Yankees general manager Brian Cashman addressed some of the team’s important questions in an interview with Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network on Thursday (video link). Here are some of the highlights…
- Cashman indicated the Yankees are intent on bringing back second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who’s among baseball’s elite free agents, but he isn’t sure if an agreement will come together. Although LeMahieu also has interest in returning to the team, Cashman doesn’t believe a deal is any closer to materializing than it was previously.
- The Yankees aren’t yet focused on finding a contingency plan at second should they lose LeMahieu, who starred in their uniform from 2019-20 and is currently on the heels of an American League batting title-winning season in which he finished near the top of the AL MVP voting. Shortstop Gleyber Torres might be a fit for the keystone, though, as Cashman admitted, “I think he’s a better second baseman than shortstop.” While Cashman does believe Torres could continue at short, it’s unclear how the Yankees would handle the position should they place him back at second, where he played in the past. Ex-Yankee Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons, Marcus Semien and Ha-Seong Kim are the premier free-agent options at short, while the Indians’ Francisco Lindor and the Rockies’ Trevor Story are a couple of potential trade tarrgets.
- Catcher Gary Sanchez was mentioned as a possible non-tender candidate before last week’s deadline, but the Yankees instead kept him for a projected $5.1MM to $6.4MM arbitration salary. Cashman told Marakovits that the Yankees still believe in the 28-year-old, saying, “There’s certainly an anticipation and an expectation of a bounce-back for Gary Sanchez.” The GM noted that Sanchez was an All-Star in 2019 who’s perennially a 30-home run type, adding that he paced all major league catchers in exit velocity. “No one hit the ball harder at that position than he did,” said Cashman, who’s not ready to give up on Sanchez despite a season in which he slashed .147/.253/.365 in 178 plate appearances. To Sanchez’s credit, the two-time 30-home run hitter did continue to show off above-average power (10 HRs, .218 ISO). The Yankees have, however, shown interest in free agents James McCann and Yadier Molina this offseason; so, despite Cashman’s comments, they might not be fully committed to Sanchez going into 2021.
At this point I’d say gleyber at 2nd, resign tanaka, and trade for lindor.
I agree on Gleyber and Lindor, but why the hell would you want Tanaka back? His better days are far behind him. We should feel lucky his UCL didn’t tear while we had him. Time to move on.
He tailed off a bit at the end of the season, but his velocity was good and he had a 3.56 ERA.
His FIP was 4.42 though, and MLB front offices passed a rule that we have to go by sabermetrics and obey the algorithms at all times, or be banned from baseball.
Ha. About time they passed that. I thought we were stuck in the era, wins and losses for judging pitchers forever.
Torres & Lindor are both correct, Tanaka is a pick’em. It’s time to shake things up, it is broke, so fix it!
They really need to abandon the meaningless “exit velocity” stat, something that was created just for financial gain by player agents and stats-based websites. Sanchez proves once again it doesn’t matter how hard you can hit the ball if you can’t make contact. The Dave Kingman and Mark Reynolds type players don’t help you win championships. No different than a guy with great speed who can’t get on base, what’s the point?
Dave Kong Kingman – showing your age with that one. Loved Dave when he was with the Mets, he’d strike out 3 times and then hit one to the moon.
Yep getting old
It isn’t supposed to tell you who is good or who is bad based on the max exit velocity. It’s a stat that helps you figure out if a player is any good when other stats aren’t showing it.
Even in your example of great speed you know nothing until adding other stats to find out that he doesn’t get on base.
I don’t want a starting pitcher who tires at 60 pitches.
Tanaka probably won’t be worth the money he’ll get. But in any case, Yanks are not pursuing him. They are clearly moving on.
Tanaka is worth more to other teams and the Yankees shouldn’t sign any expensive pitcher unless they’re a solid 2 or better.
I agree with moving Torres back to second but would probably sign Simmons for a year and then sign Lindor next year unless you could sign Realmoto and then trade Andujar, Sanchez and some pitching prospects for Lindor.
I know the Yankees are feeling a pinch and don’t want to spend money but this is a unique time in history where a team willing to spend can buy superstar players and at the same time help the league and the other teams.
Professional leagues are making a mistake if they think the rebound will be the same no matter what owners do. There is a drug aspect to sports that can’t withstand extended apathy. At the same time there are ways to take advantage of every situation and keep fans excited.
Leagues have to resist investing in keeping fat cats fat and make sure as much as possible is directed keeping fans involved in what the teams are doing. If they aren’t playing games play up the team building..
If the Yankees put all of their prospects on an abandoned island with a baseball diamond I would pay real money to watch the practice games. This might not do more than pay most of the cost of production but it might also mean I’m watching baseball in 2 years instead of playing video games.
Anyone thinking that Andujar, Sanchez plus would get Lindor does not bother to look at the needs of both teams when proposing deals. Cleveland would never trade for or roster Gary Sanchez. The Indians value defense, especially at catcher. That is why they employ Roberto Perez, the two time AL Gold Glove winner. Andujar also can’t play defense and is at best only a DH and the Indians do not need a DH. Look at the needs of both teams! Don’t just think that teams will settle for Yankee leftovers.
Anyone who would post this answer does not bother to read what they are responding to..
I said I wouldn’t trade for him unless I could…
Just an FYI. That means I don’t expect it would be enough but that’s about as high as I would go. I’m not interested in overpaying a team for the right to overpay a player for one year without fans.
If I agreed with paying whatever it costs I wouldn’t have been disagreeing with the previous poster..
I do read the posts that I respond to. You obviously did not read or comprehend my response back to you. You made no effort to research the Indians and their needs. before proposing your package. Hence my response back to you. Perhaps you should practice what you preach.
