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Yankees Rumors

Yankees Outright Jordan Groshans

By Nick Deeds | March 3, 2024 at 5:11pm CDT

The Yankees announced this afternoon that infielder Jordan Groshans has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to the club’s Triple-A roster. Groshans had been designated for assignment last week in order to make room for infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones on the club’s 40-man roster after Jones was claimed off waivers from the Brewers.

Groshans, 24, joined the organization just before the start of Spring Training last month when the club claimed him off waivers from the Marlins. The infielder’s professional career kicked off when he was selected 12th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2018 draft, and he spent the next few seasons working his way up the minor league ladder in the organization as he blossomed into a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport. He ultimately would not make it to the big leagues in Toronto, however, as he was shipped to the Marlins at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop after struggling in his first taste of the Triple-A level.

The Marlins wasted little time in bringing Groshans up to the majors, giving him a 17-game cup of coffee in Miami down the stretch. He held his own while playing third base, though his slash line of .262/.308/.311 in 65 trips to the plate left something to be desired. While he remained in Miami throughout the 2023 season, Groshans did not make an appearance in the majors last year as he once again struggled at the plate in Triple-A. In 528 plate appearances across 125 games at the level last year, Groshans slashed a paltry .244/.339/.330 with just six home runs while splitting time between first and third base.

Given that lack of power and his move to the infield corners last year, the Marlins decided to move on from Groshans last month upon acquiring infielder Jonah Bride in a cash deal with the A’s. That decisions ultimately led to Groshans returning to the AL East as a member of the Yankees, with whom he’ll remain as a non-roster depth option headed into the 2024 season. While Groshans has yet to flash the power typically necessary to thrive at the infield corners, he has experience at all four infield spots and could compete with the likes of Jones, Jeter Downs, Kevin Smith as the top option to fill in on the club’s bench this year in the event of an injury.

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New York Yankees Transactions Jordan Groshans

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Which Is The Best Team In The AL East?

By Nick Deeds | March 2, 2024 at 7:11pm CDT

Just over a week ago, MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald discussed the National League Central, which is arguably MLB’s most tightly-contested division. While no other division compares to that projected dogfight, the American League East provides the Central with a worthy rival in that regard as the only other division that Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA projects to not include a 90-loss team. Indeed, there’s an argument to be made that the battle for the AL East this year figures to be even more hotly contested. After all, PECOTA projects both the Pirates and Reds to finish with a lower win total than any of the teams in the AL East, while Fangraphs projects the East as the only division in the majors without a sub-.500 club.

That projection systems see the AL East as a division with five potential contenders is supported by last year’s results. The Orioles led the pack last season with a 101-win record, capturing the division title despite a strong showing from the Rays, who finished two games behind Baltimore. Both Tampa and Toronto also managed to make the postseason last year, while New York and Boston both remained on the periphery of the playoff picture into September despite ultimately coming up short. Since then, each club has seen significant changes, and with the likes of Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still on the market, it’s easy to imagine one or more of these club’s further improving their stock prior to Opening Day. In the meantime, let’s take a look at where things stand in the American League’s most competitive division:

Orioles: 101-61 in 2023, FG projects 85 wins in 2024, PECOTA 86.2

The Orioles were perhaps the most surprising team in baseball last year, surging to the club’s first AL East title since the 2014 season thanks to contributions from youngsters like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Grayson Rodriguez. Those same young players will be back this season and figure to be joined by consensus #1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday at some point this season, perhaps as soon as Opening Day. The club’s exciting young core figures to once again be complemented by solid veterans such as Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander as well, giving them a strong offensive nucleus with which to attempt to continue their reign atop the East.

With that being said, the club has seen some turnover this winter. Veteran starter Kyle Gibson departed the rotation via free agency this winter, and while the club swung a deal earlier this offseason to acquire former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes to front their rotation, dealing away promising southpaw DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz could be something of a blow to the club’s depth headed into the season. More noticeably, two key pitchers from the 2023 season are entering the season with significant injuries: closer Felix Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery late last year and figures to miss all of the 2024 campaign, while right-hander Kyle Bradish faces a lengthy absence of his own due to a UCL issue after leading the Baltimore rotation last season with a sterling 2.83 ERA across 30 starts.

While the injuries faced by Bradish and Bautista leave the Orioles without two of their top pitchers to open the season, the additions of Burnes and veteran closer Craig Kimbrel should help to soften those blows, and with youngsters such as Holliday, Cade Povich, and Coby Mayo all on the verge of contributing at the big league level, there’s plenty of reason to believe Baltimore can remain in the upper echelon of the league headed into 2024 as long as the club’s young stars can avoid taking a step back this season.

