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The Coaching Staff [2018 Season Review]

December 5, 2018 by Mike

Mike Harkey won Players Weekend. (Presswire)

Along with a new manager came a (mostly) new coaching staff in 2018. And similar to their new manager, the Yankees went young and inexperienced with their coaching staff. Veterans Tony Pena and Alan Cockrell were let go and Yankees lifer Rob Thomson was allowed to join the Phillies after being passed over for the manager’s gig. Five of the seven coaching positions were turned over — the five new coaches combined for six years of prior MLB coaching experience — and an eighth was added.

Evaluating coaches is almost impossible from the outside. Generally speaking, all we do is project player performance onto the coach. So much of a coach’s work — all of the coach’s work, really — takes place behind the scenes. With the manager, we look at lineups and bullpen moves. With coaches we look at, uh, player performance? That’s really it. And coaches are coaches, not miracle workers. They can do all the teaching in the world. Ultimately, it’s up to the player to listen and execute. So, with that in mind, let’s review the year in the coaching ranks.

The Holdovers: Larry Rothschild & Mike Harkey

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild and bullpen coach Mike Harkey were the only holdovers from Joe Girardi’s staff. The only holdovers who remained in the same role, I should say. I thought Harkey was a goner for sure. He and Girardi have been extremely close dating back to their days as players with the Cubs. They’re tight and I assumed — incorrectly — that Harkey would be shown the door once Girardi was cut loose. Instead, Harkey remained.

There was never any talk about replacing Rothschild. In fact, it was made clear Rothschild would remain pitching coach no matter who the Yankees hired as manager. The Yankees love the way he blends hands-on instruction with analytics. Rothschild has been the pitching coach since 2011 and, since then, the Yankees lead all teams in pitching WAR (+167.1) and they’re third in park adjusted ERA (93 ERA-). This season’s ranks:

ERA: 3.78 (10th in MLB)
FIP: 3.63 (3rd)
ERA-: 87 (4th)
FIP-: 82 (2nd)
K/BB: 3.31 (5th)
WAR: +26.6 (3rd)

Yankee Stadium is very hitter friendly — very home run friendly, more accurately — and that inevitably skews numbers. Adjust for the ballpark and the Yankees were again among the top run prevention teams in the game in 2018. They allowed the fifth fewest run in the American League this past season. Every year, without fail, the narrative is the Yankees need pitching. And, also every year, they manage to finish with some of the best run prevention numbers in the game.

Rothschild and Harkey are a team. The bullpen coach does a lot more than answer the phone. They both have a role implementing strategies — the anti-fastball plan is one of the most extreme pitching philosophy shifts in recent memory — and helping pitchers through inevitable bumps. Some struggles are uglier than others. Getting Luis Severino on track is a top priority going into next season. By and large, the Yankees get good work on the mound, yet much of the time all the talk is about the Yankees needing pitching.

The Promoted Coaches: Marcus Thames & P.J. Pilittere

The Yankees have been grooming Thames for their big league hitting coach job for years now. His playing career ended in 2011 and he joined the Yankees as a coach in 2013. His roles over the years:

2013: High-A Tampa hitting coach
2014: Double-A Trenton hitting coach
2015: Triple-A Scranton hitting coach
2016-17: Yankees assistant hitting coach
2018: Yankees hitting coach

Thames worked his way up the coaching ladder and along the way he worked with the organization’s top young players, from Aaron Judge to Gary Sanchez to Greg Bird. The same is true with Pilittere, who joined the Yankees as a coach after his playing career ended. He was the hitting coach one level below Thames these last few seasons and followed him up the ladder:

2012: Gulf Coast League hitting coach
2013: Low-A Charleston hitting coach
2014: High-A Tampa hitting coach
2015-16: Double-A Trenton hitting coach
2017: Triple-A Scranton hitting coach
2018: Yankees assistant hitting coach

The Yankees were second in baseball with 851 runs scored this season and they almost certainly would’ve been first (the Red Sox scored 876 runs) had Judge and Sanchez not missed so much time. The team’s park adjusted 111 wRC+ tied the Dodgers for the best in baseball. The Yankees combined baseball’s second highest walk rate (10.0%) with a league average strikeout rate (22.7%) and absurd power numbers this year. Why? Because of the players. Not so much the coaches. Thames and Pilittere have extensive experience with the team’s core young players and that’s an obvious plus.

The New Bench Coach: Josh Bard

The Yankees hired Bard away from the Dodgers to be Boone’s right-hand man and he checked all the boxes. He’s a former player, he has front office experience (special assistant with the Dodgers from 2013-15), and he has coaching experience (Dodgers bullpen coach from 2016-17), so he’s done a little of everything. He can relate to players and fellow coaches on several different levels. Bard is seen as a rising star in the coaching and managerial ranks.

His first season as bench coach went … okay? I guess? How could anyone tell? There was some thought Boone would benefit from an having experienced bench coach, but if the Yankees wanted someone experienced pulling the strings, they would’ve hiring an experienced manager. The information that flows from the front office to the coaching staff has to be dissected and disseminated to the players. Some players like data. Some hate it. Bard helps provide that personal touch to get through to everyone. How’d his season go? Seemed okay to me. Shrug.

The New Third Base: Phil Nevin

Finally, a coaching performance we can kinda evaluate statistically. Nevin and Boone grew up together but this wasn’t a case of the Yankees hiring the manager’s buddy. Nevin managed several years in the minors and was the Giants third base coach last season. He’d interviewed for several managerial jobs in the past too. Nevin was more than qualified for the job.

So anyway, what does the third base coach do? He sends or holds runners rounding third, for the most part. There are some other job requirements but that’s the most visible one. The Yankees had 19 runners thrown out at the plate this past season and that was right in the middle of the pack. Fifteenth most in baseball. What about his holds and sends though? Some numbers:

	Yankees	MLB Average
Runner on second stops at third on a single	39.0%	37.3%
Runner on second scores on a single	57.3%	58.9%
Runner on second thrown out at home on a single	3.7%	3.8%

Runner on first stops at third on a double	53.3%	54.8%
Runner on first scores on a double	44.1%	42.5%
Runner on first thrown out at home in a double	2.6%	2.7%

Average across the board. A percentage point or two away from average in either direction equals average to me. It’s not a big difference. So, on one hand, Nevin did a good job not getting Yankees thrown out at home more than they should’ve. On the other hand, Nevin didn’t really get the Yankees any extra runs with his sends. He was, well, average.

