The Washington Nationals are facing a host of changes after missing the playoffs in their title-defense campaign. They laid off a number of front office employees, including scouts and minor league coaches, while 15 players from their 40-man roster are now free agents, writes Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. The goal for the Nats remains as ever, building for the playoffs with a veteran-laden roster to support their young stars.
- Dougherty notes a particular need for another heavy hitter in the middle of the order to help protect all-world outfielder Juan Soto. When World Series hero (and current free agent) Howie Kendrick went down with injury, the Nats didn’t have another bat capable of protecting Soto. An outfield corner spot seems the most likely place to find such a hitter, though they have a hole at first base as well, depending on the status of Mr. Nat Ryan Zimmerman, who opted out in 2020. The rest of the infield is relatively set with Trea Turner manning shortstop, Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia looking to establish themselves at third and second, and the duo of Starlin Castro and Josh Harrison providing the safety nets for those positions.
- The Yankees’ thinking on slugger Giancarlo Stanton has not changed in the weeks following their postseason elimination. The front office expects Stanton to spend most of his time at designated hitter in order to give him the best chance of staying healthy, per Erik Boland of Newsday. Though they think Stanton capable of playing the outfield, they’re paying him $29MM in 2021 for his bat to be in the lineup. If he could give them innings in the field, it would certainly help from a roster construction perspective, but his value proposition remains dependent on his offensive production.
- The Mets have shut down their minor league camps because of positive COVID-19 tests, per the Athletic’s Tim Britton (via Twitter). There were two positive tests, and further testing hasn’t revealed any further positives as of right now. These are the proper protocols for any positive tests. The Mets camp will wait a couple of days until they can confirm the containment of the virus.
I didn’t realize minor league camps were even still open
I was going to say the same thing. I thought everyone was enjoying the offseason.
Enjoying? Most minor leaguers haven’t played baseball for 6+ months so I’m sure are eager to get back on the field
I think it’s the camps teams were making for invited players, but they can’t be on the 40 man. PA was throwing a fit about that.
The Yankees’ thinking on slugger Giancarlo Stanton has not changed in the weeks following their postseason elimination.
Thank goodness that was newsworthy.
Yeah, I never find it newsworthy to complain about the coverage here. I’m just so dang thankful the site exists. Other than that, how’s it hanging whyhayzee? Heading into another holiday season. Perhaps the craziest one of our lives.
It’s like news about Pedroia. He’s not playing. If something happens with either of these guys it will be contractual. Tell me when it happens. Worst thing about the pandemic is all the high risk people in our families. Not sure what Thanksgiving or Christmas will be like. There’s only so many projects you can do before you want to visit with people. Sigh.
Yeah. Not exactly sure how we’re going to celebrate the holidays, either. We have two girls and their partners. We can work our way around the house at distance but, although the table is long, we can’t all sit at it at a distance. What to do. Up until this point we’ve only seen one or the other at a time.
Lineup protection doesn’t exist
It’s just the Instructional League camps, for mostly lower level prospects, without any games being played this year. There’s (every team is different) probably only a couple of weeks left anyway.
@TC Zenka.
Yanks are actually paying Stanton 22.7 mil (Miami is covering 30 million of the total deal).
I guess I’m not altogether convinced that relegating him to a DH only role is the best answer here. I know he’s making some big changes to his pre-game & in-game routine.
He’s a decent outfielder defensively. It’s merely anecdotal evidence but his healthiest time for the Yanks came when he was playing in the outfield every day.
Hm, 29M for a DH that we hope doesn’t get injured? Wow, one can certainly argue the MLBPA has greatly damaged the game when viewing it from this perspective. Highest pay per swing ever and the guy can’t even play a part-time role without risking injury.
We need a real catcher, re-sign DJ, and pitching. Unless we are happy taking on the role of perennial ALCS runner-up? Cannot do anything about Stanton, so play him, let him get hurt 20 games in and sit the rest of the season on the IL… wash, rinse, repeat.
“Cannot do anything about Stanton, so play him, let him get hurt 20 games in and sit the rest of the season on the IL… wash, rinse, repeat.”
Guess they’re trying to come up with a better game plan than that. Frankly, I’d be happy with an electric DH for 140 games a year. Let’s shoot for that.
