Analysis Archives - Page 2 of 117

Gleyber Torres and closing up that hole at the top of the zone

April 8, 2019 by Mike

The Yankees swept the Orioles this past weekend and they did it because the players they need to pick up the slack during all these injuries picked up the slack. Gary Sanchez hit four homers in the series, including three yesterday, and Clint Frazier hit three homers in the span of six plate appearances. That includes the game-winner Saturday.

Gleyber Torres will also be leaned on offensively until the Yankees get healthy, and he carried them this weekend. Torres hit two homers Thursday, including the go-ahead three-run shot, and he added another homer yesterday. He went 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, three homers, three walks, and no strikeouts in the series, and is sitting on a .371/.436/.714 (227 wRC+) early season batting line.

“He can use the whole field and can use it with power,” Aaron Judge told Coley Harvey following Gleyber’s two-homer game Thursday. “Especially a guy that plays second or shortstop, for him to come up and he’ll hit homers to left field and all of a sudden he’s spraying doubles down the right-field line, it’s just impressive what he can do at such a young age.”

Here is the (approximate) point of contact for two of the three homers Torres hit this weekend. Thursday’s game-winner is on the left and yesterday’s homer to open the scoring is on the right.

The Thursday homer was pulled to left field and you can see Gleyber’s hips are wide open. He went after that pitch aggressively and yanked it to left. With yesterday’s homer, Torres did not fly open quite as much. He stayed back on the pitch a bit and drove it out to dead center field.

Anyway, I bring this up because look at the pitch locations. Those pitches are at the top of the strike zone. Those are great locations for swings and misses. In fact, Torres swung through an elevated fastball in the same spot as the homer pitch Thursday earlier in that at-bat. Gleyber missed it the first time but not the second time. He tomahawked two pitches at the top of the zone for home runs this weekend.

Last season Torres, like most players, didn’t do much damage against pitches at the top of the zone. He swung and missed a bunch, and, when he did put those pitches in play, he didn’t hit them all that hard. So far this season Torres is getting around on those pitches. Here are Gleyber’s numbers against pitches in the upper third of the strike zone:

	2018	2019	MLB AVG for RHB
Exit Velocity	88.3 mph	103.7 mph	88.3 mph
wOBA	.298	1.016	.304
xwOBA	.232	.908	.298
Whiffs-per-Swing	33.8%	25.0%	21.7%

Torres hit three home runs on pitches in the upper third of the strike zone last season. He hit two in the span of seven plate appearances this weekend. Granted, the Orioles stink, and it’s not like Torres took Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber deep, but still. Homers on pitches way up in the zone are not common for Gleyber.

The sky high wOBA and expected wOBA numbers are a good reminder it is still insanely early in the season. We’re still in the “2-for-4 with a double can add 100 points to your OPS” days. Two homers this weekend is not evidence Torres has closed a hole in his swing at the top of the zone. They just caught my attention (because they don’t happen often) and it’s something worth tracking going forward.

With Torres, his natural talent and feel for the game is so obviously special, and that makes quick adjustments and big gains possible. It’s a small sample size, absolutely. This could all be nothing. I also would not be surprised if this weekend eventually proves to be an indication Torres is now a more dangerous hitter against pitches up in the strike zone, either because he’s made an adjustment or because he’s more experienced or both.

“He’s got a great approach at the plate. He goes up there with a plan. You don’t see him up there too many times just free swinging,” Judge said to Harvey. “He usually comes up there with a plan, a pitch he’s going to attack, and he usually comes away with a pretty good at-bat.”

It’s Time For Gleyber Torres to Hit Leadoff

April 6, 2019 by Bobby Montano

The 2019 Yankees have suffered a full season’s worth of injuries despite the fact that the new campaign is barely a week old. The injuries are significant: with four starting position players, the rotation ace and the bullpen ace on the IL, that adds up to roughly 25 WAR in 2018, using FanGraphs for the batters and Baseball-Reference for the pitchers. The depleted state of the roster gives new urgency to early April games, as the Yankees cannot afford to dig themselves too deep a hole in the early going before returning to full strength in (hopefully) May.