A case could be made Nevin should be more conservative going forward, meaning he should hold runners at third at a higher rate than the league average because the Yankees sock so many dingers that it’s not worth the risk of having a runner potentially thrown out at the plate. Personnel obviously matters (Brett Gardner has a better chance to score from first on a double than Gary Sanchez, for example) but that’s the idea. Play it safe and let ’em swing away.

That said, we’re only talking a handful of baserunners here. Again, the Yankees had 19 runners thrown out the plate this past season. That’s not many in the grand scheme of things. Holding five or six of them might lead to a few extra runs over the course of a season, but probably not. Point is, the Yankees did not have an exorbitant number of runners thrown out at the plate in Nevin’s first season as third base coach. They were as average as can be.

Personally, my favorite Nevin moment came in April after the Joe Kelly-Tyler Austin brawl at Fenway Park. When asked about the brawl, Nevin said “I’m going to wear less layers tomorrow because geez I look fat with my sweatshirt, my jersey, and all that” after the game (video link). Love it. Others enjoyed Nevin laying into the team in the dugout for sloppy play in an August game. It didn’t do anything — the Yankees lost that game and the next four — but it was the thought that counts.

Nevin is an old school baseball dude. He is the ying to Boone’s and Bard’s yang. They’re the new age analytic types. Nevin is the opposite. It’s good to have that balance on the coaching staff, I think.

The New First Base Coach: Reggie Willits

Willits spent several years in the farm system as an outfield and baserunning instructor and the Yankees elevated him to the big league staff this year. The first base coach times the battery for basestealing purposes. He literally times the pitcher’s delivery. That combined with the catcher’s pop time tell you whether attempting to steal with a certain runner makes sense. The Yankees went 63-for-21 (75%) stealing bases this year. The league average stolen base success rate was 72.1%. So I guess Willits did a good job there.

Moreso than the stolen bases as first base coach, Willits had two big projects as the outfield instructor this year. One, he had to prepare Giancarlo Stanton to play left field. Stanton had some noticeable blunders early, thankfully all in meaningless Spring Training games, but by midseason he looked comfortable out there. I didn’t think it would take Stanton long to adjust and it didn’t. I’m sure Willits helped with that adjustment to some degree.

And two, Willits had to give Neil Walker a crash course in the outfield. Judge and Clint Frazier were hurt in August and Stanton was nursing his hamstring injury, plus Shane Robinson wasn’t cutting it, so the Yankees threw Walker into the fire in right field. He had 14 career games worth of outfield experience at the time, all in Triple-A in 2010. Walker did about as well as the Yankees could’ve hoped. He caught the balls he was supposed to catch and not much else. Willits was in charge of making it happen.

The New Quality Control Coach: Carlos Mendoza

The Yankees added a new coaching position this season. Officially, the title is Quality Control Coach/Infield Instructor. A few teams these days have a Quality Control Coach, whatever that is. The Yankees promoted Mendoza, their longtime minor league infield coordinator, into that role. Similar to Willits and Mendoza and Pilittere, Mendoza had been in a farm system for a few years and had worked with many young Yankees.

His primary focus this season was working with Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar on their defense. Gleyber was still relatively new to second base when he was called up and, well, Andujar needs a lot of help. Mendoza was out on the field every single afternoon working with Andujar. In my limited time as a BBWAA dude, I’ve never seen a player take that many ground balls before games. Mendoza was very persistent, if nothing else.

What’s Next?

The entire coaching staff is coming back next season. Brian Cashman confirmed that a few weeks ago. Well, the Orioles still don’t have a manager or coaching staff (for real), so I suppose Baltimore could pry one the Yankees’ coaches loose, but it seems unlikely. Not much more to say than that, really. The Yankees were quite good this season and, as far as I can tell, the coaches did fine work.

Thoughts after the Yankees miss out on Patrick Corbin

December 5, 2018 by Mike

The best free agent pitcher on the market won’t be signing with the Yankees. Patrick Corbin agreed to a massive six-year, $140M contract with the Nationals yesterday. It is the 13th largest pitching contract in history. The Yankees now have to look elsewhere to address their rotation. Let’s get to the thoughts.

1. Missing out on Corbin the pitcher really stinks — lefties who miss that many bats and get that many ground balls are hard to find! — but the principle of it all bothers me more than anything. Why are the Yankees getting outbid for anyone this offseason? Their window to win is never going to get more open than it is right now. All the prospects have arrived and assumed big league roles. There are no more Aaron Judges or Gleyber Torreses or Luis Severinos coming. Those dudes are in the Bronx already. Also, young veterans like James Paxton, Aaron Hicks, and (the injured) Didi Gregorius have blossomed. Veterans like Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman are still productive. And the Yankees reset their luxury tax rate this season! When are they going to spend if not now? Corbin’s not perfect, no one is, but he’s really good and he was the best available free agent starter. He was available for cash. Now the Yankees will settle for a lesser pitcher because they didn’t want to tack on a sixth year, a sixth year that very well might come after the window to win with this group has closed. How do you spend all offseason saying the priority is starting pitching, only to let the best available starter get away because you don’t want to pay him in what will be Aaron Judge’s age 32 season? There’s a lot of winning that has to be done between now and then.

2. So what do the Yankees do now? The easy answer is pivot to J.A. Happ. They’ve been connected to him throughout the offseason and of course Happ pitched quite well for the Yankees this past season, making eleven starts with a 2.69 ERA (4.21 FIP) in 63.2 innings. He stunk in his one postseason start but I’m not going to get bent out of shape about that. Happ’s solid. Getting him on a one-year contract would be ideal but it’ll probably take two years — giving Happ a third year covering his age 38 season would be rich after not wanting to sign Corbin for his age 35 season — given the market. Several other clubs are said to be in on him as well. Happ is fine but is just so underwhelming to me. He’s a just turned 36-year-old pitcher who throws a ton of fastballs and saw his fastball spin rate dip noticeably this year. That’s a pretty big deal! I just feel like, with a pitcher this age and this skill set, you’re hoping he maintains his 2018 performance (3.65 ERA and 3.98 FIP) and doesn’t slip any further. There’s not a whole lot of upside here. Meh. Bringing Happ back is the easy and most straightforward move but it doesn’t move the needle much for me at all. He’d be fine. That’s all. Fine.

