When the Josh Donaldson/Isiah Kiner-Falefa/Ben Rortvedt for Gary Sanchez/Gio Urshela trade went down last week the feeling was that another big move was on the way.
Carlos Correa was going to be wearing pinstripes, you say?
How about Trevor Story playing in the Bronx with some witty John Sterling home run call?
Oh, I know…the Matt Olson trade that we have been waiting for all offseason was finally going to happen!!!
WRONG.
Freddie Freeman went to the Los Angeles Dodgers (I dream of the Yankees operating like them), Carlos Correa is going to the Minnesota Twins (THANKS TO THE TRADE WITH THE YANKEES…LET THAT ONE SINK IN AS I POUND THE KEYS OF MY KEYBOARD AND TYPE IN ALL CAPS), Trevor Story is signing with the Red Sox (do I really need to comment here) and Matt Olson was traded to…the Atlanta Braves (for a lot of prospects).
WHAT THE #$@!
So, what moves followed the big trade last week that we thought was going to open up the floodgates for another big move?
Anthony Rizzo was re-signed (which isn’t a surprise and is fine), sadly Luke Voit was traded to the Padres for Justin Lange and the Yankees signed utilityman/former Astros cheater Marwin Gonzalez to a minor league deal. Not great, Bob!
Spring Training has started, the Regular Season is quickly within reach thanks to the lockout and there are just several weeks left for the Yankees to make some moves to improve this team for 2022, if that is the front office’s plan of course. The only rumor mill chatter that we know of right now is that the Yankees are in on potentially trading for Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. Trading for Montas and/or Manaea would be really great, but I am lowering my expectations.
I really thought a week ago that the trade for Donaldson, Kiner-Falefa and Rortvedt was going to be leading to something bigger, whether by free agent signing or trade, immediately. Days passed and we were still waiting for that “needle mover” deal that cemented the Yankees offseason heading into the 2022 campaign.
There is still a chance that happens, but I am losing hope barring something completely unexpected at this point. As April 7th draws closer, I just can’t help feeling pretty disappointed in the Yanks offseason thus far.
Catcher Ben Rortvedt is headed to the Yankees along with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, sources tell ESPN. Catcher Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela are going to Minnesota.
I have spent literally every day since the lockout feverishly checking Twitter about once every 30 minutes, give or take, waiting to see some sort of “tweet bomb” from the likes of Jack Curry, Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal describing some sort of big Yankees signing and/or trade. Yankees fans having been waiting on the front office to do something since the season ended. Then, we finally got something to happen.
As on Sunday night at 10:30pm EST (of course), Jeff Passan dropped the first real big Yankees move of the offseason (no offense, Tim Locastro) as the Yankees sent Gary SanchezandGio Urshela to long-time “October punching bag,” the Minnesota Twins, for Gerrit Cole’s BFF Josh Donaldson, the recently acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt.
This deal has “precursor” written all over it. There is no way the Yankees are done dealing. Where and how the Yankees go from here remains to be seen but if I had to guess, I would say it’s next focus is adding a left handed hitting first baseman to a still heavy right handed lineup.
Is that Matt Olson (I hope so)? Is that Freddie Freeman (probably not)? Is that Anthony Rizzo (probably yes based on the reported ask for Matt Olson)?
The Yankees upgraded defensively at shortstop with 2020 Gold Glove winner (even though it was for 3B) Isiah Kiner-Falefa a.k.a. “IKF” (get used to that nickname now and it’s soooooo much easier to remember) and got the “stopgap” shortstop as we await the eventual debuts for Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza. This is what Yankee fans reluctantly anticipated all offseason and held out hope for a Carlos Correa signing (I think all signs are pointing to a 1-year deal reunion for Correa and Houston which is maybe why the Yanks moved forward with this deal) or any of the other big shortshops on the board.
Josh Donaldson brings personality question marks thanks to his vocal displeasure with Gerrit Cole amid cheating accusations last season, question marks on his injury history and question marks on his productivity at age 36. It’s also a peculiar move for the Yankees because it’s in a way a salary dump trade as the Yankees are picking up Donaldson’s remaining 2 years and $42MM remaining on his contract. There is also a mutual option at $16MM or a $6MM buyout in 2024.
Based on everything I am reading regarding Ben Rortvedt, this is a defense-first move for the Yankees. As for offense, it’s very hard to tell what type of player the Yankees acquired as Rortvedt was a career .241 BA hitter in the minors and batted .169 BA in 98 PAs last season in the bigs for the Twins. From what I am reading Rortvedt will bring a left-handed bat to the Yankees lineup and barring another move, will more than likely platoon with the right-handed Kyle Higashioka.
As for the players leaving New York for Minnesota, it’s a bittersweet trade. When it comes to Gary Sanchez, Yankee fans either defended the now former starting catcher or wanted to see this change come to fruition. This paragraph on the love/hate relationship from the Yankee faithful to Gary Sanchez won’t do the true history justice and will have to be covered in another blog, for another day. Truthfully, I was in the camp of defending Gary Sanchez rather than wanting him off the roster ever since he burst onto the scene in 2016 and delivered this incredible run during a period of time where the future looked bleak for the Bronx Bombers:
Goodbye our sweet Kraken.
When it comes to Gio Urshela, how could you not cheer for the guy? He was traded from the Blue Jays to the Yankees for cash considerations and a player to be named later. Gio would burst onto the scene in 2019 after Miguel Andujar tore his labrum and for a period of time looked like he had “Wally Pipped” the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner up at third base. Gio was an underdog story everyone could get behind and played hurt at the end of last season to help the Yankees get into the postseason in 2021.
I truly don’t know how I feel about this trade. We wanted the front office to shake up this team after abysmal 2020 and 2021 seasons, and they did. One of those players Yankee fans groaned about the most, Gary Sanchez, was dealt. We wanted them to become better defensively, and it looks like they have with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt. We wanted them to spend money, and for better or worse, they did by bringing on Josh Donaldson.
This appears to be the first domino in an interesting week of transactions ahead for the New York Yankees as spring training begins and opening day is less than 30 days away. No matter how we feel, things needed to change, and change they did as something needed to be done.
