10:43am: The Yankees have confirmed the move.
10:39am: While the team has yet to announce a move, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports that the Yankees released first baseman Adam Lind after yesterday’s game (Twitter link). Billy Witz of the New York Times tweets that Lind’s locker has been cleared out in the Yankees clubhouse and adds that he, too, hears the veteran is no longer with the organization.
Lind, 34, reportedly had an opt-out date in his minor league deal with the Yankees, but that wasn’t set to come until March 22. It’s not clear at this time whether he’ll quickly line up an arrangement with another organization or if he’ll have to explore the market for a few days before landing in a new spot. He went 3-for-15 (all singles) with five strikeouts and a walk in 16 plate appearances with the Yankees this spring.
Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets that Lind candidly told him he didn’t see a path to 300+ plate appearances when asked yesterday, which indeed would’ve been tough to envision, barring injuries elsewhere on the roster. Greg Bird is slated to serve as the everyday first baseman in New York and, like Lind, is a left-handed hitter. Tyler Austin provides a right-handed-hitting complement to Bird, and newly signed Neil Walker could conceivably see some backup time at first base if needed. There’s no room for Lind in the Yankees outfield, either, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury all on the 25-man roster.
Last season with the Nationals, Lind slashed .303/.362/.512 with 14 homers in 301 plate appearances. That served as a nice rebound effort from a poor 2016 effort in Seattle and made that lone down year appear to be largely aberrational in nature. Lind has posted an OPS+ of 123 or better in four of the past five seasons, batting a combined .282/.348/.473 through 2142 plate appearances in that time. Of course, that production has come almost entirely against right-handed pitching, as Lind’s struggles against lefties has been a well-documented issue throughout his big league career.
Thanks for coming Adam
I’m assuming this is possibly because of the performances of Tyler Austin and Billy McKinney this spring
And/or possibly that their starting 1B is a LHB like Lind is.
Neil Walker
Yankees PR just confirmed it too
He likely would have opted out anyway. It just didn’t make sense for the Yankees to have 2 LH 1B on the roster. Bird has struggled in ST thusfar but obviously the Yankees (or any team) are going to make a roster spot based off 25 AB.
Figured between the Walker signing and Tyler Austin playing well, there was no chance for Lind.
so a bench of Romine, Ellsbury, Torreyes, Wade with either McKinney or Austin holding Ellsbury’s roster spot should he start the season on the DL?
5 bench players? I doubt it. 9 starters, 5 starting pitchers and 8 relievers leaves three bench slots. So Romine Torreyes and whoever the backup outfielder is until Ellsbury comes back.
no i was saying 4 bench players. I’m not convinced they will have 8 relievers and also have to carry Ellsbury’s dead weight. I’ve also read they would flip flop between bench spots and reliever slots as they need and want to.
Probably need 4 bench guys. He didn’t have 5 listed. He had 4. Romine, Torreyes, Ellsbury and Wade. With either Austin or McKinney going north with the squad in Ells place to start the season cuz he will start on the DL. I don’t c them taking 8 relievers to start the season.
Ah, I see; Ellsbury is on the DL and his name was listed twice. I do think the trend is toward 8 relievers – at least two teams have said they’re carrying 9 this year, although one of those is the Angels and Ohtani is obviously a special case. I hope the next CBA negotiates for more roster slots, with perhaps a cap on pitchers, because bullpen games, while good strategy, can be deadly boring to watch.
I don’t see the point of having both Wade and Torreyes on the bench. They’re both utlity infielders (although one has speed and can play D (Wade) and one hits for a good average but not much more (Torreyes)).
Yankees should put Austin on the bench. Send one of Wade/Torreyes to AAA.
A bench of Ells, Romine, Wade and Torreyes has Zero power at all and even with the Yankees lineup filled with power, you still should have it on the bench
The way the Yanks work the Scranton Shuttle, I think they will start the season with 4 bench spots until those infield spots are solidified.
Who in the SL would a power-hitting bench bat replace? There’s no available bench bat with power that would provide any more pop than they already have at any position in the lineup. Their number 8 and 9 hitters are going to be Walker and Drury, who are both likely to hit 15-20 homers.
I could see a bench power bat being useful in NL interleague games with double switches and no DH, but outside of those 20 games a year I’m not sure it’s really important at all. Would much rather fill the bench with speed and defense for late inning replacement in tight games.
Ellsbury and Wade give you speed and defense.
.875 OPS, .210 ISO, no projected BABip regression, 9.3% walk rate compared to a 15.6% K rate and no job
This is becoming a problem and I think expansion would solve it.
I’ve actually thought about that some too. I think the only way the market gets a shake up now is by expansion.
Boras would say ‘if 12 weren’t in some for of tanking,’ the demand would be there for the ‘Adam Lind -types’
The abnormal workings of the FA market this year could be an aberration. It may also be the beginning of a new norm in MLB and a by-product of the most recent CBA agreement. This topic has been discussed ad nauseum for the better part of the offseason with no clear answer.
