Chad Jennings of the LoHud Journal News writes that it might finally be time for the Yankees to trade either Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner. Both outfielders have been oft-rumored trade candidates for more than a year, but both have (obviously) remained in New York. General manager Brian Cashman tells Jennings he’ll be open to discussing anything with other clubs this winter but doesn’t yet know where any of those talks may take him. As Jennings points out, though, the only open spots in the Yankees’ lineup right now are first base and right field, where the Yanks prefer to play Greg Bird and Aaron Judge in an ideal setting. Moving one of Gardner or Ellsbury would open another spot, in left field, where the Yankees could add a player with a bit more of an offensive-oriented profile. And, if they’re not able to acquire that type of bat but move Gardner or Ellsbury anyhow, they have an in-house replacement in the form of Mason Williams and will at least have trimmed some payroll.
More from the AL East…
- While it’s already been announced that John Farrell will manage the Red Sox in 2017, there’s some degree of confusion pertaining his 2018 option, as Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. Team president/COO Sam Kennedy said in a radio appearance on WEEI recently that the situation would be addressed in the coming days, adding that president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski would be making a recommendation to ownership. However, Dombrowski himself indicated to Drellich that there’s no timetable for either a decision on the option or a discussion with ownership about the option.
- Meanwhile, WEEI’s Rob Bradford argues that Dombrowski and the Red Sox are handling the situation wrong by not simply committing to Farrell for the 2018 season and picking up the option. While some critics of Farrell would be even more perturbed to see his contract extended beyond 2017, not exercising the option subjects both the manager and his players to uncomfortable questions about Farrell’s status, when the only downside to committing to him would committing a relatively marginal sum from which the team could move on next season if they change their mind. (Clubs dismissing managers that have multiple years remaining on their contract is hardly irregular.) Indeed, as Bradford points out, the financial hit would be scarcely more than cutting a middle reliever.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko that top prospect Chance Sisco was in high demand at the non-waiver deadline, and Duquette also sounded open-minded about trade talks this coming winter. “A lot of teams like (Chance) Sisco other than our club,” said Duquette, who added that he feels the organization has some depth behind the plate. “We know that from our trade discussions at the end of July. Whether they can do that job or not, that remains to be seen, but we do have pretty good depth in the organization at the catching position.” Sisco is the presumptive heir apparent behind the plate in Baltimore, but he’s also played just four games at Triple-A and remains a work in progress from a defensive standpoint. Sisco did hit .317/.403/.430 as a 21-year-old at Double-A this season, demonstrating his offensive upside, but he’s probably not yet ready to open the year in the Majors, and he’d be an appealing piece in the event that the O’s pursue rotation help on the trade market this winter. However, Kubatko writes that the O’s are more determined to keep Sisco now that they traded fellow catcher Jonah Heim to Tampa Bay. Even still, though, he notes that they’ll need a short-term bridge to Sisco if they keep him.
I wonder what Sisco would be able to bring the O’s in a trade? Could they package him in a deal that brings back a solid 2 or 3 starter?
The O’s don’t have a lot of great talent in their farm system. Sisco is definitely a prospect that has value as a near ready left handed hitting catcher. His game isn’t perfect though as he has still a lot of question marks about his defense and power (or lack there of). I’m quite sure that several teams will inquire about him offering pitching to the O’s. But I don’t see the O’s having the type of talent for a true 2/3 guy. Maybe a low end 3 true 4 type. In any case we will all have to wait and see exactly what happens.
That’s what I was thinking since the O’s say he probably needs at least one more year in the minors to work on defense but his offensive is top of the line even as a maybe 10 home run guy but hitting over .300 with an OBP of around .400. Really with Tillman, Gausman, and Bundy, a true 3 or 4 would be all the O’s need.
Braves would be willing to work out a deal for you. How about something around Markakis? You guys need a RF who can get on base and hit for average, and he’s known to your organization. Or we could possibly work out something with our 4th OF Mallex Smith, who profiles as a leadoff-type guy.