The good news is that the rival Red Sox have started the season even worse than the Yanks: they’re 2-7, having been thoroughly embarrassed in Arizona last night, and they’ve seen their playoff odds drop all the way to 70 percent, per FanGraphs. The Sox are healthy (with the possible exception of Chris Sale, who has yet to garner a swing and miss on a fastball) and will surely bounce back soon, but the Yankees have to be thanking their lucky stars that Boston has scuttled out of the gate. Truthfully, Yankee fans should be, too – imagine the takes if the Sox started 2019 like they did 2018.

In any case, the Yankees cannot rely on their competition playing below expectations. The team won’t be healthy for a while and simply needs to not bury themselves early. They should be up to the task, but it starts with giving their best hitters the most at-bats. That means Aaron Boone should hit Gleyber Torres leadoff, at least until Aaron Hicks returns.

The case for Gleyber is pretty straightforward. Let’s get right into it, starting with what the typical leadoff man has done recently.

What’s The Average Leadoff Hitter Like?

First, let’s look at how leadoff hitters stack up compared to the rest of their competition. The following table shows the triple-slash and walk/strikeout rate for leadoff batters in the AL and NL, with the third row reserved for the league average in 2018, all per FanGraphs:

There are clear takeaways here, all of which were fairly predictable: the average leadoff batter hits for a higher average, gets on base more, hits for power and strikes out less than the average player in the league, though they walk at virtually the same clip. Leadoff hitters tend to be better, obviously.

That’s not breaking any new ground, and that is how it should be: the top spot in the lineup got 22,631 plate appearances in 2018: that’s 500 more than batters hitting 2^nd, 2,000 more than the 5^th spot in the order and 4,000 more than the “second leadoff” hitter batting 9^th. In other words, teams give more at-bats to better players. Simple enough.

That’s particularly relevant to the Yankees, though, who have often used either D.J. LeMahieu or Brett Gardner in the spot this year—and as much as I think DJLM got short shrift from fans or how much I love Gardner, it’s pretty hard to argue that those two deserve to get the most at-bats in April. They’re not the Yankees best hitters, even among the depleted lineup. Given their scuttling rivals and own struggles, the Yanks simply cannot afford to waste any opportunity to maximize their production. These games are important now, despite the rainy spring weather.

How does Gleyber Stack Up?

Things brings us to Gleyber. As we all know, Torres was generally the 9^th hitter for the Yanks last year and lived primarily in the bottom third of the order. A look at the data clearly shows that it’s time for that to change. Let’s bump that same chart from above here, this time replacing the final row (average hitters) with Gleyber’s 2018 production:

It’s important to remember that Torres was a 21-year-old rookie last year, thrust into a playoff race fresh off a truncated 2017 MiLB season: those numbers show that the kid can play. While he strikes out more than average for the spot, that’s more than made up by the rest of the line: Gleyber hit for higher average, got on base more regularly and hit for significantly more power than the normal leadoff hitter.

A deeper dive suggests that Torres is ready for more plate appearances, too. Torres made contact with 82% of all strikes he swung at (higher than Judge) and swung at balls out of the zone only 30% of the time (about the same as Judge) in 2018. Making contact with balls in the zone and taking the bad stuff is prototypical leadoff material and is the sign of a patient hitter; Torres saw 4.03 pitches per plate appearance last year, backing up that assertion.

Folks, Gleyber Torres is The Real Deal. Turns out there was a reason he was such a highly-touted prospect for so long.

Don’t Waste His Talent Now

But the Yankees and Aaron Boone have not properly used their young stud. In fact, they’re actively wasting his talent so far in 2019. Consider Thursday’s game at Camden Yards. Torres saved the game, slugging two home runs and injecting new life into a struggling Yankee offense. The problem? He was hitting 7^th, ahead of Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade—not setting the table for Judge, Voit and Sanchez.

A guy who can change the outcome of a game with one or two swings shouldn’t waste away at the bottom of the lineup, especially now. It’s one thing when the lineup is fully healthy and the Yankees return to their rightful place as one of the league’s most feared offensive juggernaut, but it’s another altogether when Wade, Tauchman, and others are getting significant playing time. Stacking the best hitters at the top of the lineup simply makes sense: think of Boston last year, who masked a poor bottom third of the lineup with a truly fearsome top half. That’s what the Yankees need to do right now.

Again, the Yankees need to tread water (at the very least) before returning to full strength, and the best way to do that is to ensure that the very best hitters on the team get the most opportunities. If Aaron Boone is smart, he will adjust his lineup to reflect the fact that Gleyber Torres has proven that he is more than just a prospect, and he will give Torres the opportunity to do his part to keep the Yankees afloat during the rough waters of early 2019.

