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Yankees Notes: Green, Gil, Judge

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2:55pm: Boone provided nebulous but worrisome updates on each of Green and Gil this afternoon (via Max Goodman and Laura Albanese of Newsday). Gil’s injury is “significant,” per Boone, who didn’t specify whether surgery may be on the table. The organization fears Green could also be facing a notable absence but is awaiting further tests.

12:04pm: Yankees reliever Chad Green left yesterday’s loss to the Orioles after just 11 pitches, and the team later announced he’d experienced some forearm discomfort (via Brendan Kuty of NJ.com). They’ll know more upon receiving the results of an MRI today, and Green conceded postgame that he’s “concerned about it to a certain extent” (quote via Erik Boland of Newsday). “Obviously, when you’re dealing with an arm injury, you’re not really sure what can happen or what’s really going on. We’ll get it checked out … and go from there.”

Even if the imaging results are good, it seems a precautionary injured list stint could be on the table. That’s unfamiliar territory for Green, who hasn’t landed on the IL since his 2016 season was cut short by a forearm tendon problem. The right-hander returned the following year seemingly no worse for wear, and he’s been one of the game’s predominant bullpen workhorses in the half-decade since then. Going back to the start of the 2017 season, only four relievers have taken on a heavier workload — and that’s not counting the 15 starts Green made in 2019.

He owns a sterling 2.87 ERA as a reliever over that stretch, striking out a lofty 33.1% of opposing hitters while showcasing atypically excellent control (5.9% walk rate) for a late-game arm. Skipper Aaron Boone has deployed Green as a high-leverage stopper throughout that run, often to great success. His strikeout and walk numbers haven’t been dominant over 15 frames this season, but Green owns a flat 3.00 ERA and a 14.5% swinging strike rate that isn’t far off his prior years’ marks.

More out of the Bronx:

  • New York is also dealing with some injury concerns at the minor league level. Prospect Luis Gil pulled himself from Wednesday night’s Triple-A start after experiencing an elbow injury (h/t to Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette). Yesterday, Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that Gil was set for a visit with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. As with Green, more information will be known upon further testing, but Gil is a key depth arm for the Yankees. The 23-year-old made his first six MLB starts last season, posting a 3.07 ERA across 29 1/3 innings. He hasn’t performed well thus far in 2022 with their top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, struggling with both walks and home runs en route to a 7.89 ERA over six starts. Nevertheless, Gil was called up for a spot start against the White Sox last week. He’s the only pitcher outside the primary five of Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino and Jameson Taillon to start a game for New York this season.
  • In non-injury matters, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN takes a look at how Aaron Judge’s incredible start to the season could impact his free agent trajectory. Obviously, posting a .307/.381/.664 line through his first 36 games will help Judge’s market value, but there aren’t many clean comparison points for a player with his profile hitting the market in advance of his age-31 season. Judge famously rejected the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5MM extension offer in Spring Training, and McDaniel feels he’d be in line to top $250MM if he continues to perform at a career-best pace. McDaniel also floats some possible landing spots if Judge were to leave the Bronx, hearing from rival executives who speculate that the Mets might relish the opportunity to make a run at the three-time All-Star.

Yankees’ Ben Rortvedt Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

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The Yankees announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, with the surgery described a “meniscus clean-up.”  The surgery took place yesterday, and Rortvedt is expected to return to game activity in 6-8 weeks.

The least-experienced of the five names involved in March’s blockbuster trade between the Yankees and Twins, Rortvedt has yet to make his New York debut, as he has been recovering from an oblique injury suffered during Spring Training.  The catcher began a rehab assignment earlier this month, but that assignment was put on hold after Rortvedt’s knee issue surfaced.

Rortvedt made his MLB debut just last season, appearing in 39 games for Minnesota and hitting .169/.229/.281 over 98 plate appearances.  Considered primarily as a glove-first type, Rortvedt did show a bit of extra hitting potential with a .254/.324/.426 slash line over 136 Triple-A PA, and he is still only 24 years old.