Rays: 99-63 in 2023, FG projects 86 wins in 2024, PECOTA 86.9

The Rays started the 2023 campaign on an incredible hot streak, winning a record-breaking 13 consecutive games to open the season last year thanks to strong pitching performances from the likes of Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, and Shane McClanahan. Unfortunately, each of those aforementioned arms underwent season-ending surgery last year and are expected to miss at least the first half of the 2024 campaign, if not longer. Tampa’s rotation mix was further weakened by the club dealing right-hander Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers back in December, leaving the club with little certainty in the starting mix outside of Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale. Another major loss from a production standpoint is shortstop Wander Franco, who posted 4.6 fWAR in 112 games last year but is facing sexual abuse charges in his native Dominican Republic that put his future in the majors in doubt.

Even with that hefty number of losses, however, the Rays still figure to be a force to be reckoned with headed into 2024. After all, the club sports one of the deepest lineups in the game, led by the likes of Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena. In addition to that group, the club sports plenty of young talent with the likes of Junior Caminero, Josh Lowe, and Curtis Mead all expected to contribute at the big league level at some point this season on the positional side. Meanwhile, the pitching staff boasts intriguing youngsters like Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, and offseason acquisition Ryan Pepiot, each of whom are likely to join Civale and Eflin as rotation pieces this season. The club’s perennially excellent bullpen continues to look strong as well, with a back-end trio of Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam, and Colin Poche bolstered by offseason additions such as Phil Maton.

Given the number of significant absences the Rays are facing entering the season, it’s not necessarily surprising that projections systems expect the club to take a major step back in 2024. The club figures to rely on the likes of Jose Caballero and Taylor Walls in place of Franco at short and young, unproven arms like Bradley and Pepiot in place of established power arms like McClanahan and Rasmussen. Even so, the club’s deep lineup and strong bullpen figure to keep the club in contention for the AL East crown this season, particularly if the youngsters in the rotation find success in the big leagues.

Blue Jays: 89-73 in 2023, FG projects 85 wins in 2024, PECOTA 88.6

The 2023 season was a strange one in Toronto, as key stars such as Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took steps back at the plate to leave the club with a surprisingly tepid offense. That didn’t stop the Jays from contending last year, however, as the club managed to sneak into the final AL Wild Card spot with an 89-win campaign thanks to a strong performance from the club’s starting rotation. Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi, and Chris Bassitt each combined to give the club above-average production while making more than 30 starts a piece, and veteran southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu managed to step into the rotation and provide solid back-end production when youngster Alek Manoah struggled badly throughout the season.

Entering the offseason, the club seemed poised to make big changes as they were connected to the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, though they ultimately ended up having a much quieter offseason. After watching the likes of Matt Chapman and Brandon Belt depart in free agency, the club brought in the likes of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Justin Turner to fill the void at third base and DH while adding to their pitching depth with the addition of Yariel Rodriguez. Those minor moves leave the club likely to look for internal improvements as they hope to return to the postseason in 2024. Some of that improvement could come from the club’s young talent, with top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann likely to debut sometime this year while the likes of Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement figure to attempt to establish themselves in larger roles.

While the club’s lineup took a bit of a hit this winter after a disappointing 2023 campaign, a robust pitching staff figures to keep the Blue Jays afloat this season even if the offense fails to take a step forward. It’s easy to imagine the club returning to the postseason in 2024 if stars like Bo Bichette, Guerrero, and Springer can deliver impactful performances, especially if the club gets strong production from its supporting cast of hitters like Turner, Schneider, and Daulton Varsho.

Yankees: 82-80 in 2023, FG projects 89 wins in 2024, PECOTA 94.7

After missing the postseason for the first time since 2017 and barely escaping the 2023 season with a winning record, the Yankees wasted no time this winter in looking to improve the club’s postseason chances for year two of Aaron Judge’s nine-year megadeal with the club. That included a complete retool of the club’s outfield mix as the club acquired Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo to complement Judge on the outfield grass while balancing a lineup that leaned too right-handed in 2023. The blockbuster deal for Soto and Grisham cost the club plenty of big league pitching talent, including the likes of Michael King and Randy Vasquez, though New York went on to patch up the club’s starting rotation by landing veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman in free agency.

That lengthy offseason shopping list seems likely to leave them in strong position to contend this season even as they lost the likes of Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, and King from last year’s club. Even as the club added a quality mid-rotation arm, solid outfield regulars, and a superstar bat to its mix, however, it’s possible the club’s most impactful improvements could come internally after the club dealt with a hefty number of injuries last year. Judge followed up his 2022 AL MVP-winning performance with another season that saw him post an OPS north of 1.000 in 2023, though he was limited to just 106 games by a toe injury. Meanwhile, southpaws Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon both struggled badly with injuries and ineffectiveness last year but still carry front-of-the-rotation upside when healthy, while veteran hitters like Stanton and Anthony Rizzo could also benefit from improved health this season and rebound from difficult 2023 campaigns.

