The Yankees announced that they have declined their $3MM club option on Joely Rodriguez for the 2022 season. The left-hander will instead receive a $500K buyout and enter free agency. In another move, New York added catcher Donny Sands to the team’s Major League roster.
Rodriguez pitched quite well for the Bronx Bombers after being acquired as pat of the Joey Gallo blockbuster at the trade deadline. The left-handed had posted a 5.93 over 27 1/3 innings with the Rangers to begin the season, but then had a 2.84 ERA over 19 innings with New York. An extreme groundball pitcher, Rodriguez had a high BABIP with both teams, but reduced his walk rate and some of his hard-contact numbers once he arrived in the Bronx, though he also had a lower strikeout rate.
At the net cost of $2.5MM, the Yankees might have felt there was too much variability in Rodriguez’s grounder-heavy arsenal to count on a repeat performance in 2022. With Wandy Peralta and Lucas Luetge (not to mention closer Aroldis Chapman) all slated to be part of next year’s bullpen, the Yankees could have also felt they were set with enough left-handed relief depth.
Rodriguez’s numbers have been inconsistent over his four MLB seasons, though he has shown some flashes of quality, especially on the few occasions he has paired his big grounder rates with above-average number of strikeouts. The lefty also pitched very well with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2018-19, which drew attention from the Rangers and led to Rodriguez’s return to North American ball.
Why though?
Because he isn’t very good and certainly isn’t worth $3 million would be my gut reaction answer.
@Monkey’s Uncle- Rodriguez pitched well. I disagree. He was worth the $3 million option, especially with Britton lost after surgery. The Yankees are penny pitching now for a big fish. You can just feel it. I heard a reunion with Andrew Miller can be had. Obviously Miller isn’t as good as he once was.
I agree-but there is no room on the 40. Unfortunately he had to go.
Agreed. I was surprised because at that price, I thought at worst he was tradeable.
But there is room for a non-prospect minor league catcher in Donny Sands? Come on!
There is room for you to learn about a prospect you don’t know about..
And maybe even about a topic called position scarcity or supply and demand.
So the Mariners can take him !!!
Peralta. His emergence (along with Luetge) made Rodriguez redundant. Along with Chapman, that is plenty of LH relief.
If Cash does anything with the ‘pen it would probably be a righty to buttress the mid-relief. But there is really no need to look at external bullpen additions this offseason. Cash certainly loves his relievers. So I can very well see him taking a shot on the 2nd tier market like he did with Wilson & O’Day last winter. But that would be a pure luxury item.
@ducky. This move surprises me. He actually did fairly well as a Yankee minus the last few weeks of the season.
He did.
But after struggling to find a quality low cost lefty for years Cash hit a little jackpot last year. Luetge was a real find & I’m sure figures strongly into next years bullpen plan.
Look up Rodriguez & Peralta on Savant. They are essentially the same pitcher. I did trust Joely’s track record more. But Peralta threw better for us & costs a 2nd/3rd tier bullpen arm less. I can’t fault the onfield or financial decision.
Yeah the 5.5 mil on Wilson and O’ Day was well spent. You are correct, we’re OK with Peralta, get more offense please.
Cut Sanchez next please
Hm, interesting, since we need the ‘pen arms and Rodriguez was a good LH arm for the Yankees.
This, to me, indicates needing room on the forty-man for a pre-planned move involving Sands (hopefully not that he’s the big plan to replace Gary). Rodriguez is decent enough at that price to keep or trade him based on what he did for the Yankees.
Luetge & Peralta are projected to make a combined $2.8 mil. Luetge was much better than Rodriguez. Peralta a little better. Yanks get 2 LH relievers & save a few bucks.
I thought they would keep 2 of the 3, @Clipper. My guess was Rodriguez & Luetge. But there was bound to be an odd man out. With Chapman closing & Cortes as a swing guy we have plenty of LH relief pitching, man.
May I just say I love how the Yankee fans know who each other are and have this constant dialogue.
A number of us “know” each other from Mr Axisa’s River Ave Blues blog. I have had marriages that were shorter compared to how long I’ve talked baseball/sports/stuff with some of these fellas.
& the reality is, Yankee fans are absolutely singled out on the board. I’ve worked pretty hard for a year & I still don’t have a poster from every team in the league that I interact with & whose takes on their teams are always good.
Man. Go try talking baseball with a Ray’s fan as a Yankee fan, for example. Talk about a grudge, man.
I rarely post to MLBTR, but I have long been a commenter on RAB. What a great site until someone had to dox Mike. That was a great site but you can still read smoke on Twitter and CBS.
@tsats I’ve been a member of Pinstripe Alley since its inception and also a long time on RAB. I’ve attended games and went to local bar meets with other members.
I had no idea that Mike got doxxed. The last time I checked, Mike was running a payroll blog. I miss RAB and its quality content and comments. Game threads were so fun!
See?
One big, happy, family. Or…something anyway.
A poster from RAB stayed with us when he was in MN.