Aroldis Chapman’s reduced velocity isn’t something to worry about just yet

April 2, 2019 by Mike

The Yankees beat the Tigers last night and the ninth inning was over in the blink of an eye. Aroldis Chapman needed only seven pitches to get a pop-up to first, a grounder to second, and a strikeout to nail down his first save of the new season. The only number that seemed to matter: 97.0 mph. That was Chapman’s average fastball for the night.

“Obviously, he was really efficient,” Aaron Boone said to Dan Martin following the game. “It looked like there was good life on his fastball. I wasn’t overly concerned with it (but) it was good to see him come in and start to push it up a little bit and look like his stuff was crisp.”

Chapman’s trademark velocity was noticeably down in Spring Training, sitting mostly 94-95 mph on the television radar gun. He averaged 95.0 mph in his first regular season appearance last Thursday and topped out at 97.8 mph. In a vacuum, that’s very good velocity. For Chapman, it’s definitely down.

“It’s something we’ll keep an eye on. We’ll see as we get into the season and it gets warmer,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild told Dan Martin and George King over the weekend. Chapman said he’s healthy and feels great physically, which is good even though it’s hard to trust athletes when they talk about their health (they always say they’re healthy).

Chapman turned 31 in February and velocity loss is part of life for a pitcher. His average fastball velocity was lower last year than the year before, and that year was lower than the year before it. Remember those 105 mph fastballs everyone fell in love with? Chapman hasn’t thrown a pitch that hard since August 2016. That historic velocity was never going to last and, really, it’s pretty amazing it lasted as long as it did.

It’s easy (and understandable) to freak out about reduced velocity these days and there’s no doubt a 104 or 105 mph fastball is more effective than a 96 or 97 mph fastball. At 104-105 mph, Chapman is a dominator. At 96-97 mph, the outs don’t come quite as easy. The good news is we’ve already seen some improvement in his two appearances …

March 28th: 95.0 mph average and 97.8 mph max
April 1st: 97.0 mph average and 98.3 mph max (on a very cold night)

… and Chapman has shown us he can make adjustments. Last year he incorporated his slider more than ever before and that happened even before it was clear his velocity was down and staying down. He came out of the gate throwing more sliders, which tells us the plan going into the season was more sliders. It just so happened to coincide with the first significant velocity loss of his career.

While I enjoy a good velocity freakout as much as anyone (actually, I don’t), we don’t know whether Chapman’s reduced velocity is actually a problem yet. He’s only made two appearances and both went fine (admittedly against terrible teams), and his velocity ticked up the second time out. It could be that Chapman needs a few weeks to reach his maximum velocity and begin touching 100 mph again.

“What makes Aroldis so unique and so special (is) his kinetic chain is so freakish,” Boone said last week. “I think once that gets really dialed in, I think the velocity will follow. Now, is it 103s and 102s? I don’t know. I would expect him to slowly start to tick back that way.”

Right now, four games and two Chapman appearances into the new season, I consider his velocity something to watch more than something to worry about. Will he be the overwhelming dominator he was in his prime at 97-98 mph instead of 104-105 mph? No, probably not, but that doesn’t mean Chapman can’t be very effective either. He was a deserving All-Star last year despite the velocity drop.

We need more information, basically. Let’s see whether the velocity gradually increases in the coming weeks and let’s see how effective Chapman remains without the triple-digit heater. If the velocity gain we saw last night stops or even reverses, and he starts getting knocked around the park and/or walking everyone, then it’ll be time to worry. Right now, it’s still not clear whether the reduced velocity hurts him. All we know is his velocity is down. We can’t dismiss the velocity loss. We also can’t make any definitive conclusions yet either.

The important thing is health. As long as Chapman’s healthy — and he does look healthy — he has a chance to increase his velocity as the season progresses and the weather warms up, and he has a chance to make adjustments too. You can’t do either of those things when you’re hurt. Chapman’s healthy and we’ve already seen some velocity uptick. Chances are those 104s and 105s are never coming back given normal age-related velocity loss. Chapman can still have success at 97-98 mph, which is down for him and excellent for everyone else.

