Frankie Montas or Bust...

 

Frankie Montas / Photo Credit: Chris Carlson, AP

Prized Target Castillo heads to the Upper Northwest…

Time will tell if Luis Castillo is sleepless in Seattle, but the Mariners added firepower to their playoff chances with the acquisition of the pitcher from the Cincinnati Reds. Most Yankee fans had wanted to see Castillo in Pinstripes, and there were times where we felt it might happen but as it usually goes, we never get the top pitching target. Too many of us have been through the days of Greg Maddux, Cliff Lee, and Gerrit Cole (when he was a Pirate), to name a few.

The fans have immediately turned their attention to Frankie Montas of the Oakland A’s who many have rated as second only to Castillo among available pitchers. That is probably debatable, but there is no doubt Brian Cashman, and his herd of analysts have their sights set on certain pitchers (including names that have not made the headlines). We know they have liked Montas in the past, and there are rumors they tried to acquire him during the Spring. GM Brian Cashman will never make the obvious move. The recent Andrew Benintendi is a rare exception. A player long rumored connected to the Yankees who actually ends up there. More than likely, Cash is working on potential pitchers who might surprise us in addition to rekindling his talks with the A’s Billy Beane. I wanted Castillo but I tried to temper my expectations for this exact scenario. I would be pleased to acquire Montas, Pablo Lopez of the Miami Marlins, or, with trust in the front office, any pitcher they deem to be a solid number two to slot in behind Gerrit Cole.

The Mariners paid a high price for their new ace. Four prospects which included three of their top five according to MLB.com. For the Yankees, that would be sending three of Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Ken Waldichuk. I recognize that the value of a team’s top five varies from team to team and the Yankees were said to have made an offer to the Red that nearly rivaled the Mariners in quality. It would have been wonderful to get Castillo, but it did not happen, and we move on. One starting pitcher is not going to be the reason the Yankees do not win the World Series. There is something special about the 2022 Yankees (despite the lackluster July results) and if they can get quality reinforcements elsewhere, I like the team’s chances in October.

Like Castillo, the Yankees have been long connected to Montas. By Tuesday, we will either have a new starting pitcher or we will not. It is not the end of the world. I have no desire to see Domingo German pitch again even if he was better last time out. I would rather see JP Sears or Ken Waldichuk given a shot before rolling German out there again. Waldichuk, a 24-year-old lefty, is 6-3 in sixteen starts for the Somerset Patriots and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season with combined 2.60 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings pitched. He absolutely dominated Double-A after six games which forced his promotion to Triple-A. Waldichuk is a better pitcher than former Yankees prospect Janson Junk who shut out the Kansas City Royals for six innings earlier this week to win his Major League debut with the Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels. Waldichuk is nearing his time if he is not traded for Montas or another starter.

Ken Waldichuk / Photo Credit: NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I remember when fans did not want young prospect Andy Pettitte starting for the Yankees. Everybody must start some time. It is not like you make your Major League debut as a seasoned Major League veteran. Not that I think Waldichuk will be as good as Pettitte, but he deserves a chance to prove who he is or who he can be. I am not trying to go down the path of let’s start Waldichuk over an acquisition of a top starting pitcher, but the point is, have faith in GM Brian Cashman. Regardless of what happens, the Yankees will be okay, and we WILL be playing in October.

Welcome to the Yankees, Andrew Benintendi. I know many fans wanted outfielder Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs. It would have been nice to pair Happ with his former World Series brother Anthony Rizzo, but since he is not a true rental like Benny, the cost would have been higher than the three pitching prospects who went to Kansas City. I like Benny. It is frustrating to watch Yankee fans who are already turning on him after a couple of games. He needs more time to show who he is. I would never hold the Royals series as the standard for whether he can make it in New York. Players are human and there are emotions involved. He is suddenly thrust into playing against the guys he has gone to war with the last couple of years. He flew on the Royals team plane to New York on Wednesday night thinking he would be playing against the Yankees, not for them. There is pressure to perform well. So many variables that create challenges to a hot start. As he settles in, he will perform, this I am certain.