3. Personally, with Corbin now in Washington, my preference for addressing the rotation would be circling back with the Indians about Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The Yankees and Indians did have a face-to-face meeting about those guys at the GM Meetings, remember. The Yankees used their best trade chip (Justus Sheffield) to get Paxton and that figures to make it awfully difficult, if not impossible, to nab Kluber or Carrasco. Would the outfield needy Indians have interest in Clint Frazier? How desperate are they to unload the $17M they owe Jason Kipnis next season? (Kipnis comes with an $8.75M luxury tax hit.) Is there a three-team trade scenario possible? Maybe something like this:

Yankees get: Kluber or Carrasco
Indians get: Mitch Haniger
Mariners get: Sonny Gray (they want him!) and prospects from the Yankees

Who knows whether something like that is possible. Point is, I don’t want the Yankees out there looking for someone who can simply fill the rotation spot capably a la Happ. There’s value in that, believe me I know, but I want a high-end starter with the potential to dominate every five days. The Yankees definitely have that in Severino, second half skid notwithstanding, and I believe they have that in Paxton as well. I want another guy like that and either Kluber or Carrasco would fit. Going hard after those dudes before settling for Happ is my preference. (Trevor Bauer is insufferable. Hard pass on him even though he’s really good.)

4. Does losing out on Corbin make the Yankees more interested in Yusei Kikuchi? Kikuchi is the youngest starter on the free agent market and, based on the data and scouting report, he is similar to Corbin as a left-handed slider machine. He also comes with a history of shoulder problems and no MLB track record, which makes him risky, and that risk will presumably be reflected in his contract. I can’t see Kikuchi approaching Tanaka’s posting system record seven-year, $155M contract. Something like five years and $50M would be more appropriate, I think, but crazy things can happen if there’s a bidding war. Kikuchi’s 30-day negotiating window officially opened yesterday — I haven’t heard anything about him meeting with teams yet, though I imagine there are plans and a schedule in place — and reports indicate the Yankees want another starter before the Winter Meetings begin next week, and Kikuchi doesn’t match up with that timeline. The 27-year-old southpaw may be preferable to guys like Happ, Nathan Eovaldi, Charlie Morton, and Dallas Keuchel though. I dunno. Just a thought.

5. So, what are the odds Sonny Gray is better than whomever the Yankees bring in to plug the open rotation spot? Not good, I don’t think, but it’s not entirely impossible either. I mean, do you really have to try all that hard to envision Gray being more valuable than Happ or Eovaldi or Morton in 2019? Not really! Sonny is a goner. Brian Cashman and the Yankees have made that very clear this offseason — pivoting now and keeping Gray would be kinda awkward, eh? — and I think it’s for the best. I wanted it to work, I’ve been a pro-Sonny guy for years now, but it didn’t work and it’s best the Yankees cut their losses rather than hope something changes next year even though nothing’s changed the last year and a half. They get something in return in the trade and Gray gets a fresh start somewhere else. A trade is the best thing for both parties. Still, can’t you see Gray performing well with his next team, better than whomever the Yankees get to fill the rotation, and everyone complaining they gave up on Sonny?

6. The Yankees are going to sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, right? They really should sign them. Both of them. One would be okay but both are preferred. It’s not often you get the opportunity to add a 26-year-old mega-talent through free agency and it is basically never that you get an opportunity to add two 26-year-old mega-talents through free agency. The Yankees have the money to sign both even though they like to pretend they don’t. Machado at short until Gregorius returns makes too much sense. Harper? They’d figure out a way to make the crowded outfield work. These things always take care of themselves. (Easiest solution is moving Brett Gardner to the bench full-time.) The Yankees don’t have to worry about paying Corbin $20-something-million a year now, so they should redirect the savings to Machado and Harper. Heck, even if they signed Corbin, they should’ve still gone after Machado and Harper. I know I’m going all spoiled Yankees fan on here but damn yo, sign these dudes. Anytime the Yankees want to go back to acting like the Yankees is okay with me.

Report: Patrick Corbin agrees to six-year deal with Nationals

December 4, 2018 by Mike

The Yankees have missed out on the best free agent pitcher on the market. According to multiple reports, left-hander Patrick Corbin has agreed to a six-year contract worth $140M with the Nationals. Billy Witz says the Yankees offered five years and $100M, but wouldn’t tack on the sixth year, so to Washington he goes.

Last week Corbin went on a three-city recruiting tour through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. As is often the case, far too much was made of his hometown (Clay, New York) and the fact he grew up a Yankees fan in a family full of Yankees fans. Money trumps signing with the team you rooted for as a kid, always and forever.

Had the Yankees landed Corbin, they would’ve added a third prime-aged elite bat-misser to the rotation alongside James Paxton and Luis Severino. Instead, they missed out on Corbin over a sixth year — a sixth year beyond the current Collective Bargaining Agreement — after spending the offseason saying they need rotation help. Cool cool.

With Corbin now off the board, I imagine the Yankees will now shift their focus to J.A. Happ, the other free agent starter they’ve been most connected to in recent weeks. They haven’t been connected to Dallas Keuchel at all and are reportedly not among the early suitors for Nathan Eovaldi. Maybe they circle back to Corey Kluber? We’ll see.

Along with another starting pitcher, the Yankees also need to add bullpen help and a Didi Gregorius replacement this offseason, as well as general depth and fringe roster moves. Plus, you know, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are out there. The Yankees should sign them both but I’ll settle for one.

The Mariners and the possibility of a Carlos Santana trade

December 4, 2018 by Mike

I’ll say this much: Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is acting very decisively this offseason. The Mariners are tearing their roster apart and yesterday Dipoto completed his fifth trade of the winter, sending Jean Segura and two relievers to the Phillies for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana. Similar to the Yankees and the Justus Sheffield/James Paxton trade, the Phillies sent a potential future Segura to the Mariners in Crawford for the actual Segura.

As for Santana, he was included in the trade to offset salary — he’s owed $35M the next two years whereas Segura is owed $60.4M the next four years — and because he and Rhys Hoskins on the same roster in the non-DH league just doesn’t work. The Phillies get a big upgrade at short, some bullpen depth, and they also get to move Hoskins back to his natural first base. The Mariners get Crawford and salary relief and … that’s it? That’s it, I guess.

