The Yankees’ left field conundrum has been an ongoing topic of the off-season as the team mulls over whether or not to bring in someone through the trade market or free agency, or stick with their internal options.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports, the team’s preferred outcome would have been to retain Andrew Benintendi, but he wound up signing a five-year, $75MM deal with the White Sox. He reports that the Yankees would have gone to five years to get Benintendi were it not for the fact they’d signed starter Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162MM pact. Sherman also reports that the team was “very involved” in trade talks with the Diamondbacks about Daulton Varsho before they ultimately shifted him to Toronto for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.
The biggest available name the team has been connected to is Bryan Reynolds. He has requested a trade out of Pittsburgh, but it seems the Bucs have set a high asking price on their star outfielder and haven’t budged on that front. Nonetheless, Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently reported that the Yankees were one of the teams “consistently” interested in acquiring Reynolds. As a switch-hitter with three-years of team control remaining he’d certainly fit on their roster, but the Yankees may be reluctant to part with top prospects such as Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe to get a deal done.
It’s slim pickings on the free agent market at this point, but Sherman does note that the team has had some interest in Jurickson Profar. The switch-hitter was worth 2.5 fWAR for the Padres in 2022 and would be a solid option to upgrade their outfield stocks. Yet Oswaldo Cabrera was worth 1.5 fWAR in 44 games and Aaron Hicks the same in 130 games, so the team may not see Profar as enough of a needle-mover to commit to the multi-year deal he likely seeks. The same could be said of another left-handed bat in David Peralta, but it doesn’t appear there’s been much interest from the Yankees anyway.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported in a recent mailbag that the team could forego external options and let Hicks and Cabrera battle it out in spring training for the starting job. While it isn’t the most exciting option for Yankees fans, there is some sense in it. The Yankees roster is strong enough to be in a good spot for the first three months of the season without an upgrade in left, so the team could see if Hicks can rebound or Cabrera can sustain his small sample of work over a longer period, before deciding whether or not to seek an external upgrade at the trade deadline.
Hicks had plenty of shortcomings in 2022, but he still walked at a strong 13.7% clip and if he can regain even a little bit of the power he’s showed in the past he could still be reasonably productive player. Cabrera was exceptional in the field last year, earning 9 Defensive Runs Saved in 278 2/3 outfield innings, while posting a 111 wRC+ at the plate. He also struggled mightily in the playoffs, going 2-for-28 with 12 strikeouts. In any event, he may have more value to the Yankees as someone who can play all over the field rather than in a fixed position, allowing the Yankees to spell some of their veterans on a more regular basis.
Estevan Florial is the other internal option that the Yankees will need to make a decision on. A toolsy former top-100 prospect, Florial has found opportunities few and far between over the past three seasons (just 63 plate appearances) but is out of options so can’t be sent to the minors without being exposed to waivers. He’s hit well at Triple-A and the Yankees could give him an extended run in the majors, but Sherman opines that the Yankees could trade him prior to the season opener. While his trade value won’t be particularly high anymore, plenty of teams – particularly rebuilding ones – would surely like to give him an extended opportunity in the big leagues to see if they can tap into his potential.
The Yankees have also been aggressive in recent weeks in stocking up on outfield depth in the minors. They’ve signed Willie Calhoun, Billy McKinney and Rafael Ortega to minor league deals, and Sherman notes they checked in on Kole Calhoun as well. Calhoun and McKinney look like depth pieces, but Ortega is an interesting add. He had a 122 wRC+ for the Cubs over 330 plate appearances in 2021, and while it dropped back to 96 in 2022 he does look to be a possible option for the Yankees. As a left-handed pull hitter, he could benefit from playing regularly in Yankee Stadium as well, so a strong spring could see him force his way into the team’s plans at the big league level.
Yawn
Yanks about to corner the Calhoun market.
After listening to Jomboy, I’m more excited about the guy from the Cubs, Ortega. Not the best option obviously but better than I originally thought.
If Ortega is played strictly in LF and against RHP, he could probably give you a 1.0-1.5 WAR (He isn’t very good in CF and against LHP).
Yeah he definitely seems to be a platoon guy.
Cashman would be lost without having an enormous budget. He is likely the problem because he won’t tell the emperor, that there are different ways to build a successful ballclub. Maybe because he is insecure about getting the job done!
The Yankees are always going to be in the position to spend and correct any problems, at the trade deadline – so why not take a chance on letting Cabrera or Volpe or Peraza play. Give them an opportunity and worry about any issues if they don’t work out. It’s not like they aren’t going to make the playoffs.
You never know with that division. Cashman is right to go all out. Not sure which Peraza you are talking about but Jorge Peraza is terrible.
Oswald Peraza is MLB’s #50 prospect (Yanks #3).. If he doesn’t get traded, he should get the Yanks SS job to start this year. Once Volpe is ready, he may have to move to 3B or 2B if torres is gone.
Sending IKF back (though he was there for only a day or two) to Minnesota with a couple lower prospects for Max Kepler could work, provided the Twins don’t get Correa back.
No thank you want Kepler. Does not move the needle much for me. We need a more significant upgrade. But I’d be happy to send them back IKF.
