The Padres cut ties with Robinson Cano this morning, just as the Mets did before them. It was a tougher decision for the Mets, given the financial obligation they have toward Cano through the 2023 season. However, his lack of production and the presence of younger, better options forced the hand of both parties.
We’re coming up on a third of the way through the 2022 season, and it’ll become increasingly difficult for teams with struggling veterans in the Cano mold to continue trotting them out there. That’s especially true of players who are impending free agents. While fans can (and do) disagree with the thinking, a player like Aaron Hicks, whom the Yankees owe $30.5MM from 2023-25, will get a longer leash than an impending free agent due to that multi-year commitment. So while there are plenty of struggling veterans on long-term deals, those with the thinnest grasp on their current roster spots are those who’ll be off the books at season’s end anyhow.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some names to watch and, when applicable, some of the names behind them who could aid in pushing them out the door (all stats entering Thursday’s play):
Carlos Santana, Royals: I’m not sure anyone other than the Royals’ front office understands the thinking behind continuing to trot Santana out to the field at this point. The 36-year-old is hitting .161/.293/.250 through 147 plate appearances, and it’s not as though that enormous slump is an entirely new development. Santana hit just .214/.319/.342 while playing in 158 of 162 games for the Royals last year and .199/.340/.350 in Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season.
Santana’s very presence on the Royals is due to the team’s effort to return to win-now mode after a rebuild focused on drafting college arms. He signed a two-year, $17.5MM contract heading into the 2021 season but hasn’t been able to bounce back to the form that long made him one of the game’s biggest on-base threats and most underrated offensive performers.
Signing Santana might’ve been a “win-now” move, but it’s hard to argue that continuing to run him out there is in the Royals’ best interest. That’s doubly true with top prospects Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino mashing in Triple-A Omaha. Both are in the same first base/designated hitter mold as Santana, and both Pratto (55) and Pasquantino (61) rank prominently in Baseball America’s updated Top 100 prospect rankings. Pratto got off to a slow start but is hitting .246/.392/.483 over his past 148 plate appearances. Pasquantino burst out of the gates and hasn’t slowed down; he’s hitting .298/.392/.667 with 15 home runs in 204 plate appearances.
The Royals owe Santana the balance of his $10.5MM salary whether he’s on the roster or not, but he’ll start racking up incentives when he reaches 300 plate appearances.
Joey Gallo, Yankees: Gallo was one of the Yankees’ biggest trade-deadline additions in recent years, but he’s never found his footing in the Bronx. His status as a three-true-outcomes player is well-documented, but he’s trended more aggressively toward the least-desirable of those outcomes since donning pinstripes. Gallo has fanned in 38% of his plate appearances as a Yankee while seeing both his power and his walk rate dip. Since the Yankees acquired him, he’s batting .167/.295/.370.
Even with the short porch in right field, Gallo has only five home runs through 141 plate appearances this season. He’s also seen his average exit velocity, launch angle and barrel rate drop in 2022. Gallo is still making loads of hard contact when he hits the ball in the air, per Statcast, and perhaps that’s helping to keep him both in the lineup and on the roster. New York isn’t getting any real offense from Hicks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Kyle Higashioka, however. Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson are once again on the injured list. Anthony Rizzo had a massive April but is batting just .162/.274/.303 in his past 117 plate appearances. The Yankees’ AL East lead has begun to shrink, as the Jays have rattled off eight straight wins, and they can’t realistically count on Aaron Judge to carry the offense all season long.
Gallo doesn’t have a high-end outfield prospect breathing down his neck, but if he can’t get things going at the plate, the calls for change are only going to grow louder. He’s earning $10.275MM in his final arbitration season before free agency, and another club might view him as a change-of-scenery candidate with the hopes that he’ll be the position-player equivalent of Sonny Gray and thrive following a rocky stint in the Bronx.
Adam Duvall, Braves: Like Gallo, Duvall’s skill set and offensive profile were well established when the Braves opted to retain him via arbitration. He was coming off a 38-homer campaign, so there was never much doubt he’d be tendered a contract, but Duvall’s brand of huge power/bottom-of-the-scale OBP always left him with a pretty low floor should the power ever evaporate.
That’s been the case in 2022, as Duvall still isn’t walking or hitting for average, and he’s only slugged two homers on the season. Paired with a career-worst 31.9% strikeout rate, those troubling trends have resulted in a .191/.257/.272 slash for Duvall, who has also already been tasked with playing more center field in 2022 than he had in his entire career to date.
