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Luis Severino Drawing Widespread Interest

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Free agent right-hander Luis Severino is drawing plenty of attention around the league, reports Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. As many as eight teams have made their interest known, though Kuty says the Yankees aren’t believed to be one of them.

Severino will be an interesting bounceback candidate in this winter’s market since he previously was one of the best pitchers in the game but his recent struggles should significantly hamper his market. Over 2017 and 2018, he made 63 starts and logged 384 2/3 innings with a 3.18 earned run average. He struck out 28.8% of batters faced and walked just 6.2% of them, while also keeping 45.8% of balls in play on the ground. FanGraphs calculated him as worth 11 wins above replacement over that two-year span, with only four pitchers ahead of him in that category: Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber.

Going into 2019, the Yankees locked him up with a four-year, $40MM contract with a $15MM option for 2023. Unfortunately, he was injured for most of the next three seasons. In 2019, he was only able to make three starts due to shoulder and lat injuries, then Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2020 and most of his 2021 season. In 2022, he again dealt with lat issues but was able to throw 102 innings over 19 starts with a 3.18 ERA, then a couple more starts in the postseason.

The Yanks felt good enough with that return to trigger the option but 2023 didn’t go well. Another lat strain kept him out of action until May and an oblique strain ended his season in September. In between, he tossed 89 1/3 innings with a 6.65 ERA. His strikeout rate dropped to 18.9%, after being at 27.7% last year, which was pretty close to his peak.

Despite that rough season, it’s understandable that teams would still be intrigued, though it appears the Yankees may not be one of them. They will likely pursue some kind of starting pitcher, based on their current rotation. Gerrit Cole is likely to grab a Cy Young next week based on his excellent campaign, but there’s little certainty beyond that. Both Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes are coming off injury-marred seasons. Michael King showed promise in his move from the bullpen to the rotation but he’s still fairly inexperienced as a starter. Clarke Schmidt could be in the back end after posting a 4.64 ERA this year. The Yanks aren’t likely to be satisfied with that group and could perhaps circle back to Severino later but he may not be the first name on the list.

This winter’s market has some less risky pitchers to bank on, but guys like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Nola and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will likely require nine-figure guarantees. Sonny Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez and Shota Imanaga might come in just under the nine-figure line. Not every team will be willing to shop on Main Street and some will be combing the beach looking for buried treasure.

MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents predicted a contract of one year and $14MM for Severino this winter. Assuming his market is indeed in that range, plenty of teams will be willing to take the risk, particularly if they have a plan of how to get the best results out of him. Despite the injuries, Severino’s fastball averaged 96.5 mph in 2023. That’s a bit down from 2018, when he was at 97.6, but not by much. It’s also higher than the 96.3 mph he averaged in 2022, when he was still quite effective. His slider saw a bigger drop, averaging 84.6 mph in 2023 whereas it would sit 88-89 prior to his lengthy injury absences. But again, he was still getting good results in 2022 with a slider averaging 85.1 mph.

Kuty relays that Severino is back to throwing, having rehabbed from the oblique strain that ended his most recent campaign. His recent track record makes him a significant wild card, but one that will surely be played at some point in the coming months.

Yankees Have Discussed Kevin Kiermaier

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The Yankees are in the market for multiple outfielders this winter, and one name they’ve discussed as a possibility is free agent Kevin Kiermaier, per Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The longtime division rival has spent his entire career to this point with the Rays and the Blue Jays.

Although he’s now squarely in his mid-30s, the 34-year-old Kiermaier remains one of the preeminent defensive center fielders in baseball. He signed a one-year deal with Toronto last offseason after undergoing season-ending hip surgery with Tampa Bay in 2022 and showed minimal ill effects, posting gaudy marks of 18 Defensive Runs Saved and 13 Outs Above Average in 981 innings of center field work. He also turned in an above-average line at the plate, batting .265/.322/.419. Kiermaier added 14 steals (in 15 attempts), popped eight home runs and tallied 21 doubles and six triples.