In the wake of Rortvedt’s oblique injury, the Yankees acquired Jose Trevino from the Rangers as extra catching depth, and the tandem of Trevino and Kyle Higashioka have contributed next to nothing at the plate this season.  However, it was clear that the Yankees were focusing on defense from the catcher position, and Trevino/Higashioka have excelled on that front — as per both Fangraphs and Statcast, New York has the best framing numbers of any team in baseball, and Yankee catchers are a cumulative +2 in Defensive Runs Saved.  While the Yankees surely wouldn’t mind a bit of extra pop from Trevino, Higashioka, or Rortvedt when he is healthy, the club is surely more than satisfied with this defensive excellence, especially since the rest of the lineup is hitting on all cylinders.

Red Sox Notes: Trade Deadline, Bloom, Song, Hyers

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In an early look ahead to this year’s trade deadline, Joel Sherman of the New York Post identifies the 12-20 Red Sox as potential sellers. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom rebukes any notion that the team is preparing to punt on the season however, telling Sherman “We are not thinking that way [selling] at all […] The hole we are in is real, but it doesn’t reflect the talent on this club. We know it will take a lot to climb out, but we believe this group can do it.”

Accordingly, Sherman acknowledges how much baseball is left to be played this season and opposes a total teardown for a club that just last year made the playoffs. He does also cite Boston’s frequent record fluctuation this past decade (the team has finished first and last in the AL East four times apiece), however, as reason to brace for a disappointing final win tally. With a number of teams already ahead of them in the Wild Card hunt, to say nothing of their incredibly tough division, the Red Sox figure to have a harder time than most presumptive contenders in reaching the playoffs this year. Thanks to a handful of impending All-Star free agents and a wide open payroll next offseason though, there’s perhaps no team more qualified to reload at the trade deadline before trying for better results in 2023.

Some more news out of Boston…

  • Pitching prospect Noah Song was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2019 draft but has since seen his baseball career be put on hold due to Navy commitments. As Alex Speier of The Boston Globe details, however, Song has now completed flight school and applied for a service waiver that may allow him to resume his professional baseball career. At the time of his draft selection scouts viewed the right-hander as a first-round talent with mid-rotation upside, albeit one with obvious signing roadblocks, so his return could be quite the boon for a farm system on the rise. It remains to be seen how a multi-year layoff from baseball might impact Song’s athletic abilities or if additional naval obligations will keep his service waiver from being approved, but the Sox for their part seem prepared and supportive of either outcome.
  • In an interview with Christopher Smith of MassLive, former Boston hitting coach Tim Hyers discussed his rationale for leaving the franchise this offseason to take an identical role with the Rangers. Familial considerations, challenge-seeking, and a desire to let current Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse rise to the occasion all informed his ultimate departure. Hyers of course has been one of the sport’s more productive hitting coaches in terms of results, as high-octane offense was the calling card of Red Sox teams dating back to his first year under manager Alex Cora in 2018. Hyers’ coaching presence, and lack thereof, seems to be felt by his old and new club so far this season, as the Rangers have improved relatively as a run-scoring unit while the Red Sox currently find themselves as a bottom-three team in MLB in that regard. If there’s one silver lining here in the early-going for Sox fans, it’s that Hyers was approached by the Yankees after leaving his post with Boston but politely rebuffed the club.

Latest On Brett Gardner

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Brett Gardner was one of the top free agents of last winter’s class who didn’t wind up signing prior to Opening Day. That wasn’t on account of a lack of interest in the 38-year-old, as the Blue Jays touched base with Gardner’s camp during Spring Training as part of their search for a left-handed hitting outfielder.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic now reports that Toronto offered Gardner a $6MM contract at the time, but the 14-year MLB veteran turned it down. According to Rosenthal, Gardner also recently declined to pursue an opportunity with the Braves. After losing right fielder Eddie Rosario to late April eye surgery that figures to cost him two-to-three months, Atlanta expressed interest in Gardner but was rebuffed.

Rosenthal suggests Gardner would likely only continue his playing career with the Yankees, the lone organization for which he’s suited up. A third-round pick by New York in 2005, the College of Charleston product first reached the majors midway through the 2008 campaign. By 2010, he’d cemented himself as a regular and wound up spending more than a decade in pinstripes. Gardner hit .256/.342/.398 in a bit more than 6600 plate appearances over that stretch, and for the majority of his career, he was one of the game’s preeminent defensive left fielders. Gardner claimed a Gold Glove award in 2016 and routinely drew excellent marks from public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.