Atlanta has already called up Michael Harris II, one of the sport’s fastest-rising outfield talents, and former top prospect Drew Waters is at least putting together respectable, if unexciting results in Triple-A. The Braves have also tinkered with catcher William Contreras in the outfield. Duvall has been MLB’s second-worst qualified hitter, by measure of wRC+, and it’s fair to wonder how long the leash will be.
Miguel Sano, Twins: Sano isn’t technically a free agent at season’s end, but barring a Herculean push to finish the season, it’s nearly impossible to fathom the Twins picking up a $14MM option on him. To Sano’s credit, he hit quite well from June through season’s end (.251/.330/.503, 21 homers, 21 doubles in 373 plate appearances), but he looked absolutely lost at the plate in 2022 before landing on the injured list due to a torn meniscus. Sano hit just .093/.231/.148 in 65 plate appearances.
When Sano does return, he’ll come back to a retooled roster that has seen versatile Luis Arraez rake while picking up regular at-bats at first base. Former No. 1 pick Royce Lewis is getting looks at third base and in left field — though Lewis is on the 10-day IL himself now — and top outfield/first base prospect Alex Kirilloff is hitting well in Triple-A following his return from a wrist injury.
The Twins can keep Sano in Triple-A for 20 days on rehab assignment when he’s ready, and they may want to do just that to give him a chance to show he can recapture some of his late 2021 form. But the clock on Sano’s three-year, $30MM deal is running out, and the first-place Twins have plenty of options to fill out the lineup. None of them have Sano’s raw power — almost no one in MLB does — but the big man’s ongoing contact issues tend to lead to protracted slumps like the one he slogged through earlier this year. If he can’t turn it around quickly upon his return, it’d be difficult to justify playing him over Arraez, Kirilloff and others.
Enrique Hernandez & Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox: Hernandez was a revelation in 2021 when he smacked 20 homers, hit .250/.337/.449, and delivered all-world defense in center field. But as good as year one of his $14MM contract was, the second and final campaign of that deal has been nightmarish. Hernandez is hitting .203/.269/.340 with a career-low hard-hit rate and exit velocity. He’s still playing great defense in center and helping shoulder the second base workload, but the offensive deficiency is glaring.
That’s also somewhat true of Bradley Jr., who returned to Boston after one ill-fated season in Milwaukee. To Bradley’s credit, he has actually picked up the pace quite a bit, hitting .291/.328/.491 since mid-May, but that surge still only brings his overall season line to .227/.284/.353. If Bradley can sustain some of this production, he’ll surely hang onto his roster spot, but it’s hard not to look at young Jarren Duran’s .309/.391/.523 output in Triple-A and start thinking of ways to insert him into the big league lineup. Duran struggled in his debut last year but is still a touted young prospect whom the Sox envision as a long-term building block.
Hernandez is earning $8MM this season. Bradley is on a $9.5MM salary and is still owed an $8MM buyout on a mutual option for the 2023 season.
Yuli Gurriel, Martin Maldonado & Jason Castro, Astros: Gurriel won a batting title and looked like one of the game’s best pure hitters in 2021, but he’s started his 2022 season with a woeful .223/.261/.361 performance through 176 plate appearances. His strikeout rate is up about four percentage points, while his walk rate has halved and his hard-contact numbers have plummeted. Gurriel is also chasing more pitches off the plate (36.4% in 2022, 29.8% in 2021) and making contact on pitches out of the zone at a far lower rate (74.5% in 2022, 81.9% in 2021).
Houston’s catchers, meanwhile, have been the least-productive in baseball. Maldonado has never been much of a hitter but is batting only .133/.208/.239 this season. Castro hasn’t even been able to match that, batting .104/.228/.146. If catching prospect Korey Lee weren’t enduring immense struggles of his own in Triple-A, a change might’ve already been made.
It seems unlikely that the Astros would cut bait on Gurriel, who’s been a prominent presence and one of the team’s most productive hitters since signing more than a half-decade ago. A reduced role is something they’ll have to consider if he can’t right the ship, however. The catchers seem far more vulnerable, and there figure to be some prominent names available on the trade market (Willson Contreras, most notably). That Houston is leading the AL West by 5.5 games despite having the least-productive catchers (29 wRC+) and 29th-ranked offensive output from its first basemen (74 wRC+) is both a testament to their pitching and indictment on the play of their divisional opponents thus far.
