Adam Lind Archives - River Avenue Blues

Yankees trade Erik Kratz to Brewers, release Adam Lind

May 25, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Triple-A Scranton lost two big league veterans today. The Yankees announced they have traded catcher Erik Kratz to the Brewers for cash or a player to be named later and released first baseman Adam Lind. Catcher Wilkin Castillo was signed out of an independent league yesterday to replace Kratz.

Releasing Lind is the more significant move. It tells us the Yankees are confident Greg Bird is fully recovered following ankle surgery. He is expected to join the team tomorrow, so that’s fun. Lind was essentially lefty hitting first base insurance in case Bird’s rehab was slowed or he suffered a setback.

As for Kratz, I wonder if he had an opt-out in his contract coming up (June 1st?), and indicated he was planning to use it. If so, the trade means the Yankees get something in return, and something is better than nothing. The Brewers have some catcher issues — Stephen Vogt is done for the season with shoulder surgery — hence the trade for Kratz.

With Kratz gone, Kyle Higashioka is the unquestioned third catcher on the depth chart. He is already on the 40-man roster and was probably third on the depth chart even while Kratz was in the organization. The Yankees have not yet announced a roster move to clear a spot for Bird, though Tyler Austin to Triple-A seems likely. Austin would effectively replace Lind as the team’s first baseman.

Saturday Links: Didi, Gleyber, Corbin, Lind, 154-Game Season

April 28, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Later tonight the Yankees and Angels will continue their three-game series in Anaheim. West Coast night games stink. West Coast night games on a Saturday stink even more. Oh well. What can you do? Here are some links and notes to check out while you’re waiting for tonight’s game.

Still no contract talks with Didi

According to Jon Heyman, there have still been no contract extension talks between the Yankees and Didi Gregorius. Gregorius said he is open to a long-term deal earlier this month, though signing him now would complicate the luxury tax plan. This is something the Yankees will have to revisit in the offseason. “Didi wants to be a Yankee,” said one Yankees source to Heyman, for what it’s worth.

The luxury tax plan means an extension won’t happen during the season — because the regular season has started, signing Didi now would result in his 2018 salary being recalculated for luxury tax purposes, which means it’ll increase — and, frankly, this isn’t the best time to discuss an extension. Gregorius has had a monster start to the season and he has all the leverage. After season, once his numbers inevitably come back to Earth a bit, the Yankees will be in better position to negotiate a deal that is sensible for both sides.

Yankees pursued Gleyber as an amateur

Way back in the day the Yankees pursued Gleyber Torres as an international free agent out of Venezuela, reports Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d), but he wound up signing with the Cubs. Chicago beat the Yankees to the punch, secured a commitment, and hid Torres at their complex until the signing period opened. Standard procedure in Latin America. Gleyber received a $1.7M bonus. The Yankees’ top signing that signing period was outfielder Leonardo Molina at $1.4M.

“Players you want in the draft who you don’t get, players you want internationally who you don’t get, it’s hard to let them go. They’re always in the back of your mind,” said Brian Cashman. The Yankees continued to have Gleyber on their radar after he started his pro career, and when it came time to talk Aroldis Chapman trade with the Cubs, Cashman “locked in” on Torres, according to Rosenthal. It took a little longer than they’d hoped, but the Yankees did eventually get their man.

Yankees have their eye on Corbin

Earlier this week Diamondbacks southpaw and impending free agent Patrick Corbin made some headlines with his effusive praise for the Yankees, and according to Heyman, the feeling is mutual. The Yankees have their eye on the southpaw leading up to free agency. The D’Backs are in the first place and figure to stay in the race all summer, so a trade deadline deal is presumably a non-option. The Corbin pursuit will have to wait for the winter.

“His fastball is back, his slider is better than ever and he’s an uber-athletic and competitive guy, which is the kind of guy to bet on,” said one scout to Heyman. The Yankees reportedly pursued Corbin this past offseason, so it’s no surprise they have their eye on him for free agency. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are the big free agent names, understandably, but the Yankees will probably need pitching more than another bat. We’ll see what happens after the season. I suspect we’re in for many more Yankees/Corbin rumors in the coming weeks and months.