Of all the clubs in the AL East, it’s easy to make the argument that the Yankees did the most to improve this winter. While even those additions may not be enough to catch up to the club’s divisional rivals on their own after an 82-win campaign, improved health from the club’s key regulars both on the mound and in the lineup could certainly help the club avoid missing the postseason in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since the 2013 and ’14 seasons.

Red Sox: 78-84 in 2023, FG projects 81 wins in 2024, PECOTA 79.2

It’s been a strange offseason in Boston, as the club began the winter with promises of a “full throttle” approach to the 2024 season and a goal of improving the club’s rotation. Despite those major plans, the club has generally opted for smaller moves throughout the winter. Perhaps the club’s most notable move was parting ways with longtime ace Chris Sale in a trade that netted the club young infielder Vaughn Grissom, while Sale’s spot atop the club’s rotation appears poised to go to right-hander Lucas Giolito.

The club also added outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a trade with the Cardinals while signing veteran closer Liam Hendriks to a two-year deal, though the righty won’t impact the team until the second half at the earliest as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Those moves more or less leave the club in a similar position as they were last season, with Giolito replacing Sale while O’Neill and Grissom figure to replace Adam Duvall and Turner in the club’s lineup. While the club’s most significant offseason losses have been replaced in one form or another, other departures such as those of James Paxton, Alex Verdugo, and John Schreiber have all gone unanswered to this point in the winter.

Despite the club’s many question marks, there’s some reason for optimism in Boston, thanks to the young talent that could impact the club this year. In addition to Grissom serving as a potential solution at second base, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, and Brayan Bello took significant steps forward last year and could prove to be core pieces for the club, while youngsters like Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela could also impact the club this season after making brief cameos in the majors last year. It’s certainly possible to imagine Trevor Story returning to the form that once made him a star with the Rockies now that he’s further removed from the elbow troubles that cost him much of last season, and Masataka Yoshida could be an impactful bat if he can recreate his performance from the first half of 2023 over the full season this year. Meanwhile, the rotation features a handful of interesting youngsters such as Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, and Kutter Crawford, any of whom could prove to be an impactful arm if they manage to take a step forward this year.

————————

On the heels of a 2023 season that saw three of the division’s five teams make the postseason and its fifth-place finisher end the season with a better record than the fourth place finishers of four other divisions, it’s perhaps not a surprise that the AL East figures to once again be among the most competitive divisions in baseball this year. After a busy offseason in the division, which team do you think will come out on top? Was the Yankees’ splashy offseason to put them back in the driver’s seat? Will another year of development for the young players in Baltimore allow them to repeat their dominant 2023 campaign? Will the deep rosters of the Rays or Blue Jays manage to outlast the competition? Or could the Red Sox outperform the projections and take the division on the back of their young players and rebound candidates?

Which team in the AL East is best? Have your say in the poll below!

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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox MLBTR Originals MLBTR Polls New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays

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Yankees Notes: Hernández, Snell, Schmidt

By Darragh McDonald | February 29, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT

Utility player Enrique Hernández signed with the Dodgers earlier this week after having reported interest from clubs such as the Giants, Angels, Twins, and Padres. Hernández spoke to Foul Territory about his free agency (video link via X), adding that the Tigers were also interested but that it came down to the Dodgers and Yankees at the end.

The interest from the Tigers was not previously reported, but it seems fair to assume it came before they signed another utility infielder, Gio Urshela. That the Yankees were at the table is not something that was previously reported and would seem to suggest they are open to adding another utility player to their roster.

There are a few different ways Hernández could have been useful off the bench for the Yankees. The club is set to have veterans DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo at the infield corners, both of whom are now in the mid-30s and struggled with injuries last year. He could have given them some extra cover at those spots while also perhaps getting into the outfield mix in a platoon capacity, pairing with lefty Alex Verdugo.

Hernández hits from the right side and has a career slash of .257/.343/.458 against southpaws, good enough for a 115 wRC+, compared to a line of .228/.290/.377 and 80 wRC+ against righties. Verdugo’s career splits are .290/.346/.461 and 115 wRC+ against righties but .259/.315/.350 and 80 wRC+ versus lefties. Left-hander Trent Grisham is also in the mix but he has reverse splits.

The Yankees project to have a bench of Jose Trevino, Oswaldo Cabrera and Grisham in three spots. That leaves one spot open, which could go to Oswald Peraza, but he has an option and is probably better served getting regular reps in the minors as opposed to sitting on the big league bench.