Gurriel is being paid $8MM in 2022, while Maldonado is earning a $5MM salary and Castro is at $3.5MM.
Andrew McCutchen, Brewers: Milwaukee added McCutchen on a one-year, $8MM contract this offseason with the idea of installing him as their primary designated hitter. McCutchen tormented the Brewers during his early years with the Pirates, which included an NL MVP win, but he’s hitting .214/.263/.312 to begin his tenure in Milwaukee. Even McCutchen’s typically outstanding production against lefties has gone up in smoke this year, as he’s managed a .196/.224/.391 slash against them.
Despite McCutchen’s ineffectiveness, the Brewers are leading the Majors in homers (70) and sit fifth in total runs scored (238). But if McCutchen, who’s hitless in six straight and has been 73% worse than average at the plate since a return from the Covid list (27 wRC+ in 57 plate appearances), can’t begin to show some signs of life, the Brewers could be on the lookout for some offensive help as the Aug. 2 trade deadline draws nearer.
Robbie Grossman & Tucker Barnhart, Tigers: Between Grossman, Austin Meadows and Victor Reyes, the Tigers have an entire outfield on the injured list. Underwhelming play from young options like Daz Cameron, Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill will probably extend Grossman’s leash, but he was hitting a career-worst .199/.311/.241 in 167 plate appearances prior to landing on the IL due to ongoing neck soreness. Grossman has a solid track record, but the Tigers will also want to get a look at top prospect Riley Greene soon, and they’re giving Kody Clemens an opportunity after a nice start down in Toledo.
Behind the plate, the Tigers are probably content with Barnhart’s glovework and leadership. There was talk of a potential extension after he was acquired, but a .229/.263/.257 start might have tempered that. Backup Eric Haase isn’t hitting enough to force a change, and the Tigers’ Triple-A catchers are journeymen Dustin Garneau and Ryan Lavarnway. They have a well-regarded prospect at Double-A in Dillon Dingler, but Barnhart shouldn’t be in imminent danger of losing his spot at this time.
Maikel Franco, Nationals: Franco is probably only in this everyday role because Carter Kieboom suffered an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery, but he hasn’t done much with his latest opportunity. The former Phillies, Royals and Orioles third baseman is hitting .258/.284/.374 (82 wRC+) through 208 plate appearances. The Nats have an ultra-thin farm system without much in the way of third base options in the upper minors, and they’re clearly not winning anything this year anyhow. That might keep Franco safe, but if an even semi-interesting option presents itself on the waiver wire, there’s little reason not to take a look.
Corey Dickerson, Cardinals: Prior to the 2022 season, Dickerson had never been worse than five percent below-average with the bat in any full year (by wRC+). That’s all but certain to change now, as the typically steady lefty has posted an uncharacteristic .183/.238/.215 slash in 101 plate appearances. For a lifetime .283/.327/.488 hitter who was coming off a solid 2021 campaign, it’s a rather astonishing swoon.
Dickerson has been in a platoon with Albert Pujols at DH for the most part, logging only 110 innings on defense in the outfield corners recently due to injuries elsewhere on the roster. He’s also only on a one-year, $5MM contract, so if he can’t find his swing in the near future, it’s easy to see the Cards giving more at-bats to Pujols’ long-shot chase for 700 home runs and to young standout Juan Yepez. Dickerson is safe for now with both Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson on the injured list, but he needs a hot streak sooner than later.
Mike Zunino, Rays: Zunino’s career-high 33 home runs from a year ago feel like a distant memory, as he’s off to a .147/.193/.294 start in 109 plate appearances in 2022. He’s still drawing excellent marks for his defensive contributions, which the Rays value heavily, but Zunino isn’t even hitting against lefties, whom he’s handled well throughout his career — particularly in recent seasons.
Backup Francisco Mejia isn’t hitting much himself, going just 6-for-42 without a walk over the past month or so. Were he producing at the plate, it’d be more tempting for Tampa Bay to significantly reduce Zunino’s playing time. The Rays do have 25-year-old Rene Pinto mashing in Triple-A, and he’s made his big league debut already this year. As with the Astros, however, the Rays are in firm win-now mode and entered the season with World Series aspirations. If the in-house options aren’t performing up to par, the trade market beckons.
