Old Friends Reunited: The Yankees & the ALCS…

 

The Yankees celebrating ALDS Success (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

Yankees Advance to Next Round by Royally Winning…

The Yankees are back where they belong…the American League Championship Series. The Yankees have made more ALCS appearances than any other American League club. Their total of nineteen appearances leads the Boston Red Sox, the team with the second most, by seven. The team is 11-7 in the eighteen completed championship series. They have won fifty total ALCS games, leading Boston by eighteen wins. Unfortunately, the Yankees have not won the ALCS since 2009 despite appearances in 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, and 2022. The sixth time is a charm!

Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, & Jazz Chisholm, Jr (Photo Credit: NY Post/Charles Wenzelberg)

The Yankees now await the winner of the deadlocked ALDS battle between the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers. On Saturday, they will play their winner-take-all ALDS Game 5 finale in Cleveland, Ohio. If the Tigers advance (likely…considering Tarik Skubal will be on the mound), the Yankees will get a chance to avenge the ALCS sweep by the Tigers in 2012. Cleveland last advanced to the World Series in 2016 before they made Anthony Rizzo and his then-Cubs teammates immortal in Chicago for the rest of their lives.

I do not care who the Yankees face. To be the best, you beat the best, so let the best team emerge from the final ALDS, whichever team that may be. Not that facing an awakening Jose Ramirez would be fun, but trust the men in Pinstripes. If the Yankees are the best team, they will beat whoever shows up for Game 1 of the ALCS in the Bronx.

With no disrespect to Captain Aaron Judge, the Yankees are in the ALCS, thanks primarily to Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Gleyber Torres, Luke Weaver, and Jon Berti. Berti’s name looks like an outcast in this group, but he stepped in and did an admirable job at first base for a non-first baseman. He could have quickly (and excusably, without experience) butchered the position. Clay Holmes was dominant in his new bullpen role. I am happy that he has rediscovered magic, but it does not mean that I would want him to reclaim his old job as the closer. I am 100% behind Luke Weaver and his quirky personality, zany sense of humor, and electric arm as the team’s designated closer. I was a little surprised in the offseason when the Yankees re-signed Weaver. I had no complaints about his work last year, but I thought the pitcher and the team would part ways in the offseason. There was nothing special about his 2023 performance, at least not what stood out to make him a “must sign” player. Yet, he stepped up to fill a tremendous void in the bullpen, first through setup and, lastly, through the back end of games. People say the Yankees should sign Kenley Jansen this winter through free agency. I like Kenley, even if he has many miles on his arm, but Weaver should be the man until he proves he cannot sustain the position. In other words, I would rather have Weaver over Jansen or virtually any other potential replacement. If the Yankees had a chance for an elite closer, Weaver should not stand in their way, but I do not believe the current Yankees regime will pay top dollar for the bullpen like they once did. So, the combination of the team’s current fiscal conservatism in the bullpen and Weaver’s emergence led me to believe Weaver was the right man at the right time.

Oswaldo Cabrera & Luke Weaver (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

It is too early to talk about next season, but I hope the Yankees can find it in their budget to sign Gleyber Torres to a new contract. He took so much heat early in the season, and a poll of Yankees fans would have favored letting him go in free agency. But his placement atop the batting order later in the regular season coincided with a resurgence that has made him a vital player for October. He will always botch a routine play now and again, but even the great and legendary Derek Jeter was not immune from making those. The hustle concerns are correctable, and he has shown improvement. Players like Aaron Judge help to elevate Gleyber’s play and performance. The body of work, at least what Gleyber showed over the second half of the season, warrants his return.

Gleyber Torres (Photo Credit: Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Caleb Durbin may be an All-Star second baseman one day. Good for him. He has yet to prove it at the Major League level. Gleyber is playing like he wants to be the team’s starting second baseman today, tomorrow, and next year. Let him. If he suddenly becomes Daniel Jones after he gets the big money, that is the risk you face with anybody. If it happens, the team will have to deal with it at that time, but it should not stop the team from bringing him back based on what he currently means to the organization and the players he has gone to war with. Juan Soto will be a Yankee next season if the team pays him the most money in free agency, yet I think how they treat other players, like Gleyber, in the offseason will draw Soto’s attention. If Gleyber is treated poorly, it could be a deciding factor if, for example, the Yankees and Mets offered the same amount of money, causing Soto to jump to Queens. That might be an unlikely scenario, but Soto cares about his friends.