This past season the 32-year-old Santana mustered a .229/.352/.414 (109 wRC+) batting line with 24 home runs and more walks (110) than strikeouts (93) in his first year with the Phillies. That is clearly down from his sustained 125 wRC+ or so peak from 2011-17, though a miserable April (63 wRC+) overshadowed what was otherwise a typical Carlos Santana season (119 wRC+ after May 1st). A player struggled in his first month with his new team. It happens.

In all likelihood the Mariners will trade Santana at some point before Spring Training. Dipoto is going hard after this rebuild and there’s no real reason to keep Santana. Santana turns 33 soon after Opening Day and first base only guys usually don’t gain trade value at that age. Seattle will eat some money and flip him elsewhere, a move that could interest the Yankees. I know I’m not the only one who thought about it. Let’s talk this out.

1. What would the Yankees do with Santana, exactly? Put him at first base. Or maybe DH with Giancarlo Stanton taking up permanent residence in left field. Santana has been a very productive hitter throughout his career and he brings a healthy dose of old player skills — old player skills in that they tend to age well, historically — in his patience and power. Two years of Santana? It’s not a bad little gamble at the right price.

Right now the Yankees have Luke Voit and Greg Bird penciled in at first base. Voit was awesome this past season and he deserves at least a long look in Spring Training. That said, his big league track record consists of exactly one (1) month, and that month is September, which is a terrible time to evaluate players. Bird? He was awful this year and hurt the last three years. He’s become Allen Craig without all the good years.

Going with Santana at first base would be the safe move. Get the veteran dude who had a .352 OBP in a down year and has averaged 27 homers the last three seasons, and would help the balance the right-handed heavy lineup with his switch-hitting bat. The Yankees would be opting for the safe Santana over the upside of Voit, basically. For what it’s worth, their 2019 Steamer projections:

Santana: .243/.359/.447 (119 wRC+) with 26 homers and +2.3 WAR
Voit: .262/.336/.460 (115 wRC+) with 21 homers and +1.5 WAR

Hmmm. Projections are not predictions, remember. They are an attempt to estimate talent level. At least one projection system sees soon-to-be 33-year-old Santana and soon-to-be 28-year-old Voit as similar talents. Both 15% to 20% above-average offensively and +2 WAR overall. That said, Voit’s projection is a little more uncertain than Santana’s given his lack of big league time.

Voit did some very good things in his big league stint this past season (Bird not so much), specifically hitting the ball hard and getting it in the air. Do that and good things happen. Example: Santana. He’s been crushing the ball and getting it airborne for the better part of a decade now, and the result has been a very long and productive Major League career. Going with the proven commodity wouldn’t be unreasonable, I don’t think.

2. What would it cost? Eh, it’s hard to say. Santana is owed $17M in 2019 and $17.5M in 2020 before a $17.5M club option ($500,000 buyout) comes into play in 2021. I have to imagine the Mariners will eat some of that to facilitate a trade. Santana wouldn’t get two years at $35M guaranteed as a free agent right now. Either Seattle eats some money or they take back a player(s) to offset salary a la Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade.

I don’t think Santana would be a straight salary dump, however. I think there would be enough interest — the Rockies, Twins, Rays, and even the Red Sox stand out as potential landing spots — that the Mariners would get something decent for Santana. One or two mid-range prospects. Someone in, say, the 5-10 range or two prospects in the 11-20 range of an organizational top 30 list. Too much? I guess it depends how much money the Mariners eat.

If Seattle pays Santana down to a $10M a year player or so, either by eating salary or taking on contracts in return, giving up one or two mid-range prospects seems perfectly reasonable to me. Those mid-range guys are exactly the type of prospects a win now team should be willing to trade for an upgrade at the MLB level, especially when you have a pitching heavy farm system like the Yankees. (Pitchers break, man. Trade ’em all.)

3. If you want a new first baseman, why not just sign a free agent instead? Good question, loyal reader. The answer is the free agent first base class stinks. It stinks. The best first basemen on the market are Justin Bour, Matt Adams, and Lucas Duda. None of those guys move the needle for me. I guess you could sign Marwin Gonzalez and put him at first base, a position he’s played plenty in the past, but that’s a waste of his versatility.

I suppose signing Bryce Harper and moving him to first base is an option, albeit one that doesn’t seem particularly likely to me. Besides, Harper’s a special case. A team is not basing that $300M+ ($400M+?) decision on who they have at first base anyway. Realistically, the first base free agent class is terrible. At the right price, meaning one or two non-top prospects and $20M over the next two years, I’d take Santana over every single free agent first basemen.

* * *

Joel Sherman speculated (key word: speculated) about a Jacoby Ellsbury for Carlos Santana trade yesterday but that doesn’t seem all that realistic to me, even with the money kinda sorta matching up. The Yankees would have to kick in prospects to make it the trade worth it for Seattle, presumably pretty good ones to get them to stay payroll neutral. Otherwise they’d just trade Santana elsewhere and get prospects and salary relief.

Ellsbury is a non-factor for the Yankees — the best case scenario next year is that he’s a 35-year-old speed guy coming off major hip surgery and uh — and if they could swing a trade in which they swap Ellsbury for Santana while kicking in a prospect to stay payroll neutral, it’d make an awful lot of sense. Assuming ownership is willing to give up those sweet insurance dollars and assuming Santana is actually an upgrade at first base, that is.

First base is not a priority for the Yankees this offseason and it seems to me that, if they’re going to make a move at first base, it’ll be for someone who is a clear upgrade. Not Santana who is kinda sorta in decline. Paul Goldschmidt would make sense. As would Matt Carpenter, who I suppose could become available if the Cardinals nab Goldschmidt, but probably not. Guys like that would make the most sense for the Yankees. Santana’s not in that tier of players.

Had Voit not done what he did this past season with such promising underlying skills — again, this dude hammered the ball, it’s not like he put up those numbers with bloops and seeing eye singles — I think a Santana trade would be much more realistic for the Yankees. Even as he declines, he still gets on base and pops dingers, and switch-hits. That’s valuable. Enough to give up prospects and take on a bunch of money? Eh, maybe not with what Voit showed.

The Rookie Manager [2018 Season Review]

December 4, 2018 by Mike

Following a wildly enjoyable 2017 season, the Yankees took a leap of faith. They parted ways with longtime manager Joe Girardi, a proven and successful big league skipper, and opted to replace him with a rookie. We just didn’t know which rookie. The Yankees interviewed six managerial candidates and only one, Eric Wedge, had prior experience as a big league manager.