Austin Hedges, Guardians: Hedges has never hit and has always been one of the game’s premier defensive players, so his 2022 season is nothing new. Still, a .155/.223/.282 output from your primary catcher is just difficult to stomach, no matter how strong the defense is. Veteran backup Luke Maile has hit well in a tiny sample of 35 plate appearances, but he’s a career .208/.264/.317 hitter himself.
Prospect Bryan Lavastida got a brief MLB cup of coffee in April and is hitting .225/.330/.360 so far in Triple-A. His performance will bear monitoring, because if the Guardians are intent on pulling into the playoff picture, Hedges’ production might be too light to overlook. And if they end up selling at the deadline, Hedges could draw interest from a team seeking a glove-first backup option — which could open a door for Lavastida.
Maldonado is going nowhere. Any offense he gives is just a bonus.
Jason Castro however has stated he’s retiring after this year so releasing him and possibly bringing up Lee would make sense
I certainly hope Corey Dickerson can rediscover his swing before it is too late.
***ominous background music***
Jarren Duran needs to stop being called a “young” prospect. The guy’s almost 26 yrs old lol..
Yeah that’s ancient almost nowhere.
It certainly is old to be considered a prospect. 26 is not young by baseball standards.
If he’s not a prospect then what is he a veteran? Odd thing to knitpick.
More than two choices. A lot of minor leaguers are not prospects, they’re just minor leaguers. In this case he is a prospect I guess, it’s just very unusual for players to emerge at such a late age, thus he’s likely soon to be a failed prospect.
First off, he’s not did not “emerge at a late age” he’s been a prospect for a while. You just didn’t know about him (.387 BA in 2019). He graduated college in 2018, and spent 4 years in the minors (one being the Covvid season}. He’s taken a very common route. Secondly, he’s in many Top 100 “Prospects” Lists.
Not odd knitpick anymore, this is weird.
I know he’s not a impending free agent, but couldn’t you have given Jason Heyward an “Honorable Mention” or something, to recognize his annual offensive ineptitude?
As I watched him floundering at the plate yesterday I came to the conclusion that the Cubs are very likely to just eat the last year of his contract this winter and cut him loose (a la Justin Upton). Heyward just never panned out, and that contract is the only reason Ross has to keep running him out there on the regular.
I don’t see the Guardians getting rid of Hedges before the end of the year, although I think it’s unlikely they re-sign him this winter unless he signs for like $2-3 million.
Lavastida only started the year in Cleveland because Maile was injured and Sandy Leon would have needed a 40-man spot that they weren’t willing to DFA someone else for, not necessarily because he was ready. (He raked last year but struggled in AAA and actually got demoted back to AA.)
He and Naylor aren’t ready yet, and Naylor is having a great rebound year in AA but is a year removed from being terrible there last year. They need someone to bide time behind the plate until either of their prospects can take over full-time, and they value catching defense so much that they’ll probably just take anything he does on offense as a bonus.
Contreras makes a lot of sense for CLE, but they are much more tolerant of defensively talented catchers who can’t hit than most teams. Unless he plummets to something like .075, Hedges isn’t going anywhere.
dickerson has 101 at bats too many for st. louis
A decent amount of these dudes are basically at their career twilight.
Agreed. Also notice that a decent amount are catchers? A position not known for its offensive first approach…
Mccutchen and Santana are washed up
I can’t believe KC asks their fans to buy tickets with Carlos Santana in the lineup.
My guess is they cut him loose at the ASB and just eat the rest of his contract. I’m not sure he’d be picked up by anyone for the prorated league minimum. Santana has not been an effective hitter for years now.
No, and it’s time to unleash their minor league studs and give the people something gp atleast hope for. Royals talking about being competitive yet was wishful thinking. Give the guys the summer to come up and see the pitching.
Dodgers sign Gallo to a 1 year deal, try and fix his swing, and run out the greatest defensive OF of all time.
By WAR is that still Betts, JBJ, Benintendi from a few years ago?
Probably
So like is 2017 “Back In The Day”?