During last week’s end of season press conference with Yankees GM Brian Cashman & Manager Aaron Boone, the question was asked about the coaching staff’s future and Cashman replied that they haven’t reviewed coaching staff plans heading into 2020 at that time. When I heard Cashman say that, I felt that there was going to be some sort of moves made, but wasn’t necessarily sure.
Initially I thought, and still do, that Railriders manager Jay Bell was going to find a spot on the coaching staff in 2020, however we quickly found out that the Yankees decided to part with longtime pitching coach Larry Rothschild instead:
The New York Yankees today announced that Larry Rothschild will not return to the coaching staff for the 2020 season. pic.twitter.com/5rTA6a3noA
While I know there is a majority of the Yankees fanbase that is anti-Larry Rothschild, I was surprised by this move. Reason being is because he and bullpen coach Mike Harkey were the only holdovers from the Girardi regime. Clearly the Yankees front office valued what Rothschild (and Mike Harkey for that matter) do as coaches and wanted them to be part of Aaron Boone’s staff when he was named manager heading into the 2018 season.
It seemed like, from the outside at least, that Larry Rothschild was a “2nd in command” of sorts for Aaron Boone during his first 2 seasons as manager. Often you would see Boone leaning on Larry in the dugout during in-game decision making. Those types of roles are typically reserved for the bench coach but Josh Bard, like Aaron Boone, had no managerial or in-game coaching experience like Rothschild does (Bard was the Dodgers bullpen coach previously).
It also felt like Larry was pretty well respected among his pitching staff. CC Sabathia would put Larry over any chance he could get during R2C2 podcasts and I thought that was very telling as CC was (sad to use past tense here) a locker room leader for the Yanks. The in-game managerial experience and the relationship with his players is probably what bought Rothschild two more years as the Yankees pitching coach post-Girardi regime.
Statistically, as pointed out by Views From 314 Ft. during their reactions blog, Larry’s pitching staff was pretty strong during his tenure. Take a look at these #’s from the Yankees pitching staff from 2011-2019 and how they ranked against the rest of MLB (h/t VF314):
Average Four-Seam Velocity: 93.8 mph (T-1st)
Strikeout Rate: 22.9% (2nd)
Strikeout-Walk Rate: 15.3% (2nd)
Average Fastball Velocity: 92.9 mph (2nd)
Walk Rate: 7.6% (T-3rd)
fWAR: 169.5 (4th)
ERA-: 93 (T-4th)
Ground Ball Rate: 44.7% (T-6th)
FIP: 3.95 (8th)
VF314 also pointed out the discrepancy between the starters and bullpen #s during Larry’s time, so go check that out as well.
All in all, it seemed like Larry was a pretty good pitching coach and probably one that we will not truly be able to appreciate. Unfortunately for him, it was revealed back in late June that the Yankees had hired Sam Briend of Driveline Baseball to become their new Director of Pitching:
I’m excited to announce that I will be joining the New York Yankees as the Director of Pitching. I can’t thank @DrivelineBB enough for everything they’ve done for me over the past 3 years and the friendships I’ve made while there. #Drivelinefamily#GoYankeespic.twitter.com/KSJZOZAZNS
I didn’t realize it at the time, but a major change was a-comin’ to the Yankees pitching staff throughout the entire organization and boy, has that happened. Along with Larry Rothschild, the Yankees have also fired Scott Aldred (High Minors Pitching Coordinator), Tim Norton (Thunder Pitching Coach), Gabe Luckert (Riverdogs Pitching Coach), Justin Pope (Gulf Coast Yankees Pitching Coach) and Danny Borrell (MiLB Pitching Coordinator) left the team to become the Georgia Tech pitching coach.
Those are some pretty significant changes across the organization and that is pretty reflective of Sam Briend’s hiring back in June.
So, what’s next for the Yankees and our now former pitching coach?
For Larry Rothschild, I would suspect a reunion with Joe Girardi in Philadelphia seems pretty likely as they worked together from 2011-2017 and there is a mini-reunion already in place there with former Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson.
As for the Yankees, I am not too sure because we don’t have an idea what Sam Briend or the Yankees will be looking for in their next pitching coach. Obviously the belief would be that it will be a coach that is analytically driven rather than a pitching coach of yesteryear (like Larry). I know many fans, myself included, would love to see David Cone in that position but it would appear based on the first two rumored candidates that the organization may not be going in that direction:
The New York Yankees have interviewed Chris Fetter, the University of Michigan pitching coach, for their open pitching coach job, sources tell ESPN. Fetter is considered a rising star in the industry and has drawn significant interest from major league teams, including the Mets.
SOURCE: In addition to interviewing @umichbaseball pitching coach Chris Fetter yesterday, the @Yankees are interviewing heralded @RazorbackBSB pitching coach Matt Hobbs in NYC today.
I don’t expect the list of college pitching coaches interviewing with the #Yankees to end there.
Chris Fetter and Matt Hobbs are both young, technologically driven, pitching coaches that fit what Sam Briend is more than likely looking for in the Yanks next pitching coach. So while the names of David Cone, Al Leiter, Andy Pettitte or CC Sabathia would be cool, it looks like the organization has a better idea of where they would like to head towards next rather than fans who post on Twitter or write a blog 🙂
While I was a fan of Larry Rothschild, it was time for a change at the Yankees pitching coach helm and I am excited to see what improvements the organization makes this offseason at the position.
On Thursday afternoon, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman & Manager Aaron Boone sat down with the media for their end of year press conference and there was plenty of newsworthy items from the presser.
Brian Cashman highlights:
Masahiro Tanaka had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs
Anytime you hear about a starting pitcher getting surgery on their elbow, red flags immediately go up. But this is nothing more than routine maintenance for the Yankees right hander that came from an end of season evaluation. Looks like Tanaka will be good to go for spring training in February and it shouldn’t effect his 2020 season at all.
When asked about Tanaka’s UCL ligament that was partially torn back in 2014 Cashman said that it’s “status quo.” I always forget that Tanaka tore the UCL back in his rookie season with the Yankees and there was this belief that eventually Tanaka would need Tommy John surgery. I’m not sure how we have dodged that his entire time in pinstripes, but here we are, and fingers crossed it never comes up.