Why don’t you just say I wouldn’t trade for Lindor unless I could get him for Yankee leftovers.
You’re really crying and wasting time posting because I was too specific? Do you have some kind of problem I should know about?
Is your day job searching for typos on Twitter or are you as unemployable as you sound?
Why don’t you just say nothing until find a clue? It isn’t my job to chew your food for you.
Emac, are you so insecure that you can’t take criticism about your comments. Fact, you failed to consider the needs of the Indians.
When proven wrong again, you stoop to name calling and put downs. You sound like a middle school student. I suggest you grow up and do your homework on both teams before you propose more trades.
I will take the high road and wish you a safe and healthy Sunday.
I wasn’t proposing a trade so taking the Indians needs into account wasn’t required to make my point and would have added nothing to the conversation. It would have also served to confuse people like you who can’t conceive of a conversation about value that doesn’t include a specific trade package even more than you are now.
I’m sorry if you feel left out or if you think I should care about your perspective on a slightly related topic but I don’t.
I call you names because you’re an idiot. Not because you’re smart or because I’m wrong.
I’ll take the low road and tell you to keep your ignorance to yourself. No one cares about your rules for engagement & you just aren’t smart enough to contribute anything of value.
Typical, classless, big market arrogance.
Classic small minded ignorance.
Sad
TBH to have the best team it’s really Trade Voit or Stanton and Put glyber back at 2b and have Dj at First
You think anyone would take on Stanton’s contract?
No chance that any team will take Stanton’s contract.
The only way you can trade Stanton is if he hits 100 homers this year.
*by the trade deadline
Not true.
You just have to add enough good cheap players to compensate for the extra money Stanton earns above his value.
Phillies not that they signed Dombrowski as GM
I think a rebuilding team would take Stantons contract if you pay some of it and throw in 2 prospects like Floriial and Schmidt.
Yes – if the Yankees would eat some of what’s not paid by the Marlins- He showed his bat is still elite. He also was a very good OF when he was a Marlin.
Might have to add a prospect but it is quite possible
Stanton is almost definitely a Yankee for the rest of his contract. No one was taking that contract before this anyway, but especially not now after this pandemic just caused revenue losses for everyone
With the scenario of trading Voit, putting DJL at 1b, Torres at 2B what do you think of signing A. Simmons for 1 year at SS? To hold the position down until the big SS are all free agents next year? Lindor, Story, Baez, Seager, etc.
If this were any normal year I would think your idea of a 1 year Simmons deal is just stupid. Even still, I don’t think Simmons will sign a 1 year deal because being part of the 2022 free agent shortstop class is not in his best interests.
I think I’d rather compete for a job next year than accept a long term contract based on no fans.
It comes down to how you think things will play out with the vaccine but I doubt he gets any good multi year offers based on significant attendance if he signs now.
If you don’t think the vaccine works you’d probably sign now but otherwise I’d lean towards waiting. Especially when you can probably get a one year deal with the same pay as the first year and a half of your multi year deal.
Going to the Yanks gives you a year in a hitters park & a chance at the world series before going back on the market. There will be more competition for jobs but a bunch of deals at 20 mil per might actually help him get more.
I also don’t think anyone but the Mets are really spending this year so being one of the few options isn’t as helpful as it usually is.
I highly doubt Simmons is going to take a one year offer. With several teams needing a SS, there will be at least a handful of teams that will offer Simmons multiple years..
The only way I could see Simmons taking a one year deal is if it is either somewhere he really wants to go, or if it is a one year deal with a sizable difference in AAV.
If I’m Cashman, I’m resigning DJL, trading for Story, and then looking at the SP market..One of Odorizzi, Paxton, or Archer should all be great fits heading into next season to pair with Cole, Severino, Garcia, and Montgomery, etc.. Then, for insurance purposes, they should also look into a few minor deals with some project guys like Wood, Urena, Foltynewicz, Rodon, or Anderson…
They could either take a rotation spot, work as LR options, or depending on their spring training outings, get some more time at AAA…
Torres
DJL
Judge
Story
Voit
Stanton
Frazier
Sanchez
Hicks/Gardner/Urshela/Lenny Kravitz
That rockstar lineup would be nearly unbeatable, especially if the Bankees could #1 stay healthy and #2 fortify their rotation and some SP depth..
The division is easily the Yankees to lose, and, as things stand right now, I really only see the Dodgers possibly standing in their way of their next title..
Who’s your back-up CF?
Tauchman probably backup CF. But your #9 hitter is either Hicks or Urshela? Are you moving Urshela a bench role?
Trevor Storys career home/road splits are concerning though. In 600 career games, his home AVG is .304, and his road AVG is 250. Homers are 84 vs 50.
Simmons had a bad year and this is probably the worst year ever for free agents.
I could make a very strong argument that he should go to NY for one year to see if Yankee stadium bumps his numbers before going back on the market next year after the vaccine.
He isn’t getting a significant multi year deal from anyone this year.
I sincerely doubt Simmons is looking for a one year contract, and his are the only thoughts that matter.
Simmons is not for this team
Agree
They already have enough guys who can’t stay healthy.
No- Simmons is not the answer- Didi reunion?
Stanton has a full no-trade and he won’t waive it.
Cashman needs to sign DJ or resign!
So resign or resign?
Terrible comment. DJ is 32. If he’s asking for big time bucks and years (ie beyond 3 or 4 years max), NY should take a pass. Go and sign one of many decent SS and move Torres back to 2B where he belongs.