Isn’t that in Philly right now? 😉
Arozarena, Kiermaier, and Margot say hello
Is what the Yankees give Hicks considered a long leash? I mean, he’s only been bad for like…1, carry the 3…. Yep, all of his contract. Seems like there’s no* leash. They just keep trotting him out there as he declines. There’s no way they are eating that money. Hicks will be platooned, or remain a OFer regardless of how poorly he performs, unfortunately (or fortunately, if your the other 29 teams).
At least he used to walk, he doesn’t even do that any more.
Hicks got hot for a half of season and has been average at best since then. Ton of talent that the organization finally thought “clicked”. At best I thought he was a good 4th outfielder based on his ability to get on base, the occasional pop, streakiness and his defensive skill. If he was on the other side of town he would be getting a nice goodbye gift basket to match Cano’s from Uncle Stevie right now.
Come on Hal, at least pretend like you have the same DNA as your pops.
I know, right? Man, the boys were crushing Ohtani & co today. Even Hicks lucked into some hits. Two were full-swing bloop singles that barely reached the grass, but whatever.
I cannot understand how Gallo stands on deck right IFO the Canon sign. I don’t understand how the pitcher doesn’t get distracted and say something. I agree with Kay, et al, that he’s going to catch a foul ball to the grill if he’s not careful.
Nestor was brilliant though. He’s a great Maddux-style throwback. I was most impressed with the pick-off of Ohtani though. That was a pretty good move.
I’ve recently wondered who would flinch if Hicks for Yelich was offered straight up
Yelich 6 @ 26 after this year
Hicks 3 @ 11 after this year
I’m pretty sure Mil would engage with all those arms coming up on heavy arbs/fa especially if they can wrangle a bullpen arm on top of Hicks as well. I’d wonder what Cash would think
Now a big market team never fathoms this deal but Mil is a different animal and is always dancing on the margins
* And yes I know Yeli has a NT this is just theoretical
If I’m Milwaukee I do it in a second. That’s a lot of money off the books.
2 nights ago was really the last straw for me re: Yelich. Can’t hit his way out if a wet paper bag (and yes, I’m aware he just had a 2 hit night, but 1 of them was garbage) and then he takes the most lackadaisical approach to a fly ball with the winning run on 3rd. Besides having a wet noodle for an arm, he did nothing to try and give himself some momentum towards the plate. Not that he could be on target anyway.
I don’t know what the deal is, but I have a feeling he’d snap out of it and hit 30 bombs in Yankee Stadium.
When you watch him this season you have to remind yourself he was NL MVP very recently. I get that he has back issues, but the thought of seeing six more years of this in MIL just makes you puke.
It’s bad enough he had existing back issues when the Brewers offered that extension. It’s worse when (despite some people insisting it happened after the new deal) he hadn’t yet played a real game since breaking his kneecap, AND there were still IIRC 2 years left on his previous contract.
That’s a tough one, Cap, but one I believe the Yankees pass on this one for three main reasons:
1) Hal made it clear he wants to stay under the LTT,
2) Judge is a FA at season’s end. They’re going to allocate any free money to a Judge signing, plus
3) They have several FAs after ‘22 & ‘23, including key SPs Tallion & Sevy. They won’t be easy or cheap to replace particularly if they continue performing like front rotation starters.
I could certainly see the appeal for both teams, and if I were Milwaukee, I would do the deal in a heartbeat because of the money coming off the books.
Cardinals could replace Dickerson with Alec Burleson, who’s playing well in AAA, but they’d have to clear a roster spot and add him to the 40 man roster.
Couldn’t Burleson just take the spot made available by the jettison of Dickerson? smh
It would be the same thing. Try to interact like an adult. Find some confidence.
why be a dillweed?
positively, you idiot
> Enrique Hernandez…He’s still playing great defense in center and helping shoulder the second base workload
According to B-Ref, Hernandez hasn’t played any 2B this season.
He hasn’t. He’s only played Center Field, and he’s played short on a couple of occasions in blowouts. The logic is that they want to get Story comfortable at 2b without playing his at short to mess him up.
maybe he’s playing such a shallow center field like tris speaker did 100 years ago he can be considered a second basemen?
Maybe his playing second base is just another MLB rumor?
helping shoulder the second base workload
==============================================
I didn’t get that either. I didn’t check the stats, but Story has played almost every game, and I know Arroyo played some. Kiki is a terrific backup should something happen, but he is not our 2B.
That said, I’d gladly extend him for another 2 years.
