The Yankees just posted their 30th consecutive winning season and made the playoffs for a sixth straight year. Yet there’s an air of uncertainty hanging over the offseason, with a decent chunk of the roster reaching free agency, headlined by face of the franchise and AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Gerrit Cole, SP: $216MM through 2028. Can opt out after 2024 but team can void that by tacking on $36MM option for 2029.
- Giancarlo Stanton, OF/DH: $160MM through 2027, including $10MM buyout on $25MM club option for 2028.
- DJ LeMahieu, IF: $60MM through 2026.
- Aaron Hicks, OF: $31.36MM through 2025, including $1MM buyout on $12.5MM club option for 2026.
- Josh Donaldson, 3B: $27MM through 2023, including $6MM buyout on $16MM mutual option for 2024.
- Harrison Bader, OF: $5.2MM through 2023.
Option Decisions
- Luis Severino, SP: $15MM club option with $2.75MM buyout.
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B: $16MM player option
Total 2023 commitments (if Rizzo exercises option): $136.74MM
Total future commitments: $516.31MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected 2023 salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Wandy Peralta (5.168): $3.1MM
- Frankie Montas (5.015): $7.7MM
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa (5.000): $6.5MM
- Lou Trivino (4.163): $4.2MM
- Gleyber Torres (4.162): $9.8MM
- Clay Holmes (4.031): $2.9MM
- Jonathan Loáisiga (4.022): $2.1MM
- Domingo German (4.017): $2.6MM
- Lucas Luetge (4.015): $1.7MM
- Kyle Higashioka (4.005): $1.7MM
- Tim Locastro (3.122): $1.2MM
- Nestor Cortes (3.094): $3.5MM
- Jose Trevino (3.063): $2MM
- Michael King (3.004): $1.2MM
- Non-tender candidates: Locastro
Free Agents
- Aaron Judge, Andrew Benintendi, Matt Carpenter, Jameson Taillon, Chad Green, Miguel Castro, Marwin Gonzalez, Zack Britton, Aroldis Chapman
It’s no real secret the big question facing the Yankees this winter is whether or not they can convince Aaron Judge to come back. Spring extension talks got a little bit awkward, with the slugger and the club failing to come to an agreement. General manager Brian Cashman took the unusual step of announcing the details of their offerJudge turned down, which was for $213.5MM over seven years, an average annual value of $30.5MM. Judge was reportedly looking for an AAV around Mike Trout’s $36MM on a longer term.
Turning down a contract offer of that size was certainly risky, as many things could have gone wrong for Judge in 2022, including a serious injury. However, the bet paid off in about the best way imaginable, as he ended up having an outstanding season. Not only did he hit 62 home runs and set a new American League record in that category, he also flirted with a Triple Crown, stole 16 bases, played about half the year in center field and got good marks in the process. His final slash line of .311/.425/.686 amounts to goofy-looking numbers like a 207 wRC+ and a 211 OPS+. He was worth 11.4 wins above replacement per the calculations of FanGraphs and 10.6 from Baseball Reference. That fWAR total hasn’t been seen since from a position player since Barry Bonds. And if you’re the type that wants to ignore Bonds, you’re going back to Mickey Mantle in the late ’50s.
There’s no doubting Judge will get paid more than what he turned down, the question is who will pay him. Judge has been quite tight-lipped about his preferences, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating. Some will point to the boos he received during the Yankees’ frustrating postseason and suggest perhaps Judge would prefer to go to the Giants, further from the pressures of New York and closer to his Bay Area family. Others suggest there’s no way the Yankees will allow the PR nightmare of letting their best player be pried away from them. The Dodgers are always a threat and are reportedly willing to move Mookie Betts to second base in order to fit Judge into the picture. Much ink will be spilled and many clicks will be generated until we know the correct answer.
The Yankees certainly have the payroll to make it happen if they want. Roster Resource estimates they’re currently slated to spend about $192MM next year. Picking up Severino’s option would add $12.25MM but Rizzo’s likely opt-out will subtract $16MM, getting them just under the $190MM mark. However, the club could then give him a qualifying offer, which is set at $19.65MM this year. If he were to accept, the payroll would climb to about $210MM.
Their Opening Day payroll in 2022 was $246MM, in the estimation of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Even if they want to cap their 2023 spending around this year’s levels, they should have close to $60MM to work with, or around $40MM if Rizzo accepts the QO. Given that Judge’s home run chase generated plenty of ticket sales, merchandise sales and TV ratings, there’s certainly an argument for a bump. Also, the Yankees have been usurped as the big dog on the block, getting outspent by the Dodgers and Mets this year. Perhaps they would feel the time is right to retake that throne in order to retain such a special player.
However, baseball games aren’t won by individuals and the club will also need to think about the rest of the roster. The outfield is currently set to lose both Judge and Andrew Benintendi to free agency, leaving the options on the grass looking a little thin. Deadline acquisition Harrison Bader will be in center and sure to provide excellent defense as well as adequate offense, or perhaps better. Aaron Hicks is still around but he hasn’t been both healthy and good at the same time since 2018. The Yankees would probably love to find a way to move him, but shedding any notable portion of the roughly $30MM remaining on his contract looks unlikely. At the very least, they’d presumably want to keep him in a fourth outfield role if they can’t find a trade partner. Giancarlo Stanton is mostly a designated hitter, taking the field in 38 games in 2022, his highest such total since 2018. He turns 33 this month and can’t really be counted on for anything more than occasional stints on the grass.
Oswaldo Cabrera was an infielder in the minors but learned outfield on the fly in order to help the team out down the stretch. He had a nice debut but in a small sample of just 44 games. Estevan Florial has shown promise in the minors but hasn’t yet been able to transfer that to the majors. He’ll be out of options next year and will need a spot on the active roster or have to be designated for assignment. Tim Locastro has wheels but is best suited for a bench/pinch runner role since his bat hasn’t shown enough to earn a regular gig. If Judge is indeed compelled to return, then things look much better. He can slot into right field next to Bader, with some combo of Hicks, Cabrera, Stanton and Florial covering left. Without him, it obviously needs addressing, with the Yanks then having to turn to lesser options like Benintendi, Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson or Mitch Haniger. Even with Judge, the Yanks might be wise to add to this crew in order to bump Hicks down the depth chart and free up Cabrera to play the infield.