It’s a tantalizing package of talent, but Kiermaier’s durability — or rather, his lack thereof — has limited his career to this point. He avoided any notable injuries in 2023, missing time only due to an elbow laceration, but he’s averaged just 105 games per 162-game season dating back to 2017. Overall, he’s played in just 65.7% of his team’s possible games in that time, owing to a litany of injuries. That includes not only the aforementioned hip surgery, but also a wrist sprain, a torn ligament in his thumb, a hip fracture and a broken hand.

While some of the injuries have been standard-fare bad luck, the devil-may-care level of reckless abandon with which Kiermaier plays center field also leaves him prone to injury. He’s a clear-cut elite defender, but his willingness to dive for balls and crash into the outfield wall at full speed have been to the detriment of his health at times.

That said, Kiermaier’s left-handed bat would be a nice fit with the Yankees’ short porch. He’s long had roughly average power output — career .159 ISO, career-high 15 home runs — but it’s easy to see Yankee Stadium producing a few extra long balls for him if he can remain healthy. That’s far from a guarantee, given his track record, but Kiermaier would give the Yanks a left-handed bat and premium defender — something they’ve recently lacked in the outfield. In the likely event that he misses time, Aaron Judge has shown himself capable of sliding over to center field.

Kiermaier signed a one-year, $9MM contract last winter coming off hip surgery. It stands to reason that he ought to command a notably larger deal coming off a healthy and productive season — particularly given the lack of quality outfielders on the free agent market. Whether he’ll command a guaranteed multi-year deal with such a lengthy injury history remains an open question, but he certainly has the case to push for one after a strong all-around ’23 campaign in Toronto.

Yankees Have Shown Interest In Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson

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The Yankees have discussed Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson as potential trade targets, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That duo are among a number of controllable Cardinals hitters who could find themselves in rumors over the offseason.

Donovan is the higher-profile and more desirable possibility. Over his two major league seasons, the South Alabama product is a .283/.381/.398 hitter. He has walked at an excellent 11.1% rate while keeping his strikeouts to a modest 14.7% clip. Donovan doesn’t have overwhelming power — he’s hit 16 home runs in 839 career plate appearances — but he’s a good pure hitter.

He also brings positional flexibility when healthy. He secured the National League Gold Glove award for utility players as a rookie, when saw notable action at second base, third base and in both corner outfield spots. He played mostly second, left field or first base in the early going in 2023. A forearm strain eventually prevented him from throwing, relegating him strictly to designated hitter in the middle of the summer. With the Cardinals reeling and selling off pieces at the trade deadline, Donovan shut things down entirely and underwent a season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon.

That could lead to some trepidation on the part of other teams regarding Donovan’s health. Yet there’s still plenty to like about the player. He’s a season away from qualifying for arbitration and is controllable for five years. He’s an above-average hitter who could either play regularly at the keystone or bounce around the diamond as needed.

The Yankees don’t have a need at second base. Gleyber Torres is on hand, and while New York could contemplate moving him before his final season of arbitration control, Oswald Peraza could step up. Donovan’s plus contact skills from the left-handed batter’s box would provide some balance to a Yankee lineup that skews towards right-handed power bats. New York general manager Brian Cashman suggested yesterday the club would prefer to add some lineup balance — preferably by bringing in an outfielder or two who fit the description. Donovan would be an option to see time in left field.

Burleson is strictly a corner outfielder. He struggled in his first extended major league action this past season, hitting .244/.300/.390 across 347 plate appearances. He struck out only 13% of the time but rarely walked and didn’t hit for much power. His season ended in September when he fractured his left thumb. Goold writes that he underwent surgery and is currently recovering.

