APRIL 5: New York has formally selected McKay onto the 40-man roster. Fellow reliever Stephen Ridings was placed on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
APRIL 4: The Yankees are acquiring reliever David McKay from the Rays, report Ken Rosenthal and Lindsey Adler of the Athletic (Twitter link). The right-hander will be added to New York’s 40-man roster. It’ll be cash considerations heading back to the Rays, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
McKay, who joined the Rays in February via minor league deal, had already been reassigned to the minors. With the Yankees willing to give him a roster spot the Rays were not, Tampa Bay will flip him to a division rival with a clearer path to big league time. McKay does still have a minor league option year remaining, so the Yankees can shuttle him between the Bronx and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre all season.
The 27-year-old has appeared in two big league campaigns. He suited up with the Mariners and Tigers between 2019-20, tossing 26 2/3 innings over 26 appearances. McKay pitched to a 6.08 ERA in that time, walking an elevated 15.3% of opponents. To his credit, he punched out a strong 28.8% of batters faced, albeit with just an 8.6% swinging strike percentage.
McKay owns a 4.82 ERA in 46 2/3 Triple-A frames, but he’s fanned an excellent 36.5% of opponents at the minors’ top level. The Yankees will add him to a righty relief group that thinned out a bit over the weekend when New York shipped Albert Abreu to the Rangers for catcher Jose Trevino.
Strange trade partners.
Why?
Because while on the surface, the player’s be cut seems first, look no further than Whitlock and the Red Sox last year. While that was not a trade, it shows how an intra-division trade can have extra ramifications.
I have a feeling we’ve been getting our pocket picked. #NYTankees
I’d expect Baltimore and Pittsburgh fans would tell you that you have no idea what tanking is.
And to quote Inigo Montoya “You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means. “
Inconceivable.
Joe, he went after another beard. It’s a thing, I’m telling you…
Here we go again, we don’t need starters, as we have an over abundance of relievers. And this continues Cashmans MO of loading up on marginal players that he’s scraping out from under rocks To see what sticks. Quantity not quality must be Cashmans scene now. Even the Rays didn’t want this one, and didn’t get anything back for him either, that says it all.
Why are your feelings so hurt?
Tampa took care of a player they ended up not needing. Tampa has more depth than the NYY.
Your insight is truly unparalleled.
His insight is better than most. This is what good (ie: decent) teams do for players on minor league deals who are being offered spots on the 40 man by other teams. Rays have done it many times in the past, and they do it because it’s the decent thing to do for a player who is a fringe player.
So the $240 million payroll isn’t enough for you? I guess you want to be like the Mets and just throw money at everything with a heartbeat? Dude all teams make moves like this get over it all you little whiners on here complaining about every little move the Yankees make are sad already. If the Yankees did things the way you jackals want it done they’d have a $400 million payroll and zero prospects in the system. I see nothing wrong with their roster as it currently sits and trust me there are teams that would love to have what they have. They don’t need another starter at some point you have to trust the young guys as depth to see if they have it. Cole, Monty, Severino, Taillon, and Cortes is nothing to sneeze at.
I’ll settle for a $300M payroll.
I’d consider that a start, YBC!
That JoePos piece was good. Thanks for letting us know.
Atta boy.
Until 2018, the Yankees had paid a payroll tax *every single year*. Just think about that for a second. Every year.
Again, I gotta tip my cap to the NYY Spin Machine. I can’t count how many times a Yankee fan(!+?), has posted, “but we have to reset the luxury tax, bro.”.
Uh. No. We actually don’t. Yet I see that sentiment all the time.
New York is one of the richest cities in the world. There is more competition for the entertainment dollar in NYC than any other place in the US. Of course we need an expensive, entertaining, star studded team to attract those dollars! Burn past the luxury tax!!
Dr., the team spends $200m +, sometimes to balance it out you have to search under rocks. Look no further than Bloom last year with Whitlock.
I agree with you Dewey, they do have a large payroll. it’s just the way they spend it that I have some issues with.the rotation has needed some reinforcements ,and thus far nothing at all has been done.