As recently as 2019-20, Gardner continued to produce at an above-average offensive level. That wasn’t the case in 2021, when he hit .222/.327/.362, although he still walked in an impressive 13% of his plate appearances and held his own defensively despite being unexpectedly thrust into a regular role in center field. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference felt Gardner was worth about a win above replacement last season, so it’s not surprising teams like the Jays and Braves were amenable to bringing him in to fill part-time roles.

That level of interest seemingly hasn’t been present on the Yankees’ part, however. General manager Brian Cashman said in Spring Training that he’d had some contact with Gardner’s reps since the end of the lockout, but added the team was “focused on what we have” internally at the time. Both Gardner and the Yankees had an opportunity to unilaterally continue their relationship into 2022 at the start of the offseason. The outfielder declined a $2.3MM player option — which isn’t too surprising given that a team like Toronto was willing to offer a greater sum — leaving the Yankees with a $7.15MM option. New York instead paid a $1.15MM buyout, essentially passing on a $6MM call on Gardner’s services.

Over the season’s first month-plus, the Yankees have had one of the game’s best outfields. New York has a .262/.345/.458 line from their outfielders, translating to offensive production 41 percentage points above the league average according to wRC+. That’s the third-best mark in the league, with only the Angels and Twins getting better production.

The bulk of that great work has come from star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom are off to fantastic starts. Center fielder Aaron Hicks has a robust .364 on-base percentage but has offered virtually nothing from a power perspective, while last summer’s marquee trade deadline pickup Joey Gallo has underwhelmed since landing in the Bronx. That said, the Yankees aren’t likely to seriously consider curtailing Hicks’ or Gallo’s playing time given their strong track records, so there probably wouldn’t be a path to regular reps for Gardner in the Bronx barring injury.

Yankees Sign Danny Salazar To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar to a minor league deal, per Mike Rodriguez of Univision.

Salazar, 32, was signed as an international free agent by Cleveland back in 2006. He climbed up the ranks of the minors and made his MLB debut in 2013. He had a tremendous four-year run from his debut through 2016, making 85 starts and throwing 484 1/3 innings. His ERA was 3.72 in that time, along with a 26.7% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate. He made the American League All-Star team in the last year of that stretch.

Unfortunately, cracks started to form in 2017, as Salazar struggled out of the gate and was demoted to the bullpen, though he would eventually reclaim his spot in the rotation. He finished the year with a 4.28 ERA over 103 innings, while missing time with shoulder issues. From there, bad went to worse as Salazar was diagnosed with right shoulder rotator cuff inflammation just as 2018 Spring Training was about to begin. After many failed attempts to heal his ailing shoulder, he eventually underwent exploratory surgery in June, which prevented him from taking the mound at all that year.

He was able to return to a big league mound in August of 2019, though he was trying to pitch through a groin issue and had severely diminished velocity compared to his previous form. He made a single four-inning start before being placed on the injured list a few days later and hasn’t pitched in a big league game since. He was outrighted at the end of the season.

At this point, it would be an incredible comeback story if Salazar is able to return to form and get back to the big leagues. Other than that lone injury-plagued outing in 2019, it’s been five years since he was a meaningful part of a big league staff. For the Yankees, there’s no risk in giving him a minor league deal and seeing if he can recapture some his previous form.

Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

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It was a relatively quiet offseason by Yankees standards….apart from arguably the winter’s biggest trade.

Major League Signings

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

After very little activity in the pre-lockout period, the Yankees burst into action a few days after the transactions freeze was lifted, swinging a big five-player blockbuster with the Twins that checked a number of items off New York’s winter to-do list.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton almost single-handedly carried a surprisingly lackluster Yankees lineup in 2021, so the club decided to add some more pop at third base by bringing in former AL MVP Josh Donaldson.  Gio Urshela had enjoyed some good success at the plate during his time in the Bronx, but since he was one of the several Yankee hitters coming off a down year, Donaldson provides a big upgrade on paper.