A second-round pick in 2020, Burleson has a much better minor league track record than his middling ’23 campaign would indicate. He’s a .306/.356/.486 hitter over 641 Triple-A plate appearances. There’s risk considering he hasn’t yet shown the ability to hit MLB pitching. That could make him a more realistic trade option than Donovan for a St. Louis team looking to reload, however. At the very least, the asking price on Burleson figures to be quite a bit lower.

He doesn’t have a clear path to immediate playing time on a team that also rosters Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar. The Cards could keep him in the minors if they don’t find a deal to their liking. They could also trade one of their more experienced outfielders, of course. Carlson was a reported Yankee target back before the deadline.

There’s nothing to suggest the Yankees and Cardinals have any kind of traction on a trade, to be clear. St. Louis has reportedly set high asking prices on Donovan, in particular, in prior trade windows. The Yankees are surely casting a wide net as they identify targets in their search for outfield help. At the same time, it hints at the possibilities available for St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and his front office.

The Cardinals have been clear about their desire to bring in three starting pitchers this winter. It’s unlikely they’ll accomplish all of that via free agency. Mozeliak acknowledged yesterday the club would consider moving a hitter to acquire big league ready or upper minors rotation help (relayed by John Denton of MLB.com).

Cashman: Yankees Seeking Two Outfielders

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met with reporters this afternoon at the GM Meetings. Asked about areas of the roster that need to be addressed, he forthrightly replied the club “(needs) two outfielders” (video provided by SNY).

The longtime baseball operations leader pointed to the late-season injury to rookie center fielder Jasson Dominguez, who will be out into the middle of the summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery. “Now I need a center fielder, I need a left fielder, preferably left-handed,” Cashman said.

Cashman also alluded to the possibility of making a move involving what he termed an “infield surplus.” The Yankees have Gold Glove winner Anthony Volpe at shortstop, while 23-year-old Oswald Peraza is arguably ready for an everyday look at second or third base. The former top prospect struggled to a .191/.267/.272 line in 52 MLB games this year but had a more impressive .268/.357/.479 showing in Triple-A. Combined with his reputation for plus defense throughout the infield, Peraza could take a step forward in 2024.

The Yankees have Gleyber Torres as the starting second baseman. The right-handed hitter was New York’s second-best offensive player this past season, hitting .273/.347/.453 with 25 homers. Torres hasn’t played great defense and is entering his final year of arbitration control, projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $15.3MM salary.

“Do you try to find a lane to get Peraza involved?” Cashman rhetorically asked. “We have Gleyber Torres in the last year of his contract. He had a hell of a year.” The GM pointed to a strong second half from DJ LeMahieu, who presumably projects as the starting third baseman.

Cashman stopped well shy of saying the Yankees would shop Torres, to be clear. Yet marketing the veteran second baseman could be a way of balancing the roster. In addition to the outfield needs, the GM pointed to an annual desire to bolster the pitching.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner also met with reporters this afternoon (relayed by Bill Ladson of MLB.com). “Everything is on the table when it comes to free agents,” he said. Steinbrenner went on to call a lack of run scoring the team’s biggest problem in 2023.

That all points to a potential run at a top-of-the-market bat, with Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger leading the free agent class. Bellinger, as a left-handed hitting center fielder who dramatically cut his strikeout rate this year, would certainly fit the roster on paper. Indeed, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the club is exploring the top of the offensive market — noting they’ve been in contact with Bellinger’s camp during the early stages of the offseason.

Juan Soto is the biggest subject of trade speculation this winter. It remains unclear how seriously the Padres might consider moving their star left fielder, although the Yankees would surely be in that mix if the Friars made Soto available. If they look further down on the trade front, the likes of Max Kepler or Trent Grisham could be on the block. Grisham is the superior defender, while Kepler has more offensive upside.

As things stand, New York only has Aaron Judge locked into an outfield spot. A short-term acquisition — Kepler, for instance, is one year from free agency — could allow the Yankees to preserve future flexibility if Dominguez returns in the second half. Everson Pereira is a highly-regarded talent who could play his way into the left or center field mix but hit only .151/.233/.194 in his first 27 big league contests.