I think the O’s would be looking more towards getting pitching in return. There are enough OFers in free agency for them to go after.
Good news, Braves have plenty of that too. I would keep an eye out for a trade, likely involving either Markakis or Wisler. Matt had a rough end to the season, but there are stretches where he could be every bit of a #2/3 for a team. We are pretty sure Roger McDowell got in his head a bit.
Well the O’s are considering McDowell for their pitching coach. Wisler did have stretches where he looked good but the braves probably want a catcher for next season not having to wait and develop one.
As an O’s fan, I’d shop around Sisco looking for starters. If we don’t get any really good offers, hold onto him
Big Gardner fan but it makes sense to trade him because Ellsbury is unfortunately untradable.
Just remember, Nobody’s untradeable! 😛 Gardner does make the most sense though.
Yeah, Braves swapped Hector Olivera for Matt Kemp. Anything can happen. Lol
Well that was one bad contract for another. What team can use Ellsbury And has a bad contract of another player that would help the Yankees?
Might check with Arizona, see if you can pry Grienke away, lol. They are suckers…
New regime in Arizona.
Who in God’s name would want to aging over priced 260 hitters !
Teams,that realize OBP is more important?
Ellsbury had a 330 OBP. No ones paying 21 mil for that.
Actually, someone is paying 21 million for that. Theeeeeee Yankeeeeees are! Theeeeeee Yankeeeeees are!
Well Gardner is being paid $13 million a year (which isn’t a lot at all nowadays) and had a .350 OBP
Well he was less overpaid than Heyward was this past season. And who’s paying him? Theeeeeeee Cubs are! Theeeee Cubs are!
Though I’m sure they ain’t complaining about that right now, and I’m still rooting for them.
Actually Gardner’s contract was a bit front loaded so he will only be making 12.5 this season and 11.5 next season. A bargain for a 3WAR player. Also, Gardner is looking at winning a Gold Glove this year. He would be a starting outfielder on almost every single team. If he gets traded, Yankees won’t have to eat a dime.
How is Fowler doin for ya?
The last time the Cubs won the World Series, thousands of Civil War veterans were still alive. The the CPD arrest Bartman yet ? I sense another disaster…
Average at best now and due 23m over next 2 seasons, not to mention 33yo. Not much value there to get any kind of return for the value without paying some of the contract. This isn’t the Gardner from when he 1st signed the extension.
Now of Ells/Gardner, easier to get rid of Gardner, just think they are better off hanging onto him due to what return would be.
Gutierez in Seattle made 1m, Seth Smith 7 and his option probably won’t get picked up. Think gardner is basically making too much to move without paying half (or more) and then not getting much in return still, unless he gets off to a fast and healthy start next season.
If Gardner was on the open market, I can bet he would get more than 2 year/$23 million. He still puts up a rWAR of over 3 and has done that every year since 2010 (except 2012 when he played only 9 games). His WAR the last 4 years is even higher than Justin Upton’s (both rWAR and fWAR) who got a contract of over $100+ million (though yes he’s younger and is a better hitter than Gardner).
I can assure you unless he went to another team on a discount, Gardy would get at least 3 years and $35+ million if he were a FA. The Yankees won’t have to pay a cent to trade him and get a decent return. Though if they do pay for anything, the return I’m sure would be a lot higher, which is why all the Cubs got for Castro was Warren and Brendan Ryan.
Ellsbury on the other hand…….(vomit).
Well said!
I get what you are saying MB with the hope there, it’s that have been seeing in Seattle news that some thoughts are that Seth Smith’s option won’t get picked up, what was comparing to. yes.. he’s of course not the glove, but bat. Franklin Gutierrez is same deal and he just made 1.5m, a FA also, npt same GG OF he was, but can still play it. Aoki’s a FA.
