
Stearns convinced Mark Attanasio to invest large sums of money into their structures, analytics, international, scouting, coaching, etc. then in 2018 he convinced Attanasio into investing $80MM to upgrade their spring training facility and most importantly building a state-of-the-art pitching lab.
Now the Brewers have developed the best, experienced, prime-aged and controlled pitching staff in the game. Their farm system is getting better each year, and most importantly they have $410MM worth of surplus value just in their starters that he can strategically start to trade over the next 2-3 years to keep the pitching train moving along.
I think you could be right, if he goes to NY it could be to run the Yankees since Hal would very likely let him do his thing, and quietly. Can’t picture Stearns wanting to work for a twitter-aholic like Cohen. But he worked for Alderson, very likely respects him and who knows. He also is really good friends with Billy Eppler so there’s also that. His wife is from Houston, and with their little girl, maybe they don’t want to raise a family in NY.
Cohen or Steinbrenner could only be so lucky to have the genius Stearns winning WS’s for them and at payrolls as you said 80% of what they could be.
Thanks brother I appreciated reading this and learned much about the current Milwaukee situation.
Phillies.
They’ll sign some half measure like Simmons. Story for under 200 million is a no brainer and I can already see that being too rich for Cashmans blopd.
I’d take Elvis’s contract with Olsen-not Chapman. I’d deal Voit,Garcia,Nelson,maybe $25M & Hicks.
Peraza is your future SS,Volpe is your future 3B.
But id do something like this before Olsen.
Wishful thinking,but Id also do Gio & Garcia to the Mets for Dom Smith.
Sign Simmons to 2/$20 after either trade.
DJ to 3B.
Gio grew up with Lindor.
Seagar would have been my 1st choice. He could cover SS til a prospect is ready, then shift to 3rd. But with him in Texas I would go with a defensive stop gap until a prospect is ready. I feel a left handed power bat is much bigger need. I would go heavy after Freeman.
Corcheata is a me me player. We don’t want his smug, slightly above average, loud mouth in the Bronx. DJ to 3rd, Gio to SS, GT to 2nd and Rizzo at 1st with Voit as the backup. Develop that Anthony kid and slot him in when he’s ready. No need to seek outside help.
The Yankees have fragile Prom Queens manning first base and center field. They don’t have a shortstop. No one is sure if Cole is a bust without stickum and Hal is afraid to give Judge the money he deserves.
Why are the Yankees considered a “PLAYOFF TEAM”???
As a Yankees fan whoever we sign is better than Torres whether I’m serious is nlt who wouldn’t agree? But seriously trade for anyone if not stop calling me for season ticket plans
Andrelton Simmons is yet another crappy hitter. Trade for Mondesi or have Gio play short. Lets get judge extended and replace Kluber. We can see how it goes and shop at trade deadline to replace non producers. Give Gardy a coaching gig but jis playing days are over. Love to get Mondesi if possible.
If these guys waiting in the wings really are that special than I’d go stop-gap solution. First choice is getting Story on a one year prove it deal so he could potentially take his chances in a much less crowded SS market next offseason. If he says no then work your way down from there.
Sign Andrelton Simmons.
2 words: Marco Scutero
As a BJ fan since high school I’d like to see the yanks go all in Correa. However you guys should double down on your recent theft of Gio and trade for Espinal who just cant win the hearts and minds of the jays FO.
I’m a Yanks fan but also a bj fan.
I’m also a big fan of the BJs
They should address it by signing Corey Seager. Too late.
Non-zero chance they plan to sign Correa or Story, more likely the latter, but are waiting for clarity on the next CBA rules. Seems likely they’re planning to turn the position over to one of their SS prospects in the next year or so. They should pass on Simmons, who is past prime. His defense is no longer elite. Paul DeJong or Nick Ahmed would make for solid defenders and stopgaps. They should absolutely stay away from Mondesi. He’s fast, but the Yankees do not steal bases and that’s not going to change. Like DeJong and Ahmed, he’s OBP challenged, but the biggest issue is he’s way, way too injury prone. There’s skill, but he’s overrated, and is another example of the Royals inconsistent development. The Yankees have been adding in more pitchers with sinkers in the post sticky stuff days, which means they need to tighten the infield defense. A strong glove at both SS and 1B is the way to go.
“Iglesias’ production at the plate was acceptable, but he had an uncharacteristically poor year with the glove.”
Sounds like a perfect rebound candidate. No way he fell of a cliff like that. Just an anomaly.
I’d want Trevor Story but only on a two year rebound deal. I don’t like how his OPS has only decreased when he hasn’t even hit his prime.
How in the world this article could mention Jose Peraza in this article as as a possibility for a contending team defies creditability.
Having said that, I think Correa is going to break down. Go with a stopgap in the interim and come up with a solution for first base, center field, and get more pitching..
Trade Jasson Dominguez for Nicky Lopez or Amed Rosario
No, it’s not worth trading him for either of those if he’s even half of what he’s supposed to be.