The Astros did not keep Maldonado for his offense. They are extremely happy with him and are more than likely keeping him after this season. Very bad take on their catcher situation.
How is Cody Bellinger not on this list ? Justin Turner ?
Bellinger is not an impending free agent
Playing like an impending non-tender TBH.
But I thought he was back? He had one good week a few weeks ago.
Justin Turner has been hitting a lot better
Really tough to see what’s happened to Gallo. I think that he kinda thought he was gonna retire a Ranger down the road. Or atleast leave the organization on good terms. Letting him walk after his contract to other pastures. After saying no to a trade for so long he figured I’m gonna stay. Then to get a blind side trade to the Yankees where he was forced to shave. I got a beard. Would be mentally agonizing to have to shave it. Let alone be forced to do it. As we know the NY media can be brutally honest with their reporting. He must have lost some of the joy that he had each day going into work. I think he will do better when he gets to pick where plays. True baseball fans remember this is the player of tower power. You will get it back Gallo.
Cashman has put together a great team this year, obviously; especially the pitching staff. But nobody’s perfect, and the Gallo trade is looking even worse when you see what the prospects he traded are doing for the Rangers. I had a chance to watch Josh Smith’s debut against the Rays and he went 3-4. His line in his first 4 games is .444/.615/.556/1.171. In that game, Glenn Otto held the Rays to 4 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned, through 6 innings for the win. And those are just two of the guys Texas got for Gallo.
I root for Joey, and his Barrels/PA and Barrels/Batted Ball Event are really good. But there aren’t many batted ball events. The 38% K rate is even worse than last year. At least he plays hard, challenges runners with his arm, fields adequately and beats it down the line on grounders.
He should grow a mustache. Clearly, that’s all he needs.
That man had a full beard that connected. Alot of people can’t get that. I also mentioned the media. Just the emotional blow for a team and you have to have so much history to get dropped. I think it more surprised him than anything.
Yeah, I don’t usually buy into the “New York pressure” story, but sometimes it’s probably legit. The Yankee fans welcomed him at first, waving Italian flags at Yankee Stadium when he came to bat (there are a few Italians in the neighborhood). But it’s been a rough go for him so far. I keep wishing he’d get on a roll at the plate, but it’s more wish than hope at this point.
Alot more demanding of him as a player there than in Texas. Texas he was laid back and his bat and play looked natural. Everything he does looks rushed. You see it watching him. Completely different everything. His defense, running, outfield play, bat, face. If the name wasnt above the team name and score I wouldn’t think that was Joey Gallo. Last 2 or 3 seasons we have seen alot players go threw some very weird growing pains and averages. That they have the back of the bubble gum card they can reference to show they will figure it out and produce but it’s kinda going the other way. So many players are just having trouble holding a .240 average. So many all stars are in the .240-.260(I think, cant be bothered to look it up atm but it’s a lot) it’s kinda shocking. You cant tell what a base line is for players now when they keep changing the ball up. A pop up for Gallo in the Bronx should be a homer. But he isn’t getting them. Idk
MLB and the HOF voters in the BBWAA make the argument that players on PEDs screwed up the record books, but that seems to me to be a pretty weak argument when MLB keeps trying to manipulate the game by changing the baseballs.
I’m fairly certain Gallo didn’t care at all about shaving his beard. 99% of players don’t. But, staying with Gallo, the Yankees were his childhood dream team, so, naturally, he always wanted to play for the Yankees. Given those well-known facts, one may reasonably presume he fully anticipated the need to shave and was perfectly content to do so.
As far as Josh Smith, I couldn’t believe they traded him. I watched him some when he played for LSU & with his talent level, I was surprised the Yankees traded an advanced player for a short-controlled LFer. Also consider the fact that the *weakest* position for the Yankees was MIF, specifically, Smith’s natural position, SS.
Lou Gehrig Day! One of my favorites of all-time (of course).
Do you know Joey Gallo?
Do you have a beard?
Do you have all the same views as childhood?
Who knows what Gallo is really thinking and why he is slumping but we cant presume anything!
What happened to Gallo is mostly that his huge K rate has caught up with him.
I wonder what BOS would want at this point for Enrique. Would be a good fit in Philly at a buy-low price.
Why would Philly be buying at the deadline? They’re even worse than Boston.
