The Alameda County board of supervisors voted (by a 4-1 margin) Tuesday to join the Athletics and the city of Oakland in the team’s attempts to construct a new ballpark at the Howard Terminal site in Oakland. The county’s agreement is non-binding, and as Annie Sciacca of The Bay Area News Group explains, many steps remain before construction can or would actually begin on a new A’s stadium, or how financing for the development project would break down between the county, city, and the team. Still, “I think our willingness to at least go further based on the motion gives the county the opportunity to do more due diligence around this,” supervisor Nate Miley said.
More from around the American League…
- Carlos Santana will require 4-6 weeks of recovery time after receiving a PRP injection to treat a quad strain, the Royals first baseman tells The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, which should give Santana plenty of time to be ready for Spring Training. Testing after the season revealed that Santana had a Grade 2 quad strain, and Santana said he’d been playing on the injury for the season’s final six weeks, since he hurt himself trying to beat out a grounder in a game on August 23. Even prior to the quad injury, Santana’s performance was already tailing off badly, and the veteran slugger’s first season in K.C. resulted in a career-worst .214/.319/.342 slash line over 659 plate appearances. Santana is set to earn $10.5MM in 2022, the final season of the two-year, $17.5MM free agent pact he signed with the Royals last winter.
- November 19 is the deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, and the Orioles are one of several clubs facing some tough decisions about how to protect and who to expose. Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com believes that since the O’s have something of a surplus of infield prospects, any excess infielders (such as Adam Hall or Cadyn Grenier) could be more likely to be left off the 40-man.
- The Yankees’ huge arbitration class includes Gary Sanchez (projected to make $7.9MM in 2022) and Luke Voit ($5.4MM), who each somewhat fell out of favor in the Bronx. The catching market is thin enough that The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler doesn’t think the Yankees would non-tender Sanchez, yet cutting ties with Voit isn’t out of the question, as New York is looking to make its roster more athletic and versatile. One would expect the Yankees to once again explore the trade market for Voit rather than just let him go for nothing, as while Voit’s 2021 production was down sharply from his 2018-20 numbers, he still managed above-average offense (109 OPS+, 111 wRC+) even while batting multiple injuries. That said, if an acceptable trade offer couldn’t be found, Voit wouldn’t be the only first base-only slugger to find himself non-tendered come arbitration time, as teams have trended away from somewhat one-dimensional players with limited defensive capability.
“I think our willingness to at least go further based on the motion gives the county the opportunity to do more due diligence around this,” supervisor Nate Miley said.
———-
Gosh, Nate. Contain your enthusiasm.
The Yankees priority number one move is to make sure Sanchez is not with the team next February. Trade Sanchez for a bucket of balls or just outright DFA him. It’s time to remove him from the Yankees. The Yankees need to be much stronger up the Middle and hopefully a new SS and Catcher moves them in the right direction
From the outside it certainly looks like it could be a addition by subtraction type thing.
Brewers should be interested in Voit.
Baseball Prospectus is regarded as having the best catcher-evaluation data around. Sanchez overall comes in at 11th in the game. He won’t be cut. The position is very weak. My guess though is they will move on. He’s a good change-of-scenery candidate.
Would Voit,Nick Nelson, and Debbie Garcia be enough for Josh Hader from Milwaukee? The Brewers are not gonna want to pay Josh.
*Devi
Can’t picture the Yankees just letting Sanchez or Voit go. Sanchez has little trade value but he can be moved considering how thin the catching market is. Voit has some value due to his bat and will have more if the NL gets the DH.
No.
So everyone else, who evaluates the game & Cole doesn’t have him catch for him, and not playing in the playoffs but 1 article list him as 11, you back keeping him. Also can you send the link for that article please
No
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
Debbie just might seal the deal
Just think what could have happened when Girardi tough loved Sanchez. Had he worked hard, he could be the beast we thought he’d become. Only way he’s tradable in my view is if a team still thinks they can motivate him so he wants to learn. He’s getting expensive for many teams as well
Look at the catcher position without offensive numbers and let me know how Sanchez rates. A cinder block would stop more balls in the dirt.