The six managerial candidates: Wedge, Carlos Beltran, Aaron Boone, Hensley Meulens, Rob Thomson, and Chris Woodward. The original plan was a first round of interviews with the front office, then bringing two or three finalists to Tampa to interview with ownership. The second part never happened. The Yankees were so blown away by Boone that they skipped the second round of interviews entirely.

“When we had the opportunity to speak with Aaron and share concepts and ideas, he was able to showcase a variety of traits that we believe will strongly benefit this franchise as we move forward, including an astute mind for the game and a progressive approach to evolving strategies,” said Brian Cashman. “We also believe Aaron’s interpersonal skills and baseball pedigree will allow him to blend well with the systems we have in place, our baseball operations staff and the 25-man roster.”

Boone added: “Words cannot express how humbled I am to wear the pinstripes again as the manager of the Yankees. I want to thank the Steinbrenner family and Brian Cashman for entrusting me with this tremendous honor and responsibility. I believe we are entering into a special time in New York Yankees history, and I am so excited to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get to work – and that work starts now.”

Boone’s first season as a big league manager was a success, generally speaking. The Yankees went 100-62 despite losing Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez for long stretches of time, which essentially matched their 99-63 expected record based on run differential. The Yankees exceeded expectations last season under Girardi but they did underperform. They went 91-71 while their run differential pegged them as a true talent 100-62 team.

En route to winning those 100 ballgames, Boone showed his inexperience at times, especially in the postseason. The Yankees won the AL Wild Card Game before being bounced in the ALDS in four games. No loss is ever fully on the manager — the players play, after all — but Boone made life unnecessarily difficult along the way. Let’s review his first season as an MLB manager.

Different Manager, Same Strategies

If nothing else, Boone indicated a willingness to be creative in Spring Training. He talked about using his setup relievers interchangeably. He toyed with batting Judge leadoff against left-handed pitchers. He expressed a dislike for personal catchers. It was music to my ears. Boone’s words made him seem like the platonic ideal of a modern manager. Finally, some creativity would come from the dugout.

Instead, none of that happened. During the regular season the 2017 Yankees and 2018 Yankees were virtually identical in terms of on-field strategy. Consider:

1. Boone had an Eighth Inning Guy. Dellin Betances, specifically. Girardi loved his defined bullpen roles. He had a set Eighth Inning Guy and, whenever possible, a set Seventh Inning Guy as well. Boone talked about using his guys interchangeably. Instead, Betances was the Eighth Inning Guy and David Robertson was the primary Seventh Inning Guy until Zach Britton came along. Chad Green doubled as the Fifth & Sixth Inning Guy. Those same bullpen roles that existed under Girardi existed under Boone.

2. Splitting up same-side hitters was important. So important that Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, two of the most fearsome hitters on the planet, batted back-to-back only 35 times in the 113 games Judge was healthy. (I would’ve guessed it was fewer than that.) Most of the time Boone squeezed Didi Gregorius between Judge and Stanton to break up the righties. Aaron Hicks hit third a bunch of times as well. Girardi always sought to split up his left-handed bats in the lineup, even if it meant squeezing an inferior hitter between two lefties. Boone did the same thing, only he had to split up righties because his roster is right-handed heavy.

3. About those personal catchers. “We’ve got an elite level catcher. We’re not going to sit down and get into the personal (catcher) stuff,” Boone said in Spring Training. Five starts into his season — five! — Sonny Gray had a personal catcher in Austin Romine. Gray had terrible numbers with Sanchez, so the Yankees paired him with Romine, and wouldn’t you know it? Sonny was pretty terrible with Romine too. Sanchez missing time contributed to this to some degree, but, even when he was healthy, it was Romine paired with Gray. Girardi had an affinity for personal catchers and I always assumed it was an ex-catcher thing. This year, it happened again, even when it shouldn’t have.

4. Rest. Rest rest rest. About three hours before every game, without fail, is lineup complaining o’clock. The lineup comes out and the same refrains pop up on social media. Why is this guy sitting? Why is that guy playing? Why is he batting so low? Day after day after day. I admire the folks who have the energy to complain about the lineup every single day. I really do. Complaining about the lineup is a baseball fan birthright. Everyone does it. Some more than others.

Like Girardi, Boone gave fans plenty of reasons to complain about his lineups. He rested his regular players often — the only notable exception was Stanton, who started 85 straight games at one point this past season — and those rest days were usually predetermined. I specifically remember Greg Bird hitting two home runs on June 29th and sitting on June 30th as a day with louder than usual lineup complaints. The rest plan doesn’t change.

Also, the rest thing applies to the bullpen as well. Only 75 times this season did Boone use a reliever on zero days rest, the fourth lowest total in baseball. Last season Girardi used a reliever on zero days rest only 79 times, the third fewest in baseball. The year before that it was 99 times, the 12th fewest in baseball, but they were only a handful of games away from being bottom five again.

Point is, the Yankees don’t use their relievers on back-to-back days often. That was true under Girardi and it was true again under Boone this year. The Yankees prioritize rest. Also, under Boone, the Yankees employed the same old assigned inning bullpen roles and made sure to split up same-side hitters in the lineup. They also used a personal catcher when deemed necessary. Different managers, same strategies. From my thoughts post on the Boone hiring:

I don’t think there will be a meaningful difference between Girardi and Boone in terms of on-field strategy. The lineup kinda writes itself, at least through the top six spots or so, and the bullpen is deep enough to survive the rookie manager’s learning curve. The front office has a lot of input into that stuff anyway.

And wouldn’t you know it? There wasn’t a meaningful difference in strategies between Girardi and Boone, at least during the regular season. Everything the Yankees did under Girardi, from the rest to the bullpen roles to the lineup construction, was the same under Boone. That strongly suggests — but does not confirm — the front office has a huge role in the day-to-day operations. I’m not saying the front office dictates moves. But I am certain they help set strategies and lay out guidelines.

Why make the managerial change then if the strategy was going to remain the same? Communication, presumably. That was the buzzword when Girardi was let go and Boone was hired. The Yankees wanted a better communicator to connect with their young team and, by all accounts, they got it. We’ll never know what goes on behind the scenes, but Boone is much more personable than Girardi and easier to talk to. That’s what the Yankees wanted. Improved communication. The on-field strategy was never going to change all that much.