They are relying on a group of injury prone pitchers which is foolhardy imo, and the offense needed beefing up as well, and they didn’t do enough improve an area which has been their Achilles heel for the last few years, especially in the postseason. They are counting on the Resurgence of a number of hitters from last year, which is again a big if in my opinion.
Yeah, Cashman really struck out big time on Urshela, Green, Loaisiga, Voit, Hicks, Cortes and Holmes. Why he makes these marginal trades I have no idea……
Full out Wilpon move ?
Yes indeed. Typifies this off season.
Power move.
another beard eliminated
Cashman will not rest until all players are baby faces.
The front office wants Yankees to look wholesome like clean-shaven Mussolini, not unwholesome like bearded Abraham Lincoln.
He doesn’t care about the rotation; never has
He did in ’20 & it was a complete bust. 40% of that rotation was knocked out by March. Plus Happ was a dud.
I see his reticence when it comes to adding SP.
Hasn’t worked out for the little shaver.
Who? Lol
Rather have gotten Jim McKay
In that case, McKay=Decay
Keep in mind the Yankees payroll for this season is north of $250M, so those who are complaining about Hal/Cashman being unwilling to spend are incorrect. Their biggest issue is that they are saddled with 3-4 high priced, long term contracts for veterans who they can’t move and if they re-sign Judge, that will make future moves even more difficult for the Yankees. Like it or not, this is the direction the Yankees chose to go in. If their young SS and pitching prospects don’t pan out, the Yankees are going to be in trouble come 2024 & beyond. Their high priced players will be in their mid 30’s and with no salary relief available, they’ll have to wait out those big contract expiration dates before they can start adding quality players again. 2022-2023 are huge years for New York as it feels like these are their last two seasons to truly compete for a World Series title before age and injuries catch up with them.
I don’t think they’re in that bad of shape Dorothy. Cole is the only 30+ million guy. Miami is paying enough of Stanton’s contract that it may be long but not over expensive. DJLM is on a longer term contract but only at 15 million per year. Every one else is either signed short term or low dollar amount. Judge will be a big expense but it’s the Yankees. There’s no reason to have a low payroll.
@Joe, you’re correct. The Hal model is fairly disciplined, which is what annoys many fans. He’s the opposite of his impulsive father. George never saw a prospect he didn’t want to trade, while Hal could be over compensating for his father and covets his prospects because they’re low cost.
Financially, the reason they wanted Donaldson is because he’s off the books in two seasons. Rizzo is gone after this year, or the following season max. Chapman is gone after this season. Gallo is gone after this season. Severino is gone after this season or next. Basically the long-term commitments are to Cole, likely Judge, although assume nothing until signed; Stanton, who has a hardly outrageous $22M luxury tax hit; DJLM with a $15MM AAV; and Hicks with a $10MM AAV. They’re doing exactly what they did heading in toward 2017. Clearing many high-priced players off their books, and then begin to incorporate the next wave of prospects. Volpe, Peraza, Dominguez, Wells will all be blended in with the big names, just as they did five years back with Judge, Severino, Montgomery, Sanchez, etc. A sustainable winning model if that pull it off that fits within the luxury tax boundaries. Funny thing is, the Red Sox are mimicking the Yankees model now. They’re not copyng the low-cost Rays. They’re copying the high-payroll Yankees. They’re trying to avoid the boom-bust cycles while maintaining competitive teams.
Will the Yankees be able to hold Judge better than the Red Sox were able to hold Betts? I’m not necessarily convinced. There is a price where they walk away. That’s what really is annoying Yankee fans. They hate the financial discipline.
They hate the financial discipline.
====================================
Some people would equate that with being cheap. I have no issue with teams getting under the cap every three years, but the NYY have by far the largest revenue base. Sometimes you need to blow up the payroll.
The Red Sox didn’t want to hold Betts. Trading him, or anybody, at 30 was the best move.
@JoeBrady, completely agree. When the Red Sox had a good team and were falling short in the postseason for a couple years, they upped their payroll, added a few pieces led by JD Martinez, and they had a championship. That’s where I’d say Hal falls short. He needs to break from his financial models when the opportunity is clearly there.