Donaldson isn’t without risk, especially given how New York has more than a few right-handed hitting veterans who also have checkered injury histories.  But, the Yankees felt Donaldson was worth it, considering that the third baseman hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down even into his age-36 season.  To underline their belief in Donaldson, the Yankees agreed to cover all of the $50MM owed to him through the 2023 season.

This expenditure was likely made possible because New York reset its luxury tax status in 2021, keeping payroll under the old $210MM threshold.  As a result, the Yankees regained “first-timer” penalty status for any overage in 2022, and indeed the Bombers are already set to blow past the new thresholds.  With the new collective bargaining agreement bringing changes to the Competitive Balance Tax structure, it seems as though New York’s lack of moves pre-lockout was borne of a desire to wait and see exactly what the new CBT rules would entail, before making any big financial commitments.

Some money also went back Minnesota’s way in the form of the 2022 contracts for Urshela and Gary Sanchez, who were both arbitration-eligible.  Sanchez is in his final year of arb control, and after another subpar season for the catcher, the Yankees decided to drastically overhaul their personnel behind the plate.

Between incumbent Kyle Higashioka, former Twin Ben Rortvedt, and another trade pickup in former Ranger Jose Trevino, this sharp move toward a defense-first catching corps turns the page after years of criticism directed towards Sanchez’s glovework.  These shortcomings behind the plate were usually secondary to the big numbers Sanchez posted with his bat, but as his hitting also declined over the last two years, he found himself on the bench during key late-season games.

There is some hope that the 24-year-old Rortvedt can still reach another level as a hitter, though he has yet to make his debut in the pinstripes after suffering an oblique strain in Spring Training.  Rortvedt’s absence likely led to Trevino’s acquisition, and Trevino might be the odd man out once Rortvedt is healthy.

Defense was also the key part of the Yankees’ acquisition of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was targeted by the New York front office for much of the winter.  It seemed as though the chase was over once the Twins landed IKF from the Rangers, except Kiner-Falefa was then flipped to the Yankees only hours after landing in Minnesota.

With Gleyber Torres moved over to second base near the end of last season, it left a big vacancy at the shortstop position.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman summed up the situation in October, stating bluntly that “shortstop is an area of need. We have to address it.”  It seemingly set the stage for a vintage Yankees splurge, and with so many superstar shortstops available in free agency, it seemed as though it was only a question of which of those big names would eventually land in the Bronx.

And indeed, the Yankees made a choice about their shortstop of the future — Anthony Volpe, or maybe Oswald Peraza.  Since Peraza is slated to make his big league debut sometime this season and Volpe likely in 2023, New York ultimately opted to see what they have in the two highly-regarded prospects rather than sign a proven veteran to a pricey multi-year contract.  This isn’t to say that the Yankees didn’t pay some attention to the shortstop market, but more in a cursory manner, in case a shorter-term possibility materialized.

As a result, it was Kiner-Falefa who stepped into the shortstop vacancy, not any of the All-Star names on the open market.  (Ironically, the Yankees agreeing to cover Donaldson’s salary allowed the Twins to free up enough payroll to make a big shortstop add themselves, signing Carlos Correa.)  While it has been only a month into the season and there will still be plenty of pressure on Volpe and Peraza considering who the Yankees passed up in their favor, it looks like Cashman may have made a canny decision.  Kiner-Falefa has thus far performed exactly as expected in solidifying the defense at the shortstop position, and as an added bonus, his bat has also been solid.

Since the Yankees expected the rest of the lineup to generally be better in 2022, “solid” is more than fine for a defense-first player, since glovework was a bigger problem than hitting last season.  The Yankees ranked 29th in Defensive Runs Saved (-41) and 25th in Outs Above Average (-23) in 2021, leaving plenty of room for improvement on the run-prevention front.

With the Mets spending tons of money and grabbing the headlines in the Big Apple, the Yankees’ more modest offseason took some criticism for being too conservative, especially considering all of the club’s weaknesses in 2021.  However, Cashman may have taken the glass half-full approach — if fans and media were concerned about the flaws on a 92-win team, Cashman seems to have focused on a core talented enough to win 92 games despite those flaws.