There were times this season when Gerrit Cole disappointed me. His late start out of the gate for health reasons (not his fault) was the primary cause. He certainly was not the ace he was in 2023 when he won the AL Cy Young Award, but he showed up for the series clincher against the Kansas City Royals. That is why he is paid big bucks. I always fear a Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde performance by any pitcher, ala Carlos Rodón, but Cole brought his “A” game (despite tiring late) when it mattered most. I am sure I will have anxiety in his upcoming starts, but he did what he needed to do against the Royals. I hope it continues when he faces either the Guardians or the Tigers.

I hope we get the best of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto for the ALCS. I am happy when the team wins, regardless of who makes the necessary hits, plays, and pitches, but the world is a better place when Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are the Kings of the World. For Judge’s Yankees legacy, I want to see him come up huge in the postseason. Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera will forever be remembered for what they did in October. Judge will never match their number of rings, although I certainly would not complain if he did, but he can make a name for himself in the franchise’s long history of postseason success.  He is in a position that the great Don Mattingly could never reach. I loved Mattingly as a Yankee and feel the same about Judge. I do not want to see Judge come up short and never experience the feeling of being a World Champion in Pinstripes.

Aaron Judge (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

Is this the year we can quit talking about 2009? I hope so. Keep it going, guys. Eight more wins to your destiny.

As always, Go Yankees!

Headed to Cleveland in Search of Wins...

 

Aaron Boone / Photo Credit: Seth Wenig, AP

Momentum favors the Game 3 Winner…

And then they were tied… So much for home field advantage. The New York Yankees lost ALDS Game 2, disappointingly and with way too many men left on base (eleven), as the Cleveland Guardians tied the series at one game apiece with the 4-2 victory.

Whether you believe bringing Jameson Taillon into the game in the tenth inning was right or wrong, he was not the reason the Yankees lost the game. I really thought the stage was set in the eighth inning when Giancarlo Stanton walked, and the Yankees inserted Tim Locastro to run for Stanton. A stolen base by Locastro, and subsequent walks of Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa sandwiched around a strikeout by Oswaldo Cabrera had the bases loaded with two outs. Kyle Higashioka had the opportunity to be the star of the show (really wanted Spring Training Higgy in that moment), but he lined out to end the threat.

I get the decision to pull Stanton for the speedy Locastro in that situation, but Manager Aaron Boone’s decision to allow Locastro to bat against Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the tenth, trailing by two runs, was a bonehead move. As much as I have been down on Aaron Hicks, this was the time I would have preferred Hicks to take the swings against Clase. Not one of Boone’s finer moments. It felt like a ‘tossing in the towel’ moment.

Oh well, the Yankees need to regroup quickly for Game 3 in Cleveland later today. The Yankees need to win at least one of the two games in Cleveland to get the series back to Yankee Stadium for a potential Game 5, but I would prefer a sweep in Cleveland to end it there. A sweep by the Yankees, not the Guardians, as if I needed to say that.

Friday was not a good day for any of the favorites. Both NL’s remaining 100+ win teams lost. The defending champions, the Atlanta Braves, were hammered by newly named permanent manager Rob Thomson’s Philadelphia Phillies, 9-1, and the Los Angeles Dodgers (who won 110 games in the regular season) lost a close one to the San Diego Padres, 2-1. Their circumstances are more dire than the Yankees as both of those teams trail their respective series, two games to one. The Phillies and Padres could advance to the NLCS today with victories. For the Dodgers, it would be 110 wins and all they got was this lousy t-shirt.

Hopefully, the Yankees can win today so they do not have their proverbial backs to the wall. Luis Severino is on the mound, but he will face Cleveland’s outstanding young Triston McKenzie. It does not seem like there will be very many runs scored today. If the Yankees can cross the plate more times than the Guardians, all will be good in the Yankees Universe. A loss will most certainly send anxiety through the fanbase.

The booing of Aaron Judge does not help. I realize some fans may be frustrated with Aaron Judge. Seven strikeouts in eight plate appearances can lead to nicknames like Mr. May, but after Judge’s season, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I would rather take my chances with than without Judge. If anything, Judge needs our support and our belief that he can produce when the stakes are the highest. The boos at Yankee Stadium and the rips on social media serve no purpose. If you want to create an environment where Judge feels he might be better appreciated in other markets and fan bases, keep it up. We need Judge today, tomorrow, and next year.