Luke Voit is having surgery to repair bilateral core muscle injuries
Once Luke Voit was left off of both the ALDS and ALCS rosters, I felt like he was more than likely too injured to play in the postseason. It turns out that belief was right as the bilateral core muscle injuries that completely derailed Voit’s first full big league season during the London Series caused the first baseman to get surgery on Thursday morning.
Voit was a completely different player after being sidelined on June 29th. From July 13th (Voit’s return from the IL) to the end of season, here were Voit’s #’s:
Yeah, not good! Voit went from being one of the best first basemen in the American League and an anchor in the Yankees offense, to being completely left off the postseason roster (could you have imagined that on June 29th!?) and being a shell of himself from that point forward.
It always felt like the Voit injury on June 29th was a season ending injury, and while Voit did the best he could to play through, it basically was.
Aaron Hicks is having Tommy John surgery on October 30th and he will be out 8-10 months
Aaron Hicks will undergo Tommy John Surgery this offseason. Expected to miss 8-10 months. pic.twitter.com/rX39IGhWvF
It wasn’t shocking news like Cashman revealing that Didi Gregorius needed Tommy John surgery last year during the end of year press conference, but this was unfortunately expected since Hicks was injured on August 1st. The only glimmer of hope we all had was that Hicks had returned in the ALCS, played pretty well in the process and had a flare for the dramatic in Game 5:
All told, Hicks line during the ALCS was .154 BA / 1 HR / 3 RBI / .353 OBP / .385 SLG / .738 OPS (13 ABs in 4 games). Hicks’ OBP was a legit game changer in the Yankees lineup.
Expected or unexpected, the Hicks injury is a major blow that puts the Yankees behind (again) heading into 2020 as we are not sure who could be the next centerfielder. The easy prediction is that the Yankees will just re-sign Brett Gardner to a 1-year deal (likely), but I have my reservations that the 36 year old can regularly patrol centerfield like he used to.
I expect that Mike Tauchman will be a solid option and they could also bring back Cameron Maybin (maybe on a minor league deal) in 2020 as well.
Jacoby Ellsbury was brought up but Cashman said that he is “unsure” if he is a healthy option (Ellsbury hasn’t played since Game 4 of the 2017 ALCS btw) and I’ll take a hard no on Clint Frazier as a CF option as well. The Yankees could look at some other free agent or trade options as Billy Hamilton (really fast but has no bat), Adam Jones (probably can’t play CF everyday anymore either) and Starling Marte (if PIT doesn’t pick up his $11.5MM club option for 2020) are all available this winter.
The Aaron Hicks and Luis Severino extension signings last season made so much sense when the Yankees did them, but they are looking like complete failures early on.
The Yankees will look into their training staff heading into the offseason
I feel pretty mild on this because I am not sure how I feel about an evaluation of a training staff following this past season. Sure, there could be something fundamentally wrong with the Yankees medical staff but could it also be chalked up to a string of bad luck or often injured players? I am interested to see if the Yankees ever discuss or reveal any of their “findings” regarding the medical/training staff and how it was potentially linked to several injuries this season.
Cashman doesn’t feel like he passed on starting pitchers playing in the World Series
The most noteworthy item from the Brian Cashman end of year press conference came from WFAN’s Sweeny Murti who basically delivered the one question most Yankee fans would have wanted to ask the General Manager when it came to passing on pitchers playing in the World Series such as Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Patrick Corbin.
In regards to Justin Verlander, the remaining years on his initially 7 year and $180MM contract with Detroit signed back in 2013 wasn’t going to fit in the Yankees payroll structure back in 2017 as they were getting the luxury tax reset back then. That makes sense, despite how difficult that was for us to fathom back in 2017.
When it came to Patrick Corbin, Brian Cashman said the Yankees did offer a contract to him last offseason and the Nationals made a more significant offer. The reporting behind this was that the Yankees would not go up to a 6th year and instead signed JA Happ (bummer).
Brian Cashman also confirmed that they did make a trade offer for Gerrit Cole heading into the 2018 season but that the Houston Astros made a better trade offer. I didn’t want to part with Andujar and Frazier back in 2018 but I would be all in now.
While not specifically brought up by Murti, Cashman also said that they lost out on Dallas Keuchel this season “by the hair on their chinny chin chins.” Keuchel would have been a significant acquisition for the Yankees and would have given them more flexibility in the postseason if he was on the team.
All in all, it was a pretty company line response from Cashman, which you tend to expect when asked such a strong question there. I think the belief from most fans, myself included, is that the team should have done more to make sure one of those deals was completed. The fact they didn’t acquire or sign any of those players could be one of the reasons why New York has not captured a World Series Championship during this current competitive window.
Boone & Cashman will be evaluating the coaching staff and if they want to make any changes
I may be mistaken here, but I felt like at last year’s end of year press conference they made the announcement that all of the coaching staff would be retained heading into 2019 which makes me think there could be changes coming to the staff.
Honestly, it’s difficult for a fan to gauge a coaches position on the team because we often don’t see many of the “behind the scenes” stuff going on. I know there are rumors going around that Larry Rothschild could be reunited with Joe Girardi in Philadelphia. I couldn’t find Rothschild’s contract anywhere in the google machine but I have liked what the pitching coach has done during his tenure and would like to see him remain with the club.
If I had to make any guesses on additions, I wouldn’t be surprised if current Railriders manager and former big leaguer, Jay Bell, gets the call up to the big league coaching staff next season. He has been a riser in the organization going from Single A, Double A and Triple A, managing all of those teams the last 3 years. Bell has also been rumored to be a candidate for a big league position at times and I would imagine the Yankees would like to keep him in the organization.
Cashman felt like hitting w/RISP is what decided the ALCS, not pitching
I have to agree with the Yankees General Manager here. It was pretty clear that the pitching staff did their job, while the offense did not in the ALCS. The Yankees postseason team ERA was an impressive 2.87 while their postseason batting average was .239 throughout October. It seemed like the Yankees completely forgot to hit in the ALCS and you could chalk that up to very good pitching with the Astros or the fact that it just looked like they were pressing, to me it was a little of both.
