Hal Steinbrenner On Yankees’ Youth Movement
The Yankees have aggressively moved toward a younger group of players over the past month, trading veterans Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller while also releasing Alex Rodriguez and announcing that the 2016 season will be the end of Mark Teixeira‘s excellent career. Looking back further, the Yankees targeted youth when dealing Martin Prado to the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi — a move that ultimately came with mixed results — and selling high on one young asset (Shane Greene) to acquire an even younger asset at a more premium position in Didi Gregorius. While the 2016 season as a whole may be a disappointment for Yankees fans in terms of the team’s overall record, it’s also an undeniably exciting time as the future is right before them. Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin and many other young players have forced their way into the Majors this year. Greg Bird will be back in 2017 after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury this past spring, as well.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner discussed that youth movement with reporters, including Ken Davidoff of the New York Post and David Lennon of Newsday, explaining his palpable excitement for the possibility of a new core’s emergence. “We’ve been following these guys for three years, all the ups and downs and the progressions,” said Steinbrenner. “My goodness, the hope that you have. Then when you come up and see [Gary] Sanchez, the last two weeks, what he’s doing. And then (Austin and Judge hitting back-to-back homers in their debuts)… it would be hard as managing general partner to not be emotional about something like that.”
As Davidoff writes, Steinbrenner was acutely aware of the short-term pains that would come from continuing to add potential core components, specifically discussing the difficulty of trading away Beltran when he had been the team’s best hitter in 2016. However, he approved the acquisition of Tyler Clippard to help the club remain competitive this season and next, and the addition of Adam Warren was similarly motivated.
Quick Hits: Rivera, Orioles, Lackey, Fernandez, Myers, Rays
The Yankees unveiled a Monument Park plaque in Mariano Rivera‘s honor, yet as Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Fangraphs’ David Laurila) this weekend, Rivera could have become Florida Marlins property via the 1992 expansion draft. Dombrowski, then the Marlins GM, would’ve chosen Rivera if the Rockies hadn’t taken Yankees farmhand Brad Ausmus with the previous selection. Since the rules prevented a team from losing more than one player in an expansion draft, that took Rivera and any other unprotected Yankees off the board. Here’s some more news from around baseball as we wrap up the weekend…
- With Darren O’Day back on the DL, BaltimoreBaseball.com’s Dan Connolly opines that the Orioles should try to acquire a veteran southpaw reliever to fill the void. Connolly reports that the O’s looked into the Rockies‘ Boone Logan and the Padres‘ Brad Hand and Ryan Buchter prior to the trade deadline, so it’s possible the Orioles could revisit those talks, though it will be much harder to complete a deal through August trade waivers.
- John Lackey spoke last season of signing one more two-year contract and then retiring, though ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the right-hander could continue past the 2017 season if the desire and ability is still there. Lackey is enjoying another solid season, and Olney notes that the veteran is actually posting a career high in fastball velocity at age 37 (though this velocity is a rather modest 91.8 mph, after six seasons in the 91.5-91.7 mph range). Lackey would be 39 on Opening Day 2018, so if he is still pitching well, I would suspect he’d explore another contract with a contending team. Staying with the Cubs may well be at the top of Lackey’s list given how the team seems to be entering a long-term contention window.
- It’s no surprise that the big-market Cubs and Phillies are prepared to be big spenders in the coming years, though Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes that the traditionally low-payroll Marlins could also potentially become more open to big salaries. With a new local TV contract on the horizon, the revenue increase could make the Marlins more likely to re-sign Jose Fernandez, who has long been considered a good bet to leave Miami in free agency after the 2018 season.
- As the Padres are about to begin a series with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times revisits the three-team blockbuster between San Diego, Tampa and Washington in December 2014. Right now, the deal doesn’t look like a good one for the Rays — Steven Souza has yet to become a consistently productive player, while three of the players Tampa flipped in the deal (Wil Myers, Joe Ross and Trea Turner) are all enjoying success in 2016. It could be years, of course, before we can really judge the trade as a win or loss for any of the three clubs. Topkin also notes that Myers was the source of some clubhouse issues in Tampa Bay, so it’s possible he would never have had his breakout season without a change of scenery.