I’ve been a proponent for expansion for some time now as well as favoring an increase of the active rosters from 25 to 27. Adding two new teams would have many benefits aside from adding jobs for players. It would fix the divisional and scheduling problems associated with having 15 teams in each league and could also help solve the dilemma of the one and done wild card format in the postseason.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of proposing both job measure increases would be the carrot the MLBPA needs in order achieve a sensible salary cap for the sport in time for the next CBA. This should also contain a negotiated salary floor that could go a long way into preventing the extreme “tanking” that has become a trademark of the sport in recent years. It’s not as if adding jobs only benefits the players. Expansion would also be a windfall for the owners with its entrance fee and the addition of two new markets which would result in increased revenues including a bump in broadcasting rites.
Boras also bemoaned teams like the Yankees and Giants and Cubs that now are looking to avoid the luxury tax and were avoiding signing FA at the price Boras was looking for. Do agree with you that if the MLBPA would agree to a salary cap and of course a salary floor, it could change things for the older players.
I am all for 26 or 27 man roasters (this is what the mlbpa should have fought for in the last cba agreement).
Not so keen on expansion, but totally follow your logic
Re the comment below and mlb with ‘more owners like Miami,’ this is about existing mlb owners ‘selecting/approving’ owners (which is what they do) who are not like the ‘Loria’
There are enough ‘wealthy, honorable’ ownership groups who would behave like the idiot ..
If Boras becomes a casualty of what may be baseball’s new salary structure system, then so be it. As a fan his fate is irrelevant to me. There are always jobs for people like him in the fracking industry.
i always used to think there were too many teams for the talent available, but feel the game is in a good place right now. still don’t think there is enough pitching for expansion, but expanding roster sizes by 1, since teams are going with large bullpens, seems reasonable in the short term. position inflexible guys like Lind are what teams are giving up to carry that extra pitcher it seems.
There is not nearly enough pitching available now, thinning out the talent even more is not a good thing. We don’t want to see too many mat altos having permanent roles in rotations
Yep, let’s dilute pitching and real talent even more.
Lind is a straight platoon guy, period.
Heck, let’s add 8 teams, so they cann all be supported like Those in Tampa and Miami.
At least, every platoon bench gut will now have a starting role.
Meh. If baseball expanded to 40 teams tomorrow the “talent gap” would be narrow for a couple seasons and then it would wash out. It’s a little absurd to think there”s only 750 people in the world able to play baseball at the highest level. The level of baseball played in 2018 is, by far, the best it has ever been – that’s true of any and all athletic endeavors. Baseball will be fine with expansion
Could not agree more dc. 7 billion on the planet but can’t support 2 more teams?!
Expansion is the last thing they need. There’s two teams in Florida,one in Oakland,and a couple more that barely make it now.
Drastically lowering the ticket prices, lowering mlb tv pricing might allow for more fans access and expansion. It is way to expensive to take a family to a game
Yeah that will happen…
Nashville should get on the phone to with the rays
Right, an aging guy who is a straight platoon player is reason to expand.
Note my sarcasm.
That’s past performance.
Teams don’t appear to be paying for past performance much anymore.
He’s 34.
Teams also want younger guys.
I do not see the problem here.
He’s not entitled to a job.
The better way to solve it would be to use the DH in the National League. This would create opportunities for limited players like Lind.
Please, no, not in the NL. the Dh makes for more boring baseball.
Yeah, nowhere near as exciting as watching a pitcher bunt or strike out.
Walker can play first, and the Yanks have a younger option iin Austin as a back-up. The Yanks might be thinking of keeping both Wade and Torreyes.
sound logic. It’s also possible Lind requested this so he has enough time before the season to land somewhere.
Unless it’s to be a super replacement for both the IF and OF (because Ellsbury and Frazier might both need more rehab time) then I think it would be best to send Wade to AAA and let him play everyday. It keeps him sharp and if he shines again, he could be an excellent little trade chip as maybe the 2nd piece of a deal. Otherwise, how many AB will he get? 10 a week?
Detroit needs a left handed bat with pop that can back up Cabrera and play LF when needed.
And he’d be cheap which is a requirement.
Detroit has plenty of 3-15 (all singles) hitters
Hmm, pretty short-sighted. Bird has, literally, never played a full season at any level because of injuries. Injuries don’t magically go away. But I suppose if Lind thinks he has more opportunities elsewhere he should pursue them. he’s a good hitter, not much value in any other way.
In case of a Bird injury, they have Austin and now Walker if they need to fill a short term hole. In the event Bird goes down long term and those two can’t handle it, they can always resign him or someone like him down the road. Or trade.
Austin is in no way an answer,that’s why they’re working McKinney out at first.
He doesn’t need to be an answer. Only a temporary insurance option to justify being comfortable with releasing Lind.
Austin is a AAAA player and is just as injury prone if not more then Bird. Walker was the reason in releasing Lind. What they need bad and I can’t believe they didn’t address it is a better backup catcher who can also play first.
you can always find a guy like Lind on the cheap- last year Freeman goes down and the Braves get Matt Adams for next to nothing to fill in.