Those are three 40 man roster players from the Yankees, so no. It means the Brewers would have to drop two players from their 40 man, so your deal isn’t “real”. Maybe there could be a three-way deal involving those players; but no one ever accepts 3 roster players in exchange for one star,
Not even close. Let’s see, can we package a guy we will likely DFA and who is about to turn 31, with a middle reliever who is almost 26 and has absolutely sucked, along with a former phenom who had a 6.85 ERA in AAA this year, for the best reliever in baseball who still has two years of team control. Yeah sure, the Brewers would go for that.
Voit was benched down the stretch. He’s constantly injured, is slow and a terrible fielder. They tried to trade him but couldn’t.
Nelson is a dime a dozen.
Garcia is a train wreck.
Did you want to throw in the rights to Jacoby Ellsbury too?
Just take a gander at where Sanchez stands offensively compared with other catchers. There’s a reason he’s nominated for a Silver Slugger this year (although he certainly shouldn’t/won’t win it). It’s because even while subpar for Sanchez, he’s still one of the best offensive catchers in the game. McCann isn’t even close.
Sanchez WAR 0.7.
OMAR Narvaez 1.5
Manny Pina 1.3
Why on earth would Milwaukee want Sanchez?
There were 15 catchers who played 80+ games with a higher OPS than Sanchez. When you factor in his horrendous defense there are many more better than he is.
And how is this season subpar for him? Last year he had one of the worst offensive seasons for a catcher in 50 years.
Well he’s 16th best offensively and he’s 137th best defensively so when you average it out …. He’s 11th.
I think we’re alone now…. That Debbie ?
There were 15 catchers who played 80+ games with a higher OPS than Sanchez. When you factor in his horrendous defense there are many more better than he is.
================================================
I think the more important factor is, how many of those guys are available?
If Barnhart is available, that might be discussion-worthy. But the way I see it, your choice is between Sanchez of the 34 year old Gomes, who had a .631 OPS last year.
He was talking about Debbie Boone.
outright DFA him
=============================
Okay, I’ll play. After you non-tender Sanchez, who catches for you?
@joe Brady
Robert Perez, Tucker Barnhart, Yan Gomez. They won’t be long term answers, but then neither is Sanchez! If you expect the pitching to improve, get a real catcher
Who would/could/should they get to improve at catcher?
They could target Barnhart. He has a club option so he may become a FA. Have to wait and see.
Even Gomes would be an improvement. When the pitching staff doesn’t want to pitch to someone it’s time to move him.
Perhaps the Yanks will upgrade at catcher.
I get it. A struggling Gary Sanchez might be the most difficult player I have ever been compelled to watch. & he’s been such a disappointment overall.
I know a lot of my fellow Yankee fans are anxious to move on from Gary. However, I can guarantee that Cashman won’t be Revenge DFAing him. Upgrading him isn’t as easy as a lot of takes make it seem.
I think Voit is probably the one of the two who is gone. Rizzo probably ends up with a LeMahieu/Donaldson type deal. Meaning to go from Luke to Rizzo will only be ~ $10 mil difference. Cash traded for him. (& not a catcher.)
Count me as one of those fans Ducky. Trade, not DFA. I’m so over Sanchez as our catcher. I don’t think it’s necessary all his fault with all the coaching changes. A change of scenery would do him a world of good.
@Ducky, we’ve been over this before. We got to get a catcher who has the mobility to block balls, especially in the dirt.
I’m a big fan of getting Tucker Barnhart. He’s won 2 gold gloves in the same league as Yadier. We get a good defensive catcher and bat him ninth, then upgrade at SS, 1B, and the outfield offensively and defensively. Trade for Keitel Marte or sign Starling Marte for CF and trade for Matt Olson or sign Anthony Rizzo. At shortstop I lean towards signing Cory Seager, he plays short for a year or two and then moves to third.
It’s not just their offense that was disappointing in 2021, their defense was considerably below average and their base running was not major league.
Mickey, if the Yankees break the bank for a big name SS, I’d have to go for Correa. Seager, even though he’s a lefty, has a bad injury history. I’ve also seen a lot of analysis on him mentioning how slow he is. If the Yankees are trying to get more athletic, Seager isn’t the way to go.
