The Yankees are still waiting on Carlos Rodon’s team debut after signing him to a six-year contract this offseason. The lefty took a positive step this weekend when he resumed playing catch, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The goal is for Rodon to continue throwing throughout the upcoming week, though there’s no concrete timetable for when he might take the mound for the big league club just yet. Rodon pitched just two official innings during Grapefruit League play this spring before a forearm strain sidelined him. He’s spent the first several weeks of the year rehabbing that injury, but a recent flare of back pain has further slowed the process for the team’s $162MM co-ace. The Yanks still rank sixth in the Majors with a 3.53 ERA from their rotation, though that’s due largely to a superhuman start from Gerrit Cole (0.79 ERA in 34 innings). Nestor Cortes Jr. has a 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 frames of his own, but each of Domingo German, Clarke Schmidt and Jhony Brito have pitched to a 4.50 ERA or higher through their first four to five starts of the season.
More from the division…
- Former top prospect Nate Pearson’s start to the season in the Triple-A Buffalo bullpen is garnering plenty of attention, and he figures to be among the top candidates for a look whenever the Blue Jays look to the minors for some reinforcements, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. As Nicholson-Smith points out, the Jays haven’t made a single move pertaining to their bullpen yet in 2023. The Toronto Sun’s Rob Longley wrote yesterday that the Pearson watch is picking up some steam. Much of the Toronto ’pen has performed well in 2023, with Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Trevor Richards and Tim Mayza out to nice starts. Both Yimi Garcia and Adam Cimber have allowed runs in three of their past four outings, though, and Anthony Bass has yielded at least one run in four of his past five trips to the mound. Pearson has a 2.16 ERA and 45.7% strikeout rate in 8 1/3 innings to begin the year in Triple-A, although he’s also walked 14.3% of his opponents and thrown three wild pitches, so his command hasn’t exactly been pristine. The former first-round pick was once ranked as one of the top three pitching prospects in all of baseball but has seen his career slowed by repeated injuries.
- Orioles righty Dillon Tate is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this week and told reporters that he’ll likely need five or six appearances before he’s ready to make his 2023 debut (Twitter link via Jake Rill of MLB.com). Tate, who’ll turn 29 in a week, suffered a flexor strain during his offseason program back in November and hasn’t pitched yet this year (spring training or regular season). The former No. 4 overall draft pick stepped up as a key setup man in Baltimore’s bullpen last year when he tossed 73 2/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. Tate’s 20.5% strikeout rate was a bit below the league average, but both his 5.5% walk rate and 57.4% ground-ball rate were outstanding. He finished out that breakout season with five saves and 16 holds.
I’m super concerned with Schneider’s in game moves, especially around the bullpen.
I didn’t have this concern last year, was that the Montoyo affect or is it the mattingly affect ?
Uhhh if you didn’t have concerns with Montoyo bullpen use, you weren’t watching the games for the prior 3 seasons.
I was talking about Schneiders bullpen moves last year, following Montoyo
My mistake, I misunderstood your reply with how it was worded. I see what you meant, now.
The AL East is so competitive this year that EVERY team is above .500. The last place Red Sox would be in second place, in at least one of the other divisions.
This is why I’m tired of divisions. I’d prefer if the top teams made it to the playoffs not the division winner. We already have NL & AL teams playing each other throughout the season so why not mix the playoffs up too?
This should have been the rankings for the playoffs.
#1. Los Angeles Dodgers
#2. Houston Astros
#3. Atlanta Braves
#4. New York Mets
#5. New York Yankees
#6. St. Louis Cardinals
WC1. Cleveland Guardians
WC2. Toronto Blue Jays
WC3. Seattle Mariners
WC4. San Diego Padres
WC5. Philadelphia Phillies
WC6. Milwaukee Brewers
@York, they still played a very division heavy schedule last season. And aside from the 2 NL East teams avoiding Wild Card there’s basically no difference. So it seems pretty much a moot point as with divisions the end result was basically the same.
@Tigers3232
True, but I was thinking of it more like a 1 vs. 12 playoff system. I still find it terrible for a sport that lives on constantly playing games, that the top teams would get a long break period of no action. I’d prefer #1 vs. WC6 and so on.