Yankees Offer Hitting Coach Position To James Rowson

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The Yankees have offered James Rowson the job of hitting coach on Aaron Boone’s staff, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He is expected to accept the position.

Rowson spent six years as a minor league hitting coordinator in the Yankees organization before leaving for the Cubs in 2012, where he briefly took over as the major league hitting coach. After two years in Chicago, he returned to New York and resumed his previous role. Notably, he presided over the minor league system while Aaron Judge rose through the ranks from 2014-16. Rowson left for greener pastures again in 2017, spending the next year three years as hitting coach for the Twins. After that, he was the Marlins bench coach from 2020-22, and most recently, the 47-year-old spent the 2023 campaign as the assistant hitting coach for the Tigers.

Given his years of experience with the Yankees and his time as a hitting coach around the league, Rowson seems like a perfectly qualified and logical hire. Indeed, he makes particular sense considering the Yankees are looking for a hitting coach who can implement a “top-down” approach throughout the organization (per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic). In other words, the team is looking for someone who can develop certain universal practices and philosophies and spread those across all levels of the minor league system. Who better for such a task than the team’s long-time minor league hitting coordinator?

That said, Rowson represents a complete 180-degree turn from Sean Casey, the hitting coach he will be replacing. Casey took the job with no previous coaching experience but significant playing experience; across 12 MLB seasons, he hit .302 with an .814 OPS in over 5,000 career plate appearances. According to Kuty, the Yankees liked Casey for his on-field experience, and indeed, they’re looking for a similarly experienced candidate to replace newly-hired Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as bench coach. Rowson never made it to the major leagues, playing just three seasons in the low minors and one in the independent Heartland League. His experience comes from the dugout, not the batter’s box.

Should Rowson accept the job, he will become the Yankees’ fourth hitting coach in as many years. Marcus Thames, the White Sox’s new hitting coach, had the job until 2021, while Dillon Lawson took over in 2022 and held the role until he was unceremoniously fired ahead of the All-Star Break this past season. Casey replaced Lawson for the remainder of the 2023 campaign, but he stepped down this winter to spend more time with his daughters. 

In other Yankees news, the team is reportedly considering bringing back Frankie Montas for another go in 2024, per Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. While his tenure with New York was marred by injury, Montas was an effective starting pitcher during his time in Oakland, pitching to a 3.50 ERA in 89 career starts for the Athletics. Montas could represent an intriguing buy-low candidate for the Yankees, especially since the team is already familiar with his stuff and medical status.

Yankees Select Carlos Narvaez

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The Yankees announced today that the club has selected the contract of catcher Carlos Narvaez. In addition, outfielders Franchy Cordero and Billy McKinney as well as right-handers Domingo German, Jimmy Cordero, Matt Bowman, and Ryan Weber have all elected free agency after rejecting outright assignments from earlier this week.

It’s an early birthday present for Narvaez, who turns 25 in a few weeks. A right-handed hitter, he signed with the Yankees as an amateur from Venezuela before the 2016 season. The cousin of Mets catcher Omar Narvaez, Carlos has spent the past seven years in the Yankee system. He didn’t reach Low-A until 2021 but has posted respectable numbers over the past couple years — albeit with a three true outcomes approach.

Narvaez opened this year in Double-A but spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He hit .240/.373/.387 with 10 home runs across 84 games for the RailRiders. Narvaez walked in a huge 15.3% of his plate appearances but struck out more than a quarter of the time. He has routinely posted strikeout rates approaching 30% in the minors, generally limiting his batting average.

The ability to draw free passes and bring some power from behind the plate is clearly still intriguing to the New York front office. Narvaez has spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, meaning he would have become a minor league free agent were he not added to the 40-man roster. He joins Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, Ben Rortvedt and prospect Austin Wells in what has become a crowded catching mix. Narvaez can be sent to Triple-A for the foreseeable future, as he’ll be in his first of three minor league option years in 2024.