The Same But Different: Tanaka and Paxton Debut Against Orioles

March 31, 2019 by Matt Imbrogno

At first glance, Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton have little in common beyond their chosen profession and the team for which they play. Tanaka is Japanese; Paxton is Canadian. Tanaka is right-handed; Paxton is left-handed. Tanaka’s signature pitch is his splitter…or slider; Paxton’s is his fastball. But if we dig a touch deeper, they do have a similarity in careers and expectations.

Tanaka and Paxton are highly talented who don’t necessarily turn in big innings totals, which perhaps warps perceptions about their true talent levels or value to the teams for which they’ve pitched. Additionally, both carry big expectations for 2019, especially with Luis Severino sidelined with shoulder troubles. Paxton carries the additional weight of expectation after being acquired for then top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield. Both also made their debuts this past week against the Baltimore Orioles. Let’s see if they, despite different handedness and different styles had more similarities in their approaches or more differences.

Tanaka relied on a three pitch deployment of four-seamers (24), sliders (23), and splitters (25) to attack the Orioles, tossing 5.2 innings of two run ball (1 earned). He allowed six hits, no walks, and struck out five batters. For the record, Brooks also classified nine curveballs and two sinkers among his Thursday arsenal. Paxton likewise threw 5.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned), four hits, and one walk while striking out six. His pitch mix was more limited: 59 four seamers, 18 cutters, and 15 knuckle curves.

As pitchers ought to do, each went over 70% strikes with his fastball to set up the other pitches. Paxton, though, got nine whiffs on his fastball alone; Tanaka only had ten for his entire start. In Tanaka’s favor, he got three whiffs on his breaking ball–slider–whereas Paxton had just one on his knuckle curve. These results show themselves in each pitcher’s approach to location. First Tanaka, then Paxton:

While Tanaka stayed mostly down in the zone and to his arm side–inside on righties, outside on lefties–Paxton was more apt to scatter his pitches throughout the zone. Considering the overall stuff of each pitcher, this makes a lot of sense. Tanaka’s fastball averaged around 91-92 per Brooks and Paxton’s averaged a touch over 95. That extra three MPH means Paxton can work up in the zone and at both corners more easily than Tanaka can.

Overall, Tanaka and Paxton faced seven hitters in common and wound up with the same innings and runs totals, while showing strikeout stuff and good control. On most days–like Thursday–Paxton’s line on Saturday would be enough to earn a win. Sadly, that didn’t happen for him, but he pitched well in his debut nonetheless. Despite their differences in approaches and stuff, Paxton and Tanaka turned in similar showings in their season debuts and we should be pleased with both. Hopefully, these starts are a sign of things to come, a jumping off point for even better performances down the road.

Spring training results that we shouldn’t read into

March 27, 2019 by Derek Albin

Earlier this week, I touched on a few players’ spring training performances that have me optimistic. Maybe taking meaning from their camp statistics will make me look dumb over the next few months. Probably, in fact. Today, let’s actually follow conventional wisdom: Grapefruit League numbers are meaningless. Our expectations of the following players shouldn’t be altered because of what they’ve done down in Florida.

Bursting Luis Cessa’s bubble

When Luis Severino and CC Sabathia went down, it seemed inevitable that Luis Cessa would nab a spot in the rotation. He was nothing short of fantastic this spring. Yet, after he posted a microscopic 0.98 ERA in a hair more than 18 innings, the righty was relegated to the bullpen. He probably will get a handful of starts this season anyway, but the fact that his performance didn’t earn him a chance every fifth day speaks volumes.

It’s nice that he pitched well, but that doesn’t erase his lifetime 4.71 ERA and 5.03 FIP. He’s seen his fair share of major league time over the last few seasons, and now that he’ll be 27 next month, it doesn’t look like he has any upside. Been there, done that. It’s time for Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga prove their worth. Or, go to Gio Gonzalez as an experienced veteran.

J.A. Happ will be fine

The Yankees re-signed J.A. Happ to solidify the rotation, and just over 11 poor Grapefruit League frames shouldn’t cause much concern. The southpaw was prone to the long ball in camp and surrendered six dingers, which ballooned his ERA to 7.94. His regular season ERA will probably be half that. ZiPS, PECOTA, and Steamer all have him right around 4.00.

There are legitimate reasons to worry about Happ, though. Pitchers in their mid-to-late thirties decline, and the 36 year-old Happ is no exception. He’s going to get worse while under contract with the Yankees barring a Sabathia-like resurgence. That being said, cherry picking his spring performance does not make him toast.