Aaron Judge / Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II, AP

As for Judge’s pending free agency, Jon Heyman of The New York Post polled four agents this week, and they predicted Judge’s next contract will be:

• $350 million, $400 million maximum.
• $315 million to $360 million.
• Eight x $37.5 million for $300 million.
• $300 million ($277 million with deferrals).

I do think the contract will be north of $300 million but the question will be how high the Yankees will go. I cannot say I am overly confident the Yankees will retain Judge. They need him, he needs the Yankees, and I do believe that his legacy would be the strongest by staying in Pinstripes. Somehow, the thought of Judge playing in San Francisco with games playing when most of the East Coast is headed for bed will leave him as an afterthought in the minds of many. Judge’s value to the Yankees cannot be underestimated. I hope the Yankees ensure he remains a Yankee and he becomes the next Captain. The NFL has the franchise tag they can place on pending free agent superstars. The MLB may not have one, but it is clear Aaron Judge is the franchise player for the current New York Yankees and deserves to be paid like it. I am excited about the Yankees playing October baseball, but it is hard to deny the sickening feeling that these may be Judge’s final days wearing baseball’s greatest uniform.

Hal, pay the man.

Better news on the injured front. It is premature to think about the ALCS since the Yankees need to win the ALDS first, but it was promising to hear Aaron Boone say Andrew Benintendi, Frankie Montas and Ron Marinaccio will be working out in Tampa under live game conditions to prepare their potential readiness for the next round.

A healthy, producing Benintendi may have been the difference-maker in yesterday’s game. Watching Matt Carpenter strike out in his pinch-hit appearance yesterday shows that return does not always result in immediate success, but I am hopeful Benny can help next round if the Yankees make it. I know Oswaldo Cabrera has done a superb job, but I would rather see the Yankees re-sign Benintendi to play left field next season and use Cabrera in the super-utility role. But I digress, I think Benny can help this year if he is given the opportunity.

Andrew Benintendi / Photo Credit: Sarah Stier, Getty Images

I am indifferent about Montas. He will not start, and I am not certain how effective he can be as a reliever. He seems like a ‘better luck next year’ candidate.

The Yankees need a healthy Marinaccio. Using starters in unfamiliar relief roles underscores the current state of the Yankees pen. Getting back one of their best relievers would be huge for the Yankees in the next round…if they make it.

Hall of Fame Closer passes away. I was saddened to hear the news of Bruce Sutter’s passing yesterday, While Sutter, 69, is probably best remembered for helping the St Louis Cardinals win the World Series forty years ago, I will always think of him as a Chicago Cub. Growing up in the Midwest in the 70’s meant watching a lot of Cubs games on TV, and Sutter stood out with his split-fingered fastballs.

Bruce Sutter

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement: “I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Bruce Sutter, whose career was an incredible baseball success story. Bruce ascended from being a nondrafted free agent to the heights of baseball by pioneering the split-fingered fastball. The pitch not only led him to the Major Leagues, but also made him a Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs and a World Series champion with the 1982 Cardinals. …Bruce will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in the histories of two of our most historic franchises. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences to Bruce’s family, his friends and his fans in Chicago, St. Louis, and Atlanta and throughout our game.”

Sutter always makes me think of the late Bobby Murcer since both were my favorite Cubs on those late 1970s teams. Not sure why I was never a Cubs or Cardinals fan, but the pull of the Yankee Pinstripes was too strong. Nevertheless, Sutter’s loss hurts. May he rest in peace.

The end of Aroldis Chapman’s Yankees career. Good riddance. I cannot say that I have ever seen a player bail on his teammates like Chapman did when he missed a mandatory workout prior to the start of the ALDS and the announcement of the team’s roster for the series. I was ready for the Yankees to designate Chapman for assignment in September as I had lost any trust or confidence in him despite some sporadic success. However, his behavior prior to the ALDS was inexcusable and unacceptable. Just when you thought Chapman could not set the bar lower, he does.

Aroldis Chapman

The Yankees took a chance on Chapman when other teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, would not. Despite their efforts, Chapman bailed on the Yankees because his feelings were hurt over the possibility of being left off the ALDS roster. In a way, I am glad Chapman made the decision easy for the Yankees. While there is a chance that he could be activated for the ALCS…if they make it…I hope not. I am done with Chapman and look forward to the end of his Yankees contract soon.

