Thursday, November 28, 2024

The Waiting Game...

Aaron Judge & Juan Soto (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

Yankees make their initial offers for the most coveted free agent…

I wish I knew how these Juan Soto negotiations would turn out. I would like to say that my gut feeling is that he will be a Yankee for the duration of his career, but unfortunately, I do not have that sense. It has not felt to me that he will be a lifetime Yank. This is clearly one of those times where I hope, I pray that I am wrong. Like everyone else, I want the Yankees to sign Soto to a long-term deal. I do not care if he will make more money than the team’s Captain. I honestly do not believe the Captain cares either so long as Soto’s Yankees career continues. Judge wants to win, and he needs players like Soto to do it.

As much as I like Juan Soto, I could never truly embrace him this season despite his heroics and knowing he shared responsibility for Aaron Judge’s MVP season. The sole reason for the restraint was the potential for a one-and-done season with Soto. It was my self-protection against seeing Soto wearing Mets gear next season or some other team’s marginal fabric.

If Soto returns, I will embrace him as part of the team’s latest and most fantastic core. Aaron Judge is a better player with Juan Soto on the team, and Soto makes others perform to higher standards. I do not care if the Yankees must pay $700 million to sign Soto. It is not my money nor our job to protect Hal Steinbrenner’s pocketbook. The Yankees routinely drive the game’s most significant profits, and it is incredible to think how much they have made for other teams. Whatever it costs to keep Soto, it is worth it. He is a young, fantastic, generational player, and the Yankees can never draft these kinds of players because they keep winning too consistently (such a horrific problem!). Soto proved in his one season how much he means to Aaron Judge and the Yankees lineup. There is no Plan B. No combination of Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Nolan Arenado, Willy Adames, or Ha-Seong Kim equals Soto.

I was surprised at how quickly Blake Snell came off the board when it was announced on Tuesday night that he had signed a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Especially since the Yankees had been mentioned among his suitors earlier in the day. Snell would have been nice, but I am not losing any sleep about his decision to take the Dodgers’ money and run. I like the early movement in the free agent market, which hopefully jumpstarts activity this offseason. Free agency has become such a slog through long and protracted negotiations, and waiting until February to see where the dust has settled has not been fun. Good or bad, it would be nice to see the acceleration of the Soto negotiations to bring resolution no later than the upcoming Winter Meetings. Even if Plan B does not equal Plan A (signing Soto), the Yankees need the time and the available talent to effect a quality backup plan. Not too many options left if Soto waits until January to sign.



As for Plan B, there are certain positions the Yankees need to restock regardless of whether Soto returns. The team needs a new first baseman. If you believe it can be Ben Rice, good for you. I do not feel the same. I want a more specific, proven commodity for the position. The Yankees need a new second baseman with the likely departure of Gleyber Torres through free agency. If Caleb Durbin wins the second base job, having both Durbin and Rice in the infield is too much youth (if there is such a thing). I would rather see one position learning to play the game at its highest level, not multiple positions. Anthony Volpe has proven you do not just turn on the light switch. It takes time. I have liked Cody Bellinger for the last few years, so I am certainly not opposed to his acquisition if it happens.

Conversely, I have long admired Nolan Arenado, but it does not mean I want to see Nolan as the team’s new starting first baseman. Arenado was a great third baseman, but he has reached the stage of his career where his best days are behind him. Bellinger provides insurance in center field and his proven ability to play first base. He is younger than Arenado, and it simply makes more sense. Arizona’s free agent first baseman Christian Walker represents the best option. I wish we could have gotten Anthony Rizzo earlier in his career. It is the best I have felt about first base in years. But, as Brett Gardner proved, age happens to everybody, and it has crept up on Rizzo. We need better, which can be provided by Walker or Bellinger.


Cody Bellinger
Christian Walker

As for second base, I would prefer Gleyber’s return. I know much of the fanbase would like to see him walk, but I like his job after he was moved to the top of the batting order. Realistically, however, I do not expect him back. If Caleb Durbin gets the job, I hope he proves the front office right. The other option is to move Jazz Chisholm, Jr. to second base (his natural position until the Miami Marlins thought otherwise). Moving Jazz just relocates the gaping hole from second base to third base. Given his recent injury history combined with his age, I have no confidence in DJ LeMahieu’s ability to contribute consistently and regularly. I think he is past his expiration date, at least in terms of wearing the Yankee pinstripes.

Corbin Burnes would be an excellent addition to play second fiddle for Gerrit Cole, but I do not believe the Yankees will pay top dollars for a starting pitcher. If anything, they will go after a young pitcher with potential. Not sure it is the best move, but the Yankees need more out of the other starting pitchers not named Cole. I wish I had faith in the farm system providing the next great arm, but this season did not give me confidence that one of the youngsters is ready to impress on the game’s biggest stage. The Yankees have proven to be very astute about building quality bullpens. It is time to show that level of expertise with the starting rotation.