George’s undisciplined father turned an investment of $8.5M into a $4B property. He understood what the Yankees were and the market they played in, and he lived by the adage: “It takes money to make money.” His return on investment seems to have more than validated his approach.
$36M in arbitration, maybe $32M for Judge, $15M option on Severino, and $142M already committed. That’s $225M, and need to replace Chapman, Gallo, and Taillon. They pretty much have to blow through the cap again. Which is fine. But so far, Hal doesn’t blow thru the cap as dances around it.
Yes, but that is part of Steinbrenner the Son’s planning. I’m not saying I like it, but I can see there is a very clear plan in how they operate.
He will exist above the luxury tax line most of the time, but he will build in a plan to retreat every two to three years. We saw the retreat in 2021, and now he’ll sit above it for a couple to three seasons as that will encompass the last two seasons of this “win now” window. He’s also very unlikely to go above the $290M line (or whatever the highest threshold is) that will impact draft picks. So he (really Cashman operating with the budget Hal outlines for the next several years) will move talent in and out based on their salary commitments but mostly on length of contracts. He’ll absorb higher contracts, such as Donaldson’s, as long as the yearly commitment isn’t long. Within two seasons, they will start moving the minimum-wage prospects in as they did with Judge and company beginning in late 2016. Just as they traded and paid down part of McCann’s and Beltran’s contract, they may do the same with LeMahieu and Hicks in a couple years. They may take a breather in 2024 or 25, with a plan to be competitive again the following year. He has a blueprint they ran once before, and it’s not difficult to see as a Yankee fan watching their moves that they’re doing it again.
Miami is paying only $30M of Stanton’s contract: $10M in each of his age 36, 37 & 38 seasons. That’s not much on a contract that had $295M remaining to be paid when Cashman traded for him.
Eh, the biggest problem is having over 30 million tied up in Chapman and Britton, and that isn’t long term.
Marrying Judge is a must.
Chapman is as good as they come. Look at the all the elite closers making his same salary. Britton unfortunately got hurt but he worth’s his pay when available. The pen is still very good. The problem is Torres and Sanchez regressing. Otherwise, JD and Rizzo wouldn’t be needed.
There’s just no reason though to have that much sunk in to 2 relievers. And while Britton is good, he’s also Brittle and it was a risky deal.
Ok Ducky. Season starts Thursday, I’m repeating my bet, The Yankees will be in the top 10 of runs scored this year. What do you guys think?
I agree. With the dejuicing of the ball a new direction was needed. I mostly like what Cashman did this offseason.
Joe, I like what Cashman did also it’s what he didn’t do that upsets me.
There are a couple of things I don’t like. A good #2 starter and Semien. I was annoyed about the catcher but I’ve eased off of that. Higgy has supposedly been working with Donaldson and his bat has been outstanding. I also like the catcher from Texas over the other guy from the Twins.
I’m definitely a member of Team Donaldson. He has edge, he’s still good, and I don’t have to worry about facing him. He’s always been a pain to face. I’d rather he be our pain.
As for Higashioka, we’ll see, but I’m always cautious about players remaking their swings. Then again, that’s exactly what Donaldson did when his career took off.
@Mickey777 –
I am with you completely on that. I like all his acquisitions. On the surface he “won” all his trades.
But in the end, I just see a bunch of shuffling things around. I’ve a hard time seeing how we kept pace with everyone else in the East.
Top 10? That’s an easy yes. There’s only 30 teams. The Yankees will be in the top 5.
Wouldn’t surprise me, RobM. Ducky is more worried about their offense than I am. The offense is improved a little and their defense has improved a lot! The SPs overachieved last year and there are innings to replace, so I guess my biggest concern is their starting pitching. Would still love a true 4th outfielder.
Donaldson, a full season from Rizzo, a full season from Gallo, the return of Hicks will all improve the offense. I’m also expecting a bounce-back seasons from DJ and Gleyber. The former was injured, and Gleyber finally seemed to decide he wasn’t a HR hitter midway through last season and his numbers over the last two months were good. The catcher’s spot will be a back hole, unless we want to believe in Higashioka’s Babe Ruth spring. I don’t!