Scott Effross, we hardly knew ye. Unlike Chapman, I was saddened to learn Scott Effross would not make the ALDS roster but was stunned by the further news he needs Tommy John surgery. A torn ulnar collateral ligament most likely means that we will not see Effross on the mound again until 2024. He is under Yankees control until 2028 so it is not like we will never see him in Pinstripes again, but this is a sad way to lose Effross for the near future. Here is hoping for a quick and successful return to good health for Effross and his arm.

Scott Effross

I wonder if this means the end for Chad Green. He is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the year. The Yankees historically do not wait around for Tommy John recipients on expiring contracts. Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda stand out as recent examples. Someone will sign Green to a two-year minor league contract to allow time for recovery. Maybe it is the Yankees, maybe it is not. The Yankees cannot tie up multiple 40-man roster spots for guys out for extended periods.

As always, Go Yankees!

 

“We play today, we win today, das it…”

--Former Yankees second baseman Mariano Duncan

Warning: Brighter Days Ahead...

  

Aaron Judge / Photo Credit: Robert Sabo, New York Post

Yankees WILL get better as the weather warms…

Fans of the Yankees can be harder on the New York Yankees than non-Yankee fans. I realize there have not been enough games like Friday night in the season’s first fourteen games, but we really need to give this team time to come together. I am certainly not ready to ‘throw in the towel’ in April with the Yankees only one game out of first place in the AL East. As the weather warms, so will the Yankees.

Aaron Judge & Anthony Rizzo / Photo Credit: AP

No doubt that last night belonged to Aaron Judge and Michael King. Judge, finally playing like a man who wants $36 million per year (despite the fact he will never get it), was a spectacle of beauty. Two home runs and brilliant defense. More games like last night, and Aaron Judge will be a Yankee for life and hopefully the latest Captain in the string of greats.

While Judge dominated the offensive show in the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, the pitching hero was Michael King. Jameson Taillon, despite giving up seven hits in five innings, yielded Cleveland’s only run. King entered the game and shut down the highly flying Guardians offense who had entered the game averaging 5.67 runs per game. After Amed Rosario singled with two outs in the sixth, King proceeded to strike out the next seven batters he faced.

Michael King / Photo Credit: Michelle Farsi, New York Post

Of course, Aaron Boone took heat for not bringing King back for the ninth inning with a chance to match the club record of eight consecutive strikeouts, set by former Yankees setup reliever Ron Davis. Davis struck out eight consecutive (then) California Angels on May 4, 1981. Like the other day when Boone walked Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in his final at-bat, I had no problem with Boone’s decision to bring in Aroldis Chapman for the ninth. King had thrown forty-two pitches in three innings. Just like the Cabrera decision, the King decision was made for the greater benefit of the team over an individual milestone. There is no sense burning out King’s arm. He is needed for the days, weeks, and months ahead. He has become a trusted reliever which has been invaluable with slower starts by Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga.

I feel bad for Joey Gallo. I like the guy and want him to succeed. It is a case that I want to like him more than I do. I get it, some guys are just not cut out for the bright lights and big city of New York. Gallo has the looks and personality to thrive in the city…if only his bat was capable of speaking. As much as I want him to succeed, every at-bat is becoming increasingly brutal to watch. He has become an automatic out, ringing up strikeout after strikeout. He was 0-for-4 last night with two strikeouts. In his contract year through 47 plate appearances, he is batting .122/.234/.122, .184 wOBA, 17 wRC+, and -0.5 WAR. It is unlikely he will be traded in April or May, but I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that Gallo would be better served playing in a lesser-pressurized environment. If he could just go on a home run binge, and bat his usual .200, he could bring cheers, but I am growing less confident it can or will happen. No doubt Cashman and company are following other left fielders to identify possible trade targets for later this summer.

No, I am not interested in a reunion with Brett Gardner (except for possibly a coaching role).

Many fans are down on Gerrit Cole, and I understand why. The man has one of the largest contracts in baseball and expectations are exceedingly high. Whether it is the crackdown on the sticky stuff or the colder temperatures of April or Billy Crystal, Cole has gotten off to a sluggish start and has rated fifth best on a five-man staff. I am not concerned. I believe that we will see Cole round into form sooner than later. When October rolls around (assuming the Yankees are positioned to advance), Cole will be the arm to carry us. I have no doubts. I am certainly not going to freak out about his 2022 season after only three starts. He will be okay; have some faith.