This isn’t to say that some other splashy moves weren’t considered, as the Yankees made a contract offer to Justin Verlander, though only for one year.  The Bombers were also linked to two of the biggest available first basemen, trade candidate Matt Olson and free agent Freddie Freeman.

In regards to first base, the Yankees again eschewed the big prospect cost of an Olson or the big financial cost of a Freeman signing, and instead brought back a familiar face.  Anthony Rizzo was good but unspectacular after being acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline, but New York liked the veteran’s contributions enough to bring him back on a two-year, $32MM deal.  Technically, the contract may end up being only a one-year pact, as Rizzo can opt out after the season.

Rizzo was nothing less than one of baseball’s best hitters in April, providing an early answer to any critics still grumbling over missing out on Freeman or Olson.  Some regression is probably inevitable since the 32-year-old is hitting at a career-best level, but Rizzo has shown he has plenty left in the tank after his Chicago tenure ended with a pair of only decent seasons.

Luke Voit was dealt to the Padres the day after Rizzo re-signed, as Voit was suddenly an expendable piece at first base.  The trade wasn’t exactly a salary dump, as Voit’s $5.45MM salary for 2022 wasn’t exactly prohibitive, and pitching prospect Justin Lange has a live arm (if some notable control problems).  Still, since Voit got off to a cold start with the Padres and is currently on the injured list with a biceps tendon injury, it looks like the Yankees made the right call in moving on.

The Bombers’ trade of Joely Rodriguez to the Mets for Miguel Castro is also looking like an early win for the Yankees, as Castro has pitched well while Rodriguez has struggled.  The Castro swap may have been the Yankees’ most notable pitching move of the winter, as the club let Corey Kluber and Andrew Heaney walk in free agency but didn’t really do anything to replace them.

The Verlander pursuit indicates that the Yankees were open to upgrading the rotation, though only on their terms.  Largely standing pat doesn’t seem to have much hampered the team, as the starting pitching and bullpen have both been very strong over the season’s first month.  Circling back to the defensive improvements, tighter fielding has certainly helped the Yankees’ fleet of arms, but the club has gotten good results from just about every pitcher on the staff.

In fairness, it is very easy to examine New York’s offseason through rose-colored glasses, given how well the team has played to date.  It’s safe to say the Yankees won’t keep up a .700 winning percentage for the entire year, but there is already plenty of indication that this team can contend for a World Series.

And, more moves are probably in store for the trade deadline.  Cashman was aggressive in landing Rizzo and Joey Gallo last summer even when the club seemed more like fringe contenders, and when the Yankees were trying to stay under the CBT limit.  Now, the Bombers are projected for a payroll north of $262MM, putting over the second tier of tax penalties but still under the third tier of $270MM.  Cashman has shown that he can find success with either headline-grabbing moves or more modest acquisitions, so anything could be on the table for more transactions throughout the year.

Could that something even be an extension with Judge?  The two sides didn’t reach agreement on a new deal prior to Opening Day, which was Judge’s preferred deadline for finalizing talks (like most players, Judge didn’t want negotiations to become distraction during the season).  In something of a curious move, Cashman openly discussed the Yankees’ offer, saying that the slugger was offered a seven-year, $213.5MM deal covering the 2023-29 season.

While reports were somewhat mixed on Judge’s demands, there was some indication he was looking for a $36MM average annual value.  It would be quite a commitment for a player who is already in his age-30 season, and yet Judge’s continued superstar numbers make a persuasive argument that he is worth that kind of money.

Since extensions are pretty rare in the Hal Steinbrenner era, it remains to be seen if even Judge is an exception to this more-or-less steadfast team policy.  It could be that the two sides don’t re-engage in contract talks until after the season, making Judge’s status a lingering storyline over the coming months.  The Yankees and Judge himself would probably prefer that the focus remains on the team’s performance, and should this end up being Judge’s last  year in the Bronx, a World Series ring would be a fine way to cap off his stint in the pinstripes.

Yankees Place Tim Locastro On Injured List

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The Yankees announced a few roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Outfielder Tim Locastro is going on the injured list with a left latissimus dorsi (back) strain. Right-handed pitcher Ron Marinaccio has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Outfielder Estevan Florial will be the team’s 27th man for today’s twin bill.