Cashman defended Gary Sanchez’s play in 2019
Spoiler alert: I am a Gary Sanchez defender through and through. Quite honestly, I think Gary is one of the best catchers in all of Baseball. The “play Austin Romine and bench Gary Sanchez” crowd makes no sense to me as I would prefer to have Gary’s bat and glove on the field rather than Romine’s.
I agree with Cashman when he said that Gary is part of the solution and praised Sanchez for executing the game plan throughout the postseason. Often times catchers don’t get credited for how well a pitcher performs and it was nice to see Cashman crediting him for the way he handled the pitching staff (called the games, changed the signs, etc.) in the ALCS.
Cashman did offer justifiable criticism as well when he said that Gary did not swing the bat offensively like he is capable of. I completely agree with that as the Yankees catcher was in the witness protection program that many Yankee bats were located in this October.
Edwin Encarancion was healthy in the postseason
The way that Edwin Encarnacion played in the postseason led many people, myself included, to believe that he wasn’t playing 100%. Brian Cashman dispelled those rumors by saying Encarnacion was in fact healthy describing Edwin’s swings as “good” and “violent.”
Edwin looked good in Games 1 & 2 in the ALDS as he had the following line:
I would be very surprised if the Yankees picked up Edwin’s $20MM option for 2020, but part of me wouldn’t be shocked if they brought him back on a cheaper 1 year deal either. I think both parties enjoyed Edwin’s time in pinstripes (minus the last 6 games of the postseason) and would be open to a reunion.
Giancarlo Stanton had a low grade 2 quad strain
Similar to Gary Sanchez, I am not sure why people hate on Giancarlo Stanton either. The guy carried the Yankees for most of last season when Aaron Judge went down with an oblique injury, gets hurt this season and all of a sudden he is the reincarnation of Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes based on the fan reaction of him. No matter what Stanton does in New York, fans will give him a hard time based on his contract salary and it’s a damn shame as the Yankees were 5-0 with him in the lineup throughout the postseason.
I think you would have to be crazy to think that Stanton did not want to play in the postseason. If you watched him in Game 5 of the ALCS you would have seen a hitter that was REALLY behind on what Justin Verlander was throwing and really didn’t have a lot in his swings.
It was pretty telling that Cashman owned keeping Stanton on the ALCS roster as he would have been “put down” (Cashman’s words, not mine) if it was the regular season. Cashman said he made the determination to keep Stanton on the ALCS roster because it was more valuable than someone who could sit on the bench (Voit, Tauchman, Ford, etc.) and I have to agree with Cashman there. The Yankees GM figured the upside to wait on healing and being available for the World Series was overshadowing a bench player that wouldn’t have had an everyday role.
It’s a moot point now, but I would rather have Stanton on the World Series roster than not.
Cashman made it pretty clear that it looked like Voit was never a postseason option. Mike Tauchman was at about 85% for the ALCS and would have been available to add in the World Series, but wouldn’t have earned a start over any outfielders.
Regarding the pitching roster construction
Cashman specifically said that the team took a “big hit” when they lost Domingo German. It also didn’t help that Dellin Betances tore his Achilles in his return appearance either. Things like that led to them running out of steam and having fewer options coming out of the bullpen.
This was the “elephant in the room” throughout the postseason for me. I know I didn’t feel like pointing to the Domingo German domestic violence situation as a reason why the Yankees lost because it just feels crummy and wrong to bring up “real life” versus a Baseball game.
Domingo German & Dellin Betances coming out of the bullpen would have given Boone a lot more flexibility and better options to shut down the Astros offense. I immediately think back to Game 2 of the ALCS as a game where having German or Betances would have been key.
Instead of turning to Jonathan Loaisiga or JA Happ in the later innings, Boone could have called upon German or Betances. Instead of turning to Adam Ottavino, Boone could have called upon Betances.
Boone also mentioned how losing German and Betances changed their plans to deploy the pitching in the postseason during his presser as well.
Praised the Phillies signing Joe Girardi to be their next manager
I love that Joe Girardi is getting a chance to manage again after sitting out the last 2 seasons. Of course it comes after Girardi was being praised for his analysis work on FOX and MLB Network recently, but being in the dugout is where the former World Champion manager and player belongs.
Cashman was pretty much gushing (in a Cashman type of way) over the hire saying that he expects Girardi to be a winner in Philadelphia. Cashman went so far as saying that he was happy that Girardi isn’t leading a rival team: “rather it not be in the American League East. I guess that’s the biggest compliment I can give.”
Brian Cashman: “They got a great one” referring to the Phillies hiring Joe Girardi. pic.twitter.com/ukFxk7gNwn
Thinks the Game 6 loss “sting” can be a motivator moving forward
In typical Aaron Boone fashion, he is taking a negative (Altuve’s Game 6 walk off HR) and turning it into a positive, the best way he can. There is no other way around it, the Yankees need to take this Game 6 loss and use it as a motivator. I am confident they will do exactly that in 2020.
Injuries did bother him at times, but it was “next man up” that kept things moving
I liked the human element here from Boone, so often we see robotic answers from managers nowadays and it was nice to see that at times, Boone was legitimately frustrated at the injury bug that plagued them all season long. But just like how Boone plans on approaching the ALCS Game 6 loss, the Yankees turned it into a positive with their #NextManUp mantra.
Doesn’t think their approach was off in the ALCS, their RISP struggles are magnified more in a short series
Boone said he didn’t have an issue with notably the first pitch swinging from his offense saying that he felt like they needed to get ahead on pitchers like Verlander and Cole. I agree with the strategy there but it did not pay off as there were notable moments where the Yankees had an opportunity to make something happen and didn’t. I would have liked to seen the Yankees offense be a little bit more patient at the plate in crucial moments (like Aaron Hicks in ALCS Game 5).
Was the 2019 season a success or failure?
Boone kept it positive and said the failure was they didn’t win a World Series. Got to love “manager Aaron Boone” vs. “human Aaron Boone” here. Sure, winning 103 games and the AL East Division was a definite success. But when you are one of the top 3 teams in Baseball, fail to bring home an American League pennant and fail to capture your 28th World Series Championship, it is deemed a failure.