Yankees Outright Chris Parmelee
The Yankees have announced that they’ve reinstated first baseman Chris Parmelee from a stint on the disabled list with a strained hamstring and outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Parmelee has been outrighted before and therefore had the right to refuse the assignment, but he’s currently listed on the Yankees’ Triple-A roster, so it appears he’s accepted it.
Parmelee signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in February and was promoted in June as one Yankees first baseman after another went down with an injury. Parmelee lasted just eight plate appearances before heading to the DL himself.
Parmelee went 4-for-14 on a rehab assignment in Scranton and has batted a respectable .255/.339/.448 at Triple-A this season, but now that he’s healthy, the Yankees have little use for him. Tyler Austin has emerged as a legitimate option at first after a great stint in Triple-A and a recent promotion, and Mark Teixeira is now healthy as well. The 28-year-old Parmelee has batted .248/.313/.405 in parts of six big-league seasons.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Girardi, Fox
The Yankees‘ aggressive approach to their rebuild contrasts with the path the Red Sox once took, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes. This summer, the Yankees have traded veterans and acquired prospects in return, even a number of prospects who aren’t nearly ready for the big leagues. The Red Sox were in a similar position two years ago but took a different approach, dealing Jon Lester for Yoenis Cespedes (who they then sent to the Tigers for Rick Porcello) and John Lackey for veterans Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. (They did deal Andrew Miller for a prospect, Eduardo Rodriguez.) Of course, the Red Sox had a stronger core of young talent than the Yankees did at the time of each team’s series of trades — the Sox’ recent resurgence is due in large part to young talents like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley who were already in their system. Here’s more from the AL East.
- Joe Girardi’s experience with the 2006 Marlins will be helpful in dealing with the Yankees’ increasingly young roster, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Girardi won the NL Manager of the Year award in ’06 for his work with very young players like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Dontrelle Willis, Anibal Sanchez and Jeremy Hermida. The Yankees recently jettisoned a series of veterans and now have youngsters like Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Luis Cessa on their roster, and they’ll likely add more young talents, such as Clint Frazier, over the next year or so. (Austin and Judge, by the way, each homered in their first big-league plate appearances today.) Girardi says he doesn’t mind having so many young players on the roster together. “For young players, I think it is probably easier to do it in a group,” he says. “Many times they have been through struggles together before in the minors. More important, when one young player struggles in the majors, he can feel alone and singled out among veterans.”
- The Rays and Giants have resolved their issue concerning infield prospect Lucius Fox‘s injury status, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The Rays acquired Fox two weeks ago in the Matt Moore deal, but Fox ended up having a bone bruise in his foot that would cost him the rest of the minor league season. The Rays had initially hoped to receive additional compensation from the Giants as a result, but the two sides have now agreed that the Rays will not receive such compensation, since Fox’s foot issue had not yet been determined to be an injury.
Yankees Release Alex Rodriguez, Will Hire Him As Special Advisor
Designated hitter Alex Rodriguez played his final game with the club Friday, and the Yankees have officially released him. They will sign him to a new contract that will keep him in the organization through 2017 as a special instructor and advisor, as Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). However, the 41-year-old Rodriguez hasn’t closed the door on resuming his playing career at some point.
Notably, Rodriguez will continue to count against the luxury-tax threshold as he collects the $26.5MM that he has left on the 10-year contract he signed with the Yankees in 2007. That deal, a then-record-setting $275MM accord, was set to run through next season. Rodriguez secured the contract after opting out of his previously record-setting pact (10 years, $252MM) that he signed with the Rangers before the 2001 campaign.
Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, who was instrumental in keeping Rodriguez in pinstripes in 2007, issued a statement praising the 22-year veteran:
“After spending several days discussing this plan with Alex, I am pleased that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward and transition into a role in which I know he can flourish. We have an exciting group of talented young players at every level of our system. Our job as an organization is to utilize every resource possible to allow them to reach their potential, and I expect Alex to directly contribute to their growth and success. Baseball runs through his blood. He’s a tireless worker and an astute student of the game. Alex has already proven to be a willing and effective mentor to many players who have come through our clubhouse, and I am confident that this next phase of his baseball life will bring out the best in Alex and the next generation of Yankees.”