There are also some question marks on the infield. A year ago, the Yankees steered clear of the big free agent shortstops, evidently quite confident that prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe could eventually take over the position. To that end, they acquired a placeholder in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who had a typical season for him, combining strong defense with subpar offense. However, some defensive miscues put a dent in his postseason playing time. Peraza had a strong season in Triple-A and got up to the big leagues by the end of the year, appearing in 18 regular season games as well as three in the postseason. Volpe spent most of the year in Double-A but got up to Triple-A by season’s end. Neither Peraza nor Volpe has done enough to guarantee themselves the job just yet, which means it makes sense to tender IKF a contract for his final year of arbitration eligibility. If he is eventually leaped on the depth chart by one of the young guns, he can then slide into a utility role. There’s also the presence of Cabrera, who could be in this mix if he’s not needed in the outfield. Given those various options, it’s possible the Yanks will avoid yet another big free agent shortstop market. If they are confident enough in the youngsters, they could even consider trading Kiner-Falefa, though that certainly comes with risk.
Elsewhere on the infield, Anthony Rizzo had a strong season and seems likely to opt out of his deal, especially with the new shift ban set to help him out going forward. As mentioned earlier, it’s possible he receives and accepts a qualifying offer, which will be determined shortly after the offseason begins. Second base should be taken by Gleyber Torres, who bounced back at the plate after a rough 2021 where he lost the shortstop job for good. Given his escalating arbitration salary, it’s possible the Yankees consider trading him for help elsewhere (they reportedly discussed him with the Marlins in talks surrounding Pablo Lopez this summer) and then use one of their shortstop candidates at the keystone.
Josh Donaldson was solid in the field but saw his wRC+ drop to 97, his first time being below 117 since 2012. His strikeout rate also jumped up to 27.1%, easily the worst of his career, outside of a cup of coffee way back in 2010. He’s about to turn 37 and the club will have to wonder if they need to cut bait before he potentially declines even further. Due $27MM next year (including a buyout on a 2024 option), he certainly won’t have any trade appeal. The Yankees will have to determine whether it’s worthwhile to eat the majority of his contract to move him or bring him back and hope for stronger results.
Despite an injury-marred finish, it was a solid season for DJ LeMahieu. He could potentially replace Rizzo at first base but could also man the hot corner if the Yanks find a way to move Donaldson. Then again, since he’ll turn 35 next year, perhaps it would be wise to keep him in the utility role so that he doesn’t have to be counted on for everyday work. As 2022 showed, the Yanks can win games with a rotation of Rizzo, Torres, IKF and Donaldson with LeMahieu getting work all over. In 2023, the contributions of Cabrera, Peraza and Volpe should grow, which will help. It wouldn’t be insane to keep the group together, but they could also look to other options. The first base market features plenty of solid veterans like Josh Bell, Jose Abreu, Trey Mancini and Brandon Belt. The third base market is mostly composed of utility types like Jace Peterson and Aledmys Diaz.
Behind the plate, it’s likely the Yankees feel content with what they have. They decided to move on from the Gary Sanchez era and acquired a glove-first option in Jose Trevino. The bet seems to have paid off, at least in terms of defensive work. Trevino posted 21 Defensive Runs Saved, earned a 19.1 from the FanGraphs framing metric and was the Fielding Bible award winner behind the plate. Both of those numbers were the highest in all of baseball, allowing Trevino to be worth 3.7 fWAR despite hitting around league average for a catcher. Kyle Higashioka wasn’t quite as strong as Trevino but was still above-average on defense. For next year, they could target a bat-first catcher like Willson Contreras, or someone like Sean Murphy, who is good with the bat and the glove. But it doesn’t seem like that should be their highest priority since Trevino and Higashioka are both solid and set for modest arbitration salaries.
Turning to the rotation, the starting staff could be losing a valuable contributor in Jameson Taillon, but it should still be in good shape. Gerrit Cole led the majors in strikeouts again and will be back for more. Severino bounced back from three mostly lost seasons to have a fairly healthy campaign in 2022. He spent some time on the IL but still got over 100 innings after only pitching 18 total frames over 2019-2021. He’ll have his option picked up and will be around next year. Nestor Cortes Jr. will look to build on an excellent breakout campaign. Frankie Montas dealt with shoulder issues after being acquired from the A’s but will hopefully be healthy and back to his old self. They also have Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt as decent options for the back end. They’ll haver to decide whether to make Taillon a qualifying offer and, if they either opt against it or he declines, if they want to try to bring him back on a multi-year deal.
In the bullpen, the Yanks will see a couple of notable veterans moving on, as both Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton are slated for free agency. Also, Chapman and the team seemed to have a falling out after he skipped a team workout that occurred as the Yankees were waiting to see who they would face in the ALDS, and it seems highly unlikely he’ll be back. A Britton return is possible, but he’s no sure solution after two injury-plagued seasons. Miguel Castro and Chad Green are also heading to the open market, though Green is likely to miss at least part of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. The bullpen will also be without deadline acquisition Scott Effross, who required TJS in October.
With those subtractions, the remaining relievers include Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Wandy Peralta, Lou Trivino, Ron Marinaccio and others. There are certainly some solid arms in there, but there’s also room for some improvements. Holmes seemed to have the closer’s job on lock before scuffling midseason but then finishing strong. The top of the relief market will be Edwin Diaz, but there will be plenty of other available hurlers who could make sense, including Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Brad Hand, Chris Martin or Rafael Montero.
As for who’s running the ship, there doesn’t seem to be much doubt there. Cashman is in the final few months of his contract but that doesn’t appear to be an issue. The last time this happened was 2017 and a new contract wasn’t hammered out until December of that year. It seems he’ll eventually get the paperwork sorted to stick around; Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested that’s the likeliest outcome earlier this week. Manager Aaron Boone is under contract for 2024 with a club option for 2025. Some fans have called for his head after the disappointing playoff performance of the club, but Boone recently got a vote of confidence from owner Hal Steinbrenner.
All in all, there are many questions facing the Yankees this winter. Will they trade any of Donaldson, Hicks or IKF? How much do they spend on the bullpen, and do they get a proven closer? Is Rizzo back or do they need to address first base? But those all seem like trivial matters when compared to the massive question at the center of everything. Will Aaron Judge return to the only organization he’s ever known, or will he swap out the pinstripes for something new? It’s the biggest question of the offseason — not just for the Yankees, but for the entire league.