Likes their chances in 2020
How could Boone not like their chances in 2020? Outside of Aaron Hicks, this team should be healthy heading into next season. The expectation is that the offseason moves heading into 2020 should make the Yankees a better team rather than a worse team in 2019. I understand the luxury tax implications here but the Yankees should be taking this window of their core stars (Judge, Sanchez, Torres, Severino, etc.) and expanding it, not closing it due to financial implications.
Aaron Boone: I think heading into next spring we will be one of those teams that are on a shortlist of saying we’re a championship contender. pic.twitter.com/PqQA5EdHWx
Difference in ALCS was that the Astros had more impactful plays and executed better than the Yankees
100% agree with Boone here. Ultimately, the Astros made the plays when it mattered most. Whether it was Carlos Correa throwing DJ LeMahieu out at the plate, Correa’s walk off homer in Game 2, the 3-run homers from Springer & Correa in Game 4 or Altuve’s walk off blast to win it in Game 6, the Astros had more impactful plays and executed better than the Yankees.
There is a laundry list of “what if’s” for the Yankees that will haunt them for sometime while the Astros ultimately proved (again) that they are the better team in October.
The 2019 New York Yankees body is still somewhat warm following the ALCS Game 6 exit on Saturday and we got our first Gerrit Cole/Yankees rumor of the offseason on Wednesday courtesy of Andy Martino of SNY.
Martino writes the following:
“Our early feel, based on conversations with major league sources, is that the Yanks are expected to engage on Gerrit Cole, for the simple reason that he’s currently the best pitcher in baseball and would look great at the top of their rotation.”
To me, this rumor passes the “sniff test” as Martino was spot on about the Yankees interest in Manny Machado and Bryce Harper last offseason (despite how hard that was to believe a year ago). Last offseason the Yankees really (*ducks from Yankee fan online vitriol*) didn’t need a SS/3B in Machado nor another outfielder in Harper (especially after they re-signed Brett Gardner prior to him entering free agency in 2018). However, they do head into this offseason with a need to acquire/sign an “ace” starting pitcher.
We learned this past offseason that the Yankees may have to (dare I say, should have to) pivot from their strategy that a dominate bullpen can carry a team to a World Series Championship. Adding Gerrit Cole to a rotation that will have James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino makes their World Series chances in 2020 rise to the potential favorite to win it all next season. Everyone keeps pointing to the Yankees pursuit of a workhorse/ace starting pitcher during the 2008 offseason when they acquired CC Sabathia as the final move that put the New York Yankees over the top in 2009, and they are right.
Plus, there has been a long standing “love fest” for Gerrit Cole in the Brian Cashman led front office as they drafted him with the 28th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft and nearly traded for him prior to the 2018 season (spoiler alert: Houston swooped in). So, there is some “smoke” to the chances of Gerrit Cole being a Yankees offseason target since they originally drafted and attempted to trade for him throughout his career.
What will it take and who is the competition for Cole’s services? I think Cole will get a deal in the range of 5-7 years (with an option year) and in the range of $30-33MM a season. The competition, as noted by SNY’s Andy Martino, will be most of the West Coast teams (Angels, Dodgers, Padres & Giants) as Cole went to High School and College in the California area. I would have to guess that the Los Angeles teams will be the most aggressive to pursue him with the Angels being my early favorite to sign him after naming Joe Maddon as their manager a couple weeks ago (the Angels need to make some big moves). I also wouldn’t count out San Diego either as Cole could be the final piece of their puzzle to be a competitive team going forward with all the young talent they have.
The question for the Yankees isn’t if they can afford to sign Cole, it will be will they pony up the money to sign Cole. New York has a lot of free agent questions to consider this offseason with Didi Gregorius, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner and Aroldis Chapman (should the Yankees closer opt out) all being available. To sign Gerrit Cole and bring back the players previously mentioned, will result in the Yankees going over another threshold in the luxury tax cap. Which is something the Yankees front office hasn’t been too comfortable in doing the last several offseasons as they prepare themselves to keep their core talent (Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, etc.) in pinstripes for most of their careers.
My early feeling on Gerrit Cole is that the Yankees do not sign him this offseason to a deal. I feel like the last several offseasons have shown us that the Yankees have changed their approach regarding free agency and will only strike when a deal makes the most financial sense (i.e. DJ LeMahieu’s now absurd 2-year/$24MM deal last year). The organization has been more conscious of signing their current crop of stars for the future and not exceeding the luxury tax cap.
What is most frustrating is that signing Cole makes so much sense for this current Yankees structure. We clearly can see from this most recent failed postseason run that an “ace” could legitimately swing their World Series chances in bringing a 28th World Championship to New York. Adding Manny Machado or Bryce Harper last season didn’t make a whole lot of sense for the current Yankees structure (we can admit that now), but adding Gerrit Cole does.
The most telling sign of how the Yankees approach this offseason will be how they handle the exclusive negotiating window for their own free agents and if they extend a qualifying offer or a long term deal to Didi Gregorius. If they let Didi walk into free agency, then I think the chances of the Yankees spending money on Cole is more likely than it is at the moment.
I am keeping my expectations of a Cole signing this offseason at a tepid level right now, and I would suggest you do the same…even if the signing makes too much sense.
If you asked any Yankee fan last season whether or not Didi Gregorius should be a.) extended to a longer term contract to avoid free agency or b.) receive a qualifying offer, the answer would have been a resounding yes from a majority of the fanbase. But here we are post-ALCS Game 6 devastation debating if the Yankees should bring back the fan favorite in 2020 and beyond.
The qualifying offer this offseason will be at $17.8MM (down from last year’s $17.9MM – not good for the MLBPA btw!) and would be an increase in salary for the Yankees shortstop who made $11.75MM last season and coming off of a disappointing 2019 campaign where he hit .238 BA / 16 HRs / 61 RBIs / .276 OBP / .718 OPS in 82 games (324 ABs).
The fact that we are even debating this subject right now is disappointing as I feel like Didi is currently, and should forever remain, part of the current Yankees core. Yes, I know that Gleyber Torres can play shortstop, that DJ LeMahieu can play second base, that the returning Miguel Andujar could move from third to first, that the salary flexibility could bolster the rotation, etc. etc. etc. but you don’t let someone of Didi’s talent walk away!