I think he has 4 years of 50 HR potential left in the tank, if he can stay healthy. I get the sense he’s frustrated and motivated to contribute. I believe in him. He’s definitely overpaid. The trade was overly optimistic, but I don’t think he’s the absolute albatross he’s being positioned as. I think he could be a Giambi circa 2002-2003 type player for the Yanks over the next couple of seasons…. but whoah unto the remaining five years on that contract thereafter.
Now, now, @clipper.
Stanton was unbelievable in the postseason. That’s the player he is. Dude was absolutely on a HOF track with Miami (still probably is).
He’s a really good player, man.
2020 was the first time Sanchez has ever finished a season with a below average defensive grade according to fangraphs. His defensive shortcomings are way overblown.
He also was the fastest catcher to reach 100 jacks. That’s throughout the entire history of the game, man.
No small accomplishment.
Let him have a full season to work with Swanson. He’s helped a number of catchers unlock their full potential. I’d gladly take slightly above average defense & 30+ home runs from my catcher batting in the bottom third of the lineup.
Most teams would.
I hate to say it, but the Yanks may be better served letting DJ walk. They may want to put that money into other areas of need. Lately, I’ve been thinking about LaStella & Pederson and the fact the Yankees could probably sign *both* for less than what LaMahieu will cost.
Worth considering, at least.
Definitely concur that we need pitching. At least one starter & one reliever. Though I’d like to see a couple of each.
LaStella is interesting, and I agree *if Stanton can stay healthy at DH and perform well, even at 120 games/year it would be worth it. He’s just not staying healthy and that money is much better spent. Sanchez has a unique problem and that is He seems to be regressing, not progressing. Yeah, they may be able to see how much of his potential they can unlock, but at what expense? I guess, how long do we sacrifice that position to see if Sanchez can come around?
Look, as a diehard Yankee fan, like most of you, I get irritated watching the Yanks try to win a championship by figuring out a specific combination of maximizing talent or u locking potential. I want them to simply go for it. Get the pieces we need. I think an experienced, gold glove catcher could bring that here and in that time mentor someone like Sanchez as well.
What concerns me about letting DJ walk is that they have very few guys that can aggressively make solid contact with the ball. One of the postseason problems identified year after year has been their lack of contact and failing to put the ball in play.
Look, I’m not insensitive as to why Stanton & Sanchez are the most polarizing players on the Yankees.
I get it.
As you note Stanton’s problems have been health. Like both you & @mo posted I think ~ 120 games (& heathy for the playoffs) is a reasonable expectation. He’ll put up 3-4 WAR if he’s able to do that.
Yeah.
Sanchez is a tough one, man.
I think the Yanks owe it to themselves to give him another shot. Bellinger and Yellich were among a number of players who all really struggled this season.
I don’t think this year was all that telling about the actual ability of those guys. & Gary too.
That being said, a struggling Gary Sanchez is really hard to watch. He earned a lot of credit with me in ’16, ’17 (especially), & ’19.
Again, the Yankee fan base has a real split view of him. Which – again – I get.
The Yanks also need a middle infielder and some arms. Maybe a center field capable 4th outfielder.
DJ really grew on me.
& I love how he plays the game.
I’m seeing a lot of Donaldson comps for what DJ will sign for, though. That’s hefty. LaStella seems like a good alternative. He’s as versatile & gives you *almost* as much offensive production. & he’s a LH bat. I’m not overly concerned about lineup balance. But the Yankees definitely seem to be.
I mean before Gardy or Hicks batting third it was Didi.
If they *insist* on continuing to do that – well for goodness sake at least get a decent lefty. I like all 3 of those players too, ya know?
Just not in that spot in the batting order.
I’m for bringing him back. I just don’t think it’s as easy of a decision as it might appear.
It’d be tough, but if the choice was between DJ or LaStella and a reliever or two I’d probably go with the latter.
At least today.
I think the days of the Yanks being “all in” are over. The play seems to be making the postseason every year. It’s different.
But I don’t think fans of say…the Pirates are going to have a whole lot of empathy.
😉
At RAB we used to joke about Cashman’s “85 win management program”. I think it’s become a 95 win management program.
Which – let’s face it – could be so much worse.
Man, I wanna see the Yanks go absolutely bonkers on the free agent market this winter. It looks like there’s going to be some really good deals. I have half a dozen guys (with fallback options lol!) I’d love to see added.
Man, I just don’t see that happening, however.
If you want your team to go crazy in Free Agency wait for the 2021 class, it is loaded.