Lind’s contract details

The Yankees re-signed Adam Lind to a new minor league contract last week, and now we know the terms. According to Bob Nightengale, Lind will make $2M at the big league level, and he can opt-out of his deal on May 1st, June 1st, and July 1st if he’s not on the MLB roster. That first opt-out is only four days away. Lind has played a handful of games with High-A Tampa since signing. I imagine he’ll move up Triple-A Scranton soon.

Despite Greg Bird’s injury, first base has been a strength this season, mostly because Tyler Austin is hitting .290/.362/.629 (167 wRC+) in the early going. Couldn’t have asking him for more. Hopefully he keeps it up. Bird is on the rehab trail following ankle surgery and is expected back within a few weeks. It seems like Lind is first base insurance in case Bird suffers a setback or Austin gets hurt. Otherwise I’m not sure there’s a path to playing time. Replacing Neil Walker with a first base only guy is really going to limit the bench and roster flexibility.

MLB researched 154-game season

According to Jayson Stark (subs. req’d), MLB performed “extensive background research” on shortening the season to 154 games in advance of the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement talks. The MLBPA didn’t push for a shorter season as hard as expected, however. “Basically, eight teams wouldn’t do it. They said, ‘We can’t make up all those lost gates or all the TV revenue. So you need to make us whole,'” said one MLB source to Stark.

Trimming the season from 162 games to 154 games would help the league avoid some nasty weather in April and November, but it would also mean each team loses four revenue-generating home games. I assume the Yankees and other big market clubs like the Dodgers, Cubs, and Red Sox are among the eight teams that objected to a shorter schedule. Four games is only 5% of the home schedule, but it does equal millions of dollars. Perhaps the solution is tweaking the revenue sharing formula and making the revenue up that way? Not sure. The MLBPA is expected to push hard for a return to a 154-game schedule in the future.

Yankees reportedly re-sign Adam Lind to minor league deal

April 18, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

8:06pm ET: The Yankees have announced the signing. Lind is heading to Extended Spring Training on a minor league contract.

6:15pm ET: Welcome back, Adam Lind. The Yankees have re-signed the veteran first baseman to a new minor league contract, reports Chris Cotillo. Lind will head to Extended Spring Training to get up to speed. He’s going to need a couple dozen at-bats before being a big league option.

Lind, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on March 7th, then requested his release a week later on March 14th, after the Yankees signed Neil Walker. He went 3-for-15 (.200) during Grapefruit League play. Lind hit .303/.362/.513 (122 wRC+) with 14 homers in 301 plate appearances for the Nationals last year.

Greg Bird is still a few weeks away from rejoining the Yankees following ankle surgery, and neither Walker nor Tyler Wade has hit much yet, so Lind could be useful at some point. This seems like a sign him, see how he looks, then go from there move. I’m not sure there’s a firm plan in place yet.

Open Thread: March 14th Camp Notes

March 14, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees dropped this afternoon’s game 7-4 to the Orioles. Not a single MLB pitcher pitched, hence 16 hits for what was close to Baltimore’s “A” lineup. Chance Adams started and got hammered, allowing five runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings, including two homers. His location was not good. David Hale chucked three scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Not much else to say on the pitching side.

Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts at the plate. Greg Bird went 1-for-4 and Brandon Drury went 1-for-3 with a walk. Erik Kratz smacked a wind-aided homer and Shane Robinson had a two-run single. Rashad Crawford robbed a home run at the short wall in left field, so that’s cool. Not the most interesting game in Sarasota. At least no one got hurt. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the rest of the day’s notes from Tampa:

Jacoby Ellsbury tracked pitches during batting practice today, so he’s inching closer to a return. “I’m advancing every day. I’ve been running, throwing, and lifting. Pretty much everything. The next step will be batting practice outside,” he said. [Pete Caldera, Dan Martin]
Neil Walker went 2-for-4 with doubles from each side of the plate in a minor league game. “Hopefully that’s a sign of my timing coming together pretty quickly,” he said. Here’s video of each double. He played first and third bases, interestingly enough. Walker will get more at-bats on the minor league side tomorrow, then play in Friday’s game. [Caldera]
So long Adam Lind. He was released today, the Yankees announced. Lind spent eleven days in camp and went 3-for-15 (.200) during Grapefruit League play. The Yankees must feel pretty good about Greg Bird’s health (or Walker and Billy McKinney at first base) to cut Lind a week before his opt-out date. Anyway, I count 46 players still in big league camp.
The Yankees are back at it tomorrow afternoon at home against the Pirates. That game will be televised. Sonny Gray is the scheduled starter. First time we’ll see him this spring. He’s only pitched in non-televised games so far.
And finally, Chien-Ming Wang was at the complex today. He hasn’t ruled out attempting another comeback as a player, though he said he is town “learning how to coach.” I hope he catches on somewhere. [Ken Davidoff]

Here is the nightly open thread. MLB Network will have the Rockies and Dodgers live later tonight (10pm ET), plus the (hockey) Rangers and Devils are playing, and I do believe the NCAA basketball tournament begins as well. Talk about those games or anything else here, just not religion or politics.

Update: Yankees sign Adam Lind to minor league deal

March 7, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

March 7th: Jon Heyman says Lind will earn $2M at the big league level with another $750,000 in available incentives. He can opt out of the deal on March 22nd, so two weeks from tomorrow. Also, given his service time, Lind will get a $100,000 retention bonus at the end of Spring Training if he agrees to go to Triple-A, and he has a June 1st opt-out date in his contract.

March 2nd: The Yankees have added some first base depth. The team has signed veteran slugger Adam Lind to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, it was announced this morning. Bryan Hoch says Lind, who participated in the MLBPA’s free agent spring camp, can opt out of his deal at the end of Spring Training.

Lind, 34, spent last year as an extremely productive bench bat for the Nationals, hitting .303/.362/.513 (122 wRC+) with 14 homers and very good strikeout (15.6%) and walk (9.3%) rates in 301 plate appearances. His .371 expected wOBA suggests it was no fluke either (.375 actual wOBA). That said, he is a year removed from a .239/.286/.431 (92 wRC+) line with the Mariners, so he’s not a lock to produce.

The Lind signing probably isn’t good news for Tyler Austin, who had the inside track on the final bench spot as Greg Bird’s backup. Lind and Bird are both left-handed hitters, so they can’t work in a straight platoon like Bird and Austin could’ve, but I’m not sure Bird and Austin were going to platoon anyway. Lind will be able to take aim for the short porch, though he can the ball out of the park to any field. His last two seasons:

Earlier this offseason the Yankees tried to re-sign Ji-Man Choi — he eventually signed with the Brewers — which told us they were looking for a depth first baseman. The first base depth chart looks like this at the moment:

Greg Bird
Adam Lind
Tyler Austin
Austin Romine
Billy McKinney?
Ryan McBroom

Still not great, but better than it was before. Also, let’s be frank here, Bird has had a lot of trouble staying on the field the last few seasons. If he goes down with an injury again, Lind is more than qualified to step into the lineup full-time. Lind did play a little outfield for Washington, but if the Yankees have to put him in the outfield at some point, something has gone horribly wrong.

There are still four weeks to go before Opening Day, we’ll see what happens between now and then, but my gut feel is Lind was signed to be a bench piece, not Triple-A depth. Lind on the bench — he’s someone who could pinch-hit for Brandon Drury or one of the kids against a tough righty reliever — with Austin stashed in Triple-A strikes me as the most likely outcome. Two first base only lefty hitters on the roster limits flexibility, but it is what it is.

Adam Lind, Tyler Austin, and the backup first base job

March 6, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

No outfield time for Lind, pls. (Matt Hazlett/Getty)

Last last week the Yankees took advantage of the still slow-moving free agent market and signed veteran slugger Adam Lind to a minor league contract. He spent a few days at the MLBPA’s free agent camp and, despite a strong 2017 season with the Nationals, Lind confirmed he received only two offers this winter. Both were minor league deals.

“They offered me a contract,” said Lind to Pete Caldera when asked why he signed with the Yankees. “The way this winter worked out, I’m happy to just have a job … It’s a great opportunity, I know I’ve talked to them over the past couple of years (about a deal). I think it was the right situation.”