During Didi’s current time in pinstripes (2015-2019), he averaged .269 BA / 19 HRs / 72 RBIs / .313 OBP / .759 OPS and brought personality to a franchise that desperately needed it coming out of the “Core Four/Jeter era” lead Yankees. Didi also had a flare for the dramatic, quickly becoming one of the team’s fan favorites after performances like this:
This:
And this:
And most recently, this:
To me, Didi should be a Yankee forever as he resembles leaders of recent memory that the Yankees kept in the clubhouse longer than we probably envisioned at times (Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia). His personality helped make the team fun again and his bat set the tone in many big moments of the last 3 seasons.
I don’t think we should look at the 2019 season as a sign of things to come for Gregorius as he was coming off an extremely tough injury and made it back into the lineup way earlier than expected on June 7th. For anyone to think the Yankees should let Didi walk because they could acquire Francisco Lindor is crazy. Didi is a player you lock up and keep as part of your core rather than let walk away to another team.
The Yankees can afford re-signing Didi Gregorius and adding a top of the line starter this offseason (Yankees brass needs to spend some more money and go for it all which is another blog topic for another time) while keeping players like Dellin Betances (who will probably be at a discount now), Brett Gardner (1 year deal?) and Aroldis Chapman (I don’t think he is opting out – If anything he may receive a new deal too).
I could see New York signing Didi to a 3 or 4 year deal with an option year attached worth $45MM-$60MM total ($15MM+ annually). I think the Jean Segura contract (5 years & $70MM) is probably a good barometer even in a down year for Didi. We are in a current climate where MLB teams are locking up their talented players and keeping the core together rather than letting them walk.
In reality, this decision is probably a 50/50 split in either direction and the Yankees brass will be deciding in the next few weeks the direction they will end up going with their free agent superstar shortstop. I think the likelihood they go after Gerrit Cole is slim and the chances Cleveland really trades away their generational talent in Francisco Lindor is a pipe dream (while parts of it do make sense for how they are currently operating).
I am on Team #BringBackDidi this offseason and hope the Yankees brass is too.
One of the crazier, and almost at times, biggest storylines of the 2019 American League Championship Series was not the behavior of players on the Yankees or Astros, but the behavior of Yankee fans in the stands.
It all started late in Game 3 of the ALCS when fans started throwing debris on the field following the overturned replay call of Edwin Encarnacion when any hope of a Yankees rally started to fade away. Those actions led to post game comments from Josh Reddick calling Yankee fans “disrespectful.” You can’t help those things being said about the fanbase when they are throwing their $11-$14 cans of beer onto the field during a playoff game.
It was on a national stage that embarrasses all Yankee fans and should embarrass the organization as a whole. You haven’t heard any stories of Twins or Astros fans treating Yankee fans like this, have we?
And if there couldn’t have been any more “salt in the wound” of Yankee fans following the devastating ALCS Game 6 loss, these videos were shared online of Yankee fans treating Astros fans pretty terribly at Yankee Stadium throughout Game 3-5 this past week:
These actions are embarrassing and warrant any human being (especially the Yankees haters) to mock the fanbase for being trash. This is also one year removed from this viral video following the 2018 American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics:
It has reached the point where it is becoming a problem for the Yankees organization. First off, these fans do not represent the entire fanbase at all. There are two different levels of bad fans that plague the Stadium each year:
1.) “The Opening Day/Week fan”
2.) “The Postseason fan”
“The Opening Day/Week fan” are the fans who haven’t been outside of the house all winter, don’t really follow the team, just want to get drunk and will hop back aboard in October.
“The Postseason fan” are the fans who haven’t really followed the team, get really drunk and hop back off once October ends (until March/April for Opening Day/Week). They can’t tell you if Gio Urshela or Miguel Andujar is playing 3rd base for the Yankees and they only know about DJ LeMahieu (“omg where did he come from” they may say) because he dominates every Yankees highlight on the news/SportsCenter/YouTube, etc.
Mix this all together with the current attitude of Yankee Stadium being perceived as a hard place to play in October (4-4 record the last 2 seasons…), a couple of $11-$14 beers and it’s become a recipe for an embarrassing disaster. Frankly, the Yankees organization should be reflective of these last 2 years and truly reconsider not fueling up these types of fans with the liquid courage they are giving them at expensive prices.
I don’t care how much the Yankees make on their beer sales, it’s time they consider going back to the rule from old Yankee Stadium and ban beer from the bleachers again or closely monitor/regulate fans intake. You cannot have this type of behavior and put opposing teams fans in a spot like this because at some point, someone will get hurt.
Throwing beer on the field near players, throwing beer in the fan of an opposing teams face and throwing beer at an opposing teams fan while they are going to the bathroom (why are you filming in a bathroom anyway!?) is unacceptable behavior that needs to stop because it’s making the fans who actually follow the team look bad.
Before you make any offseason moves, the Yankees need to make this change ASAP.
Baseball, and sports in general, is a cruel, self-mutiliation activity that billions of people each year dedicate their lives to for the hope that their favorite team captures a Championship at the end of each season.
Last night’s ALCS Game 6 loss is without a doubt up there as one of the most heart wrenching losses I have ever experienced as a Yankees fan. It’s up there with the 2004 ALCS Game 7 loss to Boston that officially broke the curse. It probably would have been easier to swallow if this amazing moment didn’t happen…
The truth is, as it was in 2004, was that Houston is the better team. For New York to win a World Championship with this current crop of players, they will have to get better. What exactly those moves will be to get better will be determined in a couple days among Brian Cashman and the Yankees brass heading into this offseason.
Each of the last 3 seasons I expected the Yankees would go back into fully “operational death star mode” to sign or trade for some big names players and they honestly haven’t. They have made some really good moves (i.e. DJ LeMahieu signing and James Paxton trade come to mind) but none that have pushed the Yankees back into the World Series.
I’m not sold, or I should say have the confidence, that the Yankees will make any big free agent moves this offseason either. I was about 90% confident last season that the Yankees were going to sign Manny Machado last offseason. It made so much sense (Manny wanted to be a Yankee, New York had a core in place that could use a generational talent, etc.) that it was too good to be true, and in fact it wasn’t true. If you think the Yankees are going to go out and sign Gerrit Cole and/or Stephen Strasberg this offseason I think you are insane because the Yankees ownership has been completely against exceeding the highest luxury tax rate allowed in Major League Baseball.