With Cole’s slow start, Nasty Nestor Cortes, Jr has been a godsend. He takes the mound later today in the second game of the three-game Cleveland series at Yankee Stadium. In the off-season, everyone wanted another starting pitcher (including me). If the Yankees had been successful in acquiring one of Oakland’s starting pitchers, the loser would have been Nestor as it would have pushed him into the bullpen. It is not a bad place for him, he is my favorite for the Ramiro Mendoza role as long relief/spot starter. However, right now, he is pitching too well to take him out of the starting rotation. Frankie Montas would be a tremendous addition, but I am enjoying the Nasty Nestor Show. Eventually, the health of the staff will determine future additions. Fortunately, the starting pitching, collectively, has been exceptionally good for the Yankees through fourteen games. Starters seem to hit a brick wall at five innings but hopefully that will change as the calendar turns to May and the restoration of the 26-man roster with limitation of thirteen pitchers.

I would like to know what happened to Kyle Higashioka’s bat. Granted, I have always viewed him as a backup catcher and still do, but I did expect more after his brilliant offensive performance in Spring Training. I know, the Greg Bird syndrome (blazing Spring; regular season, thud…). Like Joey Gallo, Higgy has been an automatic out. As if Gallo’s line was not bad enough, Higgy is batting .097/.125/.129, with .119 wOBA, -31 wRC+, and -0.3 WAR. Yikes! Dillon Lawson and the assistant hitting coaches are not exactly hitting the cover off the ball. Higgy’s play is causing more starts by Jose Trevino, a likeable catcher, and an elite framer, but it is just a battle of backups. I hope July brings a true starting catcher when the team goes after a new leftfielder and possibly starting pitcher.

A little credit for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He took as much heat from the fans as any Yankee, but he has quietly been playing his part and helping the team win in recent days. I will not stand down from the belief that we would have been better off with Carlos Correa, Corey Seager or Trevor Story, but I have no complaints with IKF’s play of late. He can keep the position warm until Oswald Peraza is ready to ascend to the Majors. In other words, I will not be pining for a shortstop at the trading deadline.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa / Photo Credit: Julio Aguilar, Getty Images

In this era of the de-juiced baseball, the biggest loser (not the Yankees) appears to be Joe Girardi and the Philadelphia Phillies. Dave Dombrowski’s decision to hire sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber has placed Girardi in a precarious spot. The Buck Showalter-infused New York Mets have raced out of the gate, and the Phillies trail by 4 ½ games in the NL East with a 6-8 record. Girardi has been making every ‘managers on the hot seat’ list. Of course, if Girardi does get fired, I am sure there will be Yankee fans screaming for Boone’s ouster to restore Girardi. It will never happen. Girardi is not Billy Martin reincarnated. That ship has sailed. I wish the best for Girardi and hope things work out for him in Philly.

Illustration by Britt Spencer for Philadelphia Magazine

As for Boone, he is my manager. I have been critical of him, but I am not going to bash him at this point. The Yankees made the decision to stick with him for another three years. The time to reevaluate Boone will be after the season. I want him to succeed because I want the Yankees to succeed. The continual screams for Boone’s firing are falling on deaf ears and waste too much energy. Brian Cashman is not going to fire Boone. If the Yankees make the difficult decision to part ways with Brian Cashman upon the expiration of his contract at season’s end, I am sure that Boone will be reevaluated despite the years remaining on his contract. Until then, he needs our support.

The New York Post reported this week that the Yankees had quietly settled the contract dispute with former Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury more than a year ago. No terms were disclosed due to the execution of confidentiality agreements. Ellsbury had been released prior to the conclusion of his contract and was owed $21 million for 2020 and $5 million buyout for 2021. The Yankees filed a grievance in 2019 to recoup some of the dollars. The Post indicated the settlement was low enough to keep the Yankees under the second luxury tax threshold in 2020. Regardless of what they paid; I am glad the Ellsbury saga is officially over. It was an unwise decision to sign him, and he seemed like such an albatross those final years in uniform. Me: Never sign or trade for Red Sox players! Also, me: I wonder if the Royals would be willing to trade former Red Sox leftfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Yankees in July.

As always, Go Yankees!