Andrew Benintendi / Photo Credit: Jason Szenes, NY Post

After five years in Boston, Benny was traded to the Royals in February 2021. He has not faced the Red Sox since the trade. The Yankees head to Boston in a couple of weeks so it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he receives from the Red Sox Nation sporting the Yankees’ gray away uniform. Boston manager Alex Cora had interesting words to say when he was asked about Benny the Yank. “Good for him,” Cora responded when asked about the trade. “He worked hard the last two years to make adjustments and get back to the hitter everybody envisioned in the past: .300 hitter who will get on base and is a good base runner. Defensively, he’s been amazing in Kansas City.” The words within the words read like: ‘He sucked in Boston.’ Cora added, “For the person, I’m very happy. For the player, we’ll leave it at that.” I do not know the reasons that led Boston to trade Benintendi. I was surprised at the time for no other reason than Benny had been a thorn when playing against the Yankees. It is obvious that he has worked hard, making the necessary adjustments to become a better player. The recent All-Star selection is confirmation. Benny does not need to hit homers (he only has three this season), although I would expect him to run into more than three with the short porch in right. If he is getting on base and moving runners, all is good. I am glad that the future of the 2022 Yankees left fielder is not an automatic out at the plate like it has been.

I am happy Benny is a Yankee. I wanted him even if Alex Cora did not. I saw the benefit of Ian Happ, but I like the retention of top prospects for a possible acquisition of a top starting pitcher. I was hoping those prospects could be used for Castillo as stated earlier, but there are other options that might not have existed if the Yankees had moved top prospects for Happ. Also, while I do not expect the Yankees to acquire Juan Soto, you can never say never until Ken Rosenthal, Jack Curry or Jeff Passan are reporting that he has been traded elsewhere. My take all along has been get a top starting pitcher and a lesser outfielder (than Soto). We have the outfielder, now we need the pitcher. If we get Soto too, great. I will run out to buy my new Soto Yankees jersey. If we do not, I am sorry, but we move on as we always have.

If Benintendi performs well in Pinstripes, I would like to see the Yankees try to bring him back this off-season when he hits free agency. The Yankees will be focused on re-signing Aaron Judge (as they should, as they must) and there are times it seems like the Yankees can only focus on one thing at a time so time will tell if Benny’s Yankee career can be measured in years or only in months. I wish him well and hope he succeeds as a New York Yankee.

Rotating relief pitchers. Ryan Weber has had an interesting Yankees career. Signed to a minor league contract, added to the Major League roster, designated for assignment, refusal of outright assignment, and re-signed to a new minor league contract. Rinse and repeat. He has now done this about three or four times. Shane Greene just completed his first cycle and is back with the RailRiders, along with Weber, on his second minor league contract. They await the next call, so does former Pittsburgh Pirates/Atlanta Braves reliever Richard Rodriguez.

Richard Rodriguez / Photo Credit: SI.com

It will be a surprise if the Yankees do not acquire a strong reliever between now and Tuesday. David Robertson seems to be the reliever most discussed which, of course, means it probably will not happen. It does seem like there is a better chance D-Rob winds up in Queens. Losing Michael King hurt, although I think Clarke Schmidt can step up and has already. Aroldis Chapman is pitching better, and I continue to have faith in an improved Jonathan Loaisiga. The Yankees need to quit rolling at Wandy Peralta at the end of games. It worked out last night but with a six-run lead, it was not exactly a pressurized moment. Wandy is better in the middle innings. Keep him there.

Aaron Judge, MVP. I seriously hope we are not watching the end of Aaron Judge’s Yankee career. It is bittersweet with every home run that this could be it for his time in New York. He is New York. He should be a Yankee for life, and he should be Captain of the New York Yankees. It would be beautiful to see the Yankees re-sign him to a long, mutually beneficial contract, with Hall of Famer and former Captain Derek Jeter performing a ceremony at home plate to anoint Judge as the team’s next Captain.

Aaron Judge w/Meredith Marakovits / Photo Credit: MLB.com

When Judge hits the free agent market, if the San Francisco Giants were to offer Judge the same dollars and years as the Yankees, would he stay with his loyalty to the team or would he head home to the West Coast to play for the team he cheered as a child. The Yankee players who were fans as children always get attention. It would be tough seeing Giants fans capturing one of their own. I want Judge to stay. It will be devastating to watch him leave. Like anything, we would survive but it would be painful. I think if another team steals Judge away from the Yankees (and there are plenty of crazy owners who could do it), it would make an apparent inability to acquire Juan Soto that much more hurtful. While I get not giving up the players it would take to acquire Soto, the Yankees must keep Judge. Hal, please hear our words and loosen your death grip on your wallet.