The club’s interest in Hernández suggests they could sign a veteran to plug into their bench, though there aren’t many proven infield/outfield types unsigned. Donovan Solano hasn’t played the outfield since 2012 while guys like Elvis Andrus or Jonathan Schoop never have. Free agent outfielders like Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall or Michael A. Taylor can’t help on the infield. The Yanks just claimed Jahmai Jones off waivers, who has experience on the dirt and the grass and is out of options, so perhaps they will just turn to him or some other claimee to fill out their bench.

Elsewhere in Yankee tidbits, the club continues to be tied to Blake Snell as the lefty lingers on the market. Recent reporting has suggested Snell may follow Cody Bellinger in pivoting to a short-term deal with opt-outs and high average annual values, though this wouldn’t work well for a club like the Yankees. They are already over the fourth and final tier of the competitive balance tax and face a 110% tax on any additional spending. RosterResource puts their CBT number at $307MM, already $10MM over the $297MM top line.

Hypothetically, if Snell wanted the same $30MM salary as Bellinger this year, the Yankees would also have to pay $33MM in taxes to give it to him. Snell also rejected a qualifying offer, so the Yankees would have to surrender their second- and fifth-highest picks in the upcoming draft and $1MM of international bonus pool space to sign him. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic looked at the situation today and reported that it remains unlikely the two sides will get something done for those exact reasons.

As long as the Yankees don’t sign Snell or any other pitcher, then Clarke Schmidt projects as the number five behind Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes. Kuty spoke to manager Aaron Boone about Schmidt, with the skipper highlighting the strong finish to his season. “He never lost confidence,” Boone said. “He never lost focus. Then he put together a really strong 4 1/2 or five months — after Gerrit, he was the guy we could kind of hang our hat on. Hopefully there’s another step in that.”

In his ninth start of the season, Schmidt allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Rays and had a 6.30 earned run average at that point. But he put up a 4.08 ERA the rest of the way, allowing him to finish at 4.64 for the season overall. The Yanks will be hoping the 28-year-old can take another step forward here in 2024, as they traded away much of their rotation depth in the deal that brought over Grisham and Juan Soto.

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New York Yankees Notes Blake Snell Clarke Schmidt Enrique Hernandez

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MLBTR Podcast: How Cody Bellinger’s Deal Affects The Other Free Agents And Why The Offseason Played Out Like This

By Darragh McDonald | February 28, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Cubs re-signing Cody Bellinger (1:40)
  • How did he end up with a short-term deal? (3:35)
  • Why would he not take a deal of around six years, $150MM? (5:00)
  • Was this about Bellinger’s Statcast metrics? (8:00)
  • Would Bellinger have gotten a megadeal in a different winter? (11:15)
  • Is there a gulf widening between what superstars can make and what mid-market players can make? (15:55)
  • How does the Bellinger deal affect expectations for the other Boras guys? (19:35)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • We have some brand-name starting pitchers who will be signing contracts after Spring Training games have begun. Historically, how have previous late signings fared after starting their seasons so late? (27:00)
  • Does the Aaron Nola deal look terrible in hindsight? In my opinion, he’s not as good as Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery and Nola got more than every pitcher except for the Dodgers’ guys. Do the Sonny Gray and Eduardo Rodríguez deals look smarter than Nola’s too? (30:30)
  • What is the feeling around Juan Soto and where he might be in 2025? I feel like he’s gonna stick with the Yankees but everyone seems to think it’s a one-year location for him. (34:10)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Finding Fits For The “Boras Four,” Which Teams Could Still Spend? And Rob Manfred In His Last Term – listen here
  • Jorge Soler, Veteran Catcher Signings and the Padres’ Payroll Crunch – listen here
  • The Sale of the Orioles, Corbin Burnes Traded and Bobby Witt Jr. Extended – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

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Chicago Cubs MLB Trade Rumors Podcast New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies Cody Bellinger

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Yankees Claim Jahmai Jones, Designate Jordan Groshans

By Steve Adams | February 28, 2024 at 1:48pm CDT

The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones off waivers from the Brewers, who’d recently designated him for assignment. Fellow infielder Jordan Groshans has been designated for assignment in order to clear space on the 40-man roster.

A second-round pick by the Angels back in 2015, Jones is a former top-100 prospect who’s struggled in a trio of brief looks at the MLB level between Anaheim, Baltimore and Milwaukee. He’s taken just 90 turns at the plate in the big leagues and produced a .179/.233/.226 line with a dismal 36.7% strikeout rate.