In theory, it sure as hell would be nice not to spend $200MM+ to win a Championship, but that isn’t how it works in MLB. Teams have established a good core group the last several years (i.e. Boston and Houston), and then spent the money to bring in big name players to put them past the threshold to win a World Series Championship (J.D Martinez in Boston and Justin Verlander & Zach Greinke in Houston). The moves New York has made to push them past the threshold to become World Series Champions again, Sonny Gray (couldn’t handle New York which still shocks me) and Giancarlo Stanton ($26MM a year and has only played 186 games total the past 2 seasons), really hasn’t panned out as we had hoped.
And if we have learned anything this postseason, it’s that the new age of thinking of bullpen led teams generating Championships, is false. Washington & Houston have 3 top of the line starters in each rotation as they play for the right to be crowned World Series Champions starting Tuesday. New York has a pretty good rotation, but they are missing that workhorse (i.e. 2009 CC Sabathia) to really carry them to another Championship. Is that signing Gerrit Cole in the offseason?
We can break down what the Yankees need to do this offseason over the next couple of weeks, but raw emotion is telling me that the Yankees should go after Gerrit Cole, re-sign Didi Gregorius (it’s insane to me that people want him gone – did we forget EVERYTHING the man did post-Jeter?), hope Aroldis Chapman doesn’t opt out (could he really command better in a terrible free agent market than he will be getting in the offseason after giving up an ALCS ending homerun last night?), re-sign Dellin Betances and re-sign Brett Gardner to another 1 year deal.
This window of having an amazing young core (Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, etc.) is going to eventually close and New York needs to do what they did in the 90s when they had the same amazing core to build around by going for it all.
It will take some time for this sting to go away, but unfortunately that is the price we pay for being so damn dedicated to a team. The likelihood you end in heartbreak, disappointment and frustration is more likely to happen than celebrating in the streets. Be humbled for the Championships we have seen and be more appreciative for the next one.
This week’s guest on R2C2 with CC Sabathia & Ryan Ruocco was Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman. “The Sockman” gives us some insight on what it was like being accepted by the Yankees clubhouse, how he is trying to make the most of his time in the bigs and more.
As always, it’s a fun listen and here are some things I learned from this week’s R2C2 episode:
Mike Tauchman is genuinely happy to be playing in the Bigs:
Getting into the big leagues is extremely tough to do and I’m sure there were times that the 28 year old outfielder didn’t think it was ever going to happen. But thanks to some playing time opening up due to the IL, Mike Tauchman has taken full advantage of playing in the big leagues this season. Already a fan favorite, it was really cool to hear the passion Tauchman has for the game and how he is genuinely soaking everything in.
Players like Tauchman is what makes them so dangerous for the opposing team and it has shown in his recent stats since returning to the lineup in late June. These are players who know that their time can end at any given moment and are literally playing their heart out. To hear the Yankees outfielder voice that passion during this interview was very easily a highlight during the episode.
Tommy Kahnle is loud:
One of the most common themes in several episodes of R2C2 is how “loud” Tommy Khanle is. CC and his Yankee teammates always make it a point to mention how Kahnle will randomly scream to fire the team up on the pod. There are times we see the Yankees reliever enthusiastic on the mound but not to the degree that I guess is shown in the clubhouse.
The story Mike Tauchman tells about where he heard Tommy Kahnle screaming during an actual game is a must-listen part of this week’s episode as it will truly amaze you just how far the voice of the “AL Reliever of the Month” for July can carry.
HBO Hard Knocks is having a reverse effect on CC:
The HBO “Hard Knocks” series is covering CC Sabathia’s Oakland Raiders this season and if the goal was to get fans excited for the 2019 team, it’s not working with the former Cy Young winner. The most interesting part of this discussion was CC’s thoughts on the Super Bowl winning head coach, Jon Gruden. There are things that Gruden is saying that doesn’t mesh with what CC is feeling about his black & silver team heading into 2019.
It’s always funny to hear an athlete talk about a favorite team of theirs outside of MLB because you quickly realize they are just like one of us. It would be pretty cool to hear guys like CC Sabathia and Philadelphia Eagles fan, Tommy Kahnle (who is said to be one of the biggest and most knowledgeable sports fans on the Yankees), preview the upcoming NFL season on R2C2 in the future.
Other topics covered on this week’s R2C2 include:
What is the correct pronunciation of Mike Tauchman’s last name
The welcome Tauchman got coming to the Yankees and how it always wasn’t that way in MLB
Why Tauchman sounds like a WWE Superstar when he does his “belt speeches”
How “The Sockman” felt about the “Game of Thrones” finale
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We are 48 days (6 weeks away) from the American League Wild Card game. As it stands right now, the Yankees (and my health) is in great position not to be in the Wild Card game for the 4th time in 5 years or 3rd straight season. The Yankees are currently looking down the barrel of playing in the ALDS and an opportunity to be the home team against several potential opponents.
As the elimination #’s begin to chip away with every win and/or division rival loss, I thought it would be a good time as any to see how the Yankees would shape up against any of the potential American League postseason opponents that currently sit above the .500 mark (sorry, Texas).
Houston Astros (78-44): 1st in the AL West (+8.5 games) 2nd in the American League (2.5 GB) 4-3 vs. NYY in 2019 (No more games remaining between the 2 teams)
If you go back to July 31st, the Houston Astros won the World Series Championship once they acquired former Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke, from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite being crown Trade Deadline Champions, the Astros have gone 9-4 in the month of August and have lost 4 of their last 5 games dating back to the walkoff loss against the Baltimore Orioles.
Houston and New York matched up pretty well in their 7 games this season as the Astros won the season series 4 games to 3. During that series Houston only outscored New York 39-37 with the Yankees winning 3 of the last 4 games at Yankee Stadium in June. Of course, the only loss for New York that series came at the hands of known “Yankees assassin,” Justin Verlander.
Offensively both teams match up very well with edges for Houston in the starting rotation and to New York in the bullpen (though Houston doesn’t have a bad bullpen either now). Should these two teams battle it out in October, this will be one heck of a series that should go 7 games (again) with the winner heading to the World Series. The key for the Yankees now is to continue holding Houston off for homefield advantage in the American League.