The news of Rodriguez’s departure from the Yankees’ roster isn’t particularly shocking after they scheduled a Sunday morning press conference that would feature some sort of announcement regarding his future. Speculation then abounded that the team would either cut Rodriguez or he’d retire. It turns out both could be true.
“We had no choice here, given the performance,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of releasing the declining Rodriguez, who now looks primed to walk away from playing a sport he has been a prominent part of since the Mariners selected him first overall in the 1993 draft.
For his part, Rodriguez commented, “I love this game. I love this team. Today I’m saying goodbye to both.”
If this is the end of Rodriguez’s playing career, he’ll go down as one of the most productive performers in baseball history. Since debuting in 1994 as an 18-year-old phenom, he has combined to hit .295/.380/.550 with 696 home runs, the fourth-highest total ever, in 12,000-plus plate appearances. He’s also 13th among position players in fWAR (113.0) and has collected 3,114 hits – which ranks 19th all-time – a record 25 grand slams, 14 All-Star appearances and three MVPs. Further, Rodriguez made a significant impact for the Yankees’ latest World Series-winning club, slashing a jaw-dropping .365/.500/.808 with six homers in 52 at-bats during the team’s run to a championship in 2009.
Rodriguez joined the Yankees in 2004 after they famously acquired him from the Rangers in exchange for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and prospect Joaquin Arias. New York beat out hated Boston for Rodriguez’s services, further fueling what was then a red-hot rivalry. To that point, Rodriguez had been an excellent defensive shortstop, but he agreed to move to third base with the Yankees because of Derek Jeter‘s presence. Like Jeter, Rodriguez is now one of the most accomplished Yankees ever, as he’s eighth among the franchise’s position players in rWAR (54.4) and sixth in home runs (351).
“I want to be remembered as someone who tripped and fell a lot, but kept getting up,” added Rodriguez, whose Hall of Fame-worthy career achievements are tainted in the eyes of many who follow the game.
Rodriguez is a central figure when it comes to steroids’ ties to baseball, having admitted in 2009 to using performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03 as a member of the Rangers. He also sat out the entire 2014 season as a result of a 162-game suspension the league handed him for his role in the Biogenesis scandal. That ban was originally for 211 games, but an appeal knocked 49 contests off it. At the time it disciplined Rodriguez, the league accused him of using and possessing “numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years.” It also alleged that he attempted “to cover up his violations” and engaged “in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.”
On the heels of his ignominious suspension, Rodriguez returned to playing last year and improbably hit .250/.356/.466 with 33 homers in 620 trips to the plate. That proved to be a dead cat bounce season, however, as Rodriguez has batted a disappointing .204/.252/.356 in 234 PAs in 2016. With the Yankees unlikely to qualify for the playoffs and now building toward the future, they have phased Rodriguez out of their lineup this year, having given him just one at-bat in August. He’s now the second franchise linchpin whose playing career with the Yankees is on the cusp of ending, joining first baseman Mark Teixeira – who announced earlier this week that he intends to retire after the season.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was first to report that the Yankees would release Rodriguez (Twitter links).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yankees To Promote Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin
The Yankees’ lineup against the Rays today includes both Aaron Judge (in right field and batting eighth) and Tyler Austin (at first base and batting seventh). FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweeted yesterday that Austin would be promoted. Both players will make their MLB debuts today. The moves coincide with the Yankees’ expected release of Alex Rodriguez., a move that is now official. The Yankees have also optioned righty Ben Heller and placed righty Conor Mullee (hand) on the 60-day DL.