You have the Yankees giving up prospects to get Barnhart, K. Marte and Olson, and adding at least 60 M in salary, without even addressing their pitching. The salary cost would be even more to add S. Marte and Rizzo instead of K. Marte and Olson. Do you really see that happening?
I’m never opposed to improving anywhere in the entire organization.
I’d have to see what else transpires before judging anything. But adding a guy like Barnhardt or Hedges is – quite frankly – a step back at C. Unless it was replacing Higgy. The offense was our biggest problem. Sanchez was one of our only above average hitters all season.
We will see what Cash does.
But DFAing him because fans are mad or frustrated with him won’t be one of those things.
@lordd99 posted above that he’s ranked as the 11th best catcher by BP. That isn’t all that easy to upgrade. If a change at catcher is a must have for you, there is an excellent chance you are going to be disappointed come spring training.
Bazbal, that isn’t entirely accurate. Though Mick’s scenario is a bit over the top, you need to figure Sanchez and Voit’s salaries would be moved. Also close to 30 million comes off next year with Britton and Chapman’s contracts ending.
@bazbal I agree with you especially about the SS. No way they spend on one of these FA SS. They have multiple options in the minor leagues so much so that they can afford to wait another year if need be. I think they should definitely explore another catcher but I have to think that Matt Olson is the guy that the Yankees are looking at after next season along with a bunch of other clubs. He’s the total package at first and we all know the A’s have zero chance at retaining him with the type of money he’s gonna get. But for me right now it’s about pitching but I think Cashman is gonna stand pat. I think the Yanks are gonna try to sell the fanbase on Severino, German, and Montgomery being key pieces along side Cole while hoping they can fill the rotation out with a couple of young guys. I’m all set with Scherzer especially after he claimed to be tired after pitching 4.2 innings and another inning in relief during the NLCS. A vet like him should have been able to go as much as needed in that spot. The fact that he couldn’t makes me wonder if there’s something up with his arm.
You could be right, Joe. Correa is more athletic, but we really need a dangerous lefty bat. Both players are a little injury prone, especially Seager.
Probably not, but the SS, catching, CF, and 1B problems are more pressing than problems with their pitching, particularly if Severino makes a complete comeback.
Cheaper solution sign Rizzo and Burkhart(he won’t be particularly expensive if the Reds don’t pick up his option) and take a stop gap SS like Freddy Galvis. This is a more realistic assessment, but it’s very very early in the off season and optimism is king!
Gary Sanchez is better than any available catchers in the FA market this year on offense. Yan Gomes is probably the best overall C. However, I must say, if they go that route do not give up Sanchez. It must be Higgy that’s replaced. Sanchez, even in this down year, is still one of the best offensive catchers in the league. If he gets right, he’s easily top two.
Keep in mind, I say this being one of the fans that would prefer consistency in Contreras over Sanchez. I also believe we only trade Sanchez if it’s for an upgrade at C.
For those Yankees-haters that say “no team would want him,” they are disillusioned. Teams would love to have him with his offense and potential, and they would probably be the first to buy his jersey.
Potential?
OPS .730 and .618 the last two years.
War 0.7 and -.3
He is 28 years old and his career WAR is 11.7.
His career playoff OPS is .602.
What is this potential you speak of?
And what will Olson cost the Yankees?
Better get the lube ready. It’s gonna hurt.
Mickey, contrary to popular belief, Seager isn’t injury prone, and certainly not as much as Correa, who has back issues. Seager’s two most costly injuries were TJS and a broken hand from HBP. Correa has the following issues:
– Nobody knows how good he is without cheating. His metrics offensively are based on lies.
– Correa is large-framed and stiff. He will need to move to third at some point just like Seager.
-Correa’s had injuries as well, remember he cracked a rib getting a massage?! Plus, he also has a bothersome back. Playing SS with a bad back is not going to age well, particularly at his size.
Yankee Clipper, I always value your input! Thanks for the details on Seager’s injuries. Only disagree with one thing you said about Correa, he’s a good/very player we know that based on what he’s done since the cheating. I’m concerned that his “big mouth” might make him a real liability in the Big Apple.