It’s about time our always-injured hitters are held accountable and figure out how to stay on the field. If they can do that, DJs bat really isn’t needed. We need more LH hitters to balance the lineup too.
I love DJ but he feels like more of a luxury than a need. Starting pitching is a far greater need and it baffles me that we aren’t hearing a lot more activity on that front than DJ.
Jake, you’re firing on all cylinders tonight pal! Start spreading the news.
Well I think a lot of that is there are not really a lot of great pitchers available. Starting Pitching is at a premium, especially via the trade.
Luxury?? Without DJ team does not make playoffs last 2 years..
Best hitter in the game is a luxury 🙂 !! Score more runs and don’t try to win every game 2-1!!
no way- 5 years $100m is doable – he isn’t Derek Lowe
Not really great market for starting pitching either. Not really excited to overpay for Bauer either. Severino and German added back to rotation might help! Who should be accountable for our sluggers not being healthy?? Do we not have strength, nutrition, and training staff??
I’m certainly not a Yankees fan… but even so I really don’t think they should go for broke on DJ… he’s an aging player who yes, has been spectacular the past couple of seasons in NY… but if he gets huge $ elsewhere… he’s replaceable… it’s not really a situation where they need to do everything they can to resign him. If he winds up costing more than they’re comfortable with… there are plenty of other options to fill out their 2B/SS situation that would be just fine.
Yea signing DJ to a big contract smacks of a classic case of paying a guy for what he’s done, rather than what he’ll do…just be glad for what you’ve already gotten out of him and move on
“Cashman needs to be fired if he doesn’t sign DJLM!”
Sincerely, everyone who said “Cashman needs to be fired for signing DJLM!”
Andrelton Simmons seems like a fit for the Yankees. With or without dj
No Way!!
no- he isn’t any good – better options abound- in trades and on the Free agent scene.
Cashman is basically saying there is no chance of them giving DJL the long term deal he wants. I’m guessing they have a very competitive 2 year deal on the table for him now and might be willing to go to 3 years, but there’s no chance of New York committing to a 4 year deal for DJL. DJL is smart to stay in the market to see if he can convince a team to sign him for 4 years but it sure feels like a reunion with DJL & New York is probably inevitable unless another team gets stupid.
I have heard he wants 5 years and the Yankees won’t go more than 4.
If this is really him, he’s apparently taking things very seriously because he looks a lot thinner:
mobile.twitter.com/TorosdelEste/status/13349901523…
Wow, if that is Sanchez then he finally got the message. He looks like he dropped 40 pounds! He really needed to do that in order to stick behind the plate. Good for him (if that is really him).
I’d love to see you share a link were he’s “40 pounds!” heavier, man.
I’ll save you the trouble. It doesn’t exist. Your insistence that he’s “fat & lazy” is starting to sound like the uglier faction of red sox fans, man.
You didn’t watch any games?
Or are you saying he’s still significantly overweight?
Or are you saying weight doesn’t matter because he’s so good he doesn’t have to try hard?
I like how they’re intent on bring DJ back but simultaneously not any closer than they were last week hahahah
market is not set yet- It is not abnormal for the free agent market to take time to price- this year is unlike any we have seen. Players won’t even be able to cry collusion with the losses these teams absorbed.
If 210 is an actual mandate, I hate to say this, but it’d be a better idea to spread that money around rather than spending it all on a single player like DJ. Every prediction for his salary is in the 18-20 mil AAV range. Indeed MLBTR at 18 is the lowest I’ve seen.
The Yanks have a lot of holes, man.
This is an incredibly deep class of free agents. At the onset there was ~ 40 more available players than last year. A record number of players were non-tendered (again). & I can’t recall a bigger influx of international players.
What I’m getting at is this. 20 million in AAV seems like it would go a pretty long way this winter. I know it’s not popular, but I’d let DJ walk. Now, that’s only my take *if* the Yanks are dead set on dipping below the first CBT level. If they’re willing to act like the Yankees & spend then by all means hurry up and sign LeMahieu.
Agreed. DJ is an amazing player buy if they spread that money out and get pitching too it will work out better I think.
I don’t want to let DJ walk, but you’re 100% right. $30mm would get us a pitcher, SS (Didi?), and a C (Yadi?) to platoon with Sanchez. I want more pitching and a tighter defense. Losing wonderful DJ (and he is wondeful) still leaves NYY with plenty of hitting…
“more pitching and a tighter defense”
Boy howdy.
Defense: Wong, Nishikawa, Galvis*
These players combined will probably cost ~ what DJ will. There’s a lot of leather in this group. (Side benefits; Contact hitting. Speed. Lineup balance.)
Pitching:
This is much more difficult to address. Especially with starting pitching being the real weakness of this group of free agents & the Yankees losing 3(!) starters.
So.
I’d put a super pen together again.
A few million more & the Yanks can replace Holder with Melancon. Who is a RH Zach Britton type.
For the same expenditure they can go from Cessa to Petit who is an actual *good* multi-inning guy.
At least we’d have a couple more guys we wouldn’t dread seeing come into a game & could get some playoff outs.
At the very least we’d be back to an overengineered bullpen & lineup. Which is a good combo to win 100+ regular season games.
I really don’t know how to address the rotation without spending the proverbial stupid money. Ya know? Cole was paid to be an ace. In the playoffs ride him as such, I guess. Hope the lineup & pen can bail the rest of the staff out. Maybe?
It’d be swell to add a couple starters but if the Yankees are indeed as cost conscious as it seems they may be…well at least we’d have a punchers chance this way.
* this is what Cashman’s weird preoccupation with Effin Tyler Wade has driven me to. It’s not a pretty place.