Tyler Wade still has something to prove

After he posted an .845 OPS this spring, Wade’s frustration about not making the team is understandable. He had a spot on the 25-man roster until the Yankees made a trade in the 11th hour for Mike Tauchman. Clearly, the Yankees are looking for a bench that isn’t full of light hitters. Pairing Wade with Austin Romine makes for a pretty weak bench, and even though Tauchman hasn’t hit much in the big leagues yet, he’s the type of player the Yankees covet.

Wade has a disappointing major league track record. He’s posted a 23 wRC+ in 133 big league plate appearances, which doesn’t cut it no matter how much versatility he offers. No amount of production in spring training can erase that. With DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres having the ability to cover multiple infield positions and Tauchman able to span all three outfield spots, Wade became the odd man out despite his best effort.

Think twice about falling for Brett Gardner again

A .394/.450/.697 triple-lash will open anyone’s eyes in spring training. That was what Gardner did, but we’ve seen this before. He’s a notorious hot starter who wears down in the second half. He has a career 112/89 wRC+ split between the two halves of the season.

I’d undoubtedly sign up for a torrid start again this year, especially with the array of injuries the team is dealing with. But, it wouldn’t surprise me if he can’t do it again. At some point, his second half swoons are going to carry over into the start following season, and 2019 could be that year. He authored a putrid 66 wRC+ to close last season and lost his job to Andrew McCutchen, to boot. Clint Frazer is gunning for his role this year. It would be fun to see Gardner have one last gasp, but I’m not changing my opinion based on what he did over the last month. I was basically ready to move on in the offseason. Now, the Yankees have no choice but to start him.

Various others

The players mentioned above are the ones I found most compelling to discuss. There are other standouts and poor performers whose results mean next to nothing, but it’s not worth a couple of paragraphs. No, I’m not worried about Gary Sanchez, DJ LeMahieu, or Adam Ottavino. I don’t think Nestor Cortes, David Hale, or Gio Urshela are hidden gems. I think that’s a little too obvious.

At the risk of looking foolish, some optimistic spring training performance takeaways

March 26, 2019 by Derek Albin

Spring training is in the books and opening day is just days away. The slate has been wiped clean and all camp performances, good or bad, get a reset. By now, we all know better than to make strong declarations based on Grapefruit League statistics. It sure is fun to do, though. And hey, what’s my risk of interpreting how certain players performed? I can live with looking silly.

A handful of Yankees had intriguing numbers over the last month or so. We won’t know how significant those until later in the regular season, but I think we can make meaningful observations from some of the results.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will strike out less

Both Judge and Stanton struck out about 30 percent of the time last season. If Grapefruit League play is any indicator, the duo will put the ball in play more often this year. Stanton fanned in 22.9 percent of plate appearances while Judge went down on strikes 26.7 percent of the time. Of course, neither accrued more than 48 plate appearances, so make of it what you will.

Despite the small sample, we do know that Judge has been trying to cut down on whiffs in camp. With two strikes, he’s eschewed his leg kick for a subtle toe tap. It’s seemingly worked out well thus far. Why can’t it continue to work in the regular season?

As for Stanton, there isn’t a discernible adjustment. At least, not one that I’m aware of. Nonetheless, he is just a season removed from the 23.6 percent rate he posted in his final season with Miami. Last year could have been a blip. As his spring training performance shows, this is who he is at his best.

Clint Frazier has some rust to shake off

This statement isn’t out on a limb, unlike the strikeout talk from the prior section. Frazier hit .149/.228/.245 in 57 plate appearances. He had the most opportunities out of anyone in camp, and understandably so. With much of last season lost due concussion recovery, it’s been a long time since Clint has been at full strength. Now that he’s finally cleared, there are some cobwebs for him to shake off.

It’s tough luck that Frazier still needs more time to get on track. Obviously, his health problems were the biggest misfortune of all. Pretty scary, in particular. But also, he’s missing an opportunity to grab a job from the outset of the season because Aaron Hicks is down for the count. He should still get an opportunity later this year, but he’ll have to wait.

Greg Bird is (finally) healthy

Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me…thrice? To be honest, I’m not sure how many times I have gotten excited about Bird at this point, only to be inevitably let down. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to read into his spring training numbers and not think he’s healthy. The Yankees gave him 54 trips to the plate in camp and he capitalized with a 1.091 OPS. Can’t I get a little excited?