The problem the Yankees have is the problem they’ve had for a long time, they are a feast or famine team. It’s generally either a strikeout or a home run. They need DJ as he’s the only one who seems to get on base consistently.
The hate of Stanton is overblown, but he has generally gotten hurt running the bases or hitting. Maybe not having the wear and tear of the outfield will help, but in today’s game, having a designated DH is not something most teams do as it eliminates the flexibility and reduces the ability to rest guys. The stanton deal never made sense as they didn’t need another big bat and it created a log jam in the outfield.
As for Sanchez, he’s still relatively cheap, but if the pitchers have lost trust in him, than he needs to go. Cole already uses a different catcher and I wouldn’t be surprised if others do the same.
Now while numbers do not lie, I also realize they do not always tell the entire story…BUT When comparing LaStella to DJL…..how can anyone in their right mind make the comment that ..”He’s as versatile & gives you *almost* as much offensive production”..??? Versatile??
In his 7 years with 4 different teams….he has AVERAGED PER SEASON the following: GP 76, AB’s 188, HR’s 4, 2B’s 10, BA. .274, ops .754, SLG% .405…..He has a a DWAR of around -0.5!!!…
I won’t even bother filling in DJL’s numbers here….
Uh.
LaMahieu is definitely the better player. Obviously, I never claimed otherwise. The “versatile” piece is that they can field the same positions; 1B, 2B, & third. That would be why I posted “as versatile”. Because…well, he is lol! Exactly so.
In ’17, ’19, & ’20 he put up OPS+’s above 120. Hence the “almost”. As a matter of fact, LaStella has *more* above average offensive seasons for his career than DJ does. Maybe part of the reason you didn’t even “bother filling in DJL’s numbers here…”
Uh?
I don’t see anything wrong minded with those statements.
😉
I’d love to see DJ back. But, there are ways to bring back a better team that doesn’t include LeMahieu.
I am sorry if this upsets you.
If they are looking for contact on short term deals perhaps the ideal players would be Michael Brantley and Andrelton Simmons. Both strike out less than 70 times per year. With all the injuries to the yanks outfield there would be plenty of AB’s for Brantley. With Simmons they could Gleyber to 2B if they wanted to go that route.
I like Brantley. Got to see him play out here a few times. He’s an excellent hitter & yes, he would definitely fit into the lineup nicely.
Problem is that the Yanks need a 4th/rotation outfielder that can also play CF.
I like Simmons, too. The issue there is he’s had quite a number of his own problems staying healthy. If his glove is still the same he’d certainly help the Yanks oftentimes sketchy defense. But that seems to be trending down.
They’re both good players. I’m just not sure how well they’d fit the roster.
Marlins got out on Stanton at just the right time
Ironically, just about the entire baseball world thought it was a bad deal…for the Marlins! Red Sox fans were accusing Jeter of doing a sweetheart deal for the Yankees. “How could they trade Stanton for Castro!” I personally saw it exactly for what it obviously was: a salary dump. A darn good salary dump for Jeter, one for which he never got and still doesn’t get any credit for. And I also worried about the injury thing. I had misgivings. I haven’t heard a single fan admit they were wrong. And they were pretty much all wrong. All they do is joke about Stanton.
The problem is the Yanks have two guys, Judge and Stanton, who can’t stay healthy in the field and there’s only one DH position. And if Sanchez starts hitting again, they can’t insert his bat in the lineup when he’s not catching.
The Yankees problem is pitching and always having the season coming down to Chapman, who has the most predictable pitch set in baseball
Two points:
If you check his career splits, Giancarlo has hit better when playing left field than when DHing.
From 2017-2019, Stanton ranked 7th in UZR/150 among outfielders with at least 2,000 innings in the field, and his 15 Defensive Runs Saved were one better than Jackie Bradley, Jr. in 1,644.2 fewer innings; i.e., he’s underrated as a defender, if defensive metrics mean anything (and that’s up for discussion).
Actually, three points:
Of course I understand why Cashman doesn’t want to risk a brittle player getting hurt again — but this year Stanton got hurt doing defensive drills and then running the bases. He wasn’t playing in the field when he got hurt. Common sense says he’s in more peril playing the field; but if he’s healthy enough to run the bases and doesn’t crash into walls, should they let him play the outfield occasionally to give other players some opportunities to DH and get off their feet too?