Realistically, I would go with a stop gap SS and spend my money on CF, 1B, and catcher. Hopefully it will prove to be a very valuable and interesting off season. I hope Cash and Hank are willing to spend this time!!’
Have you seen play. He literally loses games. Laziest player that infects others. Pure cagada.
mlbnyyfan – agreed. What I don’t understand is that Sanchez will get a pay raise. No matter how crappy a player becomes, including bad seasons, he gets a pay raise through arbitration. I’d think they would choose to have Sanchez get a pay cut and refund money from past seasons. A guy can’t hit his weight and can only play catcher on the field, and he sucks as a catcher, still gets more money. Just ain’t right.
And players like judge can hit over 50 home runs while management pays them league minimum so I have no issue with players getting arbitration raises based solely on years in the league.
The billionaires can’t have it both ways. The millionaires are the ones providing the entertainment.
Yankees are well known for over paying their arbitration eligible players, even when they don’t deserve it.
Darryl, Judge has played only 2 complete seasons and hit over 50 home runs once. It’s not like 50 home runs is his normal season. He has been given pay raises because of positive performances when he is out there. Sanchez has had two decent seasons in his career and the rest have been worthless. He has always sucked as a catcher and is no longer worth jack-diddley-doo as a DH and you want him to have more money?!?!? I am a firm believer in a player earning the money, not because he simply shows up, waiting for a handout while the Yankees wait for him to get off his *ss and do something. Sanchez has had more opportunities to prove himself than most terrible players and he continues to fail. He is to the Yankees what Matt Carpenter is to the Cardinals. No pay raise in my opinion, more like a pay cut. Whatever money he gets is wasted and could be spent on someone who will provide a better chance of winning games.
I don’t disagree with your logic or assessment but that’s not how the CBA works. Players get taken advantage of in the early years and get rewarded later.
As long as you are just good enough to remain on the roster you will get your annual raises.
Last season Sanchez had arguably the worst season in 50 years. His salary went from $1.8 million to $6.3 million. That’s the system both owners and players agreed to.
If the Yankees don’t like it they can trade or release him but a pay cut won’t be an option.
I get it, I just don’t like it. Unfortunately, I live in a non-union real world where you earn your money. Baseball is not real world. Thanks for the input, my friend.
It’s the billionaires team. Getting paid to make money for them is capitalism.
And speaking of up the middle they also need CF. Hicks should be the 4th OF, as they cannot rely on him.
But… Gary Sanchez has more career WAR than Wilson Contreras! If that doesn’t prove WAR is a junk statistic I don’t know what will.
Really? On what planet is 11.7 greater than 16.9?
And 2 people upvoted your nonsense.
It’s outrageous that the taxpayers, many of whom couldn’t care less about baseball in general or the A’s in particular, should be asked to subsidize the money-making venue for Fisher, the billionaire heir to the GAP fortune. Doubly so in view of the way that piker has underfunded the team. Any politician who votes for this should be voted out of office. The stadium-building scam has been exposed for decades yet it continues unabated.
They vote on this issue, but it never seems like anything ever gets decided. The A’s just need to end the charade and move to Vegas already.
Pretty much. I’d like to see the A’s remain. I think a good location and a corresponding financial commitment will drive attendance. That said, this has been going on too long.
I agree 100%
Yeah, the A’s and MLB are getting frustrated. But this keeps the sausage making of the process going.
Get rid of Beane ball and go back to their roots. They are a historic franchise and they need to start acting like it. That’s how you draw fans. Look at the Giants, the Dodgers, the Padres for crying out loud.
Fans want good players to root for long-term. The Rays style system is very difficult to employ and increase a fan base. Why? Because they can go right down the road and watch the Angels who have Trout until he’s 70, or the Padres with the culturally relevant Tatis, or the Dodgers who have, well, everyone, and the Giants.
You can’t become more athletic and versatile yet still keep Gary Sanchez.
Well, actually you can if you add even one player who’s more athletic and versatile.
Going through the motions to convince the fan base that they tried. Everyone knows they’ll eventually be in Vegas…
“New York is looking to make its roster more athletic and versatile.”