The outfield mix in the Bronx is a bit crowded, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo usually sharing the three spots on the grass as well as the designated hitter slot. As such, the speedy Locastro has been mostly coming off the bench for pinch running and defensive replacement duties. As such, he’s played 15 games this year but only made 15 plate appearances. He’s made the best of that time, hitting .231/.333/.462 for a wRC+ of 139, as well as swiping four bags.

Locastro was acquired from the Diamondbacks last year but then injured his ACL after just nine games with the Bombers. In the offseason, he was non-tendered but then re-signed after the lockout. Although the club hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery, this injury will mark another frustrating step in his Yankees tenure.

Several Veterans On Minor League Deals Have Sunday Opt-Outs

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The latest collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association is rife with contractual intricacies, as one would expect. MLBTR has confirmed that one of the new wrinkles set forth in this latest agreement stipulates that any Article XX(B) free agent — that is, a player with at least six years of service time who finished the prior season on a big league roster or injured list — who signs a minor league contract will have three uniform opt-out dates in his contract, so long as that minor league deal is signed 10 days prior to Opening Day. Those opt-out dates are five days before the start of the regular season, May 1 and June 1.

As the MLBPA announced at the onset of the most recent offseason, there were 188 players who became Article XX(B) free agents. The majority of those players signed Major League contracts. A handful retired, and some have yet to sign a contract at all. There were still more than two dozen players who signed minor league contracts, however, which makes them subject to the new uniform opt-out dates. Several of those players — Marwin Gonzalez, Matt Moore and Wily Peralta, to name a few — have already had their contracts selected to the Major League roster. Others signed their minor league deal after March 28, meaning they’re not covered under the uniform opt-out provision.

By my count, there are a dozen players who qualified as Article XX(B) free agents, signed minor league deals on or before March 28, and remain with those organizations but not on the 40-man roster. Each of the following veterans, then, will have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if they’re not called up to the current organization’s big league roster:

