Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees were somewhat handcuffed this year by their obligation to the legendary Derek Jeter and with that in mind he looks at ten other similar issues that could be brewing elsewhere.  The list includes a look across town at the Mets where David Wright isn’t performing the way they had hoped when he inked his eight-year, $138MM extension.  Here’s today’s look at the AL East..
- Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times looked at the major decisions the Rays will have to make this winter. Â Tampa Bay has a decision to make on Ben Zobrist but Topkin sees his $7.5MM option as a slam dunk and says it’s unlikely that they would trade him.
- If Masahiro Tanaka resembles his pre-injury self today against the Blue Jays, it might influence the Yankees spend this offseason, opines John Harper of the New York Daily News.
- One major league evaluator suggested to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that there are questions about whether Red Sox target Yasmany Tomas will make enough consistent contact to be successful against the higher-quality pitching he will face in the big leagues.  Tomas hit 15 homers in Cuba’s Serie Nacional in 2012-13 but went deep only six times this season, possibly because of a shoulder injury.  Boston was in attendance for Tomas’ weekend showcase in the Dominican Republic.
- The Red Sox are likely to have one spot in their 2015 rotation reserved for a young starter and while there are several candidates, it’s not clear who will fit in that role, writes Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. Rubby De La Rosa, who looked like a keeper a few weeks ago, struggled again on Saturday night in a 7-2 loss against the Orioles. Â Fellow prospects Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, and Brandon Workman haven’t set the world on fire lately either.
Seriously Red Sox, I think four outfielders capable of starting is enough. Unless Thomas can play third you should probably focus your attention elsewhere. And to someone who can hit left handed.
Agree. I don’t understand why the Sox would really have interest in him. Is not like they are a loaded team with money burning in their pockets. They have real needs this winter, there was a reason they were so far out of it. There are other much more important places that they need to fill on their roster.
Perhaps they’re just trying to run the price up for the Yankees?
How is it going to work next year with Castillo, Betts, and Bradley? Also with Cespedes, Craig, and Victorino?
As things stand now my guess is Cespedes, Castillo, and Betts are the favorites for 2015 with Nava as 4th outfielder. Victorino will get traded along with a chunk of his salary, how size of a chunk will depend on the return. I also think Napoli will be traded in order to make room for Craig at first. Bradley will probably start in the minors.
Of course they’re always a chance that Betts gets traded in order to bring in a pitcher which would mean Victorino stays or Napoli stays and Craig stays in the outfield.
I would like to see Napoli and Victorino traded for someone like James Paxton or any young SP that has had success at the big league level. Package them together with say 10 million and you could get a good return and still free up 16 million in salary to then allocate towards an ace or maybe a 2nd proven FA SP like McCarthy.
Then have Cespedes, Castillo, and Betts as starting OF. Craig as 1B and occasional LF. Nava as 4th OF and 1B. Holt as super utility. FA 3B.
Zobrist will definitely be around for one more season as he has a very affordable option for what he brings to the table. Rays need to deal some combination of Joyce, Jennings, and/or Hellickson and get a bat. Topkin’s article suggests Ryan Howard or A. Rod. Would be interesting to see how much of their contracts the Phillies or Yanks would pay to dump them. Wouldn’t mind seeing the Rays match up with the Braves on a deal for Gattis.
De La Rosa is an interesting arm. He may or may not be a starter, but he looks like some fOrm of majorleaguer to me.
That NYP article is kind of silly. A lot of those players had off-seasons or injury-plagued seasons, but they’ve hardly dropped to replacement level, like Jeter has. Pedroia is a 4.7 WAR player this season, for crying out loud. (Which is why Mookie Betts is learning to play center field.) Ryan Howard is the only player out of that group that’s descended to Jeter’s level.
The Tulowitzki comparison was also very loose. Despite only playing barely over half a season, Tulowitzki still ranks tied for 20th in fWAR, ahead of players like Miguel Cabrera and Yasiel Puig and only two spots (0.2 fWAR) behind Robinson Cano.
Seriously I am not at all for The Mets moving David Wright, but The Mets front office would be punching most of us Mets fans directly in the face if they move him to The Bronx or Philly! Anywhere else I’d still be ticked but I’d get over it!