I say let the Pirates have Volpe if it gets Reynolds. Their interest in Profar should remind them of how #1 overall in baseball, can’t miss prospects turn out sometimes. Not to mention a little further down the rankings. Besides I have seen Volpe play and think Hanley Ramirez is a good comparison. They do have an extra catcher. Rortvedt could be a nice sweetener for the Pirates since they will probably trade Hedges if he draws any interest at the deadline. Cashman is too worried about looking like the winner of every trade. That’s why the Yankees trophy case hasn’t gotten anything new in a decade. Still think he should have signed Manaea instead of Carl Pavano 2.0 and brought back Benintendi. Every time I see Manaea’s stats at YS I wonder what could have been.
Pwndroia you probably mean Jose Peraza. He signed with the Mets. Yankees cut him loose last summer. Remember when he was a Braves 2nd Base prospect and Cashman was chasing him only to be shot down when they said he wasn’t going to be traded. Then around 2 weeks later they sent him in that huge 3 team trade with the Dodgers.
Oswald Peraza is the real deal and will be a solid starter at SS for the Yankees. His bat is decent for SS but he is a slick fielder. Think Brendon Ryan defense that can hit over the Mendoza line. He is not going to hit in the top 2/3 of the lineup but somebody has to bat 8th.
Why won’t you let me post?????
I was thinking of a different Peraza.
He clearly hits like a top prospect…except not
Stop
LOLeftield
Jomboy just making stuff up again. He is like Q for Yankee fans.
Actually it was from Ian Happ calling in to talk about him which caused Jomboy to look up some things on fangraphs while on air. Guess fangraphs makes things up too?
In home games alone Ortega would have hit another 8 home runs if played at yankee stadium. Moving him to a corner spot should improve his defensive metrics. He would be an ideal platoon member especially with the shift restrictions implemented this year. As a Yankee fan I’m fine with an oswaldo/ortega platoon to start the year. As long as the yankees are willing to pull the plug on vets (Donaldson and Hicks) to give the rookies a run I’m fine standing pat and using the deadline as needed for upgrades.
I watched almost every cubs game the last cpl years and Ortega plays hard every day and does well against righties. Perfect platoon guy. Hope he works well for you guys.
I agree daddy, but that’s a big? Will the Yankees commit to the kids now. They always seem to have a trouble with that, and they love to manipulate service time. So I am dubious. But we will see. It’s really the only chance we have to improve, if they can perform up to their billing.
Hallelujah!!! A Yankee fan who makes sense! Absolutely agree with you on Donaldson (he’s gotta be an ex-PED guy) and the talentless Hicks. Let’s see the kids!!!
Trade for Ian Happ… he’d be a good fit in New York, plus defender, switch hitter, finally showing the ability to hit from the right side of the plate and should see a nice power uptick next season in addition to seeing an additional uptick playing in New York and Boston with their right field fences.
They may very well trade for Happ, but it isn’t going to happen in the offseason. The Cubs will wait until they’re out of contention and trade him at the deadline.
I feel the same way joe. It appears that he will be at least an upgrade of the Hicks, and that is something. It may be more. If given the chance. Seems like you don’t have too many options anyway.
This front office is such a disappointment. Good thing they added Sabean and Minaya so they can provide insight on players Hal is too cheap to sign.
I just don’t understand why they decided to add the contract of Stanton and sign Cole, Judge and Rodon to mega deals if it affects their ability to make smaller deals.
Stanton is old news and the market unexpectedly was changed by the Padres and Mets spending. Other big market teams thought they could reset the tax threshold and/or thought it would take less to sign players. Boston spent on Devers because they feared a rebellion that they could not have conceived just a few years ago. While marketing $$ will pay for the Judge deal, the Yankees will be in tax hell for years to come. and it will affect their ability to draft and get international players. This is a new reality of the new MLBPA.
Hal is too cheap…….. to add the contract of Stanton and sign Cole, Judge and Rodon to mega deals
===========================
Unless you are Cohen or Preller, you have to operate within a budget, even if it is a very large budget. Would you rather have Rodon or Benni?
That’s my point, if you have a budget then you need to plan accordingly. Instead they spent their entire wad on 4 players. The team is far from complete, either pony up the extra dollars to finish building this team or completely change the way you do business and figure out how to build a team within a budget. Can’t have it both ways.
Even with the 4 mega deals that still leaves about $100,000,000 to finish the last 22 spots on the roster to stay under the cap. Some teams can make the playoffs, World Series even, with that much for their full 26 man roster.
anks4life221 hour ago
That’s my point, if you have a budget then you need to plan accordingly.
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Would you rather have Rodon or Benni?
Rodon, pitching wins championships. Benni played great for KC but for the Yanks he pretty much smelled it up. We should stick with internal for LF and if and when our internal options don’t work out we make a move by the trade deadline. Reynolds is a very good player who the Pirates want a major haul for so the question is whether he is wort it. I’m sure the fans are split on that option. Personally I’m on the fence on that one.
These were my 3 biggest concerns that could’ve been addressed well under what they spent this off-season.
1.) This team needs OF depth, not necessarily stars but they need depth. Judge and Bader both are injury risks, Stanton is a full time DH and Hicks is absolute trash who is less valuable than a AAAA speedster who can play D and steal bases. I like Cabrera in LF but you still need capable guys to fill in should Bader or Judge get hurt or if Cabrera craps the bed. Beni would’ve been a premium get but the were others outfielders available who would have been solid to mix in with this group too
2.) Need a 3b. Plain and simple. It was a moronic move trading Gio and Sanchez for IFK and Donaldson but it’s in the past. Need to accept the mistake and move on. I’m a perfect world Volpe/Pereza take over the left side for the next 5 years but you can’t put all your eggs in that basket so you need a capable 3b. Turner would’ve been perfect especially with the bargain contract he signed with Boston.