I get Ducky’s concern, but the offense will better than he thinks, while the pitching may not be quite as strong as he hopes. A lot of the analytics models like the team quite a bit, which is not surprising, since it was assuredly built with analytics. The problem is the games are played on the field, not in computer models.
They should be a good team though.
I agree with everything you said, would dearly love a true 4th outfielder.
I may be simply overreacting to last season’s brutal showing with the bats, Rob. Could very well be!
But one thing I want to add, is that I – typically – have a pretty good batting average whenever I make really staunch stands in re the Yankees.
If Hicks can make it, we will have enough offense. If he doesn’t though – & his record is quite poor in that regard – we are then counting on a number of things to go right with the bats. I am an Aaron Hicks fan. Saw him come up out here. Was at Target Field when he supermanned out there in CF for the best defensive play I have seen a CF make while I was at the park, serious.
But banking on his health seems like neglectful roster management to me.
I understand we’ve a good club. Pitching looks good. Bullpen is a monster. Defense looks great. I just have a hard time – however – not seeing this potentially enormous hole in the bottom of our lineup, man. & I am just looking at career marks there. Maybe one of our 47 batting coaches will coach Higashioka/Locastro/Kiner-Falefa/Rortvedt up , or whatever.
I absolutely hope I am wrong. I hope we put up a thousand runs.
But I feel Cash failed me in re our annual deal. I’m good with him as long as he brings back a better club to open the year than what we closed with. Hey. It’s a lot easier to improve a 70-80 win club than it is a 90-100 win team. I’m not insensitive to that.
However: I don’t think he held up his end of the bargain this time though. & that bugs me. We’re about to find out.
In no particular order: 1)LAD, 2)TOR, 3)TAM, 4)NYM, 5)ATL, 6)BOS, 7)NYY,8)SDP? It’s all about run differential today.
Cash finds arms. They may not win CY Youngs, but they get you through those tricky spots in a game.
Stuff like this doesn’t offend me. Ask any team whose QB gets hurt- there’s no guarantees in sports. You hedge your bet where you can.
Nice list. I think some people don’t realize what a good offensive team Tampa is. Glad you included them!
Cash considerations? Why not? The Rays basically live off of revenue sharing from the Yankees, and national TV contracts that exist because of the major markets led by the Yankees. This simply represents a direct transfer of money.
Typical NYC is the center of the universe take. Clown comment.
It’s not?
The Yankees spend plenty of money. But sometimes they make odd choices,
That’s for sure Mike.
M’Kay…
Are ever the actual “cash considerations” amount ever publicized somewhere?
Yes it was 1 dollar(true) and i think the Yankees overpaid again
They do but it’s reported late kind of like PTBNL where nobody notices.
Michael Kay says McKay.
So what do teams who receive cash considerations typically do with this unreported money? How do they usually reallocate it?
In this case it was one dollar. So im guessing the cheap owner put it in his pocket
I think they overpaid for him him
He’ll use that to get another free agent
The Yankees have missed the playoffs 2 times since 1995… it’s been a long time since the Mattingly days when Yanks were garbage. Granted we haven’t won since 2009, but the Yanks are far from in any trouble at all. And the richest baseball franchise. It’s nice to always win and we always win. Ask when the last time we were in last place. Let’s see how the Mets do with all the $$$ that they spend.. 1986 ring a bell! Lol
Cash, I said BRENDAN McKay!!!!
Give this a read folks:
joeposnanski.substack.com/p/american-league-east-2…
Quite interesting , but is this guy trolling us , what am overally optimistic it might I even say unrealistic view of my Yankees. He might bass this on static numbers alone, but I don’t think he watches the team every day like many of us here do, In which he might have a different impression
He’s a KC fan I think. I’ve read him for a long time and I consider him to be one of the best baseball writers. He’s well-respected among peers kind of like Peter Gammons. A lot of tongue-in-cheek but that’s his style. 92-70? I think they’ll do better.
You’re not implying that’s Samuel, correct? You know, the uber troll.
Hmmm….