Lind now has three weeks to prove he’s worth a big league roster spot, which you’d think he did last season by hitting .303/.361/.513 (122 wRC+) with Washington, but apparently not. As far as the Yankees are concerned, this is a no risk move. They’ll get three weeks to see what Lind can do, and if he looks good, they can keep him. If not, they can walk away with no strings attached.

“It’s an insurance policy. He’ll come in and be in the mix. We’ll see what he’s got,” said Brian Cashman to Bryan Hoch. “He’ll obviously have a chance to prove that he’s got some value … We know what he’s capable of. We saw him all of last year and previous years. We know obviously he’s a very productive hitter.”

For all intents and purposes, Lind is competing with Tyler Austin for a bench spot, that backup first baseman’s spot. Cashman ruled Lind out as outfield option — he did play 25 games in left field for the Nationals last year — which means he’s a first base/DH guy only, limiting roster flexibility. Austin can at least fake the outfield, if necessary. A few things about this sudden competition.

1. The Yankees keep replacing Austin. A few days prior to the Lind signing, Aaron Boone said Austin had a leg up on a bench spot as Greg Bird’s backup. Now he doesn’t. This is the second straight year the Yankees have signed a low cost veteran first baseman to replace Austin. Last year it was Chris Carter. This year it’s Lind.

Maybe replace isn’t the right word. But both this year and last, the Yankees brought in some veteran competition for Austin, veteran competition you can easily envision on the roster. Carter had just led the NL in homers when the Yankees signed him. Of course he was going to be on the roster. Lind had a great year in 2017. Does he really have to compete for a job? Actions speak louder than words, and the Yankees keep signing guys to keep Austin off the roster. Hmmm.

2. Lind is not Carter. For a few reasons. One, he doesn’t strike out nearly as much. Carter had a 32.0% strikeout rate the year before signing with the Yankees and his career strikeout rate is 33.3%. Lind struck out 15.6% of the time last season. His career strikeout rate is 18.8%. Lind makes way more contact. Two, right-handed hitter vs. left-handed hitter is not an insignificant difference. Lind has the platoon advantage more often.

Three, the Yankees know Lind can produce in a part-time role. He did it last season. He was a classic NL bench bat last season. Lind was Washington’s top pinch-hitter and part-time first baseman (and left fielder). Carter had been an everyday guy pretty much his entire career. Making the adjustment from everyday player to part-timer ain’t easy. And four, Carter had a guaranteed contract. Lind is on a minor league deal. The Yankees owe him nothing. This doesn’t mean Lind will work out whereas Carter didn’t. Just that they’re different players with different skills and a different set of circumstances.

3. Lind and Bird can’t platoon. Tough to platoon two left-handed hitters! Lind has never hit southpaws — he’s a career .217/.263/.329 (56 wRC+) hitter against lefties — so the Yankees can’t employ some kinda fancy reverse-split platoon here. Austin is a right-handed hitter, so it’s easy to see how he could factor into the lineup. When Bird needs a day, give him a day against lefties for platoon purposes.

Keep in mind the AL East is loaded with left-handed starters. The Red Sox have Chris Sale, David Price, Drew Pomeranz, and Eduardo Rodriguez. The Blue Jays have J.A. Happ and Jaime Garcia. The Rays have Blake Snell. Another right-handed bat wouldn’t be a bad idea. Then again, when you have Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez in the lineup, maybe another righty isn’t a huge deal. Point is, Austin would have a clearer path to playing time than Lind.

4. The Yankees need insurance for Bird. We all love Greg Bird, but the dude has had lots of trouble staying on the field, and if he gets hurt again, Lind is a capable everyday first baseman. At least offensively. Defensively … not so much. We don’t really know what Austin can do at the big league level on an everyday basis. He’s never had an opportunity. Lind, if nothing else, gives the Yankees a more proven insurance plan should Bird get hurt again.

5. Lind is a great pinch-hitter. Coming off the bench cold and producing as a pinch-hitter isn’t easy. Lind is a career .324/.391/.568 (152 wRC+) hitter as a pinch-hitter, including .356/.396/.644 (165 wRC+) with the Nationals last year. The Yankees are poised to go with some combination of Brandon Drury, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres, Ronald Torreyes, and Tyler Wade at second and third bases. Having a quality lefty pinch-hitter for the late innings ain’t a bad idea.