Yankees have 1 hole glaring- 2b or SS
Now the pitching staff is a different story-
They should avoid Tanaka and resign Paxton- OR if they will be the Yankees sign Bauer.
Relief- sign Hendricks., Archie Bradley, Justin Wilson ( 1 or 2 of these)
Thankfully there are a lot of pretty good middle infielders available through free agency. That’s a big reason I don’t see DJ as some type of “must have”.
I have Bauer >> Tanaka & stay the hell away from Paxton. Very talented pitcher. Very always hurt pitcher, too.
Always liked Wilson. Hendricks stole my heart in the postseason. Mercy what bulldog. Don’t see the Yanks putting that much cash into the pen (again), unfortunately. I’d love to have him, man. & Bradley was a guy I really wanted at the deadline.
You lost me at resign Paxton.
Lindor & Plasec for Andujar/Voit/Nelson-3 Yankees under team control for a few years.
DJ to 1B.
Gleyber to 2B
Schwarber backing up 1B
Ford to the minors.
DO NOT TRADE GIO URSHELA FOR ANYONE NOT NAMED TROUT OR BETTS
Dave frost NHLPA, you trot out that same lopsided trade on every Yankee and Indian post. Here is what Baseball Trade Values says about your trade:
Lindor 36.2 Voit 18.1
Plesac 53.1 Andujar 1.2 Nelson 1.1
Total 89.3 Total 20.4
Either you just like to post ridiculous trade proposals or if you are serious have no clue about baseball.
Unless you have worked in the business,I’d zip it.
You can hold on to your little chart. Tell me,how much experience do you have with GM’s,owners,coaches,etc?
You know nothing. Try adding the projected salaries. Adding. You do that well.
You obviously have less than none GM experience because your nonsensical proposal is the worst one that I have seen on here. Years of control mean little when Andujar can’t field a position or a middle reliever in Nelson.
You want to talk about salaries. Plesac is still pre arbitration and has 5 years of control. Why would Cleveland trade that inexpensive salary?
Just stop while your behind. Have some common sense.
I haven’t worked in the business but you don’t have to when you make a trade proposal like that. If Cashman called and made that offer Chernoff would giggle hang up the phone and have Cashmans number blocked that’s how bad of a trade proposal that is Dave Frost.
There are a lot of bad trade proposals on this website, but dave frost nhlpa’s is the dumbest. And it’s not just the trade proposal. His defense of it is even dumber. There is no way anyone who has ever worked in the business would even remotely consider that trade. Voit’s a good player, but he’s not worth Lindor alone, and Andujar and Nelson don’t have high trade values right now. And then he wants to throw in Plesac on top of that. Smh.
How much experience do you have with GMs, owners, etc?
He’s right though, man.
That is a pretty sketchy trade proposal.
I get it.
I prefer the homer template of:
We trade: crappy players!
We get: good players!
As a Yankee fan, I’d looooooove that deal. It will never ever happen, however.
Ducky!!! Its Judge from the slack app and RAB. What’s up my man!!
Baseball Trade Values says Lindor for Deivi Garcia plus Tauchman would be a fair deal.
Yes, the numbers may be fair, but it would not meet the needs of the Indians. Cleveland needs offense much more than Little Devi and Tauchman is nothing more than a fourth outfielder.
You were just whining that they want defense.
Close, but I think the Indians would need to toss in McKenzie to even things out.
Thanks for the chuckle!
Cleveland is not trading Plesac, please stop with these ridiculous trade ideas that include him. He has 5 years of control left; in other words he is the perfect Cleveland player. Also, Andujar has close to zero value. That package wouldn’t even get Lindor, let alone Lindor & Plesac.
Also, you are vastly overrating Urshela if you think they should only trade him for Betts or Trout. That one made me laugh.
Zero chance of this deal happening.. terribly one sided..
You’re joking right? Urshela is an average 3B at best… he’s certainly no superstar. I don’t think you have to worry about him being traded though… he doesnt really have all that much trade value.
Average 3B?? Lmao. That’s nonsense. Have you not seen him play these last 2 seasons? He’s made changes to his approach and some mechanical changes and has hit.310/.358/.523 (132 wRC+) with 27 HR and 104 RBI and 4.7 fWAR in 175 games.. far from average. The average 3B had a 105 and 100 wRC+ the last 2 seasons.
Why would Cleveland trade Plasec. And Lindor for parts. You don’t offer anything Cleveland needs and you want 2 of their best. The Dodgers can give much more. Even Boston.
What else is there to say? The next time you post a trade for a player of Lindors ilk, you should ask yourself if what you are giving up actually costs your team something that you will miss. If your answer is “we won’t miss it but it’s valuable anyway” than it’s probably not enough.
Add in a pitcher like Schmidt or Garcia and they might consider it.
Cashman knows LeMahieu doesn’t want to sign elsewhere so he’s negotiating from a position of strength.
DJ and his agent have done a terrible job, can’t even do a good job faking he might leave.
Moving DJ first and getting Lindor would be ideal. However is DJ willing to move to first base full time? Also do the Yankees even have the pieces to get Lindor. I’m not trading Frazier. So would Voit, Andujar, Florial and two pitchers not named Garcia and Schmidt get it done? Probably not
A package of Voit, Florial, Gil and one other Top 15 prospect would probably get Cleveland’s attention for sure in exchange for one year of Lindor. Maybe Vizcaino too? The only problem is that if the Yankees want to get below the CBT this year, I don’t believe they can re-sign DJL and add Lindor’s $20M+ arbitration salary. That alone would push them over the $210M number.