Inter-league play started a few years ago as a gimmick, with the Sox playing the cubs, the Angels playing the Dodgers, etc. It’s grown to the point where there is no AL or NL during the season so why should they unscramble the teams and realign them into AL and NL for the PO? I like the idea of seeding teams. They should get rid of the WC and just rank the top twelve teams in bb even if it means that one “league” has more teams than the other. I used to look forward to the WS because it was the first time the AL played the NL. But money talks, I guess
@Avenger, the same is done in NHL, NFL, and NBA. MLB is in no way reinventing the wheel here. If anything with the adaption of interleague play they finally started to conform to the norms of all other leagues. And playoffs still structured by league/conference in all.
tigers3232: The one difference is that baseball is the national past time. Not the NHL, the NFL or the NBA. Baseball started in the early 1800s. It shouldn’t be messed with.It doesn’t have to stop to the same levels as the other three leagues (sorry, Canada).
@avengers, let’s b honest MLB no longer holds the same stature. The rules have also been changing since the games inception. So the notion that it shouldn’t b messed with just does not jive with reality, as it’s always been changing.
Tigers3232:The game changed early in the 100s when they agreed to how many strikes it takes to strikeout a batter and how many balls to issue a walk. There really hasn’t really been any changes to the rules since then until Manfred got his greasy paws on it and changed the game as we know it. So, while I’m hep to your jive, it’s time to cut the ree-bop and admit change is not always good.
I suggest u try searching history of MLB rule changes. They have been going on all along. I’m not a fan of all the rule changes. But I’m not gonna take some false and fake purist stance as if the game has not been ever tweaked since its inception.
I’d be fine with a western and an eastern conference and having conference-heavy schedules to reduce the travel that a lot of players complain about as being very grinding. Then just take the top 6 (why do we need 7?) teams in each conference and start the playoffs.
I know the traditionalists would say “but the AL and NL!” Let it go. Hockey has changed divisions around numerous times (I’d be fine if NHL got rid of divisions too)
Their schedules are already league heavy and not as division heavy still play division opponents the most. As far as the travel, I can’t b very sympathetic. They work 6-7 mos a year and 6-8 HRs a day at most. They are paid very well for doing so.
The lucky few who get to do for 10 years+ enjoy benefits and pension for life and many are retired from any type of work by the age of 40.
Such a stupid idea. You could make an argument for changing the way teams are seeded within their respective leagues (NL & AL) thus doing away with those divisions. But to say you want to get rid of the two leagues as well? Terrible idea, and will never even be considered
Need it be pointed out the season is young, and hot and slow starts are still a major factor in the standings. Plus the Red Sox are just one game over .500, and only 0ne win and a half game better than the Guardians and Angels. As early as the end of the day it could no longer be true that they’d be in second place in the other divisions.
@tad2b13
Those standings were from 2022, not this young season.
Old York,
Sorry, my response was to mlb fan. I would have no problem if MLB adopted your playoff seeding.
Yes divisions are a complete joke.
Rays have not lost a series to a non AL East team.
Orioles have not lost a series to a non AL East team.
Yankees have not lost a series to a non AL East team.
Blue Jays have lost 1 series to non AL East team.
Red Sox have lost 1 series to non AL East team.
Someone on this thread said it early in the season. 4 teams out of 5 were above .500 last year. And Red Sox not far behind .500. AL East has been the best division in baseball since I’ve been alive. Not going to change.
MilkyWhite, I guess you haven’t been alive for very long. The ALE has been strong over the last couple years, but it wasn’t that long ago that it wasn’t. In both 2018 and 2019 the NLC had 4 teams at .500 or better. The ALE had 3 which is typical every year for the better divisions. In 2017 only 2 teams in the ALE were at .500 or better.
The lack of useful information from the early season should be obvious. At this point in 2022 the WS champion Astros were in 3rd place with an 11-11 record. The Angels were in 1st at 15-8. The NLW had 4 teams over .500, including the 13-9 Rockies.
AL East is BOSTON, NEW YORK, TORONTO, (among the largest markets, BALTIMORE on the upswing currently, and TAMPA BAY, the best run team in the game. Only Baltimore is likely to be up and down, like most teams. In the central, only Chicago, which has a self imposed budget, is a Large Market team. Hope the divisions never leave, or it will become even more of a league of haves, and have nots.
“Only Baltimore is likely to be up and down, …”
And yet Boston was 22 games over .500 in 2021, then 6 games under a year later.
The NLW has two large market teams, plus an up and coming AZ team along with a team in SD willing to outspend most teams in baseball. Only the Rockies seem to be currently hopeless. The last time the NLW played the ALE was 2019. The NLW was 45-35, and no team had a losing record against any ALE team.
No division is going to be the best in baseball year after year. And neither is it predictable. There are too many factors; injuries, failures of prospects, big/long term contracts that turn bad. But it really comes down to arguing over which division is the strongest is silly. No division is going to be the strongest year after year.
tad2b13:No, but one thing is as certain as snow in April: The central divisions in both leagues are always the weakest.