Now, that all said, Lind has 156 career pinch-hitting appearances, 48 of which came last year. We’re talking about not many pinch-hitting appearances spread across many years. (This will be his 13th big league season.) I’m not sure how meaningful or predictive Lind’s pinch-hitting numbers are. He has produced in a pinch-hitting role up to this point. Will he continue to do so in the future? Given the small sample and volatile nature of pinch-hitting, it’s impossible to say.

* * *

Lind can opt out of his contract at the end of Spring Training, so if he performs well, he’ll have the option to latch on elsewhere. It’s unclear whether he’s willing to go to Triple-A. Lind has banked more than $40M in his career to date. He might decide to pack it in and go hang out with the family if he doesn’t get a big league job. If he is willing to go to Triple-A, the Yankees could stash him there for a bit and go with Austin on the bench.

There’s a chance — a pretty good chance, I’d say — the only way the Yankees will be able to keep Lind is by adding him to the active roster at the end of Spring Training. I’m not sure I’d count on him accepting a Triple-A assignment. And given the first base depth chart …

Greg Bird
Adam Lind
Tyler Austin
Austin Romine
Billy McKinney
Ryan McBroom

… keeping Lind might not be a bad idea, even if it means adding him to the roster and sending Austin back to Triple-A for the time being. If Bird gets hurt again — I wish we didn’t have to think like this, but we do — the Yankees will be happy to have Lind around. The Yankees are quite deep as an organization, but first base is not one of their stronger positions.

There are more than three weeks to go before Opening Day, so sorting out the bench and figuring out what to do with with Lind and Austin is hardly a pressing issue. Maybe Lind gets old quick and his Grapefruit League play makes it easy to walk away. What do I always say? These things will work themselves out. The Carter/Austin situation did last spring when Austin broke his foot. As far as I’m concerned, the Yankees have two viable backup first basemen in Lind and Austin. With any luck, everyone will stay healthy and the Yankees will be forced to make a tough decision.

Deeply Comfortable

March 4, 2018 by Matt Imbrogno Leave a Comment

At its most basic state, the Yankee lineup is formidable enough. Assuming Gleyber Torres makes the team out of Spring Training, the weak spots in the lineup are his and Brandon Drury’s. Think about that for a moment. The potential weak spots a pitcher will get to land on are occupied by a global top-5 prospect and a guy with a career .169 ISO. Even if Torres doesn’t make the team, Drury and someone else will be the not-so-strong spots, and those options all have something desirable; Miguel Andujar has power. Tyler Wade can take a walk and steal a bag. Ronald Torreyes has good contact skills.

Pulling back to incorporate the outfield, the Yankees have six players capable of being starting-caliber outfielders. Behind their rotation, the Yankees have three pitchers with blow-you-away stuff in Domingo German, Domingo Acevedo, and Albert Abreu. Even beyond them, they have top-100 prospects in Justus Sheffield and Chance Adams, not to mention Luis Cessa. The back of the bullpen could and would be the front for most teams. Jonathan Holder, Ben Heller, and Gio Gallegos would probably be mainstays in most MLB bullpens.

Despite Aaron Boone’s declarations, it’s hard to believe the Yankees aren’t in some market for pitching to add to their already decent rotation depth. If they add someone, it’ll be another concerted effort at buttressing against injury and/or poor performance. Late last week, the Yankees made a depth move, signing first baseman Adam Lind to a minor league deal, presumably as Greg Bird insurance. Lind is a solid bat who, in a normal market, would probably be on someone’s Major League roster without having to try out for it. If Bird goes down, there are few others who could fill in as well as Lind could and would.

The Yankees are well supplied at most every position. Granted, the catcher’s spot doesn’t quite fit that bill, but how many teams–absent the Dodgers–are able to have quality depth there? There are going to be storms that will need to be weathered throughout the season, as they always are, and the Yankees are in a great position to do so. At the very least, they have upside in many places where holes could form. So long as there isn’t some nightmare, Armageddon scenario in which everyone important gets hurt at exactly the same time, they’ll be alright.