Oh, but that elbow of his. He was hit there by a pitch last week. Here we go again, right? Well, it seems like he’s going to be fine, for now. I get the skepticism with Bird, but I’m ready to dive back in and believe. I think it’s easier this time because he’s the underdog to Luke Voit, and if Bird does indeed flame out again, the Yankees should be fine at the position anyway.

Tommy Kahnle is back

It’s always good to draw conclusions from seven and a third innings pitched. In that workload, Kahnle struck out nine and allowed only one earned run. His velocity appears to be back and not only is he healthy, but he’s also in far better shape than before. The way he took care of his body before this season was…something.

It’s going to be a huge plus to have a revitalized Kahnle with Dellin Betances on the shelf to start the year. It looks Kahnle’s 2017-self, minus all of the caffeine and junk food, is back and here to stay.

Stephen Tarpley is for real

The 26-year-old southpaw was named the team’s best rookie in camp, and deservedly so. He allowed no runs, one walk, and six hits in just over 11 innings of work this spring (before last night), which earned him a spot on the opening day roster. Tarpley already began to emerge as an intriguing relief prospect last season and did a nice job in a late summer cameo with the Bombers.

Tarpley is in line to be this year’s Jonathan Holder. He may ride the Scranton shuttle a couple of times early on, but more likely than not, he’s ready to carve out a role in the big leagues for good. His spring training was just a confirmation of his capabilities.

Barring another injury, Jacoby Ellsbury will force the Yankees’ hand soon

March 20, 2019 by Derek Albin

At some point in the next month or two, the Yankees will have to make a decision on the future of Jacoby Ellsbury. His extended absence came to an end when he reported to Tampa last weekend. Although he won’t be ready for opening day, it seems like his saga is nearing an inflection point. A setback wouldn’t surprise anyone, but it’s now a real possibility that he’s healthy and ready to play relatively soon.

Of course, Ellsbury has plenty of work to do to complete his comeback. He’s just getting back to baseball activities after a long layoff, so there’s rust to shake off. He’ll also need to have his own version of spring training, meaning that he’ll probably stick around in extended camp into April. From there, he’ll likely do a full minor league rehab stint before being ready to return to the majors. That gives the team until some time in May assuming all goes well.

As long as Ellsbury stays on track, he will have all of the leverage once ready to join the big league team. He’s still owed approximately $47 million through next season, he can’t be sent to the minors, and has a no trade clause. The Yankees can’t just let him toil on the injured list, either. Sorry, a phantom injury isn’t an option. The center fielder hasn’t worked this hard to return from major surgery merely to twiddle his thumbs at home.

Oddly enough, the Yankees could actually use someone like Ellsbury if Aaron Hicks’s back woes linger. But when the team’s outfield is at full strength, Ellsbury as the fifth outfielder is a wasted roster spot. That puts the Yankees in a very tricky situation. In such a role, he’d ride the bench most of the season. I’m sure Ellsbury has too much pride to want to do something like that, and I’m sure the Yankees would much rather have a more traditional bench player. With a roster at full strength, keeping Ellsbury around would likely force Tyler Wade back to the minors.

Ellsbury almost certainly has little to no value to any of the other 29 teams in baseball. If Adam Jones got only $3 million from Arizona, what team would be take on even a portion of Ellsbury’s deal? The only way a trade could be accomplished is in a swap of bad contracts. Even then, though, there would be a significant hurdle with Ellsbury’s no trade clause. Maybe he’d accept a deal to a team out west, where he’s from and currently resides. But he doesn’t have to. If another club really wants him, they can just wait until the Yankees have no choice but to cut Ellsbury.

This all leads down one path: releasing him. It’s the best option for all parties involved. There’s no need to be stubborn by keeping him on the bench. He deserves a chance to play somewhere else if the Yankees don’t want him. I don’t think it makes much sense to obtain another hefty contract in exchange for Ellsbury, especially if it’s going to be a stretch to roster said acquisition.

The Yankees have undoubtedly been happy to claw back some of Ellsbury’s contract via insurance, but that gravy train appears to be ending. Sure, Ellsbury could have some sort of setback, but the team can’t count on it. If and when he’s ready to go, whether that be some time in late April or later this season, it’ll be time to cut him loose. There’s no need to try to make this marriage work.