[Related: Updated Yankees Depth Chart]
Of the two prospects, the 24-year-old Judge has the higher (and, literally, bigger) profile. A hulking (6’7, 275 pounds) slugger with huge raw power, the 2013 first-round pick has hit 19 home runs this season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting .270/.366/.489 in the process. MLB.com currently rates him the No. 27 prospect in the Majors, comparing his build and raw power to Giancarlo Stanton. (Baseball America rated Judge the game’s 76th-best prospect heading into the season.) Judge ranks as the Yankees’ fourth-best prospect, behind newcomers Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres as well as Jorge Mateo.
It’s unclear how much success Judge will have right away, as his minor league numbers, while certainly fine overall, haven’t always been overwhelming. His strikeout tendencies (he had 144 whiffs last season and 98 so far this year) might be an area upon which he could improve. His potential tape-measure home runs, however, could make for any number of exciting highlights, and he won’t to hit like a superstar to improve upon current right fielder Aaron Hicks, who has batted just .198/.259/.314 this season.
The 24-year-old Austin has spent parts of seven seasons in the Yankees’ farm system, but has come on strong this season, batting .294/.392/.524 overall, including .323/.415/.637 with 13 home runs in 234 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He can play all four corner spots, although he’s spent most of this season at first base, where he’ll presumably take plate appearances from Mark Teixeira, who’s set to retire at the end of the season. If Judge and/or Austin stick in the big leagues, they’ll each be eligible for arbitration following the 2019 season and free agency following the 2022 campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yankees Place Nathan Eovaldi On DL, Recall Luis Severino
The Yankees announced today that right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who left his most recent start after one inning due to an elbow issue, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a “right elbow tendon injury.” Fellow righty Luis Severino has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre to take his spot on the roster.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees Depth Chart]
While the DL placement obviously isn’t an ideal outcome for team or player, the fact that the announcement indicates a tendon injury is a silver lining. There was some concern about the possibility of a ligament issue at the initial time of the injury, but there’s no word from the team of any damage to Eovaldi’s UCL (thus, seemingly removing Tommy John surgery as a possibility). Severino will join Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda in the New York rotation, although right-hander Chad Green has been an oft-utilized option for the Yanks this year, making eight appearances (four starts) at the big league level. Long reliever Anthony Swarzak could be another option, though he hasn’t tossed more than 2 2/3 innings in any given appearance in 2016.
Severino, 22, had been optioned out just days prior to his recall but was eligible to be brought back more quickly than the 10-day minimum due to the fact that he’s replacing an injured player. The former top prospect hasn’t followed up on his brilliant rookie campaign (2.89 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 in 11 starts) this year, however, as he’s limped to a 6.42 earned run average in 47 2/3 innings at the Major League level. However, with Eovaldi on the shelf and right-hander Ivan Nova having been traded to the Pirates just prior to the non-waiver deadline, Severino could have an opportunity to finish the season on a strong note.
Heyman’s Latest: Yankees, Braun, Miller, O’s, Marlins
In his column for Today’s Knuckleball, Jon Heyman takes a lengthy look at the Yankees‘ rebuilding process, including the numerous deadline deals struck by the club. GM Brian Cashman says that the club would have traded Carlos Beltran to the Red Sox had their offer topped that of the Rangers, but obviously it did not. Per the report, New York was also willing to consider moving Brett Gardner, but “no serious takers” emerged.
Here are some other highlights:
- While the Braves checked in with the Brewers on Ryan Braun before the deadline, talks never progressed — in large part because it didn’t seem worth pursuing given his no-trade clause. As Heyman notes, the six teams that can acquire Braun without his permission are all based upon geographic preference, and it was deemed unlikely that he’d waive his protection for a switch to Atlanta. Braun’s wife is expecting, Heyman notes, and that factor (in conjunction with the no-trade clause) may well explain why trade buzz never picked up on him this summer.
- The Braves also were one of the teams to ask the Diamondbacks about struggling righty Shelby Miller, who famously changed hands between those teams before the season. That deal seemed favorable to the Braves at the time, and looks even better for them now. Arizona was prepared to move Miller, Heyman notes, but never was offered anything close to what was deemed needed to make a deal.
- In August shopping news, the Orioles are looking to add a left-handed reliever, per the report. As Baltimore’s depth chart shows, the club doesn’t have any southpaws in the pen other than ace closer Zach Britton.