  • Tyler Clippard, RHP, Nationals: The 37-year-old Clippard had a strong 2019 season in Cleveland and pitched brilliantly with Minnesota in 2020. His 2021 campaign with the D-backs was solid but truncated by a strained capsule in his right shoulder. He missed nearly four months to begin the year but pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 25 1/3 innings upon activation — albeit with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19.8% and 9.9%, respectively). He’s had a rough go in Triple-A Rochester so far, yielding seven runs on six hits and a whopping 11 walks in 8 1/3 innings. He’s also picked up a dozen strikeouts.
  • Austin Romine, C, Angels: Romine is 2-for-15 with a pair of singles so far in Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never provided much with the bat, but the longtime Yankees backup is regarded as a quality defender and receiver. He spent the 2021 season with the Cubs but only logged 62 plate appearances thanks to a sprained left wrist that landed him on the 60-day injured list for a significant portion of the season. Romine hit .217/.242/.300 when healthy last year and is a lifetime .238/.277/.358 hitter in 1313 Major League plate appearances.
  • Billy Hamilton, CF, Mariners: At 31 years old, the former top prospect is what he is now: an elite defender and baserunner who’s never been able to get on base consistently enough to capitalize on his 80-grade speed. Hamilton slashed .220/.242/.378 in 135 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and is out to a 7-for-32 start with one walk and 11 strikeouts so far with the Mariners’ top affiliate. Hamilton has four seasons of 55-plus stolen bases under his belt, but he also has a career .293 OBP  that’s gotten even worse (.269) over the past three seasons (524 plaste appearances).
  • Blake Parker, RHP, Cardinals: Parker, 36, has yielded three runs in 7 1/3 Triple-A frames but is brandishing a far more impressive 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. He split the past two seasons between Philadelphia and Cleveland, pitching to a combined 3.02 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate against a 9.1% walk rate. Parker has had an up-and-down career since debuting with the Cubs as a 27-year-old rookie in 2012, but the cumulative results are solid. He carries a career 3.47 ERA with 34 saves and 47 holds. When Parker’s splitter is working well, he can be a very effective late-inning option.
  • Derek Holland, LHP, Red Sox: The veteran southpaw has provided innings, but not necessarily at quality since transitioning into a bullpen role in 2019. Last season he appeared in 39 games for the Tigers, tossing 49 2/3 innings with a 5.07 ERA/3.96 FIP. Holland’s time with Triple-A Worcester hasn’t been smooth, as he has a 5.79 ERA and six walks over 9 1/3 innings.
  • Steven Souza Jr., OF, Mariners: Due to an ugly knee injury and some struggles at the plate, Souza hasn’t been a truly productive big leaguer since 2017. Looking to revive his career with the Mariners, Souza has hit .200/.383/.333 over 60 PA with Triple-A Tacoma.
  • Kevin Pillar, OF, Dodgers: This season marks Pillar’s first taste of Triple-A ball since 2014, and the veteran outfielder is overmatching pitchers to the tune of a .313/.415/.627 slash line over 82 plate appearances. One would imagine this performance will earn Pillar a look in Los Angeles or perhaps another team if the Dodgers don’t select his contract. Pillar’s minor league deal guarantees him a $2.5MM salary if he receives a big league call-up, which could be a factor for a Dodgers club that may be trying to stay under the third tier ($270MM) of the luxury tax threshold.
  • Cam Bedrosian, RHP, Phillies: After signing a minor league deal with Philadelphia last July, Bedrosian posted a 4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with the club despite recording almost as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (eight). The righty inked a new minors deal with the Phillies over the winter but has yet to pitch this season due to injury.
  • Shelby Miller, RHP, Yankees: The former All-Star pitched well with the Cubs’ and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates in 2021, and he has kept up that strong Triple-A performance now working as a full-time reliever.  Over eight innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barres, Miller has a 2.25 ERA with outstanding strikeout (31.3%) and walk (3.1%) rates. He also hasn’t allowed any homers, a notable stat for a pitcher who has had great trouble containing the long ball over the last few seasons.
  • Matt Carpenter, INF, Rangers: Carpenter got a late start to Spring Training, and upon Opening Day, he expressed a desire to take the necessary time to get himself up to speed. Through 52 plate appearances in Triple-A, Carpenter has slashed an improved .239/.327/.457 with a pair of home runs. While not standout numbers, they are an improvement over the .203/.235/.346 slash line Carpenter posted in 901 PA from 2019-21 with the Cardinals.
  • Carlos Martinez, RHP, Giants: Another former Cardinal looking for a fresh start, Martinez has yet to pitch for Triple-A Sacramento, as he is still rehabbing from the thumb surgery he underwent last July. With injuries and a nasty bout of COVID-19 factoring into matters, Martinez has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 big league innings since the start of the 2020 season.
  • Keone Kela, RHP, Diamondbacks: Kela has also been ravaged by injuries over the last two seasons, including Tommy John surgery last May. Given the usual TJ recovery timeline, Kela isn’t likely to be a factor for the D’Backs until at least midseason.

Of course, players remain free to negotiate additional out clauses into their minor league contracts. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports, for instance, that lefty Adam Morgan has an opt-out provision in his contract with the Astros today. Morgan doesn’t have enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, but he’ll nevertheless have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if he doesn’t like his chances of eventually being added to Houston’s roster.

Appellate Court Unsealing 2017 Letter From MLB To Yankees Regarding Rules Violation

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In June 2020, a New York district court ordered Major League Baseball and the Yankees to unseal a letter sent by commissioner Rob Manfred to New York general manager Brian Cashman in 2017 regarding rules violations by the club from 2015-16. The Yankees appealed that ruling, but the appeal was rejected by the 2nd Circuit last week, as Evan Drellich of the Athletic reported on Thursday.

The contents of the so-called “Yankee letter” — which is expected to be officially unsealed later this week — were reported by Andy Martino of SNY this afternoon. The letter revealed that MLB determined the Yankees had used the video replay room to decode signs during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The letter also revealed the team occasionally improperly used the dugout phone to relay decoded signs from the replay room to the dugout. When New York had a runner on second base, that runner would pass along the forthcoming pitch type to the batter. (The Athletic had reported in January 2020 the Yankees had used the replay room to decode signs). Allegations by the Red Sox the Yankees were using cameras from the YES Network to steal signs were found unsubstantiated in Manfred’s letter.