The 26-year-old Jones is a more accomplished minor league hitter, however — as evidenced by a career .251/.377/.436 slash. He’s posted a far more manageable 21.9% strikeout rate at that level while also walking in a huge 15.4% of his 857 plate appearances. Jones has connected on 25 homers, swiped 25 bags and added 42 doubles and seven triples during his time in Triple-A. He’s a right-handed hitter who, in addition to more than 3400 career innings at second base, has logged nearly 1700 innings in center and more than 500 in left field.

Whether Jones sticks on the big league roster in New York is a fair question. He’s out of minor league options, meaning he can’t be sent to Triple-A Scranton without first passing through waivers. The Yanks could carry Jones on the bench in place of Oswald Peraza or Oswaldo Cabrera, opting to get either (likely Peraza) everyday playing time in the minors with a regular role not currently available on the big league roster. Alternatively, the Yankees might simply hope to turn around and pass Jones through waivers themselves, which would allow them to keep him on the Scranton roster as a depth piece who no longer commands a 40-man roster spot.

That same fate could await the 24-year-old Groshans. Like Jones, he’s a former top-100 prospect whose stock has dimmed in recent years. Groshans has just 65 MLB plate appearances and a .262/.308/.312 slash to show for it. His .253/.350/.322 output in 940 Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s primarily played on the left side of the infield, splitting time in near even fashion between shortstop and third base, but Groshans does have more limited experience at second base (76 innings) and first base (396 innings) as well.

Groshans does have a minor league option year remaining, which could make him appealing to another club via waiver claim or minor trade. The Yankees will have a week to find a trade partner or complete the process of passing him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, Groshans could be assigned outright to Triple-A and retained as a non-roster depth option. He lacks the major league service time and prior outright assignment to reject an outright from New York.

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Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees Transactions Jahmai Jones Jordan Groshans

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Yankees Continue Talks With Blake Snell

By Steve Adams | February 27, 2024 at 10:07am CDT

As Blake Snell continues to linger in free agency, speculation regarding him and the Yankees persists. The Yanks reportedly offered the lefty five years and $150MM before pivoting to sign Marcus Stroman on a two-year deal last month. Since then, it’s been reported that the Yankees still have an offer out to Snell, though the shape of that offer is presumably different after signing Stroman and pushing themselves into the top tier of luxury-tax penalization in the process. Whatever is presently on the table doesn’t appear to be a “take it or leave it” type of offer, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that the Yankees and Snell talked about various contract parameters as recently as yesterday.

Notably, Heyman writes that agent Scott Boras has suggested the possibility of a shorter-term deal with higher annual salaries and opt-out opportunities. That’d be a pivot from Snell seeking maximum guarantees, as has been the case throughout the winter. It’s also not a concept that works well with a team in the Yankees’ situation.

The Yankees are a third-time luxury tax payor who are in the top tier of penalization. Any additional spending at this point will be taxed at 110%. And since the luxury tax is based on a contract’s average annual value, there’s no skirting the issue by backloading a deal. In that sense, dialing up the contract’s AAV only further penalizes the Yankees. The taxes are only part of the issue. New York would also be forfeiting its second- and fifth-highest draft selections, as well as $1MM from next year’s international bonus pool, in order to sign Snell, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Padres.

A longer-term pact that stretches out an agreed-upon guarantee while weighing down the AAV would be more sensible. The Yankees took that approach with DJ LeMahieu in free agency a couple years back, when he inked a six-year deal at a time when a contract around four years was widely expected. There’s no indication such an arrangement is currently being discussed, however, and going longer term on Snell would present the Yankees with its own slate of worrying factors. New York already has Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton under contract through the 2027 season. Each of Cole, Rodon and Judge are on the books through 2028, giving the Yankees $103MM in guaranteed money on the books in a season that’s still four years down the road. Add in the $10MM buyout on Stanton’s 2028 option, and that’s $113MM of considerations for that season.

Furthermore, they’ll very likely wind up tacking an extra year onto Cole’s contract this coming offseason. The reigning AL Cy Young winner has an opt-out in his contract after the ’24 season, but the Yankees can void that by picking up a 2029 club option at $36MM. That’d give the Yanks $76MM on the books as far down the line as 2029; adding Snell on a long-term deal designed to tamp down his contract’s AAV could push them close to or even north of $100MM in commitments a half-decade from the current season. Not only that, but Judge will be 37 that year and Cole will be 38. Snell would be 36. It’d be plenty understandable if the Yankees have some trepidation about locking in $100MM+ in guarantees to three players who’ll be 36 or older in 2029.

Heyman also notes that the Yankees have some interest in fellow lefty and fellow unsigned Boras client Jordan Montgomery, whom they of course originally drafted and developed. However, the Yankees prefer Snell, and the financial hurdles just laid out regarding Snell applies to Montgomery — but on a slightly smaller scale, as he doesn’t have quite the earning power of a two-time Cy Young winner.