I hope so, but the question is how many will Tampa, Boston or Toronto win?
I hate that Posnanski isn’t with the Athletic anymore. He’s easily my favorite Yankees hater. About a year ago he did a series of articles on the best players not in the HOF. Great read if you can find it.
Somehow the Rays will still manage to win the deal. Ticking time bomb? Manchurian candidate? Sleeper agent?
When players get traded for “cash considerations ” , normally what is the amount?
I’ve seen $50k but usually $100k-$250k.
I think the player’s should have to pay for it. Garnish their wages until it’s paid off.
I didn’t think it actually cost anything…I though they, ya know, just considered costs, since it’s cash *considerations*. Think about it –
Well that takes all the fun out of it.
I always pictured some dude in a black suit & Ray-Bans travelling clandestinely by train with a suitcase stuffed full of cash.
Oooohhh, and there’s a special “drop” location, with voice-scrambled tech phones used, & Jason Bourne gets off of a train at some point in the middle?
Hadn’t actually thought it that far through. My version is decidedly low tech, however.
Phone booth? Admittedly, you may be (ahem) a tad smidge older than me, kind sir. Just two or three….generations
Yeah. Like that.
McKay is a spin rate darling.
He relies on a two seam FB (71.4%) & a curve (28.6%). His FB spin rate is ranked in the 78th percentile while his curve ranks in the 98th(!).
I see why the Ray’s grabbed him up.
& you know Cash & relievers, man. He has a developed what is quite possibly a bit of an addiction with them.
It’s not just spin rates, but release and arm angles they’re focused on, giving batters different looks. Loaisiga, Holmes and now the newly acquired Miguel Castro are all righties who deploy sliders (a new obsession of the Yankees post the sticky stuff crackdown), but from three different arm slots. Expect Castro to put up the best numbers of his career with the Yankees as they’ll maximize matchups. Castro is an improvement over Abreu within the Yankees system. Meanwhile, expect some regression from Joley on the Mets now that he’s out of the Yankees bullpen system. McKay is AAA bound, but he’ll probably be getting some big outs for the Yankees over the long summer. Tampa deploys similar bullpen techniques as the Yankees. They just couldn’t keep McKay. The Yankees under Cashman build bullpens as well, if not better than any team. They do it so well that I wonder if the negative is they don’t focus as much as they should on adding another pitcher to the starting rotation!
Good post.
Savant lists him as throwing a curve, however. Minor detail though.
But, yeah. Cash has new & different bullpen fetishes now. He also has new fetishes with the type of position players he goes after.
I have absolutely no question that our bullpen is going to be a force. It is all kinds of stacked.
Ducky, I’m not sure what McKay throws. I’ll “worry” about him if he makes the team!
In general, the Yankees have become increasingly focused on adding sinker/slider type pitchers post sticky stuff, or helping current pitchers incorporate sinker/sliders. That, and increasing verticals movement. The varying deliveries and release points lead to different views for batters. Johnny Lasagna is 5’11” while Miguel Castro is 6’7”. A fastball up and a sinker away from both pitchers will look and feel quite different to the batters.
Touche`.
I was just hitting the high notes on what I’d quickly found over on Baseball Savant*.
Lately, I have been looking at bullpens the way I do position groups in football. Meaning: more how the individual pitchers compliment one another as opposed to looking at them as a collection of individual pieces.
I noticed that from the right, Green, Loaisiga, & Holmes all were all distinct looks. From Loaisiga’s power sinker/slider mix, to Green’s high spin rate FB, to Holmes’ low spin sinker/slider/curve mix we definitely had some good variety.
My solution to providing more of that diversity was much more simplistic than what Cash has done. I thought maybe he’d go after another RH reliever that is side-armer, or an extreme slider guy, maybe a pitcher who throws a split FB. Like that anyway. But you have it. Cash did it via arm angle/extension/release point. I like the thought process here with McKay because a high spin rate curve could provide another of those counterpoints.
*A little over a year ago, a couple of the young scofflaws on the board got me going to Savant. I rarely go to fangraphs or Brooks anymore. If you haven’t checked it out, you may be interested.