3.) Closer and bullpen….who the freaks closing games?
@Y4L
1. Isn’t everyone an injury-risk? People thought that of Judge again last year. Beni was the top get but slipped away. Any other comp would require a trade at a huge cost in prospects.
2. Turner isn’t really suited to play 3B regularly anymore. What he brings extra with his offense would be a wash with JD’s better defense there and lesser bat.
3. Clay Holmes will close. If he needs some rest, Kahnle, Losaiga, and even King could fill-in. They swapped out Luetge for Tommy K. for that reason. It’s a very deep bullpen where Maranaccio may start the season in AAA.
You are completely correct about this Yanks four.
Bleacher creatures, homes had an unexpected ,unworldly first half, but completely fell apart in the second half. I am not sure that the first half was merely an illusion. I do not trust him to be our closer. And let’s not forget that he has never performed like that before. So I do not know if he is likely to do so again. Putting all our hopes on him seems to be a big risk. And if he fails who will back him up. Take a picture Johnny L at one time seem to be the air to Chapman, but he has not shown much consistently as a closer either. We have a bunch of unproven guys there. Would’ve been also nice to get a proven closer for the position. He didn’t have to be a star.
Everyone is an injury risk but Bader and Judge have more than the average players share of injuries. Bader has never played more than 140 games in a season and only been healthy for 86 and 103 games the past two season and Judge has only done it 3 times. I imagine they are going to give him plenty of days off being he carried the team in historic fashion last year, is now in his 30’s and also has a massive 9 year deal attached to him now.
Let’s say Judge, Cabrera and Bader average out to 140 games each which is pretty optimistic in todays age…..who is playing the other games? Right now it’s slotted to be Hicks and that is just not acceptable.
You’re right about 140 games each. For the other 66 games, Hicks, Florial, Stanton, and any of the recent minor league signings. There is always the opportunity to upgrade OF at the deadline.
That’s the point Joe, you’re repeating an old trite narrative that is just not true. Steinbrenner has spent plenty of money, over 2 billion over the last 10 years. The issue is not that he doesn’t spend enough money, obviously he has spent more than most franchises over that time period. The issue was always been that his appointed GM, doesn’t always spend this money wisely, and we have not had even a World Series appearances in 13 years. And worse than that even in my opinion, is that we keep losing to the Astros. Most Yankee fans recognize this.
Smaller deals are just that, they dont matter nearly as much lol
As much as I’d like to move Hicks off the roster, I’m more concerned about third base than about left field. Cabrera can handle left field, but Donaldson is a huge waste of money who fields well but can’t hit. The Yankees can’t afford to give third base, one of the positions at which teams typically expect substantial offensive production, to a declining 37-year-old with a sub-par OPS+ and a .222 average.
According to Hal his hope is that Volpe is playing third and Peraza SS for this upcoming season. Not sure if Volpe is ready to take the job right out the gate but it will be interesting to see if the Yankees are serious about that being the case. I do think Peraza is going to be the opening day SS though he looked pretty solid in his brief time with the big club last year and his glove is top notch. If his bat can produce better than IKF then he is the SS no matter what and IKF will probably have to be moved. As for Donaldson he’s going to be the 3B unless they can find a trade partner willing to take him which I highly doubt unless New York pays down some of his money.
With all that said don’t expect Volpe up late in March playing 3rd base.
“According to Hal his hope is that Volpe is playing third and Peraza SS for this upcoming season.”
I haven’t heard anything about Hal expecting Volpe to play third base. Where did you hear that?
@Fink- the plan all along if DJ was healthy, was to deal Gleyber for a left fielder, and to have Oswald Peraza play shortstop and to have Volpe eventually play 2nd whenever he’s ready. If Torres is eventually traded DJ/IKF will play 2nd for now, with Volpe likely playing there later in the year. Donaldson will man 3rd this season unfortunately.
@Cpt99 It’s not a given that Volpe will be ready next season. He’s only had 22 games in AAA with mixed results so far. The jump to MLB from AAA is even greater than that of AA to AAA. You don’t deal Gleyber unless you can get a clear upgrade. With DJL aging, I wouldn’t count on him playing everyday. IKF also isn’t better than him at 2B. Peraza also needs more time to see what we can get out of him.
@YBC- hey I definitely hear you. If the Yankees can’t get at least 2 prospects one in a teams top 5, and another in a teams 10-15, then they might as well just keep Gleyber then. I do think there is a good chance that Volpe could be brought up from AAA in the late spring or early summer to play 2nd base regularly. I do feel Peraza will be the shortstop on opening day and IFK will likely be a utility player next season. Hope all is well.
I would be very surprised if Volpe is the Opening Day SS. Even if he impresses in ST, the Yankees will keep him seasoning in AAA.
Likewise, man!
I am gueinely curious as to how you feel about the Sanchez-Donaldson trade a year later?
*genuinely
The Yankees upgraded behind the plate and while I like Urshela, the Twins have no one left from the deal. Donaldson is well Donaldson. He’s been clutch in the past and their lousy ending to 22 was team based, not just one or two players. Give him another shot and Yankee fans might be surprised
Sanchez could’ve been a viable backup to Trevino. He certainly outproduced Higgy at the plate.
Who cares if the Twins traded Urshela? Urshela put up a 121 OPS+ and his bWAR and fWAR were both higher than Donaldson’s at a fraction of the cost.