Report: MLB Grants Yariel Rodriguez Free Agency

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Right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodriguez has officially been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, reports Francys Romero (X link). He is now free to sign with an MLB team.

Rodriguez became one of the more intriguing options on the pitching market when he was granted a release from his contract with NPB’s Chunichi Dragons a month ago. He has been conducting showcases for MLB clubs in the few weeks since but was barred from officially signing with a major league team until today. There’s nothing to suggest he’ll sign imminently, of course, but this removes the procedural hurdle he still needed to clear.

A native of Cuba, Rodriguez turns 27 in March. That’s atypically young for a free agent pitcher. He worked out of the bullpen over parts of three seasons with the Dragons. Rodriguez had a dominating showing in 2022, when he pitched to a 1.15 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate over 54 2/3 innings. He worked as a starter for his home country during the World Baseball Classic. Once that event concluded, Rodriguez decided not to report back to the Dragons. He sat out the remainder of the 2023 season — the team placed him on the restricted list — before his camp secured his release.

MLB teams figure to have differing evaluations on Rodriguez’s viability as a starter. He’s an intriguing arm with promising stuff and success at the second-highest level of professional baseball in the world. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported last month that the Rays were among 15 teams with scouts in attendance for one of Rodriguez’s recent workouts in the Dominican Republic. This afternoon, Romero listed (on X) 10 clubs that had shown interest in the hurler: the Astros, Yankees, Rangers, Pirates, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies, White Sox, Mets and Giants.

Padres To Interview Carlos Mendoza

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The Padres will interview Carlos Mendoza this weekend as part of their managerial search, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Yankee bench coach has also sat down with the Mets and Guardians about their respective vacancies.

According to Acee, Mendoza is the fourth candidate to meet with San Diego brass since Bob Melvin left the organization. Internal options Ryan Flaherty and Mike Shildt have already interviewed. The other appears to be Angels infield coordinator Benji Gil, as Acee notes the Friars were impressed by Gil during a sit-down earlier in the week. Former Angels skipper Phil Nevin is reportedly of interest, although it’d seem he has yet to officially interview.

Mendoza, 43, has never managed in the majors. The Venezuela native managed for two seasons in the low minors with the Yankees in the early 2010s. He has otherwise worked in various coaching capacities for New York since concluding his minor league playing career in 2009. He joined Aaron Boone’s MLB staff as infield coach going into the 2018 campaign and has held the bench coach title for the last four seasons. In addition to Cleveland and the Mets, Mendoza has earned managerial consideration from the White Sox and Red Sox in previous offseasons and from the Giants this fall before they hired Melvin.

San Diego is one of six teams with a current vacancy. The Angels, Astros and Brewers are also presently without a bench boss. Acee writes that the Padres could tab their new skipper within the next week.

Yankees Place Domingo German, Five Others On Outright Waivers

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The Yankees have placed six players on outright waivers, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). Starter Domingo Germán, relievers Ryan Weber, Jimmy Cordero and Matt Bowman and outfielders Franchy Cordero and Billy McKinney were let go. All six players have the requisite service time to become free agents if they go unclaimed.

Germán is the most notable of the group. The right-hander pitched parts of six seasons for the Yankees, turning in a 4.41 ERA across 522 1/3 innings. He tallied 108 2/3 frames this year — the second-highest workload of his career — while allowing 4.56 earned runs per nine.

That pedestrian ERA belies the highs and lows of his season. Germán threw the first perfect game in more than a decade on June 28, completing the feat in Oakland. He allowed four or more runs in eight of his 19 appearances overall, though. Germán’s season ended in early August when the Yankees placed the pitcher on the restricted list so he could report for in-patient treatment for alcohol abuse. That was reportedly preceded by an incident in the New York clubhouse, which he had entered intoxicated.