Don’t see how NY can expect to shed that entire deal and get much of anything in return and NOT trying to be quarrelsome.
Start the season with NY next year and return to form? Possibly, just not now.
No one would in there right mind would give him 3yr/$35mm, that’s pretty much what he’s making now and I’m sorry but no ones taking a guy who’s been declining year to year since he got hurt in 2012 for $11-12MM. He’s a soft hitting guy who’s relegated to the corner outfield spots or DH. Something around 2yr/$13mm, like Chris Young got, would be far more realistic for Brett Gardner on the open market.
The cubs “only” got Adam Warren? Warren was a cheap controllable bullpen arm, which the Cubs desperately needed so they traded a guy who had fallen out of favor with seemingly everyone in Chicago and had no spot to play. And they essentially did give the Yankees $2mm by being the team to absorb Ryan’s contract for the year too. It was an obvious cash dump.
He’s declining, yes. But he’s still an above average Overall OFer (keyword – Overall. Not hitter, not fielder).
How much do you think 3 WAR OFer’s are worth? Simple question, because that’s what he’s been every year as I mentioned since 2010 (2012 the exception).
And yes I said they “only” got Adam Warren because there were heavy rumors that the Cubs were going to get top talent for Castro (in the offseason prior). Many (mostly Cubs fans) even said if Castro were swapped for Gardner, the Yankees would have to give up more.
And Chris Young is an absolutely horrible comparison because he is a platoon player who averages only 300-400 PA a year. The highest WAR Chris Young has had in 1 season the last 4 years is just 1.2. Maybe Chris Young in his DBack years but not today.
Even if I limit it to just the past 3 years, Gardner is ahead of Puig, Braun, Hunter Pence, JBJ, Josh Reddick and many others in WAR. Are you telling me these other guys I mentioned would only get 2 year/$13 mil on the market? (your words, not mine).
*slow claps*
Yanks got 3 prospect arms for Beltran and that was for a half season of a 1.7 WAR guy. Gardner is a 3.4 WAR guy. I think they can get something nice in a trade.
WAR is not the end all be all of a player factor in that he was forced to play the field even though he’s no where near capable anymore and then look at his offense peripherals and you’ll see that the difference between Beltran and Gardner are vast. Comparing what the two would bring in trade is pointless.
It’s not that he’s declining it’s that he has been declining for four years.
It’s not what 3WAR OFs are worth, it’s what 3.0WAR OF who’s league average everywhere except the plate, where he’s considered average starter level, are worth at 33 years old and declining.
No one was paying a premier on Castro, Epstein wanted to move him from the get go. He never fit into the Cubs long term plans with how unbalanced in almost every facet of his game he is, I’m sure the Cubs tried to play off his rebound season into a haul but nothing materialized. Obviously the Yankees would have had to give up more than just Gardner, he was a worthless asset to the Cubs who had a loaded OF already and had a plethora of talent waiting to come up. They weren’t going to swap a young controllable player for a 4th OF making $11MM no matter how much they wanted to move him, that’s just bad business.
I hate to break it to you, but Gardner was platooned pretty well last year. In a division and league that features a ton of LHP he accrued only 200PA against them and faired poorly. Chris young, a guy who was brought on to strictly be a platoon piece for the Red Sox accrued only 60 less PA against righties than Gardner did vis lefties in far fewer games.
Could you have picked a more oddball group of players to compare his WAR to? Pence has missed a whole years worth of games over the last two seasons, Puig hasn’t produced more than a 1.4WAR in two years, Braun’s 2014 was downright miserable and by far the worst in his career, JBJ has exactly one full season plus one month of being able to hit major league pitching, and Josh Reddick almost matched his previous two seasons war in 68 games in Oakland this year before coming back to earth in LA. Those other guys would get far more in free agency and in trades based strictly because of age outside of Pence an Braun with Braun being a far better offensive contributor and Pence, despite numerous injuries, hasn’t had the continued drop off you see in Gardner.