As a point of reference, Fan Graphs has the estimated 2021 Yankees payroll at $180M right now from a CBT standpoint. This number includes all guaranteed salaries, estimated arbitration salaries and pre-Arb salaries along with player benefits and minor league salaries for players on the 40 man roster. So the Yankees have approximately $30M total to spend this offseason if they hope to stay below the CBT. If they pay DJL $20M/yr. that leaves them with about $10M of cushion. So they don’t have a lot of funds available to add multiple pieces to their team unless they are willing to exceed the CBT and become three time offenders. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do. One would think that they’ll need to add at least one starting pitcher to their roster too. I just don’t see how they stay below the CBT unless they trade some salary away or decide to let DJL walk.
Cleveland’s biggest need is OF. I don’t see a Lindor trade with the Yankees happening without Clint Frazier as part of the package. Florial does not meet that need as he is not MLB ready. I believe that the Blue Jays or Mets will get Lindor.
You sir are correct! It’s Lindor-err I mean- one or the other
Not the Mets. Do not have the OF Cleveland needs and Mets don’t want to trade any minor leaguers of value.
@Dorothy_Mantooth – the Yankees don’t need to resign Lemahieu if they trade for Lindor. The Yankees would just move Torres to second to make room for Lindor. This is probably a better idea than keeping Torres at short, as he plays much better defense at second base.
Spotrac has them projected at 209 million right now. Not sure how those two sites could be 30 million apart.
SportsTrac shows Jacoby Ellsbury counting for $26M against the cap in 2021 which is incorrect. That explains most of it. The rest is probably due to slightly different arbitration estimates.
Fair point, Dan. It just seems like most Yankees fans on this sight are calling for DJL to be re-signed, but your plan makes much more sense. Then the Yankees can spend $6-$8M on a FA 5th starter and leave a couple of million available for mid season trades. Very frugal for the Yankees but if they want to stay below the CBT, that’s what they’ll have to do.
Ask 5 major league accountants to speculate on the exact payroll of any given team and you’ll get 6 different opinions.
Thank you Dan!
Cleveland doesn’t need pitching prospects from the Yankees.. unless you’re mistaking a rule 5 guy to be a prospect… smh..
Florial and Gil are “pass” hard pass at that.. not even remotely what the Indians are looking for.,.
Which one of those guys is a Rule 5 player? Florial is a solid CF prospect, Gil is projected to be a solid #3 starter, Voit adds significant pop to the Cleveland lineup and a 4th player (most likely a pitcher) should really interest Cleveland. Cleveland is looking to trade Carrasco this year, after trading Kluber and Clevinger too, so they need to restock the team with young arms that are real close to bring major league ready.
Trevor Stephan…rule 5… not identified in this joke of a trade proposal..
indians have said they want a quality pitching prospect near MLB ready
@mlbnyyfan
There is no way in hell the Yanks bring back LeMahieu in order to play 1B, man. It’s his weakest defensive position. That would also negate a huge portion of his value. & the Yanks are perfectly happy with Voit there. & rightly so!
I see lots of Yankee fans moving DJ to first, so it’s not just you. But if you hold your breath waiting on it…well, you’ll never breathe again, bro.
Bring back Didi Gregorius. Send Torres to 2B.
Brian Dozier is available to play second base.
No Dozier
Cashman needs versatility more than anything. I say perform this two trades, and bring back LeMahieu.
Acquire Bell/Taillon from the Pirates, and Baez for the Cubs. Bring back LeMahieu, sign Molina, and trade Sanchez, Andujar aside prospects to those two teams for those players.
Frazier LF, Hicks CF, Judge RF
LeMahieu 3B, Baez SS, Torres 2B, Bell 1B, Stanton DH, Molina C
Cole, Taillon, Garcia, German, Severino.
That’s about it. Perhaps they can get another SP or two, to complement those 5. But they’ll be in good shape with that team assuming there’s no injuries.
That will give them;
1.LeMahieu 3B
2.Bell 1B
3.Judge RF
4.Torres 2B
5.Stanton DH
6.Baez SS
7.Hicks CF
8.Molina C
9.Frazier LF
That’s wouldn’t be too bad if the guys can stay healthy!
Batting Bell 2nd would be nuts.
Bell sucks, bro.
Molina is washed up.
Baez is the one I don’t think Chicago has any interest in moving.
So other than all that…
Molina isn’t worth what he wants at this point- better to keep Sanchez
I think so too.
Sanchez is playing winter ball, man. He’s working. I was stoked when the Yankees got Swanson to work with him last winter.
That’ll pay off.
Gary had a brutal season. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a multi-time All Star who smacked 34 jacks in ’19.
Gotta roll with him.
While I would love for them to be able to pull that off, I don’t see them being able to trade for Javy, and signing Molina is likely a long-shot. Who would be in the package for Baez? With that deal, Voit would need to be part of a trade package. No place in CHC with Rizzo there. They don’t need Sanchez with Contreras there.
If the Cubs trade anyone, I think Bryant is first on the list.
Definitely not Taillon. Dude hasn’t pitched well since 2018. You have NO IDEA what you’d be getting. No Bell either. He’s had two good months in FIVE YEARS. Don’t think the Yanks have the pieces for Baez. Sanchez and Andujar are meaningless trade pieces. Gonna have to keep them and hope they improve in 2021.
Should be able to get Taillon cheaper because of that. 2019 was a lost season with his cancer. He’s still a talented arm.
As much as I love DJ, the Yanks need to address their issues elsewhere moreso than they need DJ. Torres should slide over to 2B, and the Yanks should look at getting a player better suited for SS.
– Would love to see Didi come back to NY, or take a run at Simmons (if his price is reasonable – ankle injuries the past couple years are concerning).