2 guys on the mets payroll caught the flu is what im reading
The roster issues and payroll concerns emanate from the Stanton situation. The money he makes effects what the team can do to acquire talent. He’s no Mookie Betts or Steve Trout. This acquisition was one of Mr. Cashman’s huge blunders. We already had a power hitting RF with a strong arm who strikes out a lot along with being injury prone. A lefty power bat who can make contact and play on a regular basis would have been better. Stanton can only do one thing. Jeter must be laughing with relief. The Yanks are stuck with this guy for another seven years. He’s not tradeable. The outfield is a Fibber McGee’s closet of pieces that just don’t fit. The infield is heading that way. The Yanks are a beer league softball team as presently constructed, and the pitching isn’t going to improve anytime soon. Send the #27 jersey to the cleaners because its going to be around for quite awhile I’m afraid.
Wrong Rockhead! Marlins gifted Stanton to the Yankees.
Then I guess I’d like to see the Yankees “gift” him somewhere else.
Even Mike Trout isn’t Steve Trout.
Hahahahaha. True.
If MLB owners are squeezing the purse strings this off-season (which the Brad Hand situation would suggest), the Nats might be able to find that bat to protect Soto, on sale!!
If the Nats are in a spending mood, don’t be surprised if they sign George Springer.
If the Yankees weren’t full-up in the outfield and probably not in a spending mood, I’d love to see Springer in pinstripes.
We have to remember that losing Tanaka, Paxton and Happ is what 50 Million there, if They sign DJ for say 22 Million that’s only 10 Million more a year from the 50 Million that they paid him last year, leaving them with 40 million to play with between adding pitching help and covering salary increases. Don’t think it gets them both Bauer and Realmutto but Bauer for sure, maybe also try to work in another decent reliever as well. Also they’ve lost Gardners 10 Million and Kahnle’s salary as well, so bottom lines money is coming off the books.
GP. I think you just nailed it simply and correctly.. Maybe sign Molina and he can act as a mentor to Sanchez….and we still have Higgy…..There is nothing but upside there…..Money’s “off”, money’s “in”. SP is still the major priority, after DJL.. Anything can happen with their very deep and potentially very good rotation…..but still way too many question marks around that. they need and must have a clear number 2…..They will never go all the way without one. Maybe if Hal changed his name to George, we’d have a ticker tape down the Canyon of Heroes once again.!
Why do people keep suggesting that the Yankees ought/should/or will get Bauer? Bauer and Cole intensely dislike each other. Yankee management is on record as saying that they “would not do that to Cole.” So lay off this suggestion. It isn’t going to happen. I also don’t think they get Realmuto and I hope that they don’t. I like yanke766766’s idea better: a seasoned Molina to help coral Sanchez’s PB’s. With that plan they can afford to give Sanchez a year to shake his demons and then scrape him off if he can’t clean up his act.
On October 13, Bauer tweeted this in response to the UCLA coach cited by Barstool Sports as the source of the Bauer-Cole feud rumor:
“Well, whatever chances there are of Gerrit and I squashing this non-existent, fictitious beef, they’re certainly higher than the chances of this former UCLA coach winning a College World Series.”
Yankees are definitely in a bind with Stanton, but it’s more of a roster spot issue than a budget crunch issue, I think. The $29M Stanton will make is actually $22M out of the Yankees’ budget for what Miami kicked in with the trade, so there’s $7M of breathing room there. Then, there’s the $75M or so coming off the books with the free agents of their 2020 roster. That’s $83M the Yankees have to work with as a starting point, ignoring that they will probably re-sign some of those guys at lower salaries.
Sign Michael Brantley and let Gardner walk.
Judge
Stanton – DH
Fraizer
Hicks
Brantley
What do you propose they do with DJ?
What’s he got to do with the outfield?
Minor League camp still going on mlb teams are eliminating 3 to 4 teams per organization to save money due to the pandemia. They have to pick best prospects and a lot of minor leaguers will lose their jobs.
I hate to say it, but everyone seems to be way ahead of themselves in discussing the upcoming season. The best experts aren’t anticipating a sufficiently tested, safe vaccine before spring training or even Opening Day. Right now, England, France, Ireland, Spain, Germany, etc., are increasing restrictions, including lockdowns. Cold weather is driving people indoors, where dry, heated air makes the virus even more communicable., and infections are predictably spiking. I hope for the best but prepare for the worst, to the extent possible — and that includes my expectations for baseball next year.