“New York isn’t getting any real offense from Hicks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Kyle Higashioka, however”
IKF is third on the team in runs with 26, and fifth among shortstops. His Win Probability Added is 7th among shortstops and his Clutch rating is second. He hasn’t hit any home runs yet, but I don’t really care. He’s batting .421 in high-leverage at-bats (although Fangraphs probably hasn’t added today’s numbers yet). Today he walked in the 8th with the Yankees down 0-1, stole a base, and scored the winning run on Rizzo’s clutch single. I’m liking his play. I’ve never once said, “Oh, no. Not this guy” when he came up to bat in a clutch situation.
In his last 25 games, IKF is hitting .226 with an OPS of .517 and 0 XBH.
-a Ranger fan
And in the last 7 days he’s batting .333 with an OPS of .701.
Say, these cherries are good!
IKF is there for his glove, not his bat. The bat is improving as he has settled into one position. Plus the weather is getting warmer. Players coming from teams that play in warm climates always struggle early in the season when they go east
Actually, IKF batted .302 in April. He fell off in May.
No one expected much from his bat when he was acquired. Just saying, “New York isn’t getting any real offense from . . . Isiah Kiner-Falefa” isn’t really accurate when he’s third in runs on the team. Tonight he went 2-4 with a double and scored twice.
To be honest, I was expecting less from his defense than he’s shown. His good defensive stats were at third base. His stats at short weren’t very good if you went by Outs Above Average at Statcast. So, for me, he’s been better than I expected in all respects. He’s not an elite offensive shortstop, but he’s been an important contributor to the team’s success so far.
Under 500 as the Sox still struggle a bit, it’s time to see what Duran has. Duran is 26 and he’s hitting well in AAA. Keke and JBJ both have elite gloves and JBJ has at been halfway decent at the plate the last 3 weeks or so. I watched Keke show out in the playoffs last season he’s earned a little rope. I’m thinking splitting at bats with all three outfielders and just keeping Cordero at first might be the best play. Bobby Dalbec has been god awful at the plate striking out way too much. Duran deserves some playing time with the Big club though, especially with how the Sox outfield as a whole has struggled with the bat.
We forget Dalbec is getting all of his development at the ML level and his bat has started to come around a bit in the last week. If the league ever actually enforces the 13 pitcher rule then maybe Duran gets a callup because i don’t see any of the position players being sent out at this point
They run Santana out there because the ENTIRE ORGANIZATION has NO CLUE and ZERO DIRECTION from the New Penny Pincher owner to 3/15 GM Moore and Mgr Mathenaloser
If JBJ ends the season hitting above .228 I am sure the Sox and even JBJ himself will be shocked. Apparently that was a prospect grab trade and so any offensive production from him is icing on the cake.
It’s a dicey free agency overall
Ss and C have some nice depth to them
3b is a black hole
OF, lotta inj risk A-Z, not much for Cf
Sp – C overall on the report card. Should favor the player if he has a good agent/22 year . Watch out for those overpays
Rp- Lotta name less game. Curious to see what Kenley Kimbrel Chapman get next. Appeals dwindling fast league wide at high prices. Diaz will stay in NY
There looks to be 3~5 clubs looking to spend Big Big next year. Plus those mystery teams – Bos Stl Sf set up well financially. Tor Min Mil sitting pretty as well…. Not a market Id wanna go bonanza on
Tre would solidify Stl,
Wilson Contreras is 4 healthy productive months away from earning some serious cheese
Everyone’s going to looking for Sp but it will get ugly quick, better strike fast
I don’t see how the Cubs don’t trade Contreras by the deadline. His getting hit near the hamstring last night and having to leave the game should be a wakeup call that they need to deal him now while his stock is still high and he’s not on the IL.
Now that Duvall isn’t playing center, his numbers should go up.
I expect a power surge from him and he will still get his 30+ HRs.
But this is definitely his last year with the Braves
When Rosario comes back, Duvall will at best be part of a platoon. Either he or Heredia will be cut loose.
Question: So we hear about these 3-True Outcome type players like Joey Gallo…my question is do these guys actually strive to be “3-True Outcome” type players and hone their skills as such???? OR… is it more like 3 True Outcomes are the only thing they know how to do with the baseball bat, so that’s their MO ??? Like could Gallo learn how to be a different sort of batter and be successful, or is he stuck being Mr 3 Ring Circus/3 True Outcome for the rest of his playing days???? Thanks , sorry if my question isn’t clear.