So make trades with teams looking to be less athletic and versatile?
The A’s can move to Nashville.
tv market less than 1 mil. might as well move to green bay.
Nashville – I need baseball in my future P/T habitat. And if they can play the Yankees there, even better yet.
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of travelling across the USA and parts of Europe for much of 25 years. I totally love Nashville. It’s definitely one of my 3 favorite cities in the USA.
Nashville is a good town and Tennessee is a great state. The only thing that can make it better is Major League Baseball.
I want MLB , and Manfred to force the move of the Oakland A’s to Vegas asap . More foot dragging , and hold ups . A stadium in that area is useless with no parking , and Bart line to that area . They voted to waste more time , and get nothing done .
it is mind boggling how so many people complain about no BART service to the Howard Terminal area… it’d be less than a mile away. Can nobody take a 10-15 minute walk to get somewhere anymore?
Some people in are older and perhaps you have noticed older people do have difficulty walking a mile or more. I assume you are a younger person though with no concern for those less mobile in than you.
electric shuttles will do.
This is childish on top of being intellectually dishonest: no concern for those less mobile in than you.. Tool.
This is a business opportunity for short-distance shuttles, rickshaws, or something.
I’m over 60 and go on 4-12 mile walks everyday at 4 Mph. If they can’t walk 10-15 minutes they can watch the game on TV while they wait for death to arrive.
Mind you its Oakland so they could be robbed 12 times in 15 minutes.
Ok put me down as undecided.
I wasn’t going to say anything, for fear of sounding judgemental, but pretty much, yeah. I understand that some folks have health issues, and some folks will be 85 and maybe a one-mile walk would be difficult. But what percentage of the A’s attendance will that be? If you are 65 and can’t walk a mile, you generally have more serious issues to attend to beyond attending an A’s game.
Past that, I assume the A’s or the city could chip in a few bucks for a small jitney to ferry the disabled and seniors.
Yeah my comment was more banter and not meant to be taken seriously but I agree with you. It would be a very small percentage and no is obligated to provide access to everyone. Most of us live in parts of the world where we don’t have access to live MLB and we survive just fine.
We could use a MLB team in Pensacola preferably the White Sox!
Yankees could define its get some return for Voit. It would be irresponsible to just cut him lose with nothing in return
I agree. Typing is sometimes can difficult be.
Hahahaha.
That Stu makes me laugh.
Cashman is a fool is he offers a contract to Sanchez.
A .210 batting average, massive strikeouts and inept defensive skills make him worth nothing.
What facts — not wishful thinking (analytics) — would make a rational person thinking Gary will improve on his recent numbers?
*if he offers….
The suggestion to non-tender Sanchez is pretty meaningless without a suggestion to replace him.
Perhaps the new hitting coach could tinker/fix Sanchino’s issues at the plate. Of course adding a prospect or two with Gary could net the Yanks a decent front line catcher. Got to make a fair deal with the other team or they won’t bite. Maybe adding Gil or a pitcher like J.P. Sears who needs to be protected for rule 5 could entice other teams.
Sanchez has been disappointing, no doubt. However, like the piece above mentioned, the catching market is thin enough that the Yanks could at least flip him for something, albeit likely nothing of note, but something nonetheless.
Hey maybe we can get that Angels pitcher back. My brain is treating him as he who shall not be named.
Logic suggests he won’t get any better but on the positive side he has a very strong arm and can hit 20-25 home runs. He will be resigned IMO and then traded I’d they can upgrade.
And I stated his positives because it was a lot less typing than to state the negatives.
We need at least 5 more committees to take 6 months to generate a “non binding resolution”. Ain’t it great?
A’s are gone – this is just for the Oakland politicians to save face and say, “we tried.”
It’s just the same chewed-up rhetoric the A’s have been hearing for years. I am not even an A’s fan and I’m exhausted by it.
Uh huh, sure, I mean, that’s why NV Gov Sisolak just said this, right?:
twitter.com/2Legit2Quit_Cat/status/145381439798650…
“1) Says it’s not over, but looks like a deal has been struck with Oakland
2) It felt like A’s were using them as a stalking horse; not sure if A’s are right for them
3) No appetite for subsidy to A’s … says they are on their own”
Voit to KC
Voit would be a warning track hitter at the “K”.