Postseason Buffoonery

The Yankee manager and the next Yankee manager. (Getty)

We’ll always be able to quibble with individual moves but the big picture strategy was the same under Boone this year as it had been under Girardi the last few years. The difference between the two really showed up in the postseason, where Boone’s inexperience was on full display. He was not the reason the Yankees were knocked out in the ALDS — it was a team effort — but Boone was certainly a factor.

To me, Boone made three glaring mistakes in the postseason, one of which he repeated multiple times. I’m going to rank those mistakes and not in terms of how much they hurt the Yankees. I’m going to rank them according to the logic behind the move, or lack thereof. In baseball, you can do everything right and still lose. Or you can do everything wrong and still win. In the postseason, Boone did a lot of things wrong and lost.

1. Lance Lynn with the bases loaded? Seriously? Good gravy was this bad. With the bases loaded and no outs in the fourth inning of ALDS Game Three, and the Yankees already down three, Boone went to Lynn to escape the jam. Not a high strikeout reliever like Robertson or Betances or Green, or even a ground baller like Britton. He went to Lynn, a fastball only pitcher against a lineup that hammered fastballs. Predictably, Lynn allowed all three inherited runners to score and then some.

Going to Lynn in that spot showed a basic lack of understanding of the available personnel. We hear and talk about matchups a lot in baseball and it all boils down to matching up skill sets. Other relievers in the bullpen had the skill set more likely to escape a bases loaded, no outs situation, specifically the ability to miss bats and avoid balls in play. Lynn has bullpen experience but he has been a starter primarily throughout his career. Boone went to him in an unfamiliar situation rather than a reliever who could get a strikeout. It was bad. Bad bad bad.

2. Too long a leash. This happened three times in five postseason games. The first time Boone got away with out. He sent a laboring Luis Severino back out for the fourth inning in the Wild Card Game — Severino had not yet allowed a hit, but he was walking people and running deep counts — and he quickly allowed two hits. The Yankees were up 2-0 at the time and suddenly the go-ahead run was at the plate. Betances bailed Boone (and Severino) out there. I thought Severino should’ve been done after the third. I said it at the time.

In ALDS Game Three, Boone again left Severino in far too long. Severino allowed three runs in the first three innings and was sent back out in the fourth, which led to the bases loaded jam Lynn inherited. One day later, in Game Four, Boone stuck with CC Sabathia in the third inning even though the Red Sox were putting good swings on him and Sabathia generally wasn’t sharp. Four of the seven men Sabathia faced that inning reached base with several loud outs mixed in. The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead.

“You always kind of work through things or play out things differently, because a lot of times decisions you make are not just black and white,” Boone said prior to Game Four. “So you kind of evaluate those and think about those and hopefully analyze always and kind of sharpening the process as far as those decisions are made.”

“Sharpening the process” did not happen. Boone repeated the same mistake — sticking with his starter beyond the point where it was clear he was not the best option — on back-to-back days. After Game Four he said the plan was to stick with Sabathia through Jackie Bradley Jr., the final batter in that third inning, to get the left-on-left matchup. The plan was to get the Sabathia vs. Bradley matchup no matter what happened before that. Things were not going according to plan and Boone failed to adjust. He failed to see what was happening right in front of him. For the second day in a row.

3. Andujar stays on the bench in Game Four. This really bugged me even though it wasn’t as egregious as the Lynn fiasco or the long leashes. As the Yankees rallied in the ninth inning of ALDS Game Four, extra-base hit machine Miguel Andujar stayed on the bench. Luke Voit and Neil Walker were both allowed to hit that inning and hey, both reached base, but I saw those as prime pinch-hitting opportunities. The Red Sox pounded Voit with high velocity right-handed fastballs and Craig Kimbrel was on the mound. Walker simply is not as good a hitter as Andujar at this point of his career. Andujar instead stayed on the bench and the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up never played in the game that sent the Yankees home for the offseason. Argh.

In the most basic terms, a manager’s job is to put his team in the best position to win. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s baseball. In the postseason, it’s awfully hard for me to see how Boone put the Yankees in the best possible position to win. He was far too patient with his starters, the Lynn decision was inexplicable, and leaving a hitter like Andujar on the bench as the team attempts a last gasp comeback was a blunder. There was a decided lack of urgency on Boone’s part. A lack of urgency and the inability or unwillingness to adjust on the fly. The regular season was more of the same. In the postseason, Boone’s inexperience was very costly and impossible to ignore.

What’s Next?

“I thought he did a great job. He’s a special person,” said Cashman when asked about Boone’s performance during a radio interview soon after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason. “Dropping him into the middle of this environment and doing the job he did was remarkable, so I would give him A’s across the board.”

That’s a general manager sticking up for his guy. Nothing more. Boone doesn’t deserve an A for his performance, especially not during the postseason, and frankly grading a manager isn’t easy anyway. All we see are the on-field decisions. The lineups and bullpen moves, etc. We don’t see what happens behind closed doors in the clubhouse, on the team plane, and at the hotel. That is just as important as the on-field stuff, if not more.

The Yankees were never going to fire Boone after one season and, even if they were, they would’ve done it already. We’re in December now. Boone will be back next season and, if I had to put money on it right now, I’d bet on him being back in 2020 as well. The Yankees love Boone and they knew they were getting an inexperienced manager. They’re going to give him a chance to grow.

Should a team that is ready to win now be willing to wait for an inexperience manager to learn the ropes? It is a fair question. Windows can close quickly in this game. You don’t want to waste time grooming a manager when you have guys like Judge, Stanton, Severino, Sanchez, Hicks, and Gregorius in their primes. The Yankees determined Boone was worth the wait. That he showed the underlying skills to become a top notch manager. Not a whole lot has to change in regular season, if anything. The Yankees must hope Boone learns from his postseason mistakes though.

“I know any manager we’ve had — whether it’s in the postseason or not — is gonna be subjected to second-guessing,” added Cashman. “That comes with the job and the territory, especially when you don’t win. But I feel like, given the circumstances, we were very lucky to run into him. I (worked) with (Joe) Torre for ten years, Girardi for ten years. I’m hoping I’ll be here for ten (more) years, but I’m hoping (Boone) has a good ten-year run for the Yankees.”