- The Marlins are also still looking for pitching this month. Though the team hopes that Wei-Yin Chen can return for the stretch run in September, the team still wants a starter after sending Colin Rea back to the Padres. That move brought back prospect Luis Castillo, who remains a useful trade piece for the club as it pushes hard for the post-season.
- One bullpen piece that is freely available is veteran righty Joe Nathan, who was designated recently by the Cubs. Heyman says that there’s “strong interest” given the solid (albeit quite brief) showing the 41-year-old put on in his brief time in Chicago.
Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Eovaldi, Severino
Yankees manager Joe Girardi got defensive Wednesday in explaining to reporters why he chose not to start soon-to-be released designated hitter Alex Rodriguez in either of the first two games of the team’s series in Boston, writes Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. “I’m putting out what I feel is the best lineup as we sit around and talk about it as coaches. That’s my job. That’s in my job description. My job description does not entail a farewell tour,” said Girardi, who was the Yankees’ manager during shortstop Derek Jeter‘s season-long farewell tour in 2014. Despite hitting a paltry .256/.304/.313 with four home runs in 634 plate appearances that year, Jeter was a mainstay atop the Yankees’ lineup, which reporters pointed out Wednesday. In response, Girardi stated, “I didn’t really have a replacement, in a sense. This year, we have people that we want to try. We have replacements, and that’s the biggest difference.” The Yankees, who are amid a youth movement, started highly touted catcher prospect Gary Sanchez at DH on Wednesday. Rodriguez entered the game with a pinch-hit appearance in the seventh inning and flied out to right field, dropping his season batting line to .203/.251/.355. The 41-year-old will conclude his polarizing and productive Yankees career with starts on Thursday and Friday.
More on the Bombers:
- Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi exited his Wednesday start with inflammation in his pitching elbow after just one inning, Kuty was among those to report. Eovaldi will undergo tests in New York to determine the severity of the injury, and he and the Yankees are obviously hoping it won’t require Tommy John surgery. Eovaldi underwent the procedure as a high schooler, per Kuty, who also notes that right elbow inflammation kept the hard-throwing 26-year-old out for the final month of the 2015 season. Despite trailing only Mets ace Noah Syndergaard in average four-seam fastball velocity, Eovaldi has recorded a 5.12 ERA to pair with an underwhelming K/9 (7.11) in 116 innings as a starter this season.
- After an ineffective Tuesday start, one in which he surrendered five earned runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to Boston, the Yankees sent right-hander Luis Severino back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Severino, 22, has been among the Yankees’ biggest letdowns last year, having compiled a 7.78 ERA, 6.93 K/9 and 2.34 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings as a starter. While Severino has limited walks and thrown heat, his ERA as a starter is nearly five runs worse than it was last year (2.89) across his 62 1/3-inning debut, and his strikeout rate has experienced a notable drop from the 8.09 he recorded in 2015. To his credit, Severino has fared well in 63 2/3 Triple-A innings (3.25 ERA, 8.06 K/9, 2.12 BB/9).
Yankees Release Ike Davis
The Yankees have announced the release of first baseman Ike Davis, who inked a major league deal with the organization June 12 after opting out of his minor league contract with the Rangers.
Upon signing with the Yankees – with whom his father, Ron Davis, pitched from 1978-81 – the lefty-swinging Davis hoped to provide a first base solution to a team that was without starter Mark Teixeira because of a knee injury. Instead, Davis racked up just three hits – all singles – in a mere 15 plate appearances with New York, which outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 27. As a member of the RailRiders, Davis batted .217/.318/.391 with five home runs in 107 trips to the plate. Previously in 2016, he registered a .268/.350/.437 line with four long balls in 163 PAs as part of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.
Davis saw extensive major league action as recently as last year, when he logged a subpar .229/.301/.350 showing with three HRs in 239 PAs as a member of the Athletics. Davis’ best seasons came as a Met, with whom he swatted a career-best 32 homers in 2012 and combined to bat an above-average .241/.334/.433 with 68 HRs in 1,741 PAs from 2010-14.