Germán was eligible for arbitration this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $4.4MM salary if he were tendered a contract. That always made him a likely non-tender candidate. Germán turned 31 in August.

Jimmy Cordero posted a 3.86 ERA with strong peripherals over 32 2/3 innings. Major League Baseball announced in early July that he would be suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season after violating the domestic violence policy.

The rest of the players are back-of-the-roster depth types. Weber pitched 14 1/3 innings of five-run ball over eight appearances. McKinney hit .227/.320/.406 in 147 plate appearances after signing a minor league deal over the offseason. Franchy Cordero got into 24 contests after signing a big league deal late in Spring Training. The left-handed hitter posted a .188/.211/.478 line with six homers and a 35.2% strikeout rate. Bowman made three relief appearances, his first MLB action since 2019. He posted a 3.99 ERA in 58 2/3 innings at Triple-A.

Mets Interview Carlos Mendoza, Andy Green In Managerial Search

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The Mets have interviewed Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza for their managerial vacancy, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SNY’s Andy Martino indicates that Mendoza is actually in the midst of a second-round interview today after interviewing for the first time last week and receiving a callback. Sherman also reports that the club has interviewed Cubs bench coach Andy Green, though it’s unclear if that’s a first or second interview.

Mendoza, 43, spent 13 seasons as a minor league player before joining the Yankees’ minor league coaching staff in 2009. He joined the big league coaching staff as an infield coach in 2017 before being promoted to bench coach following the 2019 season. Green, on the other hand, participated in parts of four big league seasons during his playing career, including the 2009 season as a member of the Mets. Since retiring, Green served briefly as third base coach of the Diamondbacks before being hired to manage the Padres prior to the 2016 season. Green managed in San Diego for four seasons before joining the Cubs’ coaching staff as bench coach prior to the 2020 campaign.

The pair have drawn interest from other clubs for managerial vacancies, as well. After drawing occasional managerial interest in recent years, Mendoza was among the likeliest candidates to take over for Gabe Kapler as manager of the Giants prior to the club securing permission to interview Bob Melvin. In addition, both coaches have been interviewed by the Guardians. If hired in Cleveland, either coach would step into the shoes of longtime manager Terry Francona following his recent retirement.

Should Mendoza depart the Bronx for another club this offseason, Martino notes that the Yankees could look to promote third base coach Luis Rojas, himself a former Mets manager, to the position. Though Rojas’s contract with the Yankees is up this offseason, Martino makes clear the the club has interest in retaining him, either as bench coach or in his current role as third base coach. It’s not yet clear what direction the Cubs could go in if they wind up needing to replace Green. Chicago already lost a key member of the club’s staff this offseason when Craig Breslow departed the Cubs’ front office to take the vacant GM role in Boston.

That the Mets are moving on to a second interview with Mendoza suggests that the club’s interest in his services next year is strong, though Sherman still refers to Brewers manager Craig Counsell as the “favorite” for the Mets job. Of course, Counsell has plenty of options beyond New York that could complicate the club’s pursuit of his services; Counsell has received interest from the Astros, the Brewers hope to retain him in Milwaukee on a new contract, and he’s already interviewed with the Guardians. Curiously, while MLB Network’s Jon Morosi has indicated that Counsell and the Mets have discussed the club’s managerial vacancy, Martino makes clear that Counsell has not had a formal interview with Mets brass to this point.

With the Mets apparently advancing to a second round of interviews for other candidates before sitting down with Counsell for a first interview it’s possible, speculatively speaking, that the club hopes to move through the interview process with other candidates so that they can act quickly upon Counsell’s decision regarding where he will manage in 2024. If that’s the case, it’s unclear what other candidates could be in the mix beyond Mendoza and Green, as details regarding the managerial search in New York have been few and far between this offseason. While Rangers associate manager Will Venable reportedly declined to interview for the position last month, Mendoza, Green, and Counsell are the only publicly known candidates for the position at this point.

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