Lastly, be kind to Joey Gallo. I am tired of the harsh words about Gallo. Lindsey Adler wrote a beautiful piece about Gallo in The Athletic this week, and I agree with her thoughts. Joey Gallo has worked hard to become a better player, but it has not worked out in New York. The team recognizes it, or they would not have acquired Andrew Benintendi. It is probable when the sun rises on Wednesday morning, Gallo is no longer a Yankee. I liked the guy and I genuinely wanted it to work. It did not work but you can never say it was not for the lack of trying. He wanted to succeed. Gallo is a good man, a great clubhouse influence, and a wonderful teammate. I am convinced he will thrive in a market without the heavy expectations of New York.

Joey Gallo / Photo Credit: @TheAthleticMLB on Twitter

I thank Joey for trying and wish him the best wherever he lands in the coming days.

As always, Go Yankees!

Silent Days and Nights...

  

MLB Lockout begins but when will it end?...

November was so much fun with the flurry of free agent signings, even if the Yankees chose not to participate, but then, thud, it all ended with the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the subsequent lockout unanimously imposed by MLB owners.

As a fan, this really sucks. I know the fun of the free agent signings in November would not have happened without the impending lockout, however, my favorite time of the MLB off-season is the Baseball Winter Meetings which were cancelled this year. The Rule 5 Draft was also postponed so catcher Josh Breaux stays in the organization a little bit longer.

It sounds as though the labor dispute will extend into 2022 and perhaps even into time allotted for Spring Training. The gap between the greedy owners and the players seems so wide. To an outside observer, there have been no signs, at least to me, that the two sides are willing to compromise. After the lost revenues of 2020, it seems almost unconscionable the owners would risk harm to their game rather than negotiate in good faith with the players. Even though the fans pay for the sport, we are the least represented party in this dispute. Everybody wants our money and more of it, and we have no voice except not to pay.

I am hopeful there is progress before the end of the year, but time will tell.

Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reported yesterday the Yankees have promoted Minor League Hitting Coordinator Dillon Lawson to Hitting Coach on Manager Aaron Boone’s staff, replacing the fired Marcus Thames, now hitting coach for Derek Jeter’s Miami Marlins. This is the move I had expected the Yankees to make with their commitment to analytics and the rebounding success of hitting in the Yankees’ farm system this past year. As time moved on, I thought maybe they were looking at guys like Tim Hyers, the former Red Sox hitting coach who joined the Texas Rangers last month, or Brian Snitker’s son, Troy, the Houston Astros hitting coach. With Eric Chavez’s name on the rumor mill, I thought he might be a possibility, but at the end of the day, Lawson makes the most sense to me. The Yankees, due to the MLB Lockout, have not confirmed the promotion but I trust Lindsey and fully expect the formal announcement when MLB business resumes.

Photo Credit: Quad City Times

There is no word about the two assistant hitting coaches the Yankees plan to add, but I remain convinced Rachel Balkovec would be a brilliant and inspired addition. Her connection to Lawson, who brought her into the organization, makes it a natural choice.

Photo Credit: New York Yankees

To assist Pitching Coach Matt Blake, the Yankees, per Adler, will promote Minor League Manager of Pitch Development Desi Druschel to assistant pitching coach. As a native Iowan, I like Druschel’s connection to the University of Iowa. He served the University for five years ending in 2019 as, first, director of baseball operations, and, later, as pitching coach. Go Hawkeyes!

Druschel, right / Photo Credit: Brian Ray, HawkeyeSports.com

Note: With today’s Big Ten Championship looming between the Michigan Wolverines and the Hawkeyes, I had to find a way for a shameless plug of my favorite college football team.

There is no word who will fill the first base coach vacancy, although I will be disappointed if current bench coach Carlos Mendoza is not moved to the position to allow for a more seasoned veteran bench coach to aid Aaron Boone. Some of the names are probably holding out to see who gets the Mets managerial gig. As much as I would hate to see it, Buck Showalter makes the most sense to me. Whomever gets the job is going to benefit from the billionaire owner’s passionate desire to raise his club to greatness. Gee, I wish we had one of those kind of owners…

I get there was no reason for the Yankees to make splashy moves in November, and there are plenty of reasons why the Yankees should not have paid the exorbitant sums of money to the players who were signed. Yet, I was hoping for at least one move that could give us good feelings during this lockout. Sorry, shortstop Jose Peraza is not that guy. Fortunately, there are still plenty of unsigned players who could make the 2022 Yankees better so not all is lost.