If Donaldson’s bat speed returns at his age, I won’t be surprised — I’ll be astonished.
That trade was addition by subtraction for the Twins. They got rid of Donaldson and his salary. They’ve upgraded their Catching situation with Vazquez and Miranda looks like a solid bat at 3B (not sure defensively)
The Yankees needed to trade him, they had higher expectations for him, and they did not want to pay him the money , so they unloaded him anyway they could, even if it required obtaining Donaldson.
And then they gave the media and fans the usual Cashman spin about how great he was ,and how they needed his edge and so forth. Except they did not like his edge so much when he clashed with Anderson, did they. Typical hypocritical Yankees.
I recognize that they did not have to bring him back for the final year and pay him, they could’ve and should have if they did not wish to pay him, and just released him, but obviously they did not want to do that, even though they should have, Cashman didn’t want to admit he was wrong. And he mis evaluating the market once again, probably thinking he could trade or un load Sanchez to someone else for equal value. But that did not happen obviously either. We got saddled with the deteriorating Donaldson
The team bet on Donaldson and thought they used the best Urshela and Sanchez had. IKA is is also solid and you need to compare the total costs. Management realized given their overall budget level choices had to be made. Again, no one is talking today if Donaldson had a big playoffs or clutch hits. You also can’t win every trade. Getting Donaldson was a short term move that looks bad after year one but it certainly doesn’t explain the Yankees’ inability to get to the WS since 2009.
“Getting Donaldson was a short term move that looks bad after year one but it certainly doesn’t explain the Yankees’ inability to get to the WS since 2009.”
Why do you keep setting up this straw man? Who ever said that?
Dewey: The only thing I would like to add is that taking in Donaldson’s short-term contract is only a problem for Yankees fans now because it shouldn’t have created a spending problem to begin with, given all of us understand they can dip back below the LT tiers with money coming off the books.
So, the primary reason (at least for me) that the offensively inept Donaldson’s roster spot is so bad right now, is that spot and $50MM could’ve easily gone to a much, much better player. It’s another Yankees-Cashman shell game. “Because we spent on Rodon…” No, that’s preposterous. Donaldson’s money should be completely irrelevant to the Yankees. If that money and his spot is so important, Cashman should have never taken a $25MM risk. For me, that’s the biggest issue – a pretend budgetary problem where there really is none. If it is a problem, they should have never risked that type of player owed that money, imo.
Hope that makes sense, man. I know it’s not worded the best.
Well-worded, Clipper.
It was a foolish trade.
Sanchez may have needed to get out of New York because of the animus of the fans, but in 2022 he was in the Top 25 among all backstops in Fielding Runs Above Average and Framing Runs Above Average, so there was no urgency to get him off the roster from a baseball standpoint.
And it certainly wasn’t worth taking on Donaldson’s bloated salary, which is now keeping the Yankees from addressing other needs because Hal doesn’t want to join Steve Cohen above the next luxury tax threshold.
What’s more, they should’ve learned from misplaying Torres at shortstop that putting IKF there, a Gold Glove third baseman likewise playing out of position, was a dubious gamble.
He was in the top 25 among all backstops….
That’s a nice way of saying he was a bottom 5 C??
Out of 120 backstops:
baseballprospectus.com/leaderboards/catching/
He ranked 22nd in Framing Runs and 23rd in Fielding Runs.
Agreed 100% pink. They should learn, but they do not. Cashman’s vaunted process does not allow it.
Do I get this right is assuming that you think being in the top 25 is good? Seriously?
If Sanchez was so great and being a free agent, teams would be swooping in to sign the guy, but guess what – NO OFFERS YET.
Teams aren’t even trying to sign him as a DH.
Give him a minor league contract and see if he can regain his hitting stroke which is highly unlikely.
Do I think being a better defensive catcher than 79% of the 120 backstops in the pool is good enough for a backup catcher? I sure do.
You don’t?
Do you think getting rid of Sanchez was worth taking on Donaldson’s $50 million contract?
BTW, there are 18 other free-agent catchers who haven’t been signed. You think none of them is good enough to be a backup catcher?
I keep repeating this so I apologize, but I feel it’s relevant to the Yankees-LF discussion, particularly in the context text of this article, but the Cashman-led Yankees are not capable of building a championship roster unless they forego the LT altogether to compensate for bad contracts Cashman has taken on.
“were it not for the fact they’d signed starter Carlos Rodon to a six-year….”
That statement alone reflects three very distinct realities: 1) there is a very real cap in the Yankees organization; 2) a championship is *not the priority*; and 3) once again money was not spent on necessary talent (ie, Harper, Machado, Realmuto, etc) in an effort to save; yet the same money was spent irresponsibly to compensate for the deficiencies those missed opportunities created (ie, Stanton, Donaldson, DJL, etc). Now, they won’t spend money necessary to acquire the player for two positions of need because they have piss-poor players at both due to the aforementioned decisions.
Summary: Cashman can’t spend money and uses Cashman’s mistakes as an excuse, while also speaking about himself in the third person hoping nobody will realize he’s the dude playing the dude disguised as the other dude.
Hilarious clipper. But quite true. I agree with you 100%. You expressed it quite well. Cashman explains that he needs to make certain moves, to compensate for all the problematic moves made, ignoring the fact that he was the one that made those erroneous moves to begin with. and more preposterously, given all that, Steinbrenner brings Cashman back to continue his reign of incompetence.