Joey was interviewed in the dugout on the Yankees network a while back and was asked about his approach at the plate, and he basically said: “This is who I am,” intimating — at least as I interpreted it — that he had no intention of altering his approach. I found that discouraging.
It’s too bad, because he has the power to hit the ball out without limiting himself to an all-or-nothing uppercut swing.
Now, it’s possible he lacks the innate skill to hit with a more level swing aimed at hitting line drives up the middle. Maybe there’s some limitation in his hand-eye coordination. But I’d sure like to see him try it for a while.
The limitation on the TTT description is that it delve into the ratios. Is the TTT player in question a 200k/100BB/40HR, or is it more like 225/75/35?
IMO, Gallo was more of a true TTT player in TX in 2021. He had an enormous 125 Ks in 310 ABs, but he also had 74 BBs. This year, that’s decreased to 56/19.
Once you stop taking the BB, the pitchers will expand the zone on you. And Yankee Stadium punishes lefties who try to pull outside pitches.
No one is trading for Santana, the Royals need to dump him now instead if waiting 2 months. It’s time to let the kids play and get some Major League at bats.
Yea, Santana is toast
To be honest he hasn’t hit since the second half of 2019. I was shocked the Royals signed him at all coming off a .199 showing in 2020.
.199 but led the league in walks so he was at least getting on base. Problem is a team like the Royals are not generally willing to pay players to sit home or play for other teams so they will keep trotting him out there til he either turns it around or they have paid enough that it doesn’t matter to them anymore (i.e. mid august/early September
5 of those players are over 35 so offensive decline is not surprising (in Maldonado’s case if he were hitting that would be concerning).
As the weather has gotten warmer in Boston so has Hernandez bat JBJ is what he is going to be. No one expected any more.
Duvall had a career year last year and has come back down to earth.
Dickerson only has a little more than 100 plate appearances.
Sano has been terrible.
Barnhart is a glove first bat second Catcher, always has been. Grossman has had neck issues which has probably impacted his offense.
Franco’s numbers are reasonably inline with what he has done the past couple of seasons.
Zunino has never hit. He just happens to hit Home Runs when he actually does make contact
Hedges has never hit.
Gallo is a better defensive Kyle Schwarber and as such may only get a deal similar to what Schwarber got in Philadelphia. However he may not even get that if he doesn’t have a better second half
Duvall is bad? But he had 30 home runs and 100 rbis last season?’
Apparently that is a good hitter
Your team should trade for him
“Bogaerts plays an excellent shortstop and will be highly sought after by a number of teams if the Red Sox decide to become sellers.”
So says Mark Feinsand in his MLB.com article “Trade chatter starts with these 7 players.”
What say you, Sox fans? You see a lot of Xander’s games. Does he play an excellent shortstop?
It’s all about starting pitching and a top notch closer. The Yankees have a stout starting five and will soon get Domingo German back if anyone gets hurt. They can absorb absolute, ridiculous slugs like Gallo and Hicks but make no mistake both of those SOBS need to be off that team while Andujar and Carpenter deserve to be there.
The Yankees now have their first legit BIG TIME closer since the GOAT, Mariano Rivera retired. Clay Holmes is a flat out stud. If I were the Yankees Manager, from my lips to God’s ears, I’d keep the wild and totally erratic Aroldis Chapman as a 6-8th inning situational guy instead of Lasagna or Luetge but if Boone puts Chapman back as closer when he returns, he should be fired immediately for abject stupidity. Even if Holmes gets hurt, I’d put King or Schmidt as Closer before I’d ever trust Chapman in that role ever again.
In short, as of June 5, 2022, the New York Yankees have their most complete and cohesive roster since either 98 or 99. There are no true weaknesses. Sure, many everyday players aren’t hitting all that great but when you have one rock hard stud after another on the mound day after day after day, you don’t need to be Murderer’s Row. Andujar absolutely needs to be brought back up while Slug Gallo needs to be a bench guy or DFA’d.
I’d actually rather sign Cano to take Gallo’s spot on this roster as coming home might give him a boost. But trust me, the biggest “acquisition” the Yankees can get is getting German back as he can come out of the bullpen or be a starter if someone goes down. He is an ace, either way and the 2022 New York Yankees absolutely have no excuses this year NOT to be World Series Champions. Amen?