I don’t believe we were disagreeing. If anything, we are probably the two most pro posters here when it comes to the Yankees bullpen construction. I do have Savant on my go-to list. I’m not sure I’ve used it to replace Fangraphs. It’s just yet another site for my baseball-obsessive mind! I will say that Fangraphs is not as strong as it was under Dave Cameron’s editorial leadership, but still has value.
Beyond the bullpen, I think Blake has overall done a good job with the pitching staff, but I’d still like to add a true #2 or co-#1 with Cole. The best move the Mets made was adding Scherzer to deGrom. If they stay healthy, they’ll be formidable in the postseason.
I don’t think so either.
I just like all the pitching dork material that’s out there now. So we can really start to understand random things like FB’s that “play up.” We all knew it existed. Now there’s a a little tiny corner at Savant that measures extension for *every* single pitcher. 30 seconds or whatever. Every pitcher & wether it plays up & by how much. I love that stuff.
D’accord.
I think it was the mail bag, but Mr Dierkes mentioned that we made a competitive offer to Verlander. He also noted how adding Verlander to what we have now would change the entire complection of our team & the perception around our off-season. He’s right about that.
Ducky, you see the stats on Trevino? Like, BP has him top three in MLB on CDM, FRM, & FRAA – Top 3! He matched Contreras’ WAR with just something like 1/3 less innings played and terrible offense. I had no idea his defense was that good. Don’t get me wrong, we need offense, I hate that he can’t hit & it’s stupid we aren’t getting guys that can, but I was just ignorant to how good this guy’s defense is.
Here’s a quick summary on the matter too:
bronxpinstripes.com/yankees-stats/jose-trevino-a-y…
@mlb1225 posted his stats in the article’s comments. No doubt, his glove looks superlative.
Thanks for the link.
I was wondering where you were ducky on this. I am inclined to agree with you once again. I’m not worried about the bullpen at all. But I am worried about the starters ,the durability ,their injuries, and the position players and can they hit enough to overcome the other teams in our division. A lot will have to go right in order for that to happen.
And in my opinion Cora despite his cheating, is a far superior manager than Boone, and it gives Boston the edge over us.
I don’t have a problem with anything Cash has done. I feel like Falvey & Levine snookered him a little. But – in the end – I have no problem with what we sent out & what was returned.
A durable, above average mid-rotation starter would have been a really nice finishing piece to the staff. We have tons of bullpen depth. We also have some health questions in the rotation (everyone does). All that depth can get burned up pretty quickly via bullpen games. A little overbuilding may have been in order (think Manaea.) But our staff – as a whole – is a Very Good one.
& yeah. Would have liked to see some more offense. But I have beaten the hell outta that dead horse.
Let’s keep kicking it, this is fun. Should’ve bought or traded for a SS. Should have a starting catcher too. We cannot have those questions year after year through our window knowing what our weaknesses are, when those very positions are significant contributors to our weaknesses.
Follow me down this rabbit hole for a sec: So, you have a leak in your roof but you know getting a new roof is gonna cost a ton. You can patch it, but it’s still gonna leak at some point, and you’re in your storm season. But instead, Cashman just put on some upgraded, widened gutters, & even spent some good money to refinish the ceiling that was stained & rotting, while adding some nice crown molding to finish off the room.
But he Gorilla Taped the raised 6-feet of shingles & sprayed Lysol on the black mold spreading within the attic, saying, “Well, this is only the third year I’ve had to deal with this problem, but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna work this time because I used more tape. If it works, I won’t even have to buy a new roof for another two years!”
Yeah. I just don’t really see how he fixed anything.
The bullpen is now terrifyingly a bit deeper. Good work there. For real. The rotation is the same, however. One could even argue that Kluber was not replaced. Although, I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. Sevy = Kluber. He’s the high ceiling bounce back guy of ’21. But still: zero dollars invested there.
The defense will be worlds better. The offense could actually be worse, though. Looks like Cash wants to be a pitching & defense kind of team. Which all kind of reminds me of those slap ‘n’ dash teams of the 80’s. Which didn’t work.