For those who defend Cashman, if that’s not incompetence I don’t know what it is. And the dude has had over $2 billion over the last 10 years to build a championship roster yet has been unable to do so. In fact he has not even been able to sniff a World Series appearance, despite all this money at his disposal. I’m sure if Steinbrenner gave him more money, he continue to screw up somehow on bad contracts. And the only reason they got to the World Series in 2013 was because Steinbrenner was all in, spending money wildly on any available free agent upgrade he could get ,because they wanted it to be his fathers last hurrah .But unless they are spending wildly without restraint Cashman is inept.
For those detractors, yes he does get to the postseason just about every year, but many teams do now ,with the expanded playoff system, and he’s had one of the largest payrolls available to him than anyone in order to do it. Look what Tampa bay has done with a fraction of the money Cashman has available. Bloom was given a lot of credit for that, but he’s not there anymore, and he’s certainly not helping the Red Sox . So I guess it was not him after all, but the Tampa system. Whatever process they are using it is working.
Yet despite all these blunders and incompetence, Cashman recently makes the statement to the media and fans ,about how his process is so wonderful ,will not change, despite the fact that he has brought in Sabean and Minaya as advisors. What a load of bunk. It is his ego so fragile that he has to talk to the media about this lest they think he has admitted some sort of a mistake.
I agree with you pink. But I think both of problems. We have too many black holes in the lineup as it is. At least one of them should be rectified. Third base could be handled by DJ, if healthy, and he would have better production then Donaldson. The big question is is DJ healthy, and will he remain healthy, his trend has been to get injured more and more every year. The other? Is with the Yankees will let him do it. The inscrutable process probably will not allow them to do so.
Both positions are middle of pack ranked 15 and 16, not bad for your 2 weakest positions.
Yanks about to corner the Calhoun market
I have no problem with the Yankees giving Cabrera a chance to win the LF job. I don’t think they should keep him as a utility guy to spell others I think he’s earned the chance. Hicks as a player is hot garbage. The guy can’t stay healthy for a week.
Why.
Or I guess you could move Because over there.
I Don’t Know is apparently already replacing Donaldson.
Nice.
A midseason trade where they overpay with prospects isn’t that appetizing either. I’d go with youth, see how it works out
@Mikenmn- the Yankees will likely be holding on to top position prospects like Volpe, Dominguez, Peraza, Wells, Pereira, Arias, and Sweeney. All other prospects are pretty up for grabs.
I’ll keep repeating this until it happens. Expect Austin Wells to see significant playing time in LF by June or July. He’s blocked at C, 1B, and DH for now and is said to be able to play LF, at least while he’s young. The Yankees will need to fit his left handed power into the lineup somehow and LF will be the most logical place this season
@Ronk325- don’t expect Austin Wells to be playing left field anytime soon. I do agree his bat will eventually get him in that Yankee line-up. The Yankees feel like he can succeed as a catcher, so expect him to get a shot there lst.
The Yankees also thought Gleyber could succeed as a SS and we know how that worked out. Wells doesn’t have the skills required to stick at C long term. He could play sparingly there this season but he’s not supplanting Trevino as the starter
@Ronk325- I agree Trevino should definitely be the starter at catcher. It’s a great question about Wells being able to play leftfield. If he can that would be perfect. Still shocked the Pirates haven’t asked about him in a Reynolds package. I was wondering if Wells could play lst if Rizzo left. Wells bat definitely fairs well at Yankee Stadium.
According to MLB Pipeline, Wells is capable of playing LF. I imagine he’ll settle into 1B full time once Rizzo is gone but that won’t be until 2025. It sounds like the Pirates are prioritizing pitching in return for Reynolds, which will ultimately take the Yankees out of the running
Trevino is not Ivan Rodriguez or Johnny Bench, he’s not blocking anyone. When Wells is ready the Yankees will let him play, shift Trevino to a backup/platoon role or trade him
Wells is a bad defensive C and Trevino is the reigning platinum glove winner. A team like the Yankees that is currently built around its pitching staff isn’t going to undercut itself to squeeze a bat into the lineup. Especially not a rookie
Yankees could get a deal done for Reynolds, Volpe and Chaparro, throw in a couple low A pitching prospects and Reynolds is a Yankee.
Volpe will not be traded, expect Bryan Reynolds to be traded to Texas, if he’s even traded at all.
Andres Chapparo, Austin Wells, Trey Sweeney and Everson Pereira would be enough to get Reynolds too, they have Clark Schmidt, if the Yankees are looking to upgrade in LF, and are keeping Volpe and Peraza, they should have the prospects to do so.
Its going to take much more to pry Reynolds from the Pirates. Certainly not just one top 30 prospect and a handful of A ball players
The Yankees would be wise to pass on Reynolds. If the Rangers deal Owen White and either Brock Porter or Cole Winn they are likely getting Reynolds.
Don’t worry captain the Yankees will. Cashman will use the excuse that they are asking for too much. It seems like in every trade unless it’s an inferior player, the selling team is asking for too much according to Cashmans tastes.
@Dr2022- I really feel the Pirates don’t want to see Reynolds being that missing piece for the Yankees to win. I think that plays a lot in to him not be traded here. The Yankees definitely have the pieces to get him. My guess Reynolds will be traded to Texas for Owen White, Brock Porter or Cole Winn. We’ll see.
How many trades have the Pirates and Yankees made over the years captain?? Your feeling makes no sense. The Bucs want a top pitching prospect, Yanks don’t have one, that’s what will keep a deal from being done.
If the Yankees want Reynolds…..they will pay the price…..