Thoughts one week before the 2018 Winter Meetings

December 4, 2018 by Mike

Robbie in blue and orange, eh? (Mike Ehrmann/Getty)

Somehow there are only four weeks to go in 2018. Each year seems to go by a little quicker than the last. Anyway, the 2018 Winter Meetings begin next week, and based on the latest hot stove rumblings, the Yankees want to add another starting pitcher before then. They want to go to Las Vegas next week with the rotation set, and the bullpen and a Didi Gregorius replacement the only things on their mind. We’ll see what happens this week. Here are some scattered thoughts.

1. The Mets just acquired Robinson Cano’s age 36-40 seasons, the final five seasons on his ten-year contract. Albert Pujols signed a ten-year contract that covered his age 32-41 seasons. Alex Rodriguez’s second ten-year contract also covered his age 32-41 seasons. Pujols and A-Rod had a few good years early in their contracts before they became albatrosses. The same will probably be true with Cano. With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado though, a ten-year deal covers their age 26-35 seasons. Give Harper a ten-year contract right now and it expires before he reaches Cano’s current age. A-Rod’s first ten-year deal covered his age 25-34 seasons (he opted out of the final three years) and those ten seasons were monumentally productive. Alex’s worst season from ages 25-34 was a .270/.341/.506 (125 wRC+) effort with +4 WAR at age 34 in 2010. He gave his teams +70 WAR in those ten years. Crazy. Anyway, my point is the Yankees should really sign Machado and Harper. Ideally both but one would suffice. Give them a ten-year contract — honestly, getting a 26-year-old star like Machado and Harper on “only” a ten-year contract would feel like a win for the team to me — and you’re buying peak years in bulk while avoiding the ugly downside of those age 36+ seasons. This is not like giving Cano or Pujols or A-Rod a long-term deal at age 32. This is like buying the six years of their careers before that, and those were overwhelmingly excellent seasons. Do it, Yankees. Do it.

2. Speaking of Cano, one thing the trade does is ensure he will go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. I mean, he probably won’t get into Cooperstown now after this year’s performance-enhancing drug suspension, and he probably would’ve gone in as a Yankee anyway, but now it’s a lock. There’s no chance for him to hit milestones with the Mariners — Cano is closing in on 3,000 hits (530 away) and Jeff Kent’s second base home run record (55 away) — or lead them to a World Series title or two, which is probably what it would’ve taken for him to land in the Hall of Fame with the Mariners. Cano had his best years in pinstripes and is likely to finish his career with more hits, homers, and WAR as a Yankee than as a Mariner and Met combined. It’s going to be ten years or so before Cano even appears on the Hall of Fame ballot. By then, the voting body may be more willing to forgive PED transgressions. If he gets in — he was absolutely on track to do so before the suspension — we can say with more certainty now that he’ll go in as a Yankee. That’s one small little side effect of the trade.

3. I am weirdly intrigued by the Parker Bridwell waiver claim even though I know I probably shouldn’t be. His career big league numbers aren’t good (4.60 ERA and 5.38 FIP in 131 innings) and he’s returning from July surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, and that doesn’t exactly scream “hey, I’m interesting!” I know. Believe me, I know. But Bridwell ran his fastball up to 96 mph with a healthy elbow last year, and his spin rates are well-above-average across the board. The Angels used Bridwell as a starter because they were short on starters. I suspect the Yankees will put him in the bullpen and see how a 50/50 split between the high-spin heater and high-spin curveball play in short bursts. Maybe moving into the bullpen full-time doesn’t change anything. Or maybe he has a few good weeks and fools everyone a la A.J. Cole this summer. Orrr maybe he’s Chad Green and everything plays up so much that he becomes an impact reliever. The only way to find out is to try. Most waiver claims lead nowhere and chances are Bridwell will play out the same way. That’s baseball. I think he was worth a claim though. Let’s see what he looks like in Spring Training.

4. Forty-one players were non-tendered prior to last week’s deadline — I reckon we’ll hear a lot about the Yankees and Jonathan Schoop these next few weeks — and, as always, most of them are fringe big leaguers. One non-tender who caught my eye is left-hander Sam Howard, formerly of the Rockies. The 25-year-old had a rough 2018 season, throwing 96 Triple-A innings with a 5.06 ERA (5.03 FIP) and not good strikeout (19.3%) and walk (8.2%) rates, but Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him as the No. 11 prospect in a pretty good Colorado system going into 2018. A snippet of their scouting report:

Howard is an acquired taste. He isn’t one of those guys who steps on the mound and overpowers. He is a pitcher, and he has proven since his high school days he can adjust over the course of a season … The Rockies worked to balance Howard’s delivery after signing him and it has improved his command. It also was a factor in his fastball velocity jumping from the upper 80s to its present 91-94 mph with sink. Howard compliments his fastball with a back foot slider that has a promising late, hard break, and a usable changeup with fade. His ability to pitch inside to righthanded batters and also change speeds has allowed him to actually be more effective against righties than lefties, which is a tick in his favor for remaining a starter.

Howard’s stock has slipped since that scouting report was published — MLB.com ranked him as the Rockies’ No. 24 prospect before the non-tender — but a lefty with three pitches and an idea on the mound seems like a worthwhile add to the bottom of the 40-man roster if the Rockies are just going to give him away. I mean, do the Yankees really need both Bridwell and Cole? Aren’t they kinda the same guy? Howard as two minor league options remaining. I say dump Cole, give Howard the 40-man roster spot, and see what happens when he pitches at sea level. (Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate plays in Alburquerque, which is actually at a higher elevation than Denver.)

5. On one hand, the Dodgers have been far more successful than the Yankees the last few years. It is undeniable. Over the last six seasons the Dodgers have won 656 games, 20 more than any other team, as well as six division titles and two National League pennants. They have been incredibly successful. On the other hand, man I really hope the Yankees don’t end up like the Dodgers, meaning they enjoy all that regular season success while being unable to get over the hump in the postseason. When the Yankees broke out and contended seemingly out of nowhere in 2017, it was fun as hell. Been a long time since a Yankees team excited me that much. This year? That wasn’t really the case and it’s all because of expectations. No one saw the 2017 Yankees coming and that made it so enjoyable. This year there were big expectations, so much so that winning 100 games despite losing Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez for all that time felt kinda like a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I’d so much rather have a team that contends every year than a team that has one of those surprise out of nowhere seasons once every few years. I’m just saying I think the Yankees are rapidly approaching the “it’s time to win with this group” stage. Young players are fun and exciting and I love them all. You’ve gotta win a championship though. You’ve gotta win otherwise you’re the Dodgers, an undeniably great team known more for their shortcomings than their excellence.