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New York Yankees Blake Snell Jordan Montgomery

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AL Notes: Mejia, Bellinger, Yankees, Carter, Twins

By Mark Polishuk | February 25, 2024 at 10:14pm CDT

The Angels released Francisco Mejia earlier today, and the veteran catcher has already had some “initial talks” with the Rays about a return to Tampa, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Mejia spent the last three seasons as part of the Rays’ catching mix, having time with Mike Zunino, Christian Bethancourt, and Rene Pinto before Tampa Bay designated Mejia for assignment last August and subsequently outrighted him off their 40-man roster.  Mejia chose to remain in the organization rather than opt for free agency in the wake of that outright assignment, but he became a free agent after the season and signed with the Angels on a minor league contract.

Pinto and Alex Jackson look to be Tampa’s preferred catching combo heading into the 2024 season, but the Rays were known to be looking for more depth at the position.  Re-signing a familiar face like Mejia would seem like a logical move in that department, even if a reunion with a catcher the Rays already seemingly moved on from last summer doesn’t represent much of an upgrade on a position that had been an issue for the team for years.  Mejia has hit .239/.284/.394 over 1098 career plate appearances in the majors, as the 28-year-old has only rarely shown any of the promise that made him a top prospect during his time in the Cleveland and San Diego farm systems.

Here’s some more from the American League….

  • The Yankees were linked to Cody Bellinger’s market early in the offseason, even if the Juan Soto trade seemingly closed the door on the chances of Bellinger in the Bronx well before Bellinger left the market for good by re-signing with the Cubs.  New York’s interest in Bellinger didn’t begin this offseason, as the club looked into signing Bellinger last winter and The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney reports that the Yankees also had interest in acquiring Bellinger prior to the last trade deadline.  Bellinger was seen as a major trade chip for much of the first half until the Cubs went on a hot streak and opted against selling at the deadline, leaving suitors for several of Chicago’s veterans out of luck.  Of course, the Yankees’ own fortunes changed, as the team’s midseason slump led the front office to have a very quiet deadline, perhaps as an acknowledgement that the roster was more than one player away.
  • Evan Carter and the Rangers seemingly avoided an injury scare today when x-rays came back negative on the outfielder’s left forearm, as manager Bruce Bochy told the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland and other reporters.  Carter was hit by a Kyle Harrison during today’s Cactus League game and left the field after a visit from the team trainer, though it appears as though Carter is just day-to-day with some soreness.  One of the big favorites for AL Rookie of the Year honors heading into 2024, Carter made his MLB debut last September and immediately produced at a superstar level down the stretch and throughout the Rangers’ postseason run.
  • On paper, the pairing of Carlos Santana and Alex Kirilloff gives the Twins a platoon at first base, though manager Rocco Baldelli told The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman and other reporters that “I don’t think of it as a traditional platoon in any way because one of our guys [Santana] is a switch hitter.  You end up with different options because Santana can play pretty much any day….It just gives us a lot of flexibility.”  Since Minnesota also wants to give Kirilloff at-bats and keep him healthy, the defensively superior Santana figures to get the majority of the work at first base and Kirilloff could be DH, with both players appearing in the same lineup on a regular basis.  Two wrist surgeries and a shoulder surgery have limited Kirilloff to 192 games and 706 PA over his first three big league seasons, so adding Santana on a one-year, $5.25MM deal allowed Minnesota to bolster the first base position.
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Minnesota Twins New York Yankees Notes Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Alex Kirilloff Carlos Santana Cody Bellinger Evan Carter Francisco Mejia Kyle Harrison

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Steinbrenner: Yankees Open To Further Additions

By Darragh McDonald | February 23, 2024 at 1:35pm CDT

Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner spoke to members of the media yesterday, including Chris Kirschner and Brendan Duty of The Athletic, noting that the club is open to making further additions to the roster but also adding that nothing is close and there could be budgetary concerns with any possible transactions.

“Given where we are payroll-wise, any addition to the club is going to be a costly one,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m still willing to consider anything that [general manager Brian Cashman] and his team bring my way. I’ll leave it at that. We are not done trying to improve this team.”

The openness to making another move doesn’t necessarily mean that one will come to pass, as Steinbrenner himself made clear. “I’m not saying anything is going to happen, I’m not saying something’s not going to happen. But I’m still willing to improve this team however we can.” But the mere fact that he’s keeping the window open is notable, especially given the way others have spoken recently.

Decision makers for the Giants, Rangers, Nationals, Mariners, Twins, Blue Jays and Angels have all downplayed the likelihood of further moves for their clubs in the past week or so. Though the so-called “Boras Four” of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger are all unsigned and many fans are pressing their favorite team to jump in, executives and owners seem to be doing their best to lower expectations.