@MAC- no argument from me here. I do believe if Reynolds is traded it won’t be to the Yankees. It will likely be to the Texas Rangers because they have the young pitchers that Pittsburgh would want for Reynolds.
Yeah…unless another team gets involved I don’t see a trade with NY. Seems unlikely but that’s how the Bucs got Endy Rodriguez from the Mets in the Mustgrove trade. He looks like our catcher of the future.
I saw Volpe play this past summer, and the Yanks would be foolish to trade him. He was head and shoulders above the competition. The tools were amazing, and the ball just made a different sound when he was hitting. Two bombs, and his hardest hit ball was caught against the wall.
I understand that Yankees fans want a star at every position, each and every year, but if they are going to be playing over the tax line then they need to advance their own prospects and not simply use them as trade bait as they did in the past. If Reynolds is affordable without giving up far too much, then fine. Otherwise, see what Cabrera and Hicks do out there in left and if they need it then do a deadline deal.
Fans hate it, but this is what Cashman has been trying to do for a while now. Not always well, but they know the realities.
@carver
Well said.
Unless you have an unlimited budget, you have to develop prospects. Too many fans have a “win this year” mentality. The NYY were always better developing Peraza & Volpe, and probably starting Cabrera in LF.
Every time you develop a prospect, it is that much more available for free agents.
A large contingent of the current vocal part of the Yankees fan base grew up with the “core 4” dynasty years and don’t remember how bad the Yankees were before Jeter/Pettitte/Rivera/Williams/Posada/etc. arrived
Carver, I assume at Somerset. Love that park. I haven’t been in a couple of years, I remember Nettles playing for them awhile ago.
@Hayz – I actually saw him in Durham against the Bulls, at some point late in the season. Another fun park with a great local crowd
Carver, did you go to any UNC games? Did you get a chance to watch Danny Serretti? He actually played in the final league playoff series for the Sea Wolves against Volpe and contributed some clutch hits.
Did not get the chance yet. Made it to about a half-dozen minor league parks thus far. No college.
The problem until now was been that the Yankees simply haven’t developed position players who can hit. The only true good MLB hitter they’ve developed since Cano has been Judge. Gardner was a good player, but not a particularly impactful hitter.
And this has been true of the hitting prospects they Yankees traded away too – none of them ever amount to anything. Who was the last truly impactful offensive player the Yankees even traded away? Austin Jackson?
I also don’t think it’s a matter of a star at every position – Last season the Yankees had the C, SS, 3B and LF positions give them almost nothing on offense. And it’s not as if 1B, 2B or CF were MVP candidates. Judge carried the offense and they had too many gigantic holes in the lineup. I think they need to plug up a hole or two in that lineup
We don’t want a star at every position, but we would like a league average player at least, especially when we have so many black holes in the lineup as it is. A defensive first player is fine at some positions, but when you have four or five black holes in the lineup that’s a different story. We have been losing to the Astros for years, if we’re going to ever get past them we need to improve the offense.That is all. We will not do it by standing Pat and sitting around waiting for prospects to mature into something, if they ever do. Our history with developing those players is not good anyway. So that is a risky endeavor. Doesn’t seem like you know anything about the team at all, or the fans.
@Dr2022 – your quote “Doesn’t seem like you know anything about the team at all, or the fans.”
I don’t really bother getting into contests when someone starts out with that type of comment. But I will say that I have a number of long-time friends that are devoted Yankees fans for many decades (went with one to that Bulls game). Been around the game since the mid-Sixties. I am a Phillies fan, and certainly am not as in touch with the Yankees as the Phils and don’t believe that my opinions are engraved in platinum.
However, you did just fit into one of the Yankees fan stereotypes, and not a real positive one. What I will give you is this – the Yankees are a team that will, and probably should, deal more of their prospects for major league returns than most other teams. That still does not mean that they don’t need to find a way to mix in the some viable farm talent….the nature of the game today demands that even the large market teams need to have this as a tool in the toolbox. Volpe sure looks to be one that they should really try to bring on to their roster if they can manage it.
No worries. Harrison Bader has enough range to play Center and Left at the same time.
That trade will wind up being a steal for the Yankees when Montgomery struggles this year and the dumb cardinals still extend him because they are so desperate for pitching.
Profar is not good. I don’t care what WAR says.
Agreed Matthew
Such a typical Yankees train of thought issue/article. “We must have a stud at every position.” There is nothing wrong with a primarily defensive guy at a position, especially when some others aren’t as strong, or giving way to younger guys and giving them a chance to prove themselves. Yankees just want to always spend and buy that rind, rather than build a team team to win from within. Don’t get me wrong, they have had great prospects that they have won with: Jeter, Posada, Bernie, etc. but they constantly outspend most the league and it doesn’t work. Quit trying to outspend and give younger guys a chance and maybe guys like Cabrera are okay to have because defense is important too. Having him in that lineup won’t hurt.
Not expecting Profar at all to play be playing left field for the Yankees in 2023. I disagree though he is very good, what I love about him he’s versatile. You can put him at several positions and he hits, except for the Yankees to make a trade for leftfielder.
Profar is a decent bench guy
I don’t like profar captain. He doesn’t move the needle much as far as improving the team. If you’re going to trade prospects for him or give him money, we need a significant upgrade. In my opinion.
@Dr2022- Profar is a free agent. And he is a lot better then Hicks. Profar is a nice player, you would probably like him if he was Yankee. With the Yankees right near the luxury tax he’s not coming so no worries. Lol.
