The Yankees: Glass is Half-Empty...

 

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (Photo Credit: The New York Daily News)

Yankees can win it all, but will they?...

The off-season move to acquire one season of Juan Soto was a huge move by the Yankees, but if the team had listened to its fanbase’s additional demands for a strong starting pitcher, it may have been the decision maker between parity and greatness. I know, the Yankees are leading their division, but they certainly do not feel like a team of destiny. The combo of Juan Soto-Aaron Judge is unmatched in baseball, and it could all go for a naught. 

The Yankees lead the American League East Division and will roll into September with at least a half-game lead if the Baltimore Orioles win their Saturday night contest in the Mile High City against the Colorado Rockies. The Yankees are lucky the Orioles have never been able to find their stride, given the strong young talent on their roster. Being the division leader this late in the season is great, but there is much baseball to be played before the final standings are confirmed.  Magic numbers are a few weeks away from media magnification.  The Orioles could still run away with the division if they managed to hit their machine into gear although they do not quite have the starting pitching to do it.

Cashman’s decisions (or lack thereof) are the deciding factors in this year’s pennant chase. The opportunity to build an elite contender was there, but they settled for ‘not quite enough’ under the perceived theory that October baseball is just a crapshoot. 

After Saturday’s game, the Yankees announced that 1B/C Ben Rice had been optioned to Triple-A, along with Saturday’s starter (and loser) RHP Will Warren.  This means the likely return of Anthony Rizzo. Everybody likes to speculate that the lane is opening for the callup of outfielder Jasson Dominguez, but the club continues to send out signals that we probably will not see The Martian roaming the Yankee Stadium outfield in September. I like Will Warren, but he is not ready for Major League Baseball. I had hoped this would be the year for Clayton Beeter to make his ascension to the Major Leagues, but injuries had other ideas. Warren had his opportunities, but he is not an answer for the final weeks of 2024. 

In the offseason, I had wanted the Yankees to sign Jordan Montgomery. In retrospect, that move would have been a disaster as demonstrated by his dismal performance in the Sonoran Desert for the Snakes that led to his recent demotion to the bullpen. But I also pitched for Blake Snell. “Second-half” Snell would have looked fantastic in Pinstripes. 

At this point, the cavalry rescue for the starting rotation will be the return of Clarke Schmidt which is looming. Otherwise, the Yankees need to focus on the bullpen. I am extremely disappointed in deadline acquisition Mark Leiter, Jr. I had high hopes for the return of a Leiter to Pinstripes, and I had hoped it would be a successful union between player and club.  He has only proven that Jazz Chisholm, Jr was the sole successful deadline acquisition. While I do not expect the Yankees to DFA Leiter, it would not surprise me if they did. The Yankees already jettisoned the other reliever acquired at the deadline (Enyel De Los Santos) so they may as well make it a deuce. The only hope is that at least one (or more) of the relievers on the Injured List can step up in a hurry and contribute in a big way. Back spasms recently derailed Ian Hamilton (at least temporarily). Hopefully, the other have better success working their way back.

I do believe the Yankees should take a mix-and-match approach with their bullpen rather than rolling with Clay Holmes as the designated ninth inning closer.  Forget about who accumulates the saves. Worry about who protects the wins. Look for the right matchups that favor the pitcher regardless of who is on the mound.  If I had greater faith in Holmes, I would feel differently, but given the makeup of the bullpen, the Yankees cannot afford the volatile Holmes to close out close games when every game matters.    

Austin Wells has made me a believer that he is the team’s starting catcher and deserves the lion’s share of starts behind the plate. This is not intended to disrespect Jose Trevino who has performed admirably as a Yankee. Wells can be a key player in the lineup, and he obviously needs to play to excel. Let Trevino be Gerrit Cole’s personal caddy.  It is nice to see Wells perform like we expected when the Yankees drafted him. So many of those high draft picks fade into oblivion. Well, unless your name is Aaron Judge. Wells brings the strength to the catching position that has been missing since Jorga Posada retired. 

Austin Wells (Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

The Yankees should designate Alex Verdugo for assignment. I am not worried about a competitor picking him up. He is not going to help anyone win in October. He might be a great defensive replacement for somebody, but his bat will scare no one. The Yankees will not re-sign him in the offseason, so he is not part of the future, and he is not helping the present. I would rather see Jasson Dominguez in left field. Dominguez can help now and in the future. This left field upgrade does not seem like rocket science to me. 