Whether that’s a genuine expression of the current state of affairs or a posture for bargaining purposes isn’t known, but Steinbrenner’s comments nonetheless stand out as being a bit less outwardly pessimistic. Though as he mentioned, there will be significant financial considerations to any possible deal.

Roster Resource currently pegs the Yankees’ competitive balance tax number at $307MM, already about $10MM beyond the fourth and final tax tier of $297MM. As a third-time payor at that level, the Yankees are looking at a 110% tax rate for any further spending.

The club has been connected to Snell throughout the offseason, reportedly offering him a deal of $150MM over six years at one point. That deal would have come with an average annual value of $25MM and the Yankees would have had to pay $27.5MM in taxes. That means they would be looking at giving up $52.5MM to add Snell to the rotation for this year.

That $150MM guarantee wasn’t enough to get Snell to put pen to paper, which perhaps suggests the Yanks might have to be willing to go even further to get a deal done. The lefty hasn’t signed anywhere so perhaps the club can hold firm to their position, but it still highlights the significant numbers the club is calculating when considering these kinds of moves.

The end of February is now in sight and spring games are taking place. As the regular season creeps closer and big name free agents are still available, it seems a staring contest is taking place. Boras obviously doesn’t want to take offers for his clients that he considers below what they are worth while clubs are doing their best to present themselves as content with their current rosters and payrolls. Something will have to eventually give and it seems as though the Yankees could perhaps be at the table.

Their rotation is currently fronted by Gerrit Cole but has question marks beyond that. Each of Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman missed significant time due to injuries last year. Clarke Schmidt is fine as a #5 but has an option year remaining and could potentially be pushed to the minors if someone else is signed. The Yanks dealt away four starting pitching options in the Juan Soto trade so there would be logic to pushing Schmidt down the depth chart for when a need inevitably arises as the season goes along. Steinbrenner trotted out the “I don’t think you can have enough pitching” cliché yesterday, per video relayed by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

It remains to be seen if they are willing to pay for someone like Snell or Montgomery in order to bolster the staff. The free agent market also features Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, Zack Greinke and others.

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New York Yankees Hal Steinbrenner

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Yankees Notes: Judge, Holmes

By Darragh McDonald | February 20, 2024 at 6:30pm CDT

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had a challenging season in 2023, suffering a torn toe ligament when he collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium. Back in December, general manager Brian Cashman described it as “a resolved issue” but Judge spoke on it today and didn’t frame it with the same sort of finality. He said it will likely require “constant maintenance” for the rest of his career, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

Judge still said that he’s feeling good, so it doesn’t appear there’s real cause for concern in the immediate future. Nonetheless, it’s something that could be worth watching going forward. Judge is turning 32 years old in April and it slated to become an everyday center fielder this year, with Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo in the corners. Judge may get the occasional day as the designated hitter, with Trent Grisham taking over in center, but it still figures to be a notable jump in terms of work.

In 2022, Judge got into 78 games as a center fielder and logged 632 2/3 innings at the position, with both of those currently standing as his career highs. Assuming he avoids the injured list this year, he should easily blow past both figures. His career marks have been passable at the position, especially considering his minimal experience there, with three Outs Above Average, -1 Defensive Runs Saved and a grade of -0.4 from Ultimate Zone Rating.

Maintaining those average-ish marks over a larger sample of playing time will something of a challenge. He’ll also be doing so while trying to work against the natural aging curve that generally comes for players as they push towards their mid-30s and trying to keep the toe thing at bay. It’s a lot of minor things but they could perhaps add up over time, with Judge having eight years left on his contract. Last season’s results were nothing to worry about, however. After coming off the IL in late July, Judge hit .245/.408/.557 over the remainder of the season for a wRC+ of 164.

Elsewhere in Yankee news, right-hander Clay Holmes tells Joel Sherman of The New York Post that the club has not yet approached him about an extension. Holmes, 31 next month, is slated to become a free agent at the end of this year.

Over the past two years, Holmes has established himself as the club’s primary closer, racking up 44 saves over those two campaigns. He’s thrown 126 2/3 innings in that time, allowing 2.70 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 26.1% of batters faced and given out walks at an 8.2% clip while, most impressively, keeping 70.6% of balls in play on the ground. That’s the best grounder rate in the majors among pitchers with at least 120 innings pitched over the last two years.

Keeping that kind of production around beyond the upcoming season is surely appealing, especially for a Yankee club that is known to favor ground ball specialists. But since he’s so close to the open market, the Yanks would likely have to pay something close to free agent prices in order to get him to sign.