@Milky, so you were not alive last year when NL East was easily the best division or the season prior when NL West was easily the best division???
They need Duvall back in the lineup, and fast. A team can fall fast in the ALE.
Sounds like Rodon is making progress, time will tell. But the Yankees biggest problem remains their offense! Very difficult to break in 3 rookies/newcomers (Volpe, Peraza, and Cabrera) when you have injuries and no true left fielder. Time to get a bat!!!
Here’s the problem…Cashman and Steinbrenner.
They had a glaring need at LF that they didn’t address and then cried about luxury tax concerns when they gave Hicks that awful contract and decided to take on a washed up Donaldson in that horrific trade. Then you have that Montas debacle (lol).
Is it nice to see Volpe at SS? It is, but he’s still adjusting to major league pitching as evidenced by his early season slash line.
I also don’t care what anyone says, Holmes is not the solution as a closer. He’s a set up man at best. They’re going to need to address that before the trade deadline.
When it’s all said and done Cashman has put the Yankees in a tough spot with his awful trades and his tendency to hand out/take on poor contracts. As of right now they’re lucky to get a wild card spot with the AL East being extremely competitive. Getting Rodon back will be a plus as will getting Bader back, but those 2 are clearly injury prone and having their payroll while sending out names like Schmidt and Brito in the starting rotation shows the incompetence of their GM at the end of the day.
Yankees should’ve given Rodon a contract like the Giants did, based on innings pitched. I though he was over his chronic injury problem but apparently not.
Every year Yankee fans complain about this and that, and every year they make the PO. True, they don’t do much once they get there, but sit tight, Yankee fans. Unfortunately, by the end of the season, they’ll be alright
Please someone tell me there’s a Jhony burrito on Yankees Stadium menu somewhere in the stadium.
Tastes good through 5 innings, but man, come the 6th and you’re going to regret that decision.
He should be ready by August…
The Yankees are getting the real version of Rodón. The one last year was an outlier.
He might as well not shaved.
It’s not a surprise, he’s been injury prone his entire career before the last two seasons. I don’t know why everyone wanted him so bad. Yanks would be better off instead of spending big on one guy add more depth pieces so when these injuries hit they don’t have to rely on scrap heap bargain basement types.
It’s only been one season. He was out in Aug and Sept in his last year with the White Sox in 2021.
Where is everyone saying Farhan is an idiot for not signing Rodón now? Does Rodón make it anywhere close to those 6 years as a yankee? He’s killer when healthy but that is an enormous when
Get a life agnes
AssFact, do you realize how ridiculous your post to Agnes was. She doesn’t post much, and just once in this thread and you’ve posted twice. Once to tell Baseballislife that the Orioles are 16th in bullpen innings. Who is it again that needs to get a life? BTW, 16th is worse than half of mlb. Half! 16th is worse than half! 16th is!
Thank you claude, you are kind. Have a beautiful day!
AssFact! Priceless!
Nice to see Tate on the mend. The O’s bullpen is going to need some shoring up soon after being used too much early. Not complaining about results, because they have been very good. Just alot of innings so far.
Hello! The Orioles currently rank 16th in innings pitched by their relievers. 16th!
Quietly, like Santander and Hayes, Tate has been getting his fair share of playing time under the Elias regime. And let’s face it, Elias and staff seem to be pretty decent at judging talent. The above 3 are holdovers from the Dan and Buck years. Duquette and Showalter (and McPhail) brought winning back to Baltimore. What happened at the end, not their fault. The owner, aging and in poor health, didn’t have time for a rebuild so he kept the roster status quo in hopes of more winning about 1.5 yrs too long. That said, Tate did come from the Britton trade; so not all lost.
Kaitlyn McGrath tweeted that Pearson is being called up. No word on the corresponding move.
Bass going on bereavement
Cimber to the 15-day IL with a “right rhomboid strain”
Gerrit Cole has around half a billion reasons to opt out of his contract and test free agency.
Come on Ace… even IF Cole opts out (big if), do you really think the Yanks won’t void it by exercising their built-in Opt-out-killer? All they need to do is tack on one more year @ $36m, which seems like a no-brainer. Perhaps unironically, you do too.
The problem with the Blue Jays bullpen is that only Pop is eligible to be optioned to the minors for Pearson, and both of those two could very easily be in their top 3 potential arms to call out of the pen. Cimber/Mayza/Richards are going to need to figure something out soon or they’ll just be a casualty to a numbers crunch.
Why did MLBTR use a picture of Kenny Powers for this article?
For posterity