I have always been a fan of DJ LeMahieu, and I was happy when the Yankees re-signed him several years ago even if the contract was a little too long. But his performance this season continually raises the question “what have you done for us lately?”. The answer is nada. If a player is not helping, move him out of the way for someone who can. I would be surprised if the Yankees cut LeMahieu and I would love to see him rediscover the fountain of youth (and hitting). I just cannot say that I am optimistic he will. Loved Brett Gardner, but there is a time for everybody to go.  The time has arrived for LeMahieu. The Yankees should be preparing their exit strategy for LeMahieu rather than continually giving him at-bats. I would so love to see LeMahieu make a huge contribution in September to help the Yankees win and rub it in my face. As Sabrina Carpenter says, Please, Please, Please.

For a team that leads its division, I should be more optimistic. Sadly, I am not feeling it with the team as currently constructed. They have the potential of winning (every team this year is flawed), but I think the team’s weaknesses will be magnified and exposed in a short series playoff format. Another historic Aaron Judge season that will potentially end in failure.   

What coulda, shoulda been…if the Yankees fail, the blood will be on Brian Cashman’s hands.

Brian Cashman

For the record, I hope this is not the only season in Pinstripes for Juan Soto. His presence on the team has been a joy this year, even during his slumps. He makes those around him better, and the Yankees will be stronger with him on its 2025 roster. He never needed that magical moment when he truly became a Yankee. He made it happen on the first day he pulled the jersey on. In all my years as a Yankee fan, I do not think I have ever seen a superstar player transition so smoothly to the team from the day of his arrival.

Juan Soto, New York Yankees

I hope Hal Steinbrenner pulls out all stops to make Soto a Yankee for life. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge can win together. It may not happen this year, but if given the chance, it will happen in the future. I am confident. Maybe changes need to happen in the front office, and/or on the bench, but those two players are the cornerstone for greatness. Hal Steinbrenner has the money and the influence to find the right people to make it happen.

As always, Go Yankees!

Where Do We (Yankees) Go From Here? ...

 

Jazz Chisholm Jr (Photo Credit: New York Daily News)

Yanks-Orioles battle for first despite rough waters for both…

The New York Yankees (73-51) sit atop the American League Eastern Division, leading the Baltimore Orioles (72-52) by a half-game. The Orioles lost last night, 5-1, to the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. But admittedly, the last thing I am concerned about is the Orioles' play, win or lose.

I am more worried about the Yankees.

With Gerrit Cole, the Yankees hold an advantage in Game 1 of any series. After that, it is a crap shoot. It is a roll of the dice backed by a bullpen that has yet to restore its superiority. In other words, it is hard to be optimistic about this team’s chances regardless of whether they win the division or snag one of the Wild Card spots. I know. Make it to October, and then anything can happen. True. But the realist in me knows that the Yankees will sabotage any forward progress with the usual weaknesses evident throughout the season.

The trade deadline is always viewed as an opportunity to build reinforcements. In retrospect, the Yankees’ Trade Deadline yielded nothing. I am not trying to be critical of the new Yankee Jazz Chisholm, Jr. I like the guy and the energy he has brought to the team. However, aside from those facts, he was brought in and immediately asked to play out of position (third base), and now, he is potentially lost for the season due to a UCL sprain in his elbow. Jazz seems to feel he will return this season (perhaps as soon as his 10-day IL stint is over), and maybe he will, but if the greatest need at the deadline was a third baseman, the Yankees should have traded for a third baseman. With Chisholm's injury, the window of opportunity, or the positive aspect of it, is the call-up…finally…of infielder Oswald Peraza, who, unlike Chisholm before his acquisition, has played some third base recently. Although it remains to be seen if he gets significant playing time, his home run this week was encouraging. I would like to see Peraza succeed. I firmly believe the Yankees need to allow him to play for the big-league club or trade him, although the latter point will have to wait until after the season if they go that route. I hope Chisholm makes it back because I believe the Yankees are better when he is on the field, but it does not negate my disappointment with the trade deadline.