My personal feelings about a stopgap shortstop are that it would do nothing to improve the Yankees, currently looking like the fourth best team in the AL East. Carlos Correa is going to cost a lot of money, but he brings greatness to both sides of the ball and would clearly improve the Yankees. He is young with heavy championship experience (regardless of your thoughts about how he got it) and would not be intimidated by New York. He makes the most sense to me, although I remain of the opinion that I would be incredibly happy to see Trevor Story as a Yankee. Either way, the Yankees need one of them. The whole idea of keeping the position warm for the young prospects (Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe) seems ridiculous. They are probably five years from potentially becoming what Correa and Story are today. For a win-now team, we need the best possible players now.

If the Yankees make the long-rumored trade with the Oakland A’s to acquire first baseman Matt Olson, it is pretty much a given Oswald Peraza would be included as part of the package. Everybody is getting excited about the rumors possibly linking Freddie Freeman to the Yankees, but I am skeptical on that one for no other reason than I feel he should and probably will stay in Atlanta.

I do not blame Masahiro Tanaka for declining to exercise the opt-out in his two-year contract with the Rakuten Eagles considering the MLB Lockout, but there was a little sadness when I saw it. I will admit there was a part of me hoping for a reunion with the Yankees. I would love to see Tanaka win a championship with the Yankees. With so much uncertainty surrounding Major League Baseball, Tanaka would have been foolish to opt out of a sure thing. I wish him the best of luck in 2022. Kind of funny that former Yankees first baseman Chris Gittens, released last month to play in Japan, will be Tanaka’s Rakuten teammate.

All I want for Christmas is Major League Baseball. Rob Manfred and Tony Clark, please man up and make it happen. For once in your lives, please think of the fans.

As always, Go Yankees!

2020 Yankees New Year's Resolution: Good Health for ALL...

Yankees Overhaul Training/Strength-and-Conditioning Team…

The Yankees have made their first significant acquisition of 2020. No, they have not landed Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians or Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers. In a story broken on Friday night by Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, the Yankees have hired Eric Cressey of Cressey Sports Performance to oversee their training and strength-and-conditioning departments. 

Admittedly, I was probably most familiar with Cressey as a former employer of Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, who served time as a pitching coordinator for the company. However, Cressey is nationally recognized for his work in kinesiology and biomechanics, and has worked with baseball stars such as Corey Kluber and Max Scherzer. 

Per Corey Kluber’s quote on Cressey’s website, “CSP has been a crucial part of the success I have had in my career to this point. The programs have helped me gain velocity as well as put my body in position to remain healthy throughout a long season.”

For a team that set a MLB record last season for most players (thirty) on the Injured List in a single season, Cressey represents a major leap forward for the organization. We knew change was coming when word spread a few weeks ago that former strength-and-conditioning coach Matt Krause had been relieved of his duties with the Yankees. I expected an upgrade in the department but certainly not someone of Cressey’s caliber. 

As part of the deal, Cressey will be allowed to continue to operate Cressey Sports Performance which has locations in Hudson, MA and Palm Beach Gardens, FL. 

I am excited about Cressey’s hire and feel it is as critical to the training and strength-and-conditioning areas as last year’s addition of Driveline’s Sam Briend as the organization’s director of pitching and the offseason hire of Blake as the new Major League pitching coach, replacing Larry Rothschild. The hitting instruction group has also received major upgrades within the past year with the hiring of Dillon Lawson as hitting coordinator and Rachel Balkovec as a minor league hitting coach, among various other additions. 

According to Lindsey Adler, longtime trainer Steve Donahue, who has been in the organization since 1979, will transition to a role she says is “akin to trainer emeritus” and he is expected to maintain an active role in the organization. 

To replace Donahue as head trainer, the Yankees will promote assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist Michael Schuk, 37, who is entering his seventh season with the Yankees. His bio on the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society website indicates he holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Science-Athletic Training from the University of Central Florida and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to joining the Yankees, Schuk worked as an intern for the Cleveland Indians and the NFL’s Washington Redskins. 

For those of you who continue to feel that Hal Steinbrenner is “cheap”, you may want to rethink your narrative.  We know the Yankees spent $324 million to bring one of the best starting pitchers in Baseball to the Bronx, but these organizational hires like