No doubt, you always rave about Cashman’s BP and were adamant that he would address it – you were right these past two offseasons. You also said that he would be reluctant to address the rotation, especially in light of their performance last season *w/o Sevy *. Right again.
So, defense is notably better, offense is equal if we are being kind. Here’s where I disagree with most of my Yankee fan counterparts: I want to believe the offense will bounce back; but if I believe we will have such positive regression, I must also assume that the aberration of Judge & Stanton staying healthy is likely to have regression as well, if I’m being objective. Then, Hicks? I won’t believe he can play 100 games or more until I see it & even then I’ll say it’s a miracle – that’s a pipe dream.
So, most objectively, even if DJ & Torres have some positive regression, Hicks makes 80 games, & Higgy’s balls finally dropped, we must assume one or both of Judge & Stanton will be out a portion of the year because that’s Yankees stasis. That’s not going to be improved offense because Judge & Stanton are the offense, & Gleyber will never be what he was on offense without Manfred’s super ball.
Now, Sevy, man. If he’s healthy, I think we have a solid #2. I know that’s a bit high on the expectation scale, but the operative qualifier is, “if he’s healthy.” If he is, the rotation is a notch above last year, imo. If he’s not, it’s a notch below due to the loss of Klubot.
Relief corps? Yeah, man, they’re solid if they stay healthy – downright nasty. I actually got Castro mixed up with Mychal Givens. Castro is a pretty nasty thrower when he’s on. I’m confident that was a really good move for our ‘pen. Plus he meets. Cashman’s prerequisites: he’s 6’7” tall, throws 100mph, & had a beard to shave…
I agree with you Clipper, nice analogy by the way about the leaky roof. I think we’ve all said a number of these things before ,too bad Cashman doesn’t read this.
His team could be mighty good if all the pieces fall right, but as you Correctly noted the chances of that are slim to none. And you’re right about Sevy, he could be a great number two, he could also be a number five this year just coming back from his injuries, or he might only make 10 starts and then are where are we.
It was real foolhardy to not get some major league depth for this rotation. As I’ve noted this before, Cashman must have a lot of faith in his coaches both pitching and batting because it seems to think that’s going to solve all the teams woes, which he had even acknowledged last year ,but paradoxically did very little to re-dress. Other than some small fixes here or there.
He’s waiting till the trade deadline, so he can evaluate what he needs(and get it for half price). I think it’s a risky move maneuver because we could be out of it by then, but obviously he doesn’t think so
Wouldn’t mind seeing Cash make a late off-season contract offer to Brett Anderson. Make it a lucrative MiLB deal like he did with Gonzalez. 100 or so above average innings & he’s a guy who you could run out there in a playoff game & not be embarrassed. Still out there. His price – which hasn’t been onerous in years – has to be coming down. No prospects. No multi-year commitment. Minimal impact on our CBT status.
At least it would be some type of investment.
When Creasy was brought in to reform our conditioning, we were told it would take three years to start seeing the results. In a way, Covid may have sped that process up. If you are not familiar with him, Google him, Clip. I don’t think you are a stranger to the gym or working out. Pretty interesting stuff. I do believe he’s having an impact. I think Judge & Stanton are early returns on that.
But this has been my Biggest Complaint for years with Cash/Hal. They never seem all that interested in adding those finishing pieces. Dodgers do.
Look. Trade on of the prospects for Naquin. Sign Anderson. In AAV that’d add – what? – seven mil? I understand that with the fine/tax it’ll be more like $10MM.
But just look at how much stronger that would make our rotation look. Not only do we have Sevy back, but we mostly replaced Kluber’s innings too.
We will certainly be more visually appealing.
But. I have watched some Yankee baseball over the years. Ya know what always plays for us? More than “pitching & defense wins championships”, or those old Go-Go Yankee teams?
Power. Power hitting has always been an integral part of our success. Particularly from the left. Which your guy Naquin possesses.
I guess my hope here is that Cash has a TTO relapse & sneaks off somewhere on his own to trade from him. Gotta be tough for Bryan. All those prospects to clutch. Yet…man no TTO guys in an entire off-season? Who knows. Maybe he is quitting for the sake of the kids.