Mark Leiter, Jr was a nice pickup for the bullpen, but other options could have provided more substantial, consistent results. Understandably, the cost would have been higher than that of minor leaguers Benjamin Cowles (SS) and Jack Neely (RHP). Yet, I would rather have Leiter over the departed Caleb Ferguson or the demoted Victor Gonzalez (sent outright to Triple-A after he was designated for assignment and waived). It is cool to have Leiter given the family legacy (his father, Mark, and his uncle, Al, played for the Yankees) and Anthony Volpe’s close friendship with Leiter, Jr’s cousin Jack, a top prospect for the Texas Rangers. He is a decent bullpen arm despite his familial connections.

Mark Leiter Jr (Photo Credit: Jason Szenes/New York Post)

I was a little surprised the Yankees traded Caleb Ferguson to a key rival, the Houston Astros, but it is not like Ferguson will bite us in the butt. If he gets critical outs in a playoff game against the Yankees, that potentially ends our season...so be it. Ferguson will remain addition by subtraction. I could not care less about whether Ferguson does well in hot, humid South Texas.

At the deadline, the big swing and miss was the acquisition of reliever Enyel De Los Santos, who performed horribly in pinstripes. He pitched in five games for the Yankees, covering six-and-a-third innings. He gave up thirteen hits and ten runs, yielding a homer and issuing three walks. His Yankees career will feature a 14.21 ERA, but hey, ERA does not matter, does it? Still, I was surprised the Yankees gave up on De Los Santos so quickly. He was designated for assignment this week and lost on waivers to the Chicago White Sox. So, all the Yankees have for trading minor league outfielder Brandon Lockridge, viewed as a rising outfielder, to the San Diego Padres is minor league RHP Thomas Balboni, Jr. Maybe Balboni will achieve his dream of playing in the Major Leagues with the Yankees. Or maybe he moves on, at which time we can revisit an old phrase with a new meaning…Bye-Bye Balboni. Regardless of how this turns out, it was not one of Brian Cashman’s better trades. Then again, he tends to have more deadline dogs than steals, so this is just another misfire to add to his resume. I would prefer a mutually beneficial trade but those seem rare in Cashman's universe.

De Los Santos' roster spot has been taken by former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza, whom the Yankees signed to a minor league deal in July after his release by the Blue Jays. Mayza's highest profile moment is his presence on the mound when Aaron Judge hit his sixty-first home run in 2022 to tie Roger Maris for the American League record. As we know, Judge would hit one more homer in his historic season to set the new AL high, but Mayza helped put him in position to set the new record.

Tim Mayza and Aaron Judge (Photo Credit: MLB.com)

This is when I hate to see the team pass on any opportunities to improve weaknesses in the offseason, with an apparent logic to see what the team needs at the deadline. Then, they cannot make any trades for impact players at the deadline because they are either unavailable or cost-prohibitive (player cost, not the green stuff).

Alex Verdugo at the start of the season to play left field made sense. To view him now as blocking the lane for Jasson Dominguez to receive a promotion to the Major Leagues is absurd. Verdugo should have been traded at the deadline for whatever the Yankees could have gotten for the soon-to-be free agent and ex-Yankee. I know Dominguez started slowly after his return to the field, but he is beginning to play better, and given the circumstances, he cannot be worse than Verdugo has played in recent months. I prefer Dominguez in left field, as a long-term factor for the Yankees, over Verdugo, who will be a one-and-done Yankee in a few months. It is a shame that Dominguez continues to toil in the minor leagues when he is fully capable of being a productive Major League player.

Look, I am not trying to be purposely negative about the Yankees. I am grateful they are battling for first place in the division with the Orioles and not playing leapfrog with the Toronto Blue Jays to avoid the division cellar or playing "mid" baseball with the Red Sox. If the Yankees make the playoffs, they will have my undying support. I only wish I had greater confidence about the potential of this year’s squad. Aaron Judge is the game’s best player, and Juan Soto is not far behind. This should be a magical year for those players. But they cannot win it all by themselves. They need help. Will the men that GM Brian Cashman chose for the roster this season be the right choices to slot around the dynamic duo? Well, as they say, time will tell. I wish I could say the answer is ‘hell, yes!’ but for now, it is just a ‘possible maybe.’ 

As always, Go Yankees!