I wasn’t saying that Gardner would get 3 or more prospects in a trade, but I am saying that the hate on him is too high. Most people on this site talk of him as if he would get nothing back in a trade and that Yanks will need to eat most of his salary.
I’m saying the Yanks can nab one good prospect and not have to eat anything. I’m not saying they will land anyone’s top 5… Just that they will get what they believe is a useful piece for him.
As for Gardner platooning, he had had 634 plate appearances. Not really being platooned all that often. The yankees didn’t face as many lefties as righties. and some of the that time Gardner sat was injury related.
Jon Gray, Carlos Rondon, Joe Ross or Taijuan Walker are great targets for a Gardner trade.
Um…no
Every one of those is a massive over pay. The Yankees would at best be getting a teams 5th best prospect in a deal
5th best prospect would be a great return and I think they can get it for Gardner. That puts them in the running for either Fedde or Dunning from the Nationals or possibly Grant Holmes of the Athletics.
Only guy they’d have a chance of getting in that list would be Walker, and if I”m the Yankees I would want no part of Walker. HR/9 at Safeco this year was a very high 1.8. He’d get shelled in NY. Heck, Gardner’s WAR in 2016 (3.4) is higher than Walker’s career WAR of just 2.6 in 62 starts (basically 2 full seasons worth of starts).
Yankees would have no chance to get the other pitches you listed though if Gardner was the centerpiece.
They gave up Prado in the Eovaldi deal and Walker is a better talent than Eovaldi with 4y more of control and both were/are SP in need of harnessing issues.
Lol this guy.
You have got to be joking?
Snack why you always trolling
Much rather get rid of ellsbury and get a D prospect in return. Never should of signed that dude
I’d love to see Mason Williams get a chance at an everyday job. He probably wouldn’t be worse than Ellsbury (or Gardner) and he’s a lot cheaper. With guys like Frazier, Fowler, Cave (maybe) and Rutherford on the way I’d like to see the Yanks deal one of Garner or Ellsbury in the off season and the other at the trade deadline. It would be interesting to see Frazier-Williams-Judge in the OF come next September.
I like Williams, but he’s injury prone.
The Yankees need to get the same kind of package for Gardner that they got for Justin Wilson last year. More starting pitching depth is their biggest need right now.
I think Baltimore would line up with the Brewers. Like maybe a Chase Anderson , Martin Maldnado and outfielders Reed and Wren for Sisco maybe even give them Coulter too
The O’s want pitching and the only pitcher in this deal isn’t worth having. I know it might be a reach but if the O’s look to the Brewers for trading Sisco they would probably try to reacquire Josh Hader.
um yeah that’s not going to happen. The Brewers shouldn’t let any young pitcher go until they have their rebuild closer to the majors. No need to get in a rush
Simple solution to John Farrell’s status? Fire him today. Next step? Hire Ron Gardenhire. Done.
Agree !
He had a Team that over achieved Offensively and got beat by a team with one Good pitcher !
“Moving one of Gardner or Ellsbury would open another spot, in left field, where the Yankees could add a player with a bit more of an offensive-oriented profile”
does this read out like jose bautista to anyone else? seems like a yankee signing
I think the Yanks will trade both Gardner and McCannn this winter. They can trade McCann to the Braves or Nats for some young pitching prospects like Newcomb,Fried,or Fedde or Glover. They will have to pay down some of his salary to get a good young prospects. As for Gardner he would be a good fit for the Astros for Paulino or Whitley. If they can pull that off then they put Hicks in Lf until Frazier is ready. This would complete their reloading of talent for the future. I would then add Encarnacion or Turner to the current line-up adding right hand power.
if the yankees could trade either gardner or ellsbury they should right away. not like people are dying for these overpaid players
Trade Manny and Tillman now and all of their farm system issues are gone.
Trading one of your few prospects would be stupid
But then again we are talking about the Orioles.