Hot Stove Rumors: Realmuto, Corbin, Miller, Greinke, Gray

December 3, 2018 by Mike

We’re now into December, traditionally the busiest month of the offseason, and next week the 2018 Winter Meetings begin in Las Vegas. I suspect the Yankees will be among the most active teams at the Winter Meetings. If not transactions-wise, then rumors-wise. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Cashman shoots down Realmuto rumor

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees were among the teams with interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto but “resisted offering other top pieces in a package with (Gary) Sanchez.” Brian Cashman shot that rumor down. “False. Completely false. I saw that somebody had written that we had offered for Realmuto. That is completely false,” said Brian Cashman to George King over the weekend. “(Sanchez) is not for sale,” Cashman added during a YES Network interview (video link), which, to be fair, is what he’d say even if he were open to trading Sanchez.

When I saw the Realmuto rumor my first thought was the Marlins leaked it in an effort to drive up the price for other teams. It doesn’t really pass the sniff test otherwise. I mean, Sanchez and more for Realmuto? Selling low on Gary to buy high on (the very good) Realmuto is a hard pass for me. Sanchez is two years younger, under control two years longer, and almost certainly the more talented player even if he didn’t show it this past season. Their numbers through their age 25 seasons do not compare. Juicy rumor. Fortunately it seems to be nothing more than that.

Corbin meets with Yankees during recruiting trip

Last week Patrick Corbin went on a three-city recruiting trip through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. The Yankees did the “photoshopped picture on the scoreboard” thing (here’s a photo) and, according to Ken Davidoff, Corbin toured Yankee Stadium and met with Cashman, Aaron Boone, Larry Rothschild, Mike Harkey, and traveling analyst Zac Fieroh. He also ran into CC Sabathia, who was at the park for an offseason workout.

“I wouldn’t call it a recruiting effort as much as an educational effort, where (he’s) getting a chance to see the facilities from the home side (after being here as a visitor),” said Cashman during a recent YES Network interview (video link). “… He’ll get access to all aspects of what we’re about. The brand, our efforts, the people, with Aaron Boone and our coaches and myself and hopefully he’ll walk away getting a better feel for who we are.”

For what it’s worth, Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) reports the Nationals are “seriously focused” on Corbin and are believed to be willing to offer six years to get him. It seems Yu Darvish’s six-year, $126M contract with the Cubs is the benchmark here. Of course, a six-year deal is likely to include an opt-out along the way, which changes the calculus a bit. Well, either way, Corbin visited the Yankees last week, and reports indicate he’s looking to sign soon. I hereby dub this situation: “developing.”

Yankees “badly” want another starter this week

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees “badly” want another starter before the Winter Meetings. That jibes with what we heard yesterday. Jayson Stark says the Yankees haven’t ruled out adding two “high-profile” starters — Andy Martino again names Corbin and J.A. Happ as the likely targets — though that seems like a stretch. This strikes me as one of those general “we’re open to the idea” offseason rumors. Adding two starters would be kinda cool though.

As for the report that the Yankees “badly” want a starter before the Winter Meetings, I totally buy it. First and foremost, they want to get the rotation locked down, the sooner the better. Secondly, once the rotation is set, the Yankees will know exactly what resources they have available (trade chips, payroll space) to pursue bullpen help and a Didi Gregorius replacement. The longer the search for a starter drags out, the more unpredictable it gets. (Wanting a starter this week presumably takes the Yankees out of the running for Yusei Kikuchi, whose 30-day posting period opens tomorrow and closes in early-January.)

Yankees have Miller on their radar

The Yankees have Andrew Miller on their radar, according to George King. King also reiterates the team’s interest in Adam Ottavino. A few weeks ago we heard the Yankees requested Miller’s medical information, which is a) standard operation procedure (teams request the medical information of lots of players each winter), and b) not a mere formality given his knee trouble the last two years and shoulder trouble this year. Those medicals will be heavily scrutinized.

Miller, 33, pitched to a 4.24 ERA (3.51 FIP) with 29.2% strikeouts and 10.4% walks in 34 innings around the injuries this past season. Those numbers are far worse than what he did as a full-time reliever from 2014-17. The injuries stink but are not necessarily a dealbreaker. With good health, it’s not all that difficult to envision Miller turning in one or two more dominant seasons before things slip for good. The question is how much are the Yankees willing to bet on that? They supposedly want two relievers and a reunion with Miller could be in the cards.

Yankees on Greinke’s no-trade list

According to Zach Buchanan (subs. req’d), the Yankees are on Zack Greinke’s 15-team no-trade list. Like most no-trade lists, Greinke’s includes big market teams that would theoretically be willing to compensate him for waiving his no-trade cause (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies) and rebuilding teams he presumably doesn’t want to play for (Orioles, Tigers, Reds). For what it’s worth, Buchanan says there’s “no way” the Diamondbacks would attach Greinke to Paul Goldschmidt in an effort to unload his contract a la Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.

Greinke, 35, posted a 3.21 ERA (3.71 FIP) with 23.7% strikeouts and 5.1% walks in 207.2 innings this past season — it was the tenth time in the last eleven seasons he threw at least 170 innings and the eighth time he threw at least 200 innings — so he’s still crazy good. He’s also owed $104.5M the next three years. It should noted the Yankees have steered clear of Greinke whenever he’s become available via trade or free agency. They’ve made it pretty clear they don’t think he’d mix well in New York. Oh well. Even if they were open to a trade, Greinke would have to approve it.

Eleven teams in on Gray

There are eleven teams in on Sonny Gray, reports Davidoff. Among them are the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Padres, Rangers, and Twins. “I’ve had a lot of interesting dialogue, whether it’s for prospects, whether it’s for Major League our need for their need, whether it’s part of a complicated larger situation that involves prospects and Major Leaguers going both ways. So I think we’ve had a little bit of experience with all aspects of it,” said Cashman.

I honestly have no preference here. Normally I lean toward MLB ready players in return — the Yankees are a win now team, after all — but, if the best offer for Gray is a Single-A prospect(s), so be it. One way or the other, the inevitable Gray trade will help the Yankees at the MLB level. Either they’ll trade him for a big leaguer or they’ll trade him for a prospect(s) and unload his salary, which can then be used on a free agent. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised Sonny is still a Yankee. I thought he’d be gone by now.