It’s not a standard softball field that most AL teams have.
Yankees stadium is far from a softball field. In fact, they measure out to be middle-of-the-pack, maybe even 15, for field size. It’s the corners that everyone talks about, but that’s not applicable to the entire field. So, anywhere BUT the corners and you’re looking at an above-average sized stadium field.
How many home runs are truly hit right down the line, and by Voit? Exactly.
No way KC take Voit with Pratto banging down the door at 1B
Well he played just 63 games in AAA. HE put up solid numbers but he’s still a prospect. And prior to this season his minor league stats were not very impressive.
Meanwhile over 5 MLB seasons Voit has an OPS of .867.
Whoa Darryl! Slow your roll, my friend. Remember, it’s only Yankees fans that overvalue prospects, not all these other teams!
Awawra: Pratto has potential, that doesn’t translate to performance. He basically had a good Covid length season, in AAA! That’s vastly different with a full-length MLB season.
Hahaha. Yeah I always chuckle at that criticism of us Yankee fans when in fact it’s every teams fans who think a top 100 prospect means Cooperstown.
The parochial NY media overvalue NYY prospects continually..
What? So it isn’t true that the next Jeter is 2 years away and the next Mantle is 3? Bernie Williams 2.0 could be back up as soon as next season.
Sadly the next Pedro Martinez had an era around 6.42 in AAA last year. But you just wait until he fixes his delivery, puts on glasses and can actually see the strike zone next year.
Voit and Sanchez both make a lot of sense for the Brewers. Looks like a potential blockbuster! Voit would also be a great fit for KC (I think he might be from Missouri)
Voit makes sense as a RH platoon 1B, if they don’t have to give up anything to get him. Sanchez makes no sense at all. Narvaez is better and cheaper.
The problem with everyone saying the Yankees need to trade Sanchez is if Sanchez has no value to the Yankees, why would he have value anywhere else?
What team is going to want to downgrade defensively at a premium defensive position just for the possibility he might hit .190 with 25 Home Runs? If thats the case Mike Zunino should be the most sought after Catcher in Baseball because he can’t hit, has power, and is one of the best defensive Catchers in the game right now
As I mentioned earlier, the catching market is thin enough to be able to move him. The return will be minimal, but he is tradeable.
Because everyone saying he has no value is meaningless.
Best defensive catchers? Zunino? No, actually he’s not. People often mistake his defensive rating to translate directly to defense. The problem with that is that much of Zunino’s defensive rating stems from two categories (although valuable) that have little to do with actual defense.
First is pitcher staff handling.
Second is framing strikes, which could just as easily be attributable to the pitcher. Both can impact a game so they deserve credit but should not be combined with defensive ratings.
Sanchez’s defensive metrics take hits in both those areas. So, Zunino isn’t as good as his numbers project defensively, and Sanchez isn’t as bad as his numbers project defensively (although he’s still not good). That is why many teams would take his offense even given his defensive ratings.
I don’t understand why people blame the city of Oakland for the A’s stadium problem. They have had the worst string of owners since they left KC. They don’t want to market the team. Building a new stadium won’t solve attendance problem. The Giants were able to sell out Candlestick. It made the Coliseum look like heaven.
Why should the tax payers fund millionaires? Enough
Because they do it in all areas of life. Always have, always will.
Why should the tax payers fund those who don’t want to work?
I wonder if guys like Sanchez, Voit, and maybe even Gleyber Torres would hold “change of scenery” appeal to a team willing to acquire all of them. They all seem like guys with upside, but not sure how long NY wants to wait to rediscover it.
Maybe a deal could be made with Chicago for Willson Contreras
So the fiasco in Oakland has been going on for what, 300 years now… and they get a non-binding vote that might sorta kinda have a positive effect on something maybe?
Progress.
Those dang Spaniards wouldn’t even fund a dome.