I spent almost a year arguing with that Tyler Norton guy on PSA. Dude hated me. So, so very, very much. He spent a couple months following every post of mine in order to “keep it on topic”. Which…well you know me. Tall order.
When he finally bounced me it was hilarious. None of my comments were taken down & the official reason was “ruffling feathers.” Which is awfully vague, man.
Heard he got fired for that exact same stuff.
I do wonder if the screenshots I sent to SB Nation had anything to do with it.
Yeah, that’s a great point, Ducky. I’m curious as to whom they will trade to make room on the forty-man when you look at who is rule 5 eligible.
I don’t see a CFer, a new FA SS, and 1B as we are at 39 right now, I believe. Sands is nowhere near MLB-ready, so I’m a bit confused by that.
Voit goes.
Frazier goes.
Wade goes.
That’s $8.5 mil in AAV (the *important* number to the Yankees) right there. Seeing how a Lindor is worth about 35 mil, in a sense, the Yanks have $43-44 to rebuild the lineup.
That’s a lot! & that’s also room for to upgrade CF, 1B, & SS if handled right.
If you read the “members only” article last week, you realize it’s not actually all that easy to upgrade Sanchez at C. But Higgy? Now there’s a plan. Sign Gomes, keep Phat Sancho, & live with 35+ jacks & some questionable defense.
RAB Old Timer,
DBF, I don’t think they let Voit go. He’s projected @5.4MM. It’s going to cost a lot more to improve 1B. They can live with Voit if the rest of the infield is good and playing the right positions.
SS, CF, and Pitching are the 3 areas of concern. I see Frazier, Andujar, and Abreu being released or traded as a start.
I believe Cashman is going to trade some prospects for pitching. J.Gray is a FA and could be 1 of 2 SP they add. JMO
Resign Tanaka and sign Gray
Ducky, I hear you there – what I meant was the other guys not yet on the 40, plus making those acquisitions you cited. The money side works. But, For example, Josh Breaux is rule 5 eligible, and closer to mlb-ready than Sands. There are several Milb guys like that…..
Plus, I will be shocked if they get rid of Wade. I’m convinced he has a paternity result with Cashman’s name on it….
You need to help them figure that out.
They’re obviously really confused since Sands was in AAA and Breaux wasn’t.
They must be hiding him down there.
JK – Sands is better than you think.
Ducky Buckin Fent
If you read the “members only” article last week, you realize it’s not actually all that easy to upgrade Sanchez at C.
==============================
You don’t need a “members only” article for that. I’ve been having the same argument with some of the RS fans on Vazquez’s option. The folks that want to get rid of Sanchez and/or Vazquez don’t have any plans for replacing them. Barnhart was the only one that was even semi-available, was traded anyway, and still cost $7.5M.
The rest of the FAs are BB’s equivalent of senior citizens. And the omnipresent ‘we can trade for one’. Well, not really. In theory, you could trade. But then it is either a top tier prospect(s) for someone good, or mid-tier prospect(s) for someone that might not be better than Sanchez/Vasquez.
Unless someone unlikely falls into your lap, I think Sanchez is a no-brainer for you.
@Ducky lol can you explain it one more time please the other three times weren’t enough. I agree with you as far as LHPs in the pen they can focus on other areas of concern like adding a CF that will actually play baseball not just chill on the IL all season every season like Hicks. Marte would be nice as he would fill that CF spot along with adding an actual table setter with speed to that lineup of thumpers. $10 million a year is a lot to pay for a fourth OF but Hicks just can’t be trusted at all. I wish he had some kind of trade value. I’ll never understand why he was given that long term deal without actually earning it. It made zero sense when it happened and even less now.
I tried to word it differently every time!
But…ya got me on repetitiveness.
I’m ok with Hicks as a 4th outfielder. But we just can’t go into next season with him as Plan A in CF. I do see why Cashman signed him to that deal. It’s not really working out though.
He’d be a fine plan A if they he ever had a good plan B or were willing to overpay when they don’t.
Please don’t tout Marte. A career season at 32?
No way he repeats those numbers at 33-34-35 on a three year contract. Plus, as a onetime PED cheat, he will always be under a cloud of suspicion.
Tout him I shall!
He is a top 5-10 defensive CF. He also gives us a slash & dash leadoff hitter who led MLB in steals. 5.5 years younger than Gardy.
He served his PED suspension. That is enough punishment for me. I think I may actually move beyond touting to trumpeting him. I may even go so far as to champion him.
Now what?
Sands got protected because catchers are hard to come by, and decent young AAA catchers get snapped up in Rule V. Middling relievers aren’t that hard to find, or develop.
Rodriquez did a nice job for them, but they couldn’t afford to lose Sands, a young all round catching prospect.
Does anyone know what specifically is bad about Austin Welle’s catching? He’s left handed and a good hitter, but is not considered a good defensive catcher. Wondering if he can’t throw or if he can’t block balls in the dirt? If you have info would appreciate you enlightening me.