– Ideal scenario: convince Yadi to come to the Bronx. I know, highly unlikely to happen as he’ll likely re-sign with StL, but that would be perfect for this young pitching staff.
– Sign a couple lower-cost starters for depth. I’m thinking along the lines of Walker and DeSclafani. Guys that have shown potential in the past, but are still young enough they could improve.
– Shore up the bullpen (surprisingly needed) with Bradley or Hand.
– As much as I would love to see Schwarber hit in Yankee Stadium consistently, there is no place for him on this roster. Stay away from him.
I agree there is no room for Schwarber, but what does everyone see in him? I look at the guy and I see another Dave Kingman, Adam Dunn, Chris Carter, and Chris Davis in the making.
Dunn & Kingman were pretty decent MLB players, man.
Carter was an excellent WR. But not such a good baseball player. & Davis…yeah.
It’s just how the game is going. TTO hitters are the most efficient way of building an offense. We can debate the aesthetics for sure. But Schwarber is definitely a TTO guy. He’s also a LHH. Now I’m not as concerned about lineup balance as a lot of Yankee fans seem to be?
I’d much prefer a good RHH than just simply some lefty bat.
In the end – however -like @Kolukonu posted there’s just no spot for him to play.
It’s just nice to have some balance in the lineup. The main inviting/intriguing thing about Schwarber is his power bat and the short porch in RF at Yankee Stadium. But again, no spot for him with this lineup, so it’s a waste of money.
Not sure why so many are eager to trade Voit. His WAR over the last 3 seasons is 11th among 1Bs, with a lot fewer PAs. Is he elite? No. But a better than league average player at his position who is going to make less than $3mil next year, these are the kind of players you keep.
The Yankees MiLB system is jam packed full of players who can step into any MLB position. They don’t need to trade for Francisco Lindor or even sign DJ LeMahieu. These players just need to be given the ABs to prove it. If anything, the Yankees are brittle and should trade off their big named but oft injured players for starting pitching.
Keep Luke Voit. He’s committed, lost weight and was the the best player in NY last season.
How are you NOT a GM with such and outside-the-box theory. You almost never see such “out with the bad, injured, old and expensive for talented, healthy, youthful and cheap” proposals, especially from Yankees fans.
Just_a_thought
That was a bad proposal from GarryHarris but to single out Yankee fans is ignorant and dishonest. I watch trade proposals on this site carefully, and about 7 out of 10 of them get panned. Another 2 out of 10 are bad but get no reaction. That’s 9 of 10 proposals being bad trade ideas. And very few of those proposals come from NYY fans. Square those facts up with your statement. It’s just intellectually dishonest nonsense stereotyping based on a handful of oft-repeated anecdotes. Fans from all fan bases make bad trade proposals. Very few proposals have any merit.
1st move is reSigning DJ is # 1, gold glove defense, plays many positions, AL batting title, should be MVP, teams can not shift against him, hits to all fields. Clearly best player on team by far over last 2 years & let’s not forget leader in dugout.
# 2 (this one will blow your mind) trade Giancarlo Stanton to Phillies now that they signed Dombrokski, he loves making deals for big time players to win now.
#3 move (not many of you will agree with me & he’s one of my favorite players but would be the best for the team……Is trade Glyber Torres, he’s not a SS & more of individual type player. Would get a great # and quality of players in return in him. NYY Current team roster is a regular season winner, not World Series. Need to reconstruct team with more lefties and less swing and misses.
#4 trade for Francisco Lindor (can include Glyber) to play SS.
#5 trade Cuban Missle – his best days are behind him. Free up salary & get younger closer
If I could send Stanton to the Phillies for a Salma Hayak autographed picture I would. But I think we are stuck with Ellsbury part 2.
#1 Agree, but not at all costs. DJ rocks and losing him very much hurts this team, but that does not mean overpay when there are other holes.
#2 You might be mind blown by the actual definition of mind blowing… Stanton trade suggestions are as common and mind blowing as finding pavement in NYC.
#3 I see how Torres has significant trade value, but it’s at its worst, so not a smart time to deal him. Plus, in what world is he an “individual type” player. Now that comment is mind blowing to me, thank you for saving #2.
#4 Love Lindor but how is one year of Lindor worth Torres? Especially at the salary those expect Lindor to receive? This is such a short-sighted suggestion
#5 Name a team that will take him, his full salary, and pay respectable value for his on-field services. I’ll wait. The odds are, the Yankees would get a poor prospect return, have to pay salary, and then need to replace his production for less than what they saved from the deal. I put my money on the likelihood of that being pitifully low.
I would like to see NYY go big and trade for Contreras. They need consistency behind the dish.
As all world DJ has been for the Yankees lets remember he will be 33 years old next year and signing him to a four year contract will hurt the Yankees even more as they continue with having aging players with big contracts.
I feel the best bet is for the Yankees to look at Cleveland or Houston for either Lindor or Correa to play shortstop pounce on either one right now as both teams just don’t have the leverage due to not only are they 1 year rentals for the time being but most importantly they cant command a lot of prospects for them for the reason I explained as well as the uncertainty of COVID as President Elect Biden did state if it continues to spread he will look for mandatory lockdown from all states which then will put into flux spring training and regular season starting late again which again means these aforementioned clubs can’t request too much talent back with this uncertainty.
Think more in line with what the dodgers gave up for Betts at the time before Covid now enhance that uncertainty and if I’m Cashman I pounce right now and start with an offer of Miguel Andujar, Florial, Abreu, Schmidt for Correa or if they do sign DJ then look to the Indians in trading Luke, Miguel Andujar, Schmidt no matter what Cleveland & Houston will have their hands full because there are so many shortstops to pick from right now at cheaper options and next years Shortstop class of Story, Lindor, Correa will be deep which puts the clubs in a bind accept an offer right now of lesser package or lose them just for a pick.