Speaking of pitching, I was surprised to see assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel run across town to the Mets. There must be more to the story. If the Yankees had wanted to retain him, they would have. Maybe he became drinking buddies with Carlos Mendoza when they coached with the Yankees. Who knows? Matt Blake should bring in a replacement that will complement his daily work. Druschel is replaceable, so his departure is acceptable. If we have Blake, I feel better about pitching.

For as much good as Jose Trevino has brought to the Yankees, I was surprised the team did not non-tender him. It seems like the time for a changing of the guard is upon us, so I thought Trevino’s time was nearing an end. Perhaps it still is. I would be surprised if Carlos Narvaez were not the designated backup for Austin Wells when Opening Day arrives. Given how many catchers the Yankees have protected on the 40-man roster, it is an area of interest. Nothing against Trevino. I appreciate his work with the team; he has been a great Yankee, but time moves on, and it creates opportunities for better, younger players.

I want to avoid seeing the return of Alex Verdugo. I appreciate his ability to make me accept him as a Yankee this season after how much I despised him in a Red Sox uniform, but that aside, I am fine with one and done. He did not perform to the level that screams he needs to be a long-term Yankee. He was better than the circus of clowns the previous year, but the Yankees can improve. The improvement may be Jasson Dominguez. Maybe it is not. Dominguez deserves the opportunity to prove he can be the left-field answer. I'm not crazy about trying to develop a Major League second baseman while doing the same in the outfield, but Dominguez deserves the chance. Let the kid play.

Despite my frustrations during his time as a closer, I am saddened that Clay Holmes will depart. Good Holmes was great. Bad Holmes was awful. He did better when the closer role was lifted from him. If it were up to me, I would probably bring him back, but I think the Yankees will move on. Maybe they will surprise us. We shall see. As stated earlier, the Yankees are good at building bullpens, and I fully expect more of the same with or without Holmes.

I always look forward to the end of Thanksgiving weekend so that the actual Major League Baseball offseason can begin. I love the Winter Meetings even if I am disappointed more years than not. It is the highlight of the offseason. Then, we will wait for the gates to open in Tampa. Of course, this year, the Yankees will be holding Spring Training in the regular season home of the Tampa Bay Rays, the new…albeit temporary…tenant of Steinbrenner Field. It will be weird next season to see the Yankees play a “road game” at Steinbrenner Field and be forced to relinquish the home team’s digs to the Rays.

Oh well, it's time to sit and wait. I want to see the banner headline on MLB Trade Rumors read: Yankees To Sign Soto. C’mon, Hal, please make it happen.


Juan Soto (Photo Credit: @juansoto_25 via Instagram)

Daniel Jones finds a new home…

Many Yankee fans are Giants fans, so I routinely see the posts about the Giants on my X feed. I routinely saw negative posts about Jones while he was still with the Giants. After his release, my Minnesota Vikings surfaced as a potential landing spot, and I don't know how I felt about it. Sam Darnold has done okay as the Vikings’ starting QB after the free-agent departure of Kirk Cousins. How can you fault a man who has led his team to a 9-2 record? But Darnold is a one-and-done player (which seems to be a common theme in this post). He is on a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings, and he has increased his worth with his play this season. I do not expect him to return to the Vikings next season, not with young JJ McCarthy ready to hit the field again next year after he recovers from his season-ending injury this season. Nick Mullens is an excellent backup QB, but he is not someone I want to see starting consistently if the starter goes down. Brett Rypien is not his uncle, and despite how much he may know about football, he is replaceable. So, I am willing to take a shot with Daniel Jones.


Daniel Jones (Photo Credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images/Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire)

Jones will join the Vikings on Friday after it was announced today that he was joining their practice squad. I see the practice squad as a temporary measure, and Jones will be part of the active roster sooner than later. It is an excellent opportunity for Jones to prove he represents good insurance for McCarthy going forward. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, a former quarterback, has proven to be a QB-friendly coach, and if he can coax better performance out of Darnold, he can do the same for Jones. Maybe Jones has limitations that can never be fixed, but he is an NFL quarterback and has value, at least as a backup QB for a young, promising player. Players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson can make any QB look better.

I am willing to give Jones a chance. Everybody deserves a chance for redemption. It did not work out for Jones in New York, but it does not mean he is forever a failure. A different system. Different players. Different coaches, different schemes. Give it a chance. He will either succeed or fail. The upside is worth it. If it does not work out, move on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. At this point, his Giants career is in the rearview mirror. Jones has the chance to rewrite the script. Let him.

Lastly…

I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for the Yankees and Yankee fans everywhere. The Yankees Universe reigns supreme even if the trophy sits in Chavez Ravine.



As always, Go Yankees!