@Gruber is a guy on the board who I have found to be extremely knowledgeable in re our MiLB teams. I am with you, @Mick. Some insight would be welcome.
@Ducky. Did a little research since post, and found out he had some arm problems that started in high school and as a result doesn’t throw well. Apparently he’s a hard worker and has improved, but jury is still out on whether he can remain a catcher. He’s tearing up the Arizona Fall League with his stick.
Thanks for the research/takes, fellas.
Oh. BTW. Did I mention that the Yanks are good on LHRP’s…??
A catcher with trouble throwing? Wells sounds like someone likely included in a winter trade package.
@Mickey777- excellent question. The lefty power bat is what will get Austin Wells to the major leagues. He doesn’t have a quick release for players stealing bases. Expect the Yankees eventually to move him to lst base. But he could always improve at catching which the Yankees are hoping for as well as the fans.
Catcher is simply not the position for players who make the best of what they have.
Mickey, he’s got fringe-average arm, slower pop time (I believe slower than 2.08), and he’s got mobility issues that some scouts attribute to the Yankees-preferred knee-down approach.
Many scouts believe he will never be a ML catcher because he simply doesn’t have the tools, whereas a few say it’s ‘possible’ but only because his offense outweighs the defensive miscues.
Now, Sands had a great season, but based on what I’ve seen and read he’s still 1-2 years (minimum) away from the Big Leagues. I’m curious what makes him preferred over the other rule 5 guys for the 40-man.
I was reading an article the other day about the Yankees catching prospects(NJ.com I think it was). They were talking to scouts and the only catcher any of them were high on (defensively) was Antonio Gomez.
Yes, that was a good snapshot of all their catching prospects and reviews from objective sources. I don’t recall where I read that either but it could’ve been nj.com.
I’m not overly concerned. Middle relievers performances can fluctuate wildly year to year. The Yankees do a pretty good job finding middle relief arms either vets or prospects so I’m ok with their decision on him
They thought Donnie Sands would be taken in the rule 5 draft. They needed a spot for him on the 40 man. Obviously, they like Sands over Rodriguez regardless of position.
There is little doubt Ssnds would have been taken. Why? Catching is at a premium. Situational pitchers like Rodriguez are much easier to find.
i dunno about that. catchers arent big selections unless they are projectable a la Torrens.
Look at the major league pool of catcher and the free agent market..
Anyone who leaves a viable young catcher exposed in AA deserves to lose them and probably will.
Sands was in AA and AAA. I think Torrens was in a ball.
He played at AAA last year, and did well. He’s MLB-ready, which is a big deal.
Sands may have been, but Breaux and others won’t? I think we lose talent either way, unless Cashman swings a trade prior to that with those same prospects.
It’ll be interesting to see, but we do tend to keep prospects for too long. If we are keeping them, give them the shot in MLB.
Good move. He wasn’t good. Yankees should look to their system for relief arms. They’ve wasted enough money on veteran arms. Their best relievers in recent memory (Mo, D-Rob, Dellin) came from their system. The only successful FA relief signing was Andrew Miller who was essentially traded for one solid year of James Paxton and several Clint Frazier cameos.
Best prospects:
Hayden Wesneski (Rule V)
Ron Marinaccio (Rule V D-Rob potential)
Deivi Garcia (40-man)
JP Sears (Lefty Rule V)
Luis Medina (40-man)
The team will most likely have another self-imposed cap. There’s enough dead money and sunk costs to drag the team down. Plus they must spend big money on the infield. Better to populate the pen and save money with these K-heavy arms. One of the things I give Cash credit for doing is that he’s done a terrific job with the farm system. If only he would implement it better.
He was fine. He was useful. He can be replaced. The Yankees have no problem building bullpens. Not worth the price tag or the 40-man roster spot at this stage.
Rodriguez pitched better for the Yankees than Gallo hit, yet they kept Gallo.
Why would they want arms in the bullpen that can actually get outs…
I see the universal DH coming with the new CBA, and Gallo should be easy to move if that happens.
Hi Mark,
Can you fix the spelling error of the word ‘pat’? It should be ‘part’ not ‘pat’. Please & thank you.
“Rodriguez pitched quite well for the Bronx Bombers after being acquired as ‘pat’ of the Joey Gallo blockbuster at the trade deadline.
Sorry, but no one in the word, besides you, is concerned about the typo.
typos really do bother many, not worth the comment, the woke cancel culture will tear up apart if you dare comment on it. besides, polishuk, obviously polish.
Seriously?
After over 50 years of rooting for this team, I give up. I guess the idea is to compile the worst defense ever and win, except for the guy that can’t hit but is a gold glover… WOW.
Take a deeeeeeeeeep breath, @Mac.
In with the good air. Out with the bad. Uh?
Cash knows he overplayed his “I don’t care about defense, I don’t care about speed, I don’t care about lineup balance” rosters. He said as much & his deadline adds shows he realizes it needs to be corrected.
I am actually excited to see how he reloads the lineup. Give it the winter before walking away.
Or not. Just a thought.