In conjunction with this post, Darragh McDonald held a Yankees-centric chat on 11-4-22. Click here to read the transcript.
Early favorites to win the 2023 World Series.
Sign Judge, replace Cashman, and they will be a little closer.
After the way the fans treated Judge, they don’t deserve him at any price.
Yeah as all the fans were booing him
Opposite!
Cashman has been the best, most consistent part of that organization. Always fields a great team.
I just hope they are first to win 70 games next year. Highlight of the season.
I liked what the Yankees did early… They replaced Sanchez with a defensive catcher… moved Torrez off short and improved the defense. Then they got Bader for CF… excellent moves. But then they had questions in the pen with Chapman, Holmes and few others… why not go get a couple relievers? Then they counted on Hicks and Benitendi… really? They are both always hurt… go out and find something for LF… instead you go with Stanton? YIKES! You are looking for an injury there. Then you throw backup minor league infielders out there.
Astros swept the Yankees, but 3 of those games could have gone the other way if the Yankees could get a timely hit.
Just imagine if the Yanks had added Hader and Chafin?
Brandon Marsh for LF?
Might have been a completely different post season.
They got Effross and Trivino. I prefer Effross to Chafin, but he got hurt.
I don’t really think Benintendi is “always hurt”. Certainly not any more than Bader, or Judge for that matter.
Hader was awful for the Padres.
Hader is a very good pitcher… Hader was untouchable in the playoffs. 5.1 innings… 10 k’s… 1 hit… 1 walk. Shutdown lefty.
Chafin Hader Marsh and the Yankees are still playing.
Yeah bad on Cashman for not being able to predict injuries in advance 😛
Bad on Cashman for getting Donaldson (both performance and cost) and IKF (as a SS) and going with Hicks (CF) and going with Gallo (LF) and Higashioka (C). Bad on Cashman fo missing Castillo and settling for Montas. That’s bad Cashman. The injuries were part of the collapse. The rest was that team regressed. The team Cashman put together was a .500 ball club, as the second half proved. Even Judge couldn’t lift them higher.
You’d rather they be saddled with someone like Javy Baez? They wanted a short term bridge to Volpe and Peraza. Castillo would have been extremely costly in prospects. Seattle didn’t win either.
They dealt Gallo and got what looks to be a good pitching prospect for him, and got Benintendi to replace him.
Nothing wrong with Higgy as a 2nd catcher, and the Trevino trade was brilliant.
He should have asked me…
Hader > Effros
Marsh > minor league infielder
Chafin > Chapman
You’re talking about Gallo and Higgy AFTER Cashman put them in as starters, as the solution. AFTER the big mistakes were made. When he finally corrected. Of course with Gallo the “solution” was Hicks. Ugh. Had he simply made the right move for an outfielder/bat in the first place. I’ll concede on IKF I just wish he had gotten an actual SS.
Wow I never realized there are GMs who make every call right. Yeah shame on Cashman for not having perfect 20-20 foresight.
There’s a lot of ‘ifs’there Bob, that’s the problem. As long as Cashman’s in charge The boondoggles you mentioned will continue to occur or to exist. That is how he operates
Sweet write-up, Darragh!
The Yanks have enough talent in their system to make the playoff in the next coming years. Donaldson and Hicks have bad contracts, but still could be above average next year. Signing Judge could be good for the next 3 to 5 years, and get ugly after that. The Yanks have some good players coming in Volpe and Peraza along with Dominquez and Jones. They will need them to excel to put them over the top. They pitching looks to be a strong point.
Slider32:
“Donaldson and Hicks could be above average next year.”
In which alternate universe?
Donaldson put up a 2.4 bWAR and Hicks had a 1.8.
Donaldson was just about league average as a hitter and played some great defense at 3b. He could fall off with age, or he could also rebound as a hitter.
Hicks can still draw walks. Otherwise I didn’t see much to encourage me that he’s a viable starter, but he’d be a good enough 4th OF.
Donaldson had 13 HR’s and a .682 OPS. and OPS+ of 94. Not 3B material offensively. Not even close. To compete with the Astros, the Yanks need much more there. Heck, even Gio Urshela (who I’m not proposaing as a solution), had a .767 OPS and 121 OPS+.
Hicks had 8 HR’s, a .642 OPS, and 86 OPS+. Not a credible outfielder, not when Cashman put him out there to start CF at the start of the season.
He put up a 2.4 WAR, mainly because of strong defense. A 2.4 WAR player is above average. They lost a series to Houston with a bunch of players injured.
They gave Hicks a look to see what he had coming off of his injury and by the end of the year he wasn’t a starter.
2.4 WAR is not worth $23M, especially when it comes with 94 OPS+. Especially when it consists almost entirely of defense. What glove first 3B gets $23M? And the dude was 36. What was Cash thinking?
He was probably thinking what the majority of fans think: good players never ever decline until they’ve already declined. Or something.
I didn’t say he was worth his salary, just that he’s not a terrible player.
He’s there because he was a short term option and they have young IFs coming up. Cash was thinking he didn’t want to commit long term to someone like Baez.
To me, an above average 3B is one of the ten best starting 3B in league, average is starters 11-20, and below average is 21-30.
Donaldson was not great defensively. He was absolute league average ranking 15-20 among 3B in nearly every metric. I have to ask what is there indicative of him having a renaissance offensively at age 37 when his numbers have been in steady declining aside from a minor surge in 2019s juiced ball year??
Donaldson was fourth in Defensive Runs Saved, and fifth in UZR/150 and Outs Above Average at third base. Where are you finding your statistics?
You’re right that there’s no reasonable expectation of his improving offensively. He appears to be cooked. It was a terrible waste of assets to pay his kind of salary for his glove-only production. It’s better to eat as much salary as needed to move him than to keep him and hobble the lineup with another season of sub-par offensive production, compounding the loss.
Perhaps Donaldson maybe. If Hicks sees extended playing time next season, then the Yankees have bigger problems. He should be their fourth outfielder/pinch runner.
Slider, you’re the best of us, man. Certainly the glass half-full one. I respect that and sincerely hope you are right. I don’t see Donaldson or Hicks performing markedly better than they did this year if they stay in NY. I could see Hicks rebounding in a lower pressure environment, potentially.
If you guys listened to Kay’s interview of Boone, Boone’s answers were like nails on a chalkboard. Complete apathy, stressed being there for camaraderie, and wouldn’t acknowledge the season as a failure. Instead he said he wanted to look back on the good times they had. Plus, he couldn’t even commit to an answer when asked if he would change anything about his decisions in the playoff series if he could go back.
We. Are. Doomed.
I haven’t and don’t want to.
Just FYI, YBC, they asked Boone if IKF could be the SS for NYY next year… Boone’s response was, “He can be.”
What?!
Lol. Love the non-commital responses! Is Gary Sanchez your starting catcher for Gerritt Cole? He can be! Higgy? He shall too. How is the team going to replace Judge’s production if he signs elsewhere? Yes!
I haven’t and don’t want to.
=========================
As a RS fan, when I get elected emperor, I’m forcing all Yankee fans to listen to Boone. Compare this to the Tito interview where he flat-out states that no one on the team should look at this as a “nice story”, and that it should be considered a stepping stone for much bigger things.
Boone should’ve acknowledged the hard work, yada yada, and then said they need a WSC for it to be considered successful. Not everyone can win, but at a certain level, just coming in 1st is not good enough.
I’d also make a real wager that most of the players on the team would say the season was a disappointment.
Boone on the flight Home…. Would you like Coffee or Tea sir? Boone “Yes”
After the game 3 massacre in 2004, Tito simply stated, “We’re not done yet. I fully expect those guys to come out tomorrow and play their asses off.” There’s only one Tito.
…and make sure it’s tepid, please.
Donaldson might, most hitters perform better their second year as they get more ab’s against their division’s pitchers that they’re seeing again and again.
this could be true but remember he was a blue jay just a couple years ago and has been playing the in al primarily for his career so he has plenty of opportunities on most of the pitchers there. .
Most 36-year-old hitters don’t perform better when they turn 37 (Josh turns 37 in December).
Hey Clip. Good to see you here. it’s a sad commentary, but I agree with your points of course. And Steinbrenner is quite happy with the results obviously. He doesn’t mind losing to the Astros every year, as long as we get to the postseason and he keeps making his money he’s fine. Therefore you’re right, we are doomed in the sense that we will be eliminated in the postseason before getting to the World Series for years to come I fear unfortunately.
Now if Cashman does things differently, and goes after the big name and performing player for a change, instead of these second rate players that he can get cheaper, with fewer prospects, then we might have some hope. But I have some no reason to believe that anything will change. Maybe By sheer chance alone ,he will get a diamond in the rough, a player that can perform well in the postseason for a change. We can’t rely on Harrison Bader for all of our offense for god sake.
And maybe we could hope that Aaron Boone finally figures out how to manage a bullpen in the postseason, but I doubt it ,he’s been here for four years I think ,and he still hasn’t figured it out. Maybe by chance alone, he will finally make a bullpen move in the postseason in a tough spot that works out ,we can pray for this cause that’s about all we have to hope for. And I really hope that they bring back Rizzo, we need a first baseman and DJ is declining, and he has long stretches of being unhealthy every year, so we really can’t count on him much anymore I don’t believe going forward.
And finally I’ll just say, like the Astros who had faith in their minor-league development system, we need to trust and use the kids. I’ve seen enough of IKF, and and hope Peraza or Volpe will be allowed to man the position finally. The Yankees need to stop manipulating service time, and trust their own process, as Cashman likes to say. I also do not wanna see much more of Donaldson or Hicks. If they are bench pieces, because the Yankees do not want to release them, that’s fine. But we need other players to handle the positions now. It’s obvious that offense, especially in the postseason is what we really need.
Donaldson will b 37 next year, more than likely him being even average is wishful thinking. Hicks at 33 has hit over .260 once and once had over 20 HRs, again I see average as wishful thinking. The Yankees success hinges on if they resign Judge and if they don’t what moves they make to fill the void. Along with Stanton being overall above average at the plate. DJ, IKF, and Torres are serviceable and the team can do well with them if the rest of the lineup is producing. But relying on them to b the lynchpins around a single star bat is not sustainable. Nor will the likes of them offer lineup protection to Donaldson and Hicks.
Tigers3232: Also of note is that when Hicks did hit above average (with the 20HR season) it was 2018, during the super ball epoch.
I loved the trade for Donaldson (on field, not salary ) but he was nothing short of horrendous offensively.
They’ll eat most of his contract and let him go.
I agree DogDays. I had hopes he would bring some attitude to a team that really needed some. Mostly all he was was an embarrassment.
I mean I think if you can get him for 7-8 years you have to do it when it moves to 10 it becomes a move on type of situation. Unfortunately for the Yankees there are no outfielders who could remotely replace his production.
He’s roughly the same age as Pujols/Cabrera when they hit free agency, but he has a much more Athletic profile and much more power. He’s had some odd injuries, but never anything that seems nagging.
I don’t see any reason that Judge wouldn’t still be quite productive at 36-37. 38+ your just gambling at that point.
Best contract would be 8 years for 300M with it being front loaded and having a player option
Years 1-5 40M years 6-8 35 35 and 30 with the 8th year having a 10M buyout
Make the playoffs yes, but get past the Astros finally no. Looks like nothing will change from the last few years Cashman remains ,Boone the inept bullpen manager remains, and we will continue to be eliminated by the Astros for years to come. Apparently Steinbrenner is fine with that.
Oh man, that Hicks extension is just haunting them, as well as J.D’s contract. Spider tack Cole is another drain, that one game when his back pocket turned black was a hoot. Let the other teams set Judges market, and then give him the best. If they sign him, the fans will be happy.
Cmon, Cole isn’t one of their issues.
Can’t wait until Judge leaves.
The team is caught in between.. It’s not really championship quality but, unless things completely fall apart, would be in the mix for a WC spot even if Judge leaves. The problem they have is that there’s no clear path to make them championship–too many players who’s age-adjusted talent is OK but not special. Trevino and DJ are the only position players besides Judge to make it to 3WAR and Cole and Cortes the only pitchers. It’s hard to see how, with their prospective losses, they get back to high 90’s in wins. Could be wrong, maybe there’s a FA signing or some brilliant trade, but it’s not obvious right now.
Gleyber Torres produced 4.1 bWAR.
Gleyber Torres produced 4.1 bWar, but 2.4 fwar. Maybe that’s what Mike is referencing?
Torres and Amed Rosario had the same war. This doesn’t relate, but it’s just interesting.
2.7 fWAR and ranked 10 among all second baseman. Probably higher if DJL didn’t take some of his playing time away.
My bad must have looked at another number and switched them up. I wasn’t knocking Torres btw.
Just thought it was interesting how Rosario and Torres produce similar value in different ways.
All good! We all fumble numbers.
Yes, I was using f-WAR. Should have been clearer.
We must remember Michael King will be back but a solid closer will be needed. Donaldson definitely is the biggest Achilles heal
Donaldson was about league average. Little below. Not a huge problem.
Yeah , if his performance in the postseason was “league average”, I wouldn’t want to watch baseball anymore.
Lots of players suck in such small sample sizes.
Careful there, Mackey, the concept of sample size is a bit too sophisticated for some of the mob around here.
What do you think the front office is internally thinking their odds are on keeping Judge?
The local media in the Bay Area, keep reporting that the Giants are “all in on Judge” “will not be outbid” etc…
Just curious…
Their guess is as good as ours. I’ll lay odds that it’s 50/50. If the Yankees whiff on Judge, I do expect them to make some mega-trade to the detriment off their farm system.
YBC – I strongly believe the Yanks will go hard after Ohtani whenever he becomes available via trade or free agency, if they don’t retain Judge.
@FPG I think you may be right. That will definitely blunt the pain.
Yea Ohtani can DH along with Stanton good plan
Such as?
@Yanks2 FPG brought up Ohtani. If the new Angels owner(s) wants to contend, it makes perfect sense to trade Ohtani asap. They’ll want arms and Volpe. Yankees’ farm will be barren. Angel fans will riot but quickly forgive if they make the playoffs. Who knows if Moreno is really going to sell his team?
(Obviously, the Yankees will also need to re-acquire Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar to add to the package.)
Dodgers are too. In the end in these situations his offers will be roughly equivalent. He’ll just decide based on other factors.
I predict they’ll sign Taillon to a 4-year 40mm deal. Kind of a waste to spend that money on Severino when the guy can’t even play quarter of a season
He was a coming off TJS and made 19 starts and had a good season overall. I’ll take those results again next season for his $15M option. Taillon is a backend starter and not difference-maker for any contending team.
If you seriously think he’d get a 10 mil per year deal you have no idea what the free agent market is like. He’ll get at least 13-15
Paxton got a one year 10m deal from the Red Sox and is virtually the same pitcher as Taillon
Paxton also pitches maximum a half season
You think Taillon is only getting $10 million per season on a multi-year deal?
His numbers scream decent pitcher. No team will pony up more than 2 years for Taillon given his injury history
Taillon has pitched 144 and 177 innings over the last two seasons respectively to an ERA+ of 100. I think we’re past the injury-prone label for him. He’s 30 and will get a minimum of three years probably with an opt-out after two.
Lol a minimum of three years. Yeah ok
We shall see.
He’s a slightly better James Paxton
Would you say he is better than Steve Matz who got a 4/44 and was potentially offered more than that by the mets? They are very similar in their platform years with Matz had less games and innings but higher SO rates, taillian had better overall underlying stats with less rate of homeruns, walks, and hits but over about another 30 innings.
Coupled with his consistency other than being out with tjs and cancer. i think he does end up with a 3 year deal for smaller amounts like mentioned 10-15 or he does a 15-18 for 2 years.
I think he winds up at a rebuilding club between Matz’ and Eovaldi’s deal – 4/52?
I can see the 4/52 but i think he wants to come back on the market before 34 so i like the 3/maybe 36 or 40 or get his end goal contract with a few more if its on the table.
The Yankees need to keep Judge so he can keep striking out 4 times per game in the playoffs! He needs to build up his numbers, so he can be the all time great playoff strikeout champion!
That honor belongs to Derek Jeter at 135 right now. I’ll take it.
He strikes out a lot. Always been part of his game. You wanna judge him solely in a few games in the playoffs? He’s one of the best in the game.
I’ve been sleeping with Judges really ugly, really fat, really distant cousin Jamie. She says he wants to play in California. I believe her.
Well, I believe you! Is that bad?
I heard from Giancarlo Stanton’s relatively attractive even distanter (is that even a word?) cousin Giancarla that Judge really wants to be a Royal (of course she may have been talking about him trying to marry into the family, she wasn’t very clear)…
*more distant 🙂
It’s beer and skittles to watch the NYY organization struggle and it brings joy to listen to their fan base whine. May they miss the playoffs til 2055.
Yeah, it’s tough on us making the playoffs every year ya know
I have to believe if the Yankees let Judge walk George Steinbrenner may actually rise from the grave and take the team over again
George got rid of Reggie Jackson and he helped to win the WS. Judge ain’t helped to win anything yet.
But, George said that was his only mistake he regretted in getting rid of Reggie.
But that wasn’t nearly his only mistake though. I do think George was good for the Yankees but the mid 80s to the early 90s happened. And the only reason the Core Four (Five because I count Bernie) happened was because George was suspended by the league. And when he came back Stick Michaels had to constantly lie to George to keep him from trading all the young guys away. George had many problems that are getting glossed over in recent years.
Best thing George ever did was back off and let someone else make the decisions.
No the best thing George ever did was commit the money to go for it. Like the Tartabull deal.. Monster deal. Who could have foreseen that collapse? The important thing was that George was committed to going for it, like Cohen is now, I think. That’s what I think the best thing George ever did. Committing the money to go for it.
Yea. True. Ok, the TWO best things George ever did….
The Padres and Dodgers owners fall in that category, too.
Anything longer than 6 years would be a mistake unless the years after that were options.
Of course, some fool team will give him more guaranteed years, it’s a given.
I’m too logical. Guess that’s why it’s so hard to find players for my softball team…..
Jorge, I have the same troubles finding players for softball. People just seem uninterested and non committed.
So Yankees fans, how far down on IKF are you guys? Maybe there’s a deal to be made. Your coaches obviously had great success with Matt Carpenter. Maybe get lucky twice with Paul DeJong? Obviously we’d have to throw in someone else or just eat part of the contract, but his glove still plays at SS or 3rd. Let me know what you think.
Dejong really fell hard, I feel bad for the guys that really work their butts, do it all correct but get the injury bug. Carpenter had more proven history and less length on the fall from grace. I don’t see anything happening for him and just look forward to the buyout in 2024
Hey Don! I hope you are well. So, I think that’s an interesting question and trade inquiry. I think I speak for most Yankees fans when I say this: we aren’t down on IKF at all, really. He was *exactly* what he was supposed to be. He was a no-power contact hitter, with a little speed and decent (I stress decent) defense at SS. He cannot come in on balls and he struggles mightily throwing if it’s deep.
He was set up by the Yankees for failure. They brought him in and threw him at SS after the Yankees had a terrible season with Gleyber playing there. Then, they skipped out on the FA SS market altogether under the auspices that IKF was only a stopgap, holding the position until Peraza was ready. Then, they kept Peraza down, left IKF out there, and when they finally brought Peraza up, he rode the pine. The problem was that IKF is not a bad stopgap, but he is *not a good SS either* despite what Boone & Cashman say. So his mistakes were more amplified and he received the collective frustration of the fans (which should’ve been directed at Boone/Cashman).
The good: IKF has a great attitude. The guy is a true professional, and from the little we saw of him at 3B, I think he’s much more defensively adept there (and he won a GG there in the past). His arm isn’t strong, but with Goldie at 1B, he won’t have to worry. So, he will not be DeJong’s caliber defensively, and he’s pretty much the polar opposite on offense.
I’m not sure what the Yanks will do with IKF, but I hope they keep him as a UTL guy, which is probably his most appropriate team role. As for DeJong – always liked him. It would be amazing if someone could unlock his bat again because of how defensively sound he is.
Why would the Yankees trade an inept SS for another inept SS when they have 3 guys in the minors who could all potentially be better than either one from the word go
Thanks Clip. I you are well also. That basically answers my question. On paper IKF looks like a perfect utility infielder for the Yankees, but I have never really watched him play. I have heard some grumblings from fans on this site so I was looking for a little more detailed info.
If the Yankees and Cardinals were able to work out a trade, IKF would likely also play a utility role for us. He would serve as a more expensive version of Edmundo Sosa, but a less expensive version of DeJong. His contact oriented approach and the speed you mentioned would also make him a better fit in our lineup than DeJong.
The Yankees and Cardinals have some positive trade history so I thought I’d throw one out there. Enjoy!
Clip, your point makes sense. I have a feeling that the Yankees will move I KF, and try to reduce payroll that way eventually I’m not saying at the beginning of the season. If they end up using the kids, or liking what they see, they’ll probably stay with them. You know how the Yankees are about cutting every penny they can from the payroll.
Just a quibble on the “back to Mantle” point on WAR. Carl Yastrzemski had a 12.5 WAR (baseball reference) in 1967 (not to take anything away from Judge).
Not trying to be rude or anything, but read that part again: “That fWAR total hasn’t been seen since from a position player since Barry Bonds. And if you’re the type that wants to ignore Bonds, you’re going back to Mickey Mantle in the late ‘50s.” They were talking about fangraphs war, not baseball reference.
I think the Yankees of all teams know better then to throw too much money and years at players on the wrong side of 30. They can look at both Donaldson and Stantons decline and not budge on Judge. Going to be 31 to start the year, I believe he’ll get somewhere close to 5y/$165mm or 6y/$190mm. He, like Soto, most likely turned down the best offer they would get already.
Guest, while I agree that’s all he should get, I’m afraid it will be much more. I’m thinking it will be more like 8y/$300+
At the very least.
long shot but I’d package Cole and Donaldson to NL maybe Padres for Hader and couple prospects or LH Bat.
if it takes Torres, Cole and Donaldson so be it.
sign Judge 4 for 160, club 5th
sign Turner – am scared of injury history though.
Hicks 4th OF
IKF util #2
Peraza SS
Cabrera 3B/OF
Torres 2b – if traded use DJ/Cabrera
DJ util #1
Rizzo 1b
Bader CF
Judge RF.
I just hope Hicks stays healthy enough to get back into a good routine again, his switch batting is a real benefit.
Use FA to get relief and two 4 or 5 starter(s).
Get Benetendi if we could then use Cabrera at SS and Peraza gets half year more in Scranton called up around all star break.
Cole’s no-trade clause says no thanks
I don’t know who is on his ‘acceptable’ team list for waiving it. But one can only hope
Full No Trade Clause … and how many teams are going to give him bigger contract to “waive” his no trade clause because that is what it will take. Then throw out the teams not willing to give any player 36M.
I’m trying to figure out why the Padres would make that trade lol
TheDogDays – exactly. The Padres have Machado at third and cronenworth at second. Why would they want Donaldson and Torres? Makes no sense. I could see Cole with the right package but the NYY can’t provide the right package for the Padres.
And Furthermore, why would anybody want those two at all. We certainly don’t want them
If they can’t re-sign Rizzo, I predict the Yankees will try to bring back LHH Matt Carpenter on a 1-2 year deal to play first base (can also play 3B, LF, RF) because he had a 1.605 OPS in 63 PA at Yankee Stadium this year. DJ can play first base when Carpenter needs a day off and/or against tough lefties. Don’t see them having interest in RHH 36-year Jose Abreu on a 3-year deal. Carpenter would be much better bet/value than Bell, Mancini or Belt, especially if they could get him in a 1-year deal.
Carpenter at third base is a disaster
They’ll never win until The Steinbrenner Family and Cashman are no longer involved with the team
Barely a 500 team with resigning Judge Rizzo. This team needs to spend some serious dough for three or four good players, or your looking at a long stretch of mediocre teams. Roster is weak
Yes, unfortunately, everybody sees that *except the Yankees*. Boone did an interview with Michael Kay today and when Kay asked him if the roster needed to be retooled, Boone emphatically responded, “No, no!” Then went right into the party speech….”I really feel like we have too many good things going in our clubhouse. We are a championship roster right now.”
The last time I saw someone this lost he ended up alone on an island, crazy, and talking to a coconut.
Right up there with his famous “the rest of the league is catching up to us” a few years back.
Haha! I forgot about the “catching up” statement by Boone. Wow, he is a knuckle-brain.
Clip you are correct. We knew this was coming, so none of us are surprised. Someone said it above, and I agree. I think the Yankees plan/hope that every year that maybe they’ll get lucky and won’t run into the Astros in the postseason as someone else will eliminate them, so that we don’t have to face them. As evidenced by Cashman‘s press conference, at least he’s finally acknowledging that the Astros are better, but of course they won’t do anything about it ,that’s a whole other story. That would require increased acumen which would come only from another general manager, but we’re not getting that either I am sure.
So when the Yankees say that winning in the postseason is a crapshoot, what they really mean is that maybe we will get lucky and not run into the Astros in the postseason so that we actually have a chance to win something for a change, without having to change too much. Or spend too much.
The press conference was nauseating to me. Boone’s was particularly bad. How can anyone listen to that guy and want him as a manager. He is completely lost.
Ok they aren’t better than a few teams but I think “weak” is a little bit pessimistic geez.
Whatever they do better hope they don’t run into the Astros in the playoffs
Why? Have to keep taking shots.
0-4 and counting
Since no major changes will be made again, that’s probably exactly what the front office hopes for every year.
Of the six guaranteed contracts listed above, the only one worth the money is Bader’s.
Lol ironic since you were the one suggesting he wouldnt be the same while he was injured.
Funny how things change.
I never said he definitely wouldn’t be the same after he healed. I said other players suffering from plantar fasciitis were severely hampered by it, and it often recurred. I also said it made no sense to me to weaken the rotation to acquire a center fielder in a boot unless Cashman’s focus was on next year, not the playoffs, when we were fighting for home field advantage. At the time of the trade, we were told there was no certainty Bader would even be healthy in time to play in the postseason.
Let’s go to the videotape:
“LordD99, how can Bader help when he’s wearing a boot for plantar fasciitis?
“If Monty had been traded for a healthy outfielder like Ian Happ, it might’ve — might’ve — been worth weakening the rotation. But this rotation was already facing innings limits with several starters having pitched few innings before this season. To weaken it further by dealing away Montgomery for an injured player whose greatest asset is speed and who’s nursing what’s often a chronic foot ailment makes no sense to me.
“I mean, if you’re making a trade that you think might help next year, and you’re weakening your rotation this year, what does that say about your priorities?”
_________________
“Right. What could be more fun than watching a guy on the IL sit on the bench?
“We’re familiar with plantar fasciitis around here. We had a ‘stud’ named Greg Bird who never amounted to anything thanks to that injury — and he didn’t have to play center field, he was a first baseman.”
__________________
“Bader’s foot is in a boot because he’s suffering from plantar fasciitis. How is he supposed to ‘go get ’em in CF’?”
__________________
“Were they making trades for this year or for next year? If the latter, that was pretty stupid when they were looking at their best shot at a World Series in years.”
__________________
“Mindless trade by Cashman. They needed pitching and he added a center fielder on the IL who’s suffering from the same affliction as Greg Bird. Mindless.
But you know the old adage: ‘Center fielders on the IL win championships’.”
__________________
“What occurs to me, and I hope I’m wrong, is that acquiring a center fielder might be a lame prelude to letting Judge walk so cheapass Hal doesn’t have to pay for him.”
__________________
“The real deal on the IL. This might be Judge’s last season in pinstripes (if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet a nickel that Hal will pay to keep him). This was the time to go for it, their best chance in years to get to the World Series. Weakening the rotation with a focus on next year’s outfield made no sense.”
__________________
“And you keep being you, Jimmy. Keep thinking that subtracting from the rotation for an injured center fielder when the team is competing with Houston for home field advantage is a good idea.”
__________________
“Pujols suffered from plantar fasciitis soon after going to Anaheim. He was never the same player. A center fielder with that injury is about as useless as a pitcher with a torn elbow ligament.”
__________________
“Question: How can a guy sitting on the bench with plantar fasciitis help Judge keep his legs fresh? How can he steal a bag?
“In 2019, Ryan Zimmerman, who played first base, not center field, missed 106 days with plantar fasciitis.”
__________________
“The postseason is never a sure thing; but this team had its best shot at a ring in years, and Cashman had a chance to increase their odds with judicious deals at the trade deadline. Instead, he weakened the rotation in exchange for an injured player whose ability to help the team THIS YEAR is greatly in doubt.”
That is definitely true in my opinion
Every position except CF is a question mark next year. Pretty crazy
Um Catcher is not a question mark and neither is 2B. You make it sound like they need 8 FA’s to fill the team. In a perfect world they need 2 corner outfielders and potentially 2 corner IF’s depending on Rizzo/Donaldson
They also have arguably 4 potential SS’s on the 40 man in Volpe, Peraza, Cabrera, and IKF.
Torres has been a trade candidate they nearly traded him for Pablo Lopez. They’ve been interested in Sean Murphy too and it wouldn’t be shocking if they bring in someone else there. And it’s very up in the sir who plays ss
This Organization is in disarray. Completely lost from the top down. No willingness to reinvest the MASSIVE revenue stream into the product and when they do acquire talent its from the scrap heap. Never seen a Yankees team run like this, but welcome to Hal’s Yanks. I cant support this crap. Honestly, dead serious, they’re lucky the even made the playoffs this yr. Next season will be exactly the same. They better hope Volpe, Peraza & Dominguez turn into legit studs, because I have no idea who’s coming to this franchise, free agents don’t want to be here.. it’s obvious to the league that the yankees are in a horrible situation. I
They won the division by almost 10 games and a playoff spot by nearly 15 games. You could take any one player off there roster this year even Judge and they would still be in.
Normally, I’d be all in on getting rid of Gleybar…. But they have so many other holes and decisions, a team can only do so much during an offseason.
Curious to see what they do at the infield corners. Rizzo likely opts out and what do they do with Donaldson? Keep him or trade him away with a prospect or bad contract swap? IKF can play 3B and that would let one of the prospects play short. I guess Donaldson could slide over to 1B.
Moving Donaldson to first base would waste the only value he has. He’s still a very good defender at third. Like you said, IKF can play third. He won a Gold Glove there. DJ played an excellent third base too.
If they keep Donaldson rather than eat salary to trade him, that says something about the importance of championships to ownership. They’d be committing to an aging player whose offensive decline was on display all year.
Pink, we already know how they feel about championships. They don’t care. They just care about money and earning lots of it. And that they’re doing.
A good bullpen piece to go after would be Chafin. Could always use a solid lefty
The best things the Yankees could do, if possible, would be to replace Cashman and somehow acquire the Astros’ scout(s) who found Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and Bryan Abreu.
And Miami just tabbed the director of that scouting division for their assistant GM.
Did you hear Boone’s interview yesterday? If not, when they hold the press conference today don’t expect anything different from last year. Same line of BS, same people, same results.
Clip, I never expected anything else.
Great suggestions, and in line with what I have posited myself. But you know it won’t happen under Steinbrenner. He’ll keep his buddy Cashman at the helm until his pal decides it’s time to hang it up.
Or maybe even get Astros ASG Pete Putila…oops, to late, the Giants just got him as their new GM. (Apparently he has a very strong reputation in player development.)
Assuming I die of natural causes, at my age, I don’t believe I’ll live to see another Yankees WS title so long as Hal owns them. Winning isn’t a top priority for him.
It’s highly unfortunate but you’re right. They’ve shifted the narrative from winning a championship to being a “competitive, WS-caliber team,” whatever that garbage means.
It’s the Bronx version of the old Wilpon line: “meaningful games in October.”
Unfortunately I agree with you. I believe you are right. It is quite obvious when you run out basically the same team and same front office year after year despite not accomplishing the alleged goal of your organization, you are satisfied with the status quo and you do not care about winning it all
I thought there was no way Judge leaves, but I agree that the way they boo’ed him cracked the door for him to leave
I don’t think that makes any impact, honestly. He’s going where the money is and all things equal, he will return to the Yankees or go to the Giants.
That’s exactly correct clip. If he’s that sensitive, then he’s not cut out for New York anyway. Booing is part of the game ,players expected especially when they do not perform. Machado was asked how he felt about being soundly booed when he came to Yankee stadium a few years back I remember. And although I did not care for the egotism reflected in his response, I think it very well reflects the sentiment of the players. He said, great players are booed wherever they go, it is expected. Or Something to that effect.
Reggie Jackson famously said: “They don’t boo nobodies.”
But he was talking about the opposing teams’ fans, not his own team’s fans. So was Machado.
When Judge and his teammates take offense at Yankee fans booing their own players, that’s different.
If I were Cashman, I wouldn’t panic.
* Keep Donaldson & Hicks (unless Donaldson is a clubhouse issue). They aren’t big producers, but they are okay, and replacing them might end up costing more.
* I’d let Rizzo walk, and let DJ play 1st. Keep Peraza as a super-sub. It’s a bit of a waste of service time, but no big loss when he replaces IKF in 2024.
* I’d tag Taillon and let him walk.
* And the then I’d target Verlander or DeGrom
At the end of the day, there was nothing much wrong with the Yankees team. I wouldn’t be looking to break the thing up simply because the got rung up by a very good Astros team.
I get your points bu they will need to do more to actually beat that very good Astros team when it counts. Whether means breaking the thing or not I don’t know, but they have a handful of pieces to fix. I never thought the Donaldson, IKF, Hicks, Higashioka combination was a winner and I was shocked when the team with that horrible combination came out blazing. The injuries certainly contributed to the second half collapse but I really think it was also the team coming back to earth. Regressing. The Trevino deal was a masterpiece. The Bader deal didn’t help in-season but sure did in the postseason. Still, Donaldson, IKF, and Hicks are problems. Higashioka is fine now he’s a backup. They need a starter to replace Tallion. And Montas stinks. They should deal him. The bullpen needs a solid arm or two. Maybe Chafin. To compete with the Astros is a tall order.
Repectfully disagree Joe. there’s a heck of a lot wrong with the Yankees and they are rung up by the Astros every year, that’s the problem. There’s too many dead spots in the lineup, including Donaldson and Hicks. And I KF is just not good enough. Expecting them to suddenly resurrect their careers and produce is like the popular but misguided notion of the definition of insanity. And in the postseason, the flaws are always exposed. They are overly reliant on the production of Aaron Judge, and we see what happens when he disappears in the postseason. The team does not hit at all.
There need to be major changes including the removals of Boone and Cashman, although I know that will never happen. After all they’re making money, that’s all this organization cares about it’s clear.
Joe, LeMahieu is aging too, and his production at the plate is declining. He hit for a higher average than Rizzo but with very little power. He had only one more home run than Trevino. Plus, he’s right-handed, so replacing Rizzo with DJ eliminates the advantage of the short porch. The Yankees score a lot of their runs via the home run. They construct their lineups to suit the stadium.
If they can keep Rizzo at a reasonable cost, they should do so — especially if they lose Judge. Rizzo has turned into a leader in the clubhouse, and they’ll sorely need that leadership in Judge’s absence.
Donaldson is a poor option at third for the same reasons as DJ is a weak option at first base, only in his case the problem is compounded by his low average and OBP. His wRC+ and OPS+ were below league average, and first and third base are normally positions for slugging run producers. The Yankees can’t afford to get only 1.6 fWAR out of their third baseman. Donaldson’s manifest inability to hit the fastball suggests that his bat speed is declining. That doesn’t tend to improve with age.
Volpe should be given the chance to win the shortstop job out of spring training.
Jeremy Pena had only 122 at-bats in Triple A before the Astros gave him the starting shortstop job. In 2021, Fangraphs ranked him the #42 prospect at season’s end.
Volpe has had 89 at-bats in Triple A, and Fangraphs ranked him the #10 prospect in their updated rankings at season’s end this year. What’s more, Volpe was ranked higher than Pena at the end of 2021.
The Yankees’ habit of timidly holding their best prospects down in the minors instead of letting them compete in the bigs needs to stop. Maybe Cashman is afraid that they’ll fail, and it’ll reflect poorly on him. Whatever. Other teams aren’t afraid to expose their rookies to the rigors of the majors and it pays off: e.g., Adley Rutschman in Baltimore, Bobby Witt in KC, and Pena excelling for the Astros in the World Series.
I think the Yanks should trade for both Chaim Bloom & Alex Cora – package deal.
Haha.
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Well said, Clip. The Yanks are “competitive” and the Sox are “building the farm system.” Six roses or half-a-dozen – optics. A great number of fans from both sides find comfort in such phrases – evidence of the ongoing erosion of critical thinking.
Everyone knows that, broadly speaking, sports fans and critical thinking go together like donuts and mustard.
The Yankees need to re-tool their scouting and development. Yankees 25 and under contributors: Cortez & Cabrera. Astros: Pena, Alvarez, Tucker, Javier, Abreu..
Agreed