Perhaps the club feels they can find the next Holmes another way. As Sherman points out, Holmes didn’t have a huge track record at the time the Yankees acquired him. He had a 5.57 career ERA when the Yanks sent Hoy Park and Diego Castillo to the Pirates to get Holmes, before turning him into a lockdown closer.

But as Sherman also points out, the bullpen is on the cusp of major turnover. Each of Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Tommy Kahnle and Caleb Ferguson are impending free agents. Those four are arguably the club’s top high-leverage guys, leaving a lot of uncertainty going into 2025 and beyond. Bullpens can be fungible and it’s entirely possible the picture is drastically changed by next winter, but there’s a decent chance the Yanks will need to go get someone in free agency.

The club’s payroll will likely be a topic of conversation next winter, as they will likely find themselves paying the competitive balance tax yet again. Roster Resource calculates next year’s CBT number as $190MM, even before factoring in arbitration raises for players like Grisham, Nestor Cortes or Jose Trevino. There’s also Anthony Rizzo’s $17MM club option to consider, with a $6MM buyout making it a net $11MM decision.

Next year’s base threshold will be $241MM while the Yanks will be looking to replace impending free agents like Soto and Verdugo in their outfield mix. Perhaps they would prefer to keep their powder dry for those pursuits instead of spending on their bullpen ahead of time.

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New York Yankees Notes Aaron Judge Clay Holmes

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Yankees Have Offer Out To Blake Snell

By Darragh McDonald | February 19, 2024 at 11:57pm CDT

It was reported over the weekend that the Yankees are still interested in free agent left-hander Blake Snell. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays today that the club currently has an offer out to the lefty, though adds that the Angels and Giants are still possibilities. Despite that offer, Andy Martino of SNY threw some cold water on the proceedings, suggesting there’s not much momentum to getting a deal done at the moment.

There’s also a report today from Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner at The Athletic indicating that the club has made an offer to the southpaw with no opt-outs. It’s clear in the article that the offer in question was made to Snell prior to the club signing Marcus Stroman. The Yankees reportedly offered Snell $150MM over six years back in January, but the lefty was looking for either a longer deal or one with an average annual value of $30MM or more.

MLBTR predicted Snell for a seven-year, $200MM deal at the start of the offseason but his lingering on the market for months has led to some speculation he would consider a short-term deal, a possibility MLBTR recently explored.

The details of this current offer from the Yankees aren’t known, but it seems unlikely it’s of the short-term, high AAV type. The report from Kuty and Kirschner highlights that the club may not be in the best position to take the high AAV route because of their competitive balance tax status. Per Roster Resource, the club’s CBT number is $307MM, already beyond the fourth and final tier of $297MM. As a third-time payor at that level, any further spending comes with a 110% tax.

This would make it difficult for the club to get creative with Snell. Per the example used by Kuty and Kirschner, giving Snell a $40MM salary on a short-term deal would also come with $44MM in taxes, meaning the club would effectively be paying $84MM to get him on the roster this year.

This highlights the tricky position Snell is in at the moment. He is obviously incredibly talented, having just won a Cy Young last year after posting a 2.25 ERA with the Padres. That makes him very attractive but clubs may not want to commit to him for a long tenure given his inconsistency. From 2019 to 2022, in between Cy Young wins, he had a 3.85 ERA and never got to 130 innings pitched in any of those campaigns. As good as he was last year, he had to pitch around a 13.3% walk rate and got help from a .256 batting average on balls in play and 86.7% strand rate.

That lack of reliability could push some clubs to preferring a short-term deal but many contenders are over the CBT and face significant taxes, such as the Yankees, while others have budgetary limitations due to the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group and uncertainty around TV revenue. The January offer from the Yanks came with an AAV of $25MM and perhaps their new offer adds an extra year or a little bit more money. With Martino suggesting nothing is close to getting done, perhaps it’s not significantly different from last month’s offer.

Even if there are some clubs with a bit of powder dry at this late stage of the winter, there are still lots of free agents out there, with Boras representing all of the top names. In addition to Snell, he’s also looking to get deals done for Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, J.D. Martinez, Hyun Jin Ryu and more. Finding significant deals for all of those guys will be an interesting juggling act for Boras, as getting a deal done for one guy might have the domino effect of closing off the earning potential of another.

The Yankees have an on-paper rotation that is strong with Gerrit Cole backed up by Carlos Rodón, Stroman, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt. That’s a great group if everyone is healthy but each of Rodón, Stroman and Cortes missed significant time last year. The club also subtracted depth by including four starting pitchers in the Juan Soto trade. Signing Snell or some other starter could bump Schmidt down to sixth on the chart and into the minors, as he still has an option remaining.

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Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees Newsstand San Francisco Giants Blake Snell

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