Perhaps the most notable piece of new information from the release of the letter is that MLB fined the Yankees $100K for the misuse of the dugout phone. That the league had fined the Yankees was reported in September 2017, though the amount of the punishment was unknown until today.

All of the Yankees’ rules violations outlined in the letter occurred prior to September 15, 2017, when the league informed all 30 clubs it’d be cracking down on sign-stealing. That sets the Yankees’ violations apart from the Astros’ 2017-18 sign-stealing scandal (which was also far greater in scope than the league found the Yankees had orchestrated) and the Red Sox’s 2018 misuse of the video room.

The Yankees and MLB both released statements this afternoon (via Drellich) that delineated between pre-09/15/17 violations and those that occurred after MLB announced its crackdown. As part of its statement, the league stated the Yankees “were fined for improper use of the dugout phone because the Replay Review Regulations prohibited the use of the replay phone to transmit any information other than whether to challenge a play. The Yankees did not violate MLB’s rules at the time governing sign stealing.”

The Yankees stated they fought against the publication of the commissioner’s letter in part “to prevent the incorrect equating of events that occurred before the establishment of the Commissioner’s sign-stealing rules with those that took place after. What should be made vibrantly clear is this: the fine noted in Major League Baseball’s letter was imposed before MLB’s new regulations and standards were issued.”

Fans figure to make their own judgments about the moral implications of the Yankees’ actions. Even if one feels that sign-stealing before the league’s crackdown was fair game, there’s no question the New York organization broke the league’s rules regarding the dugout phone when they used it to pass along signs from the replay room to on-field personnel. That said, nothing within the contents of the commissioner’s letter come as a surprise relative to what had already been reported. It’s clear from the league’s statement on the matter it considered the issue final after levying the fine five years ago, and there won’t be any further discipline.

Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury Resolved Contract Grievance

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Back in 2019, the Yankees filed a grievance against Jacoby Ellsbury in an attempt to withhold the remaining $26,142,857 still owed on the outfielder’s contract.  Not many details have surfaced about the situation until now, as The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the two sides reached a settlement “at least a year ago” in order to avoid a hearing.

There was a monetary settlement involved, and though the total isn’t known, it appears as though some portion of Ellsbury’s remaining salary was reduced.  As Heyman notes, it was enough to keep the Yankees under the second tier of the luxury tax penalty limit in 2020, and exceeding that total would’ve meant that New York’s first pick in the 2021 draft would’ve fallen 10 slots lower (from 20th to 30th overall).  The luxury tax payments were suspended for the shortened 2020 season but not each team’s status as a multi-time payor, so the Yankees had to get under the tax threshold in 2021 to officially reset their CBT status.

The source of the grievance stemmed from the Yankees’ allegation that Ellsbury received outside medical treatment without the team’s permission, as Ellsbury was exploring various ways to get back on the field after injuries essentially ended his career.  In response, the MLB Players Association countered with a grievance of their own against the Yankees, though it can be assumed that that grievance was also quietly sidestepped when Ellsbury and the Yankees reached their settlement.

As it is, the settlement would appear to put a final cap on Ellsbury’s tenure in New York, which officially ended from a transactional standpoint when the Yankees released him in November 2019.  Following a huge 2013 season with the World Series champion Red Sox, Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153MM free agent to jump from Boston to the Bronx.

However, injuries plagued Ellsbury throughout his time in the pinstripes, and he hit only .264/.330/.386 over 2171 plate appearances and 520 games from 2014-17.  He didn’t play at all in 2018-19 due to a variety of injuries, most notably a hip surgery.  With the release, the Yankees ate the final year of Ellsbury’s contract as well the buyout of his club option for the 2021 season.

Ellsbury has never officially announced his retirement, and as of the 2019-20 offseason was still working out in an attempt to get back onto the field.  There hasn’t been any word on his future plans, and since Ellsbury is now 38 years old and hasn’t played since October 2017, it is probably safe to assume that his big league career is done after 11 seasons.

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