And if my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle. Prospects bust all the time. And the Yankees are trying to win NOW. Dominguez, even if he ultimately does deliver on the hype, won’t help them there.
@The Observer. That was your Uncle Derek before the operation…. the Tommy Johnson & two veg surgery… Auntie Lavinia is thriving I hope?
Nevertheless – the Yankees are always trying to win now. Haven’t had a losing record in about 30 years.
Notably (and with the exception of the Mets) all the luxury tax challenged teams have kept their powder dry to wait to see what additional spending room they’ll have post CBA.
The Yankees have somehow managed to paint themselves into this TTO corner – and offensively De Jong & Ahmed (both contractually difficult too) fit right in. For me it’s Story – if they can find payroll space – or no-one – stick with the pain of Urshela and improve elsewhere until the prospects are ready for a shot.
Dominguez, even at this level of baseball given his hype would certainly bring back more than either of the 2 mooks you suggest.
It would be a little nasty to suggest you should check your balls so I won’t say that?
Yankees were smart they’d sign Correa. I wish my Red Sox would sign Correa move Bogaerts to 3B….move Devers to 1B and have Dalbec coming of the bench for both Devers and Bogaerts….
Opinion question about Correa…
I believe he wants 10 years and the highest ever AAV. If he cannot get both, which do you think he’ll concede?
Should have never let Refsnyder go.
The main problem with the Yankees is C. They can make do at SS. C is not an option though.
The Yankees will do nothing
Trade for Newman from the Pirates. Gold glove caliber and can be had for a mid range prison.
Gold Glove caliber for one season out of four. Well below par in his other three seasons. And he’s a lousy hitter with a career 76 OPS+ that was even worse this year.
The way several posters here have lobbied to trade for him, I have to guess that some blogger suggested this somewhere on the internet.
IKF for Gallo
Please take Paul DeJong off the Cardinals hands!! Would love to have Trevor Story on the Cardinals!!
One of the the team’s conspicuous areas of need is improved baserunning. This year, the Yankees were 23rd in UBR and 29th in BsR.
One thing that can’t be taught is basic speed. Either a player has it or he doesn’t. But even players with average speed can improve with good baserunning skills.
Correa has neither.
In 2021, he had the lowest Spd rating of 26 qualified shortstops. He ranked 19th in UBR and 23rd in BsR. Since 2019, he’s stolen one base.
Do you really think it’s wise to commit 8-10 years to a 220-lb. shortstop with recurring back issues and declining baserunning ability at a cost that will hobble roster flexibility for years? (And please don’t tell me how much the Yankees can afford. It’s irrelevant. Hal isn’t George.)
Oswald Peraza, who’s given an ETA of sometime in 2022, has stolen 61 bags in the minors since 2019. Fangraphs ranked him the #43 prospect overall in their updated 2021 rankings. I’d rather wait to see what he can do in the bigs.
But if the front office has their usual lack of faith in their own prospects, I’d rather they spent half as much (or less) to sign Story, who’s stolen 58 bags since 2019 and ranks first among SS in BsR, third in UBR and second in Spd. The Yankees need that speed, and more so after ditching Wade.
You know my gut just says sign Correa because he’s a superstar, he’s the best on the market, and GD, this is the Yankees we’re talking about!! But then my brain kicked in at some level and said wait a minute. Are the Yankees in need of a star to put butts in the seats? No, they have plenty with Judge, Stanton, Cole, Hicks (JK not Hicks). Can having too many superstars cause problems in the clubhouse? Certainly. Then given the other factors like length of contract, injury history; future flexibility to extend Judge and need to address other areas…I say Yanks should trade for a quality option who is better than the remaining FA’s or with high upside (dark horse candidate Ha-Seong Kim?). Whatever happens they should not stick with the status quo or give it to a prospect. This is the Yankees, GD, make a splash.
gfh
They should’ve signed seager. Too risky waiting on a prospect. We’ve seen the Yankees hold on too tight in the past to a prospect that didn’t on out. However the Yankees are on a budget and will sign Simmons and wait for Volpe
Correa, as talented as he is, is a reprobate and wanna be thug. The NYY typically shy away from gangster types. The smart play would be to sign Story to a front loaded contract. This would give Volpe two years to marinate. And then, when he’s ready, slide Story over to third. If their 2024 infield becomes Story, Volpe, Lemahieu and Olson…not too bad.
P’shaw. Not a reprobate! Anything but that
LOL the Yankees don’t have the prospect capital for Matt Olson. Nothing but their #1 prospect would snare him and the Yanks won’t do that. Any trade the Yanks or Angels may want to engage in, especially for starting pitching, will get beat any day of the week by the Mariners with their overflowing bounty of prospect talent.
Since when replacing became the only way of rebuilding? How about training the existing players? is what Cashman would say.
The Yankees look like a business that’s being put up for sale. Costs are limited and obligations are being cut to improve the books. They’d be lucky if they can afford Iglesias or Simmons — otherwise, Gleyber heads back to short
The Yankees should address the shortstop as sir if it’s a dude, madam if it’s a chick