Wow, so much good stuff to unpack here, but “They never seem interested in adding those finishing pieces. Dodgers do.” That is *the* most critical failure of the new-age Yankees. Goodness, call Reese McGuire if you need to know how to finish off, Hal. Look, now my blood pressure is up again.
You’re right though, Ducky, look at the dynasties for a quick glimpse at large groups of sample sizes & we will see decent defense, some good pitching, but that incredible prodigious Yankee hitting. The worst part is he can accomplish this & still so it cheaply, as you’ve noted.
Spot on.
Doc: in response to yours, Yeah that’s so true. It’s so blatantly flawed it makes one wonder how this course was decided, other than Ducky’s astute assessment: Hal wants a playoff team (WC will do too), & beyond that, save money.
There’s no other reason to fail to reinforce a good-great rotation with a potential for injury-laden disaster around the first turn – just a silly MO.
I also agree he’s developing his habit of testing the team to see if they need anything come trade deadline, which I disagree with, since he may end up needing to unload more prospects than intended to fill voids that could’ve been filled through FA, or before we were over a barrel.
Hey Clipper we are on the same page about everything.i guess we will have to see where the chips fall and hope for the best.Toronto looks to me scary good, at least on paper. Their offense is fierce, and their Achilles heel has always been their pitching, but now it is also much improved, better than ours at least on paper.
RIDINGS NO
Gorge Steingrabber owned the Yankees from 1973 to 2010, 37 years, 7 World Championships, a 19% success rate.
John Henry and Tom Werner have owned the Red Sox since 2002, 20 years, 4 World Championships, a 20% success rate.
If you add in the last 12 years of failure by the Sons of a Steingrabber, you get about a 14% success rate for the Steingrabber fandamily.
But, they’re still the most successful over the past 50 years.
Just not so much lately.
Yessir.
As a mets fan – however – the math is really easy for you. After all; it’s not too hard to figure out what 0% is, uh?
Well played.
I didn’t know that YAZ played for the Mets.
‘”But, they’re still the most successful over the past 50 years.”
I guess that sentence didn’t mean anything.
Anywho, the point I’m trying to make is that Yankee fans wax poetic about GS and he did very well as an owner, BUT the Werner-Henry combo has done just as well. And in fact better than the post-GS Yankees. But I am still tipping my cap to the Yankees success. So there you go.
Just a friendly hint, man, but I think your comment would work well as a reply to some of the comments above that are talking up and down about the Steinbrenner family, instead of a comment standing on it’s own.
We don’t want no stinkin’ mets cap tipped at us, bro.
However. When it comes to fun; Cohen > Hal
If you are ever in New Hampshire, find the Bridgewater Town Hall, peruse through the Old Home Day photos on the walls, locate 1964, find a little boy in the front row wearing a Yankee hat. That would be me. Just sayin’.
Bridgewater, New Hampshire (GPS location N43° 40′ 32″, W71° 41′ 47″)
This was probably the most difficult meetinghouse to find (so far), because it is located in the middle of nowhere. Following sketchy directions obtained from a local police officer, I drove 5 or 6 miles along very steep dirt roads, and finally located this little oasis of serenity in the middle of a New Hampshire forest.
Sir Ducky…I’m high on Ron Marinaccio (who graduated from Toms River North High School in 2013) has made the Yankees’ 25-man roster as a skilled relief pitcher. Marinaccio is supposed to have a plus fastball of around 96 to 98 miles per hour, a good curve, and a solid changeup
ONE World Series appearance in 19 years with a payroll of 200 million every year…ONE WS championship in 22 years….MAYBE.. they need to get rid of (trade) Cashman
The new option rule is truly beginning to have an impact. Starting May 1, you can only option a player 5 times in the same year without exposing that player to waivers. The impact of this rule is to have many more players(mostly pitchers) to be able to option to the minors. As an example, maybe last year you had 5 pitchers that were optioned 7 times each. Giving you in effect 35 options, this year you need 7 pitchers that you can option 5 times a piece, to in effect get the same amount of protection,