As for Tanaka it is time the Yankees move away from him unless he is willing to come back at a 2year contract or the Yankees can go after Jake Odorizzi.
I wouldn’t trade Clint Frazier as the Yankees will need some low cost players to balance their ballooning contracts they have doled out including to Hicks whom again is still till this day not healthy on that elbow and that massive contract to Stanton that they can’t trade unless somehow Stanton has a change of heart and would like to go back to California and look at the Padres where the Yankees can pick up a bad contract from them like Hosmer but that is in a dream world.
Again Yankees should go hard after Lindor or Correa move Gleybar to 2nd base and not resign DJ if they go after Lindor they have a lefty bat to help out if they go after Correa then they should try and sign Joc Pederson whom can then Mann any Outfield Position.
Listen, I’ll make it real simple. You re-sign DJL you have 4 infielders & 3 positions -because none of them can play short- so somebody has to go. The general consensus is to trade Voit but I think the better option is to move Urshela & put DJL at 3rd. Unfortunately that still leaves us w/o a ss. & there’s no money left to get one, well let me rephrase that, they’re not willing to spend the money to get one. It’s quite the quagmire, I can’t wait to see how Cashman weasels his way out of this one.
Which is why resigning DJ at say $21 million going into his 33rd Bday although he has been great could backfire then best bet is to trade Luke while he has value or Frazier but I rather the Yankees keep Frazier use the money that they would have on DJ to get a Joc Pederson get a Correa or Lindor and upgrade on pitching if they move Urshela you still would have the problems existing on Shortstop with Gleybar and now a hole at third base.
Now they are looking into Bell/Tailion at Pittsburgh which then would mean they would flip Luke to the Indians & Andujar,Adam & add say Schdimt to the Indians for Lindor.
If the Yankees sign DJ they are on record stating that would be their big move which I feel its a mistake they can bid adios to Tanaka,DJ,Gardy and replace them with Lindor, Pederson & Odorizzi.
Its going to be interesting because no one knows what will happen due to Covid and these teams that have these star players for their last year will have to make a decision to either strike a deal immediately or let it ride out but again what if Covid goes onto next year and pushes back spring training and MLB Season is now pushed back and reduced then these teams that have have these players wont have an upper hand.
My guess is there will be a flurry of moves the next two weeks and these free agents will start to sign quickly and not wait around because teams have also lost alot of money and not sure if attendance will be at 100% or even 80% next year to begin as well.
Nobody wants Stanton’s contract. Give it up Yankee fans.
I said the same thing with complete confidence a few days before the Yankees traded for him. And here we are. Maybe one day somebody else will be as stupid as Cashman and make a deal for Stanton.
As a Yankees fan if the Yankees resign DJ I have no doubt they will fix the shortstop predicament. How many times have we heard Brian Cashman talk about tightening up the purse strings and then a month later make a huge splash in free agency.
It’s becoming harder and harder to listen to Cashman. I wonder how long it’s going to take Hal to realize that he needs to shift course.
In Cashman’s tenure every time the team has had a need he goes on record stating he would like to upgrade and then does the opposite his latest was getting Stanton when he was a luxury rather than a need they had no need to get Stanton and pair him with Judge as they were the next Road Warriors of baseball and him to Hicks another paper thin Outfielder.
So watch Cashman in turn get Hader the lefty Reliever from the brewers instead of pivoting to get a shortstop and move Torres to 2nd base.
Why are Yankees fans hating on Stanton? Did any of you see the playoffs last year? He was their most dangerous and imposing batter. This is a team that was one run from beating a really good Rays team. Stanton hit 6 HR in 26ABs and drove in 13 runs with a .308 batting average! There are people in this thread that want to include prospects in a package to unload his salary?? I’m glad none of you have Cashman’s job!!
Not hating on Stanton whatsoever but he is injury prone and there was not a need for him when Cashman traded for him as him and Judge together those two big guys when they are healthy without a doubt are dangerous but that is the problem “when” is the big issue he had a great playoffs but his contract amount does not warrant what Cashman did in trading for him that is the issue.
Fine I guess. But he is here now. Including prospects in a salary dump trade compounds the “problem”. When Stanton was healthy, he was the MVP of the NL and the MVP of the Yankees post season. Adding depth to the roster beyond Gardner, Tauchman, and Ford is a great idea. Yankees were 5-15 during that awful stretch when Judge, Stanton, and DJLM were all injured. Suggesting that we can’t add roster depth without using the farm system to “unload” Stanton’s salary is silly. We aren’t the Seattle Mariners for crying out loud.
No one is taking Stanton’s salary. Will people stop suggesting that…
its great that Cashman calls the players for their shortfalls, but what about his???
Cashman is reliable to always get Relievers and has had success finding under the radar deals like Luke, Gio to name a few and as for starters normally goes and gets #4 or #5 type starters.
Yankees have a need at shortstop & starting pitching currently he will go out and sign or trade for three relievers and bring in another DH type player
Our franchise is the envy of the sports world and Cashman has a lot to do with it. When you are negotiating a used car sale, you point out the scratch in the paint to the seller even if you really want the car. Cashman has not been perfect, but he is really really good. Look at moves like not signing Robinson Cano and trading for Luke Voit, and trading then resigning Chapman and bring back a haul for the organization. We are lucky to have him!
So, you think he’d be successful on say the Royals? Indians? rockies? mets? tigers? rangers? and of course the Rays?
all of whom have been to the WS at least once since Cashman the genius has sniffed t.