Yanks won 92 games, they are not that far from being a championship team. I would get Seager at SS, and add Rizzo at 1b and put DJ at third. They can trade Voit, and Sanchez and add either Zinno, Barnhart, or Perez.
The Rays will pick up Zunino’s option. And I would go with these moves:
Seager/Story (unless they don’t agree in years or $, in which case trade for Cronenworth or DeJong);
Rizzo for 3 + team option (unless Olsen trade doesn’t strip the farm);
Starling Marte for CF (- Ketel is valuable but he’s NOT a CFer, his metrics there are not good);
And either keep Sanchez and pick up complementary Barnhart/Gomes, or trade for Contreras.
If they can accomplish any mix/match of those moves I think we’ve made our roster much more balanced on both sides of the ball compared to ‘21.
Trading for Olson and Contreras will definitely deplete the farm system, which is not that deep to start with. Odds are you are not getting rid of Sanchez in either trade. I suppose Voit going back in a deal for Olson is possible as the A’s would need a First Baseman, unless they let Seth Brown takeover. I don’t see the Yankees making either trade.
People are overestimating Cashman and definitely overestimating the demand of the Yankees players. Hal has minimul interest in spending big money. All the players the Yankees acquired in trade were paid by the teams that traded them (except for Clay Holmes). Maybe the Yankees re-sign Rizzo, but probably only if he gives them a discount. I expect much of the same roster they played last season with will be the one they open next season with
Re Yankee spending the argument last season was resetting the luxury tax so they could go over it this year.
So if they aren’t big spenders this year after a reset then this will be the new norm where in the offseason we spend $300 million of Hal’s money but Cashman finds spare parts from the junk yard to complete a roster.
Do we all remember Harper vs Machado? We spent the entire off season debating which made the most sense and some of us felt the need to get both. Then the next season it was Corbin.
Personally I won’t he stunned either way whether it’s a big time shortstop or someone from the trash bin who can’t hit their weight.
My money is on a trade with St Louis for DeJong. He is exactly what the Yankees thought they were getting with they traded for Didi. He will be a good bridge to one of their prospects. Highly doubt they chase a top end SS. They will have to shed one of their anchor contracts first. Probably DeJong for a middling prospect or the Cards eat a bunch of his contract and get one of their solid young pitchers. The Yankees need a speedy OF who can stay healthy. A backup catcher decent enough to start 100 games if need be and a lefty workhorse for the rotation to go with a SS.
My picks would be Duffy for the rotation because Ray will be too expensive. Bring Rizzo back for 1b. Send Voit back to the Cards for DeJong if they get the DH. Sign someone like Joe Kelly for the pen. Bring in some cheap OFs like Billy Hamilton and Jacoby Jones on minors deal and see who sticks. Even though we all know Cashman will sign Schwarber for the OF and will trade Frazier for next to nothing and then he will have a breakout season elsewhere while staying healthy all year.
Just no no and no to Billy Hamilton.
He’s 5 years from being anything but a DFA.
DeJong would be a possibility if they don’t chase a big time free agent.
Does Oakland even want a MLB team?
Yankees should definitely tender Voit. If the NL gets the DH several teams would love to have him. Definitely worth a $5m gamble. They should keep Sanchez as well. He is a paycheck player and FA isn’t too far away. Look for him to be in the MVP conversation his walk year. They should think about bringing Romine back. Really liked him as the backup and he had a couple solid seasons with the bat for a backup catcher. Could choke Cashman for leaving Torrens unprotected in the 2016 rule 5. He is starting to figure it out at the plate and will be a solid starter in Seattle for years.
I can respect your optimism but seriously Sanchez as an MVP candidate?
It’s been forever since he was any kind of a threat at the plate and entering his season prior to free agency is not going to matter. Pitchers figured him out and his days of being a serious threat are long over.
He has the strength to muscle out 20 mistakes but otherwise I wouldn’t expect anything more than we have seen. Huge strikeouts, passed balls and wild pitches, occasional bone head plays you wouldn’t do in little league and complete lack of hustle. That appears to be his ceiling.
Just no no and no to Billy Hamilton.
He’s 5 years from being anything but a DFA.
DeJong would be a possibility if they don’t chase a big time free agent.