Minnesota Twins (73-48): 1st in the AL Central (+0.5 games) 3rd in the American League (7 GB) 2-4 vs. NYY in 2019 (No more games remaining between the 2 teams)
October Baseball between the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins has dated back since the 2003 ALDS with history being on the Yankees side for every single Postseason matchup. The Yankees are 5-0 all-time against the Minnesota Twins in a playoff series (4 in the ALDS and 1 Wild Card Game in 2017). New York has been responsible for eliminating the Minnesota Twins in 5 of their last 6 Postseason appearances with the Oakland Athletics (2006) being the only other team to eliminate them during that span.
The Twins have been stumbling a bit lately as their near 11 game lead in the AL Central back on June 15th is now down to a half game in front of Cleveland with 6 games left to be played between the two top AL Central teams. The Twins currently sit with a record of 17-15 since the All-Star Break and a 7-7 record in the month of August. Since starting the season at 38-18, the Twins have gone 35-30 since June 1st. As Joe Girardi used to say, “it’s not what you want right now.”
Outside of the Astros, there may be no other team that matches up offensively with the Yankees like Minnesota does (though Cleveland is starting to creep up into conversation now too). Outside of the offense, Minnesota doesn’t scare me like some of the other teams do and as noted in the paragraph above, they have had their fair share of struggles lately that has helped Cleveland get right back into it.
Cleveland Indians (73-49): 2nd in the AL Central (0.5 GB) 1st in the AL Wild Card (+2.0 games) 3-1 vs. NYY in 2019 (3 games remaining between the 2 teams)
On June 15th the Cleveland Indians sat 11 games back in the AL Central at a record of 36-33 and have ended up going 37-16 since that day to get within striking distance of the AL Central race with 6 weeks to go. Cleveland has been one of the best teams in Baseball during that span and it showed following the 19-5 drubbing of the New York Yankees last night.
Part of the reason for Cleveland’s success has been to due to the resurgence of Jose Ramirez at the plate. Since the All-Star Break, Ramirez is hitting .321 BA/12 HRs/38 RBIs/1.068 OPS (134 ABs) and helping propel the Indians offense to being the top team in the American League Wild Card race right now.
Once again, Cleveland’s offense is scary (if you couldn’t tell from last night’s game) and has the look of a Wild Card team that could make a run into the World Series if the season ended today. Given the fact that the season isn’t over yet, the Indians still have plenty of time to make a run at the AL Central crown and potentially a first round matchup against Houston or New York. As a Yankees fan, even before last night’s horrific loss, I would not want to see Cleveland in the ALDS at the moment.
Tampa Bay Rays (71-51): 2nd in the AL East (9.5 GB) 2nd in the AL Wild Card (2.0 GB from CLE and +1.5 games over OAK) 5-12 vs. NYY in 2019 (2 games remaining between the 2 teams)
Despite most fans believing the shoe would eventually drop from this Cinderella story in the 2019 Tampa Bay Rays, the team remains in the hunt with 6 weeks of the season remaining. The AL East race got out of hand once the calendar flipped to June as the Rays have gone 27-28 in June & July while the Yankees went 28-20 during that time. New York had a 2.5 game lead on June 1st and currently sits at 9.5 games on August 16th.
It was also that 4 game series dating back to July 15th that it felt like the New York Yankees got into a groove that propelled them from a really good team to potentially really great team. That July 16th comeback victory may end up being the turning point of the season if New York can successfully capture it’s 28th World Series trophy this October:
When it comes to potential postseason matchups, it’s always tense when you face a division rival because of your normal fan disdain for them, but this Tampa team doesn’t strike too much fear into my pinstriped heart. Sure, what they have done this season is incredible and good for pure Baseball, but for some reason the Yankees just seem to get up a little more when they play Tampa throughout the season.
Oakland Athletics (69-52): 2nd in the AL West (8.5 GB) 3rd in the AL Wild Card (1.5 GB from TB) 0-0 vs. NYY in 2019 (6 games remaining between the 2 teams)
Last year’s AL Wild Card game opponent has not played the Yankees since that October night nearly a year ago. That will all change come this Tuesday as the two teams will meet for the first time since that October matchup in Oakland.
While the Athletics may not be as good as they were last season, they still are a very competitive team giving a solid run at a postseason spot this October. With Tampa Bay in their line of sight and their next 6 games against the two best teams in the American League in Houston & New York (OAK defeated HOU 7-6 last night), we should get a pretty good idea what type of team this truly is heading into the final month of the regular season.
As for how they matchup against the Yankees? We truly don’t know right now until we get some games between these two teams played. On paper, the Yankees stack pretty well against Oakland in most aspects of the game but until we see how the Athletics respond to playing the two top teams in the AL (OAK is 3-9 vs. HOU in 2019), we have no idea how it could look come October.
Boston Red Sox (64-59): 3rd in the AL East (17 GB!) 4th in the AL Wild Card (7.5 GB from TB!) 4-11(!) vs. NYY in 2019 (4 games remaining between the 2 teams)
The 2019 season for the defending World Series Champions hasn’t been as kind as we all originally believed. In fact, Boston has lost more games already this season (59) than they did all of last season (54). A team that wins 108 regular season games the season prior and captures their 3rd World Series title in the last 15 years seems pretty poised to be competitive again in 2019.
It has been a tough season for the defending champs as they have also gone 15-18 so far in the 2nd half and were recently swept by the New York Yankees in a 4 games series nearly 2 weeks ago. While I am always worried about the Red Sox figuring things out and making a miracle run into the postseason, it seems like that at least this year, is not their year.
Despite their struggles in 2019, if Boston was somehow able to make a stretch run into postseason Baseball, they actually matchup with the Yankees pretty well. The Red Sox have a lineup comparable to the Yankees and a starting rotation that is still scary, despite all their troubles this year.
If I had to rank the opponents I am most concerned with the Yankees facing this October, I would go with the following:
Houston Astros
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Boston Red Sox
Oakland Athletics
Tampa Bay Rays
What are your thoughts on the potential postseason matchups for the Yankees? Tweet us at @BronxCheersBlog!
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