Ask yourself how much those teams have to spend on payroll, scouting, development, analytics and facilities.
Cashman is an average GM at best. The stats prove it.
Actually I wouldn’t say he is the best GM and even the GM of the Rays have had hits and misses along with the Genius Theo and Friedman of the Dodgers are we basing it off only getting to the World Series or still being the only professional team in all of sports that still has posted the longest winning season in history of all professional sports combined.
Cashman has his faults without a doubt and has made some signings that make no sense like Ellsbury, Trading for Stanton, HIcks deal is not looking good right now, Severino is not looking good.
But the Yankees have won 4 titles under his leadership and year in and year out he has found some good under the radar signings and trades from Tauchman, Luke, Gio, DJ signing
HOw many Gm’s have won four titles since he has come on board?
He did not win 4 titles nor did he build those teams.
He’s average and that’s it.
He’s wins some deals but despite unparalleled resources has really on won what matters once.
Quick name one high end SP he’s developed
I believe Cashman is letting everyone know (without spelling it out) that the Yankees have an absolute upper limit they will go with DJL. This means that while they likely will get “last at-bat” with him and his agent, they will not top all bids if the high bid is too rich for their pocketbook (in their estimation).
Yes, agreed….that’s pretty much the way the Yankees do business and good or bad, depending on how emotional you get over DJL on the team in the future or not, they have an upper limit on #dollars and years that they will be willing to pay.
Interesting that he pretty much is dictating how the Yankees conduct business in this off season or at least it seems to be….if they don’t sign him they just may get really serious about Lindor quickly which may mean moving some current bodies on the team to create the money room to do so.
As much as I admire DJL, imagine having a switch-power hitting, Gold Glove shortstop at the top of the lineup (assuming they can sign him long term) for years to come, with Torres at 2nd base. Might be very interesting!
Yankees biggest issues throughout the years in the playoffs has not been the pitching it has been their hitting of all and nothing and exit velocity but you can’t generate exit velocity if you are missing the ball.
The Yankees need more professional hitters that will cut down and move the runners if need be when you stack a lineup of all hit or miss generally you will fail come playoff time.
Without a doubt DJ is that professional hitter you can count on but he needs more help and only way it can happen if they sign DJ is expand a bit more the payroll and get yourself Lindor whom in 3140 AB’s/496 K’s only.
Signing DJ and live with Torres at shortstop again is not the best way because of Torres footwork at shortstop its best served if they sign DJ move him to first and move Torres to 2nd base get Simmons for defense at shortstop.
Again replace Gardner with Tauchman or Joc or even shock everyone and sign jackie bradley jr j.k.
I would take jbj jr. Left handed bat and probably one of the top defensive players. Plus Hicks is always hurt. But he probably wants to sign somewhere with a guaranteed starting job.
Simply put… And it’s sickening!
Hal has put the #1 focus of needs on hold while waiting to see what happens with just ONE player…DJLM. It’s extremely frustrating.
The Yankees #1 need is proven starting pitchers and relievers, not DJLM! Yes, I’d love to see them sign him but, at what cost already?!!!
There will never be another time or year where excellent proven pitchers will sign on the cheap as of right now.
It’s a shame a ton of pitchers are already GONE!
Hal actually thinks he can sell Yankees fans that in house unproven pitchers can bring it in 2021. Really? C’mon!!!
Even if we sign DJLM, without any proven pitching, the Yankees will not even make the post season in 2021.
If Hal wants to stay under $210M, that’s his call but, STOP saying to Yankees fans “We will do whatever it takes to bring #28”!!! Yankees fans are not idiots!
Funny how Hal boo hoo’s about how much $ he lost last year. Yet, he won’t even think to mention the richest team in baseball (worth over $5B) was worth half of that (about $2.5B), what, 7 years ago or less?!!!
I don’t see Hal doing anything but dumpster diving once again.
EXAMPLE: He just picked up Nestor Cortez Jr. AGAIN! WOW!!! Over a 15.00 ERA last year and almost a 7.00 ERA for his career… Great pick up, huh?!!!
Too bad Hal won’t sell the team to someone like Steve Cohen!!!
What a boring mlb off season. Every year same thing, takes forever for these free agent signings.
Yanks are well aware they have never sniffed a WS appearance ever, without baseball’s top payroll by a good margin. Every winter there’s rumors the yanks will get compliant with their spending. They won’t because they know they can’t compete spending the same as others.
All of these comments about not keeping Tanaka are trash. If the Yanks can get Bauer then sure, he is expendable. Cashman has always said Tanaka is a solid number 3 starter which he is. It seems top tier replacements are not available this year so keeping best available is a must. Tanaka knows he’s not worth premium pay so let’s be realistic and understand Tanaka can compete. Pay DJ, keep Tanaka, trade a Frazier package for Lindor sign Schwarber(spelling) and get rings.
Fair enough but we really need premium SP over an elite SS. There a ton of good SS available next year as well. Creativity and SP are cashman’s Achilles heal. I have no faith in him. None
I agree with you.. SP has always been a need that has not really been addressed other than Cole who feel into Cashman’s lap. Happ and Pax were busts, German couldn’t keep his hands to himself, Sevy and Montgomery were hurt and Tanaka decided a 90 mph 2 seam was was good idea. On paper Cole, Sevy, 93mph 4 seam Tanaka, German, Montgomery all healthy are better than really good. I’ll take lefty bats in the AL East over more pitching if they lose out on Bauer.
We can come on and steal a catcher for next to nothing. Chance Adams from Baltimore. Do it!