Is Jasson enough to headline a deal for Reynolds? I know they are hesitant to trade him but it would keep Volpe and Paraza. Jasson with a ready piece like Gil. Other option would be Santander from Orioles. Os might take Gil and a lottery ticket for Santander.
O’s may also not want Santander coming back to bite them 12 times a year either. Interdivisional trades are rare and there probably is no way that Elias is going to hand the Yankees 30+ HR’s for a pitcher coming back from TJ surgery and a lottery ticket
Tony coming off a career year with an obp of .318. He’s a nice player but no more valuable than pre arb starting pitching
The Pirates want SP. If they had to accept position players they would want even more. I don’t see a trade with the Yankees that doesn’t include one of the SS along with more. The Pirates seem to want 3 players of talent for Reynolds. Can’t blame them, he’s a great talent.
The Yankees are so inconsistent about giving ip on guys too quickly *or* giving guys who peaked briefly way too much of a leash, *or* bringing guys up too quickly *or* holding guys back in the minors way too long. Seems like a lot of other teams are spot on about when to bring a prospect up for good and all or when to let someone go because they’re actually peaking, despite deceptively good numbers.
Not saying the Yankees bat .000 at this, but it does seem like a lot of other teams bat a solid .350 and Yankees bat around .175 at it.
I think the Yankees still want to believe Hicks has had some bad luck with injuries and will bounce back to bring the guy who *paced* for over 7 WAR on one platooned 88 game season and has never been that guy since. That was four seasons ago.
Unfortunately you could be right about that. I think they did wrong. They always valued Hicks too much.
Seems like its good for absolutely nothing
The Yankees will not be trading Jasson Dominguez in any Reynolds deal. I could definitely see a Luis Gil package going to the Cubs for Ian Happ though. If not now, then definitely by the trading deadline.
I hear you Captain, but do you think they really want deal with this point. What value does he really have.
Play the kids
Yankees are smart to stand pat….lots can and will change by the trading deadline and inevitably a “needle mover” will come available they can put a package together on……Bene wasn’t worth a 5 year deal, the Pirates are dreaming and pretending Reynold is a superstar and asking for the moon in a package, Profar just ins’t enough of an impact player to saddle the roster with, and the rest are analytics muts…….they may indeed need to trade one of the kids but it should be for something well worth it.
I don’t think they want to stand pat in the division they are in. If they want to win the East, going all out is the best choice. This does not mean they need to spend money though.
I assume Cashman will try to trade Gleyber Torres. They have too many infielders as is and guys can play multiple positions.
He may ‘try’ to trade Torres, but really what’s his worth at this stage? Probably not much.
Torres still has value. He had a pretty good year last year hit 24 homers too, and he is still young. Depends upon what they could get that for him though. If it would help the team or not.
It all hinges on the health of DJ. That is not clear. Even if he’s healthy, he could go down to injury any time ,due to his age and his history of perpetual injuries over the last couple of years .
I would propose an out-of-the-box scenario to get someone like Bryan Reynolds or Luis Arraez. Both the Pirates and the Twins want pitching in any potential deal, and the Yankees don’t have top pitching prospects. So, time to get creative.
Re-explore the framework of the discussed Yankees-Marlins deal involving Gleyber Torres and Pablo Lopez (just not with Oswald Peraza included). After acquiring Lopez, the Yankees can approach the Pirates or the Twins and have a quality starter to headline a potential deal and it would beat anything that’s been proposed up to that point.
Too many steps to make it work like that but Cashman will get something done. They’re the Yankees.
That’s too many moves for Cashman to handle. Doesn’t have the chops. Although it’s a good idea I agree. Maybe with his new advisers they could figure something out. Although his recent comments about how they will not change his approach to anything because his approach is a wonderful allegedly, is discouraging.
Now is the time that you suck it up and trade the prospects for Reynolds. Especially after the Judge contract, you have to go all in and try to win at least 1 title in the next 5 years.
They’re already right there as one of the top teams, if you can acquire a switch hitting bat like Reynolds and not have to take from your MLB roster you have to do it. He moves the needle, now.
If Reynolds is traded it will likely be to Texas for those top pitching prospects Owen White and Brock Porter/Cole Winn.
They’ve been waiting for these prospects for years, passing up on multiple quality free agents which could’ve improved the team. There certainly not gonna trade these prospects now. I’m not saying they shouldn’t, I’m just saying they will not, most likely.
I would assume they’re after a trade because Rodon and Judge didn’t come easy with money.
They could pick up Ozuna to fill that role from Atlanta for a cracked wiffleball and a partially used piece of DoubleBubble gum
Is San Diego the new villain? Small city SD. Maybe some owners are too cheap. Don’t worry they have new merchandise to buy
Don’t shoot, we’re the good guys!
As an outside the box option, why don’t the Yankees consider trying Gleyber in LF? He’s a terrible SS and not much better at 2B, most of the Yankees prospects are Middle Infielders and who knows, maybe Torres could be like Soriano and really take off with the bat
Agree with Gleyber in left. Didn’t he play out there sometimes during the shifts.
Going out on the grass during a shift is a lot different than actually playing LF. Any ball over your head, you won’t have to chase down bc you have Judge and Bader right behind you. I don’t think Gleyber has the speed to be an outfielder.
Gleyber in leftfield would be a nightmare. He’s not playing out there. If DJ is healthy, he’ll likely be moved for a leftfielder.