Bat .303 with 14 HR last season, can only get a minor league deal, then released in spring training? Collusion!
He requested his release, to be fair. I don’t think teams have been transparent this offseason but I don’t think Lind’s a great example of that. I think the Yanks will regret losing him because I don’t think Bird can stay healthy but Lind might get an opportunity elsewhere.
Yes. But that is something you would expect for 1B that bats .170 5HR in 300 AB. .304, 14 HR are all-star numbers. He should have got a multiyear guaranteed contract. Collusion!
Yeah but pretty much entirely against RHP, he definitely should be in a platoon situation somewhere. But not many teams want to platoon at the 1B position because it hurts bench/’pen depth unless he platoons with a utility player. As a Mariners fan I’d rather spend a little on him and not have traded for Healy.
no
Stop trolling…
Or, the demans for straight platoon players who play 1b has come back to reality
Yeah I agree. With teams adding more relief pitchers, I think we’ve seen the end of the 1B only bench bat. That role is going to start going to guys who can play other positions if needed.
Here is an idea all these dh/1B could do. Work harder on defense, learn different positions,maybe get in better shape so they can handle other positions and take pride in making contact. These players today don’t feel bad about striking out take some pride in what you do
What other positions is Lind supposed to play? He throws left-handed so he can be either a first baseman or outfielder. You can’t learn to make yourself faster so he would be below average there no matter how hard he worked at it.
The fact that so many 1B/DHs who’ve been in the majors 5-10 years are still unable to hit like handed pitching is simply a testament (imo) of their unwillingness to adjust. Early in his career Jim Thome simply could not hit LHPs, but he adjusted and thrived, and he’s now in the HOF. Not saying every one of these guys is Thome’s caliber, but there is a ridiculous number of these guys in their 30s who might as well not even take a bat to the plate when facing same handed pitchers.
but not many teams have patience to let a lefty struggle against lefties long enough to figure it out.
Lind has been in the bigs since 2006 but has just 1000 at bats against lefties.
Well, maybe he’s just not a good enough all around player anymore.
Man if you’re gonna troll, at least do it well. Disgracing the good name of honest to god trollers everywhere. Sad!
1B is going to be a problem this year again.
Yo well come shrimp po’boy?
What?
bigcubsfan – were your parents brother and sister?
Why???
As long as Bird stays healthy they are just fine if not above average. He looked great in the playoffs… except for that really slow run to home.
I agree, let the league expand. Idk whether to 4 divisions a league with 4 teams each (32) or 6 teams per division (36) but it needs to happen. This would boost the job market for free agents, increase the game’s market, and possibly even out the teams a bit. Its a win-win!
So tired of this expansion argument- the reason these guys can’t find a job is because teams that aren’t planning on doing well would rather play rookies at league minimum than a player like Lind, as well as a glut of power hitters on the market.
You have a few teams that struggle almost every year with the occasional hiccup of a winning season or two – Rays, Marlins, Pirates, Reds, A’s – and we want to expand? Move the Rays or A’s to one of these markets like Montreal, San Antonio or Portland and they will probably still struggle.
It would create more teams who suck, give full time jobs to guys who should be on the bench, create teams in markets that can’t support them and do nothing to better the game.
A better FA market? okay, lets add 6, 8, 10 teams. Get rid of AAA.
if anything, teams should be contracted.
More teams solves the free agency issue, an extremely harsh luxury tax better balances the teams, and yeah some teams can be dumb but that’s true in every sport, see Browns, any basketball team that isn’t top tier (I don’t follow other sports lol). Stupid ownership happens and nothing can be done about it, but expansion appeals to owners by increasing revenue, and the MLBPA by boosting competition and thus salaries for players, and casual fans because who besides you doesn’t want a couple more cool looking uniforms out there.
I think he deserves a big league deal. I’m surprised he doesn’t have one
Deserve has nothing to do with it.
Lol this expansion talk is such a joke. Half of the league is terrible as it is. I’d be for contraction over anything. I can think of 2 teams in Florida that even combined wouldn’t make the playoffs
The only legitimate reason to ever expand is if there is a starving market somewhere. I would rather contract and let the talent level rise.
Could be a good pickup for the phillies.
if Hoskins was at first base and Santana not signed id agree with you. they are going short bench as well so i dont see a chance of that.
The Mets could actually really use him. Gonzalez is going to be a bust.
What was the point in signing with the Yankees in the first place? Maybe the Rays will pick him up.
Would love for the mets to pick him up.
I saw this coming the moment I heard the Yankees signed him, but I didn’t expect it this soon. Maybe Lind will catch on somewhere, but again the market is flooded with 1B/DH types who have a similar skill set. Lind does have a bit of an advantage in that he tends to hit for average and can play LF occasionally, but he can’t touch lefties which is a significant liability for any interested team.
Mets will pick him up for a corned beef sandwich.
From Kaplan’s, I hope.