The Yankees have placed six players on outright waivers, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). Starter Domingo Germán, relievers Ryan Weber, Jimmy Cordero and Matt Bowman and outfielders Franchy Cordero and Billy McKinney were let go. All six players have the requisite service time to become free agents if they go unclaimed.
Germán is the most notable of the group. The right-hander pitched parts of six seasons for the Yankees, turning in a 4.41 ERA across 522 1/3 innings. He tallied 108 2/3 frames this year — the second-highest workload of his career — while allowing 4.56 earned runs per nine.
That pedestrian ERA belies the highs and lows of his season. Germán threw the first perfect game in more than a decade on June 28, completing the feat in Oakland. He allowed four or more runs in eight of his 19 appearances overall, though. Germán’s season ended in early August when the Yankees placed the pitcher on the restricted list so he could report for in-patient treatment for alcohol abuse. That was reportedly preceded by an incident in the New York clubhouse, which he had entered intoxicated.
Germán was eligible for arbitration this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $4.4MM salary if he were tendered a contract. That always made him a likely non-tender candidate. Germán turned 31 in August.
Jimmy Cordero posted a 3.86 ERA with strong peripherals over 32 2/3 innings. Major League Baseball announced in early July that he would be suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season after violating the domestic violence policy.
The rest of the players are back-of-the-roster depth types. Weber pitched 14 1/3 innings of five-run ball over eight appearances. McKinney hit .227/.320/.406 in 147 plate appearances after signing a minor league deal over the offseason. Franchy Cordero got into 24 contests after signing a big league deal late in Spring Training. The left-handed hitter posted a .188/.211/.478 line with six homers and a 35.2% strikeout rate. Bowman made three relief appearances, his first MLB action since 2019. He posted a 3.99 ERA in 58 2/3 innings at Triple-A.
Not Jake Bauers though.
Bauers has enough raw and consistent power that they must view him as worth something on a major league roster.
He’ll probably be the opening day left fielder.
Lots of moves still to be made before opening day
It’s like every team Bauers has been on seems mesmerized by his potential, and they all believe he’s on the verge of breaking out. All of them are still waiting.
I think that makes him a trade candidate. He’s Quadruple-A and his raw, consistent power convinces everybody that they can be his Finishing School to get him from power hitting prospect to plain old major league quality power hitter.
But he’s typically had negative WAR, which means the power he displays is not worth his total plate appearances and that he’s a negative value in the field.
I’ll take a light hitting .200 hitter with neutral or plus defense who grades out to a 0.0 WAR player over a guy who gives negative WAR, which means Bauers is losing a team more than he’s helping them win.
That said, again, makes me wonder if the Yankees think they can figure him out and get him to the point of at least being neutral value, which is plus value when compared to negative value…and then flip him to a team that wants a cheap, controllable player who’s willing to part with the kind of soon-to-be-expensive players that could put a borderline playoff contender like us over the top…
they want to keep Bauers for 1B depth with Rizzo’s concussion and DJ’s injuries & inconsistency
I have a hunch Yankees playing coy with their true target being Bellinger and not Soto. Bellinger even at 7/175 is a much better deal than giving up top prospects, paying $33 million arbitration plus trying to lock him up for $400+ million as a DH player would be stupid! Soto not worth more than Judge regardless of his age plus Bellinger the perfect 1b replacement once Rizzo 1 yr deal off the books and Dominquez goes to CF or LF depending on Florial /Jones development. Soto not worth the price in prospects, future salary given his defensive liability
How long before the comment section is closed?
I read your comment and laughed out loud. It hit my funny bone, Joe says. Thanks for the laugh.
We haven’t met quota yet on Frazier/Andujar comments.
We should’ve kept Andujar. Seemed like he always contributed in one way or the other.
German got 5 more starts after throwing a perfect game before getting waived.
Hopefully German has been able to get some of those demons under control. Having seen alcoholism and abuse first hand, I know how ugly it can be. Some good people can turn into monsters.
Cordero pitched really well at times. Hope the Yanks are able to bring him back on a ML deal.
The Yankees have a lot of young internal options to fill out the bullpen next year. No need to keep mediocre veterans like Cordero around
Injuries happen. Young guys don’t always produce right away. What would be the harm in bringing Cordero back on a minors deal, when we know he’s capable of being selected and producing?
Cordero has a real anger management issue. Woman beaters are not welcomed by MLB or society as a whole. When with the White Sox I watched him come into a game and plunk a guy in the back first pitch for flipping his bat after a home run earlier in the game. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Korea next year.
Decent middle relievers who haven’t been consequenced under the dv policy are easy enough to find. There’s no good reason to bring him back.
Obviously making room to bring slugging superstars Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, and Greg Bird!
Don’t forget Jesus Montero!
Ruben Rivera is coming out of retirement.
Hofer rob refsnyder too
And the highly touted (by Yankee fans) inner circle Hall of Fame trio of Betances, Banuelos,and Brackman! Yankee fans anointed them the next Maddux, Smoltz & Glavine!
No, not possible. The Bs didn’t get strike calls for balls 10-12 inches off the plate for an entire decade, like Maddux and Glavine did.
i know the joke never gets old, but it’s worth remembering that all 3 were above-average regulars until they got hurt
Based on Sherman’s tweet, it is not actually clear if they just simply put these guys on waivers today or if they cleared waivers today. I am going to guess it is the former.
Franchise ought to think about a different league. NPB or KBO
Franchy: autocorrect
I thought German was a good player? I must be living under a rock.
He was placed on restricted list earlier this season. Alcohol among other issues. This was not unexpected.
I think I did hear about that but I wasn’t sure of the severity of it
None surprising although wasn’t sure what they’d do with German. Hopefully he gets his alcohol issues under control.
None of these shock me. When I saw the arbitration eligibility and projected salary list I immediately earmarked all these guys as potentially being cut, traded, non-tendered, whatever- i.e. the Yankees were not gonna pay any of these guys their projected or ballpark arbitration values for what they’ve provided.
The only one I wondered about was Jake Bauers because of his consistent power and lo and behold they didn’t have him on this list. I believe they had him projected at $1.7M? I could see the Yankees offering him like 2 years/$3M and arguing that it is guaranteed money- better than getting released and trying his luck on the open market.
why give him a 2 year contract? he’s got 3 years of arbitration / team control remaining.
Must be the first time a perfect game pitcher was put on waivers at the end of that season!
I don’t think so. I think there have been a few guys who pitched a perfect game or a no hitter who didn’t survive past that season or had a… complicated… contractual/roster situation going forward.
Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game in 2010 and was out of baseball after 2011 and only pitched 5 seasons.
That’s a good one, you would think the top pitchers would pitch perfect games. Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in the world series and had a losing record overall.
Philip Humber was another pitcher who threw a perfect game, and was ineffective and out of baseball less than a couple years later.
Surprisingly not. Philip Humber was claimed off waivers the November after he threw a perfect game.
Philip Humber didn’t last too long after his perfecto. Armando Galarraga was out of the league around 20 starts after his “shoulda been” perfect game. A perfect game is perfect, but it is also just a single game. It really is just a matter of everything working out perfectly that day. It’s not really a sign of how good a pitcher is.
German is 100% somebody that TB will pick up and he will immediately go 12-4 with a 2.86 ERA.
Or the Dodgers. Wouldn’t doubt it, either way.
My guess, German didn’t get his treatment as they said he would. That’s who he is and that’s probably the reason of his let go.
I would guess that the team isn’t supposed to discuss such issues without the player’s consent, under the CBA and/or HIPAA
I’ll always hope guys turn their lives around. I made plenty of mistakes before I put the booze down.
However, domestic violence is something guys either do or don’t so there’s absolutely no guarantee a sober German won’t beat another woman. I hope he doesn’t, but can see teams staying away.
The alcoholism and the DV are probably related.
Maybe. I’ve been sober 14 years and never hit a woman.
I really think there are just dudes who hit women and dudes who don’t.
The Rockies ought to put in a claim for German. It would be better than trotting out a string of AA starters again. I realize it is a gamble with his drinking, but the Rockies are not in a position to improve the staff without gambling a little.
German an alcoholic playing at Coors a name synonymous with alcohol.
I dont know man
They don’t require you to get loaded to enter the building. I think it would be okay.
oh I see, I thought that was an elixir for numbing the pain for having to watch the Rockies play 😛
How Cashman is general manager of a MLB baseball team – defies any logic.
because the owner inherited him and Randy Levine and they’re “family” to him
German will get his 4.4 mil somewhere easy. He shouldn’t even clear waivers.
Sad to see German go. If he didn’t throw a perfect game it wouldn’t sadden me in the slightest.
Good. Get rid of the underperforming trash.