Gleyber is bad enough as a shortstop and a second baseman. Do you think they going to put him in left field to begin the year, that’s absurd and he’d be worse out there. His production is barely acceptable for a second baseman anyway, would certainly not be very good for a left fielder.
He can’t run fast
Pie, Ortega, Hick, Calhoun, for Reynolds,,,please not Profar and not Ozuna
I was going to respond to this until I realized it was a joke.
O
Cashman has put them in a tough spot. Pretty much everyone on the roster has already had their best year. Those teams have never won ever. Hopefully he can take direction from the new front office hires.
That would be nice, but based on his recent statements it doesn’t seem like it. He’s already doubled down on his stance that his approach is wonderful and will not change despite the additions of those advisers.
What is being overlooked is they added Montas and Bader at the deadline. This team has better pitching than last year with Cole, Rodon, Sevy, Montas, and Nestor as their starters. Bader is an upgrade in CF, and a platoon of Hicks/Cabrera is better than Gallo was last year.
Slider I hear you. But it is not being overlooked at all. We still don’t know what Bader is, he has not had enough of a sample size with the Yankees. He will certainly not be hitting the way he did in the postseason, that was an outlier. as far as Cabrera and Hicks being better than Gallo, we certainly hope so but there is no evidence of that at all. Hicks has been dreadful and Cabrera is not even an outfielder and was new to the league and once the league catches up with him who knows what he will be. If anything. He was not a top prospect at all. I know we all liked him last year but this needs to be taken into consideration.
Peraza, Austin Wells and Donaldson to the Tigers for Austin Meadows and Alex Lange (plus a throw in maybe?). Yankees dump Donaldsons salary for two more affordable assets who fill some big needs. Tigers fill some short term and long term needs and buy a prospect (or part of one) for taking on Donaldson’s contract. Hell you can give us Hicks too if you throw in Volpe 😉
I don’t think the Yankees trade 2 top 5 prospects to dump salary and get back Meadows (who can’t stay healthy) and a 4th pitcher in Lange. If Detroit also took Hicks, I can see the Yankees giving up a prospect in the teens and the twentys from their system.
I would trade Torres to the Marlins for Cabrera, he is a young starter with ace type stuff. Yanks will be losing some starters to free agency in 24. That would open up a spot for both Volpe and Peraz.a moving forward, and give more playing time for DJ and Cabrera. Yanks have many options, if they want to keep Gleyber, they can trade Cabrera for Cabrera, and play DJ and Volpe at 3rd when he is ready. Volpe reminds me of Bregman.
Slider, what about LF? Go with Cabrera/Hicks?
I like the Giants as a trade partner. They have 3 lefty options.
Yastrzemski Pederson and Gonzalez. By OPS+ Pederson has a 144 Yaz has 96 and Gonzalez 93. All would be suitably LF candidates
I can’t believe this column(sorry). Ortega?????
The Yanks badly need a LF who can get on base-period.
I can’t believe this column(sorry). Ortega?????
How about OBP?
The Yankees need someone, who can get on base.
(We may have to wait until deadline)
1.5 WAR in less than 2 months while the rest of the club was floundering all around him?
What is it Cabrera didnt show he can do adequately last year?
He didn’t show he can do it again, over 6 months.
Adam Duvall is who I’d go after. He still has pop..great defense. average 220..maybe he hits better in the Yankee line-up
I want Cabrera and Florial to compete for the spot. We already know that Hicks sucks and that won’t change. Let the kids play!!
The two glaring weaknesses on this team are Hicks and Donaldson.
Is it possible that they’ll both improve in 2023? Sure, it’s possible. It’s possible that extraterrestrials will land on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., and give us a non-polluting machine that generates unlimited energy for pennies a year. But it’s not likely.
Hicks got 453 at-bats last year and batted .216 with a .313 SLG. Donaldson is 37 years old and struck out at the highest rate of his career and looked helpless against fastballs. Both of them will likely be on the field this year for one reason: Cashman overpaid for both of them; one with a foolish extension and the other with a foolish trade.
I guess our best hope is that Peraza will shine at shortstop and Cabrera will take the starting left field job from Hicks, but that still leaves us with Donaldson at third unless Hal agrees to eat $31 million and third base goes to LeMahieu — who might not be healthy enough to play there for a full season.
Except for one trade — Luetge for two Atlanta prospects who won’t figure on the major league team this year and possibly never — all that Cashman has done in this offseason is spend Hal’s money. And he’s spent it in such a way that he’s up against a luxury tax threshold that Hal won’t exceed, so we’re likely to be stuck with Hicks and Donaldson, entering yet another season with obvious weaknesses left unaddressed by Cashman.
But there’s still time to swing trades to cover those weaknesses. Maybe Sabean can pitch a deal to Cashman that won’t be another Gallo disaster. The meter’s running.
While we wait for Cashman to do something, there’s at least some good news. Cameron Maybin has been fired by YES. Nice guy and good teammate, but a terrible announcer.
The bad news is, they’re keeping Beltran, not as an announcer but as a studio talking head to jaw with Lorenz and Curry.
nypost.com/2023/01/09/cameron-maybin-out-in-yes-br…
I’ve read some suggestions that the Cardinals’ Tyler O’Neill might be a viable left field option, and I don’t hate the idea. My misgiving is the possibility that adding another muscle-bound weightlifter to the roster could saddle the team with another oft-injured player wasting a roster spot.
P.S.
I’d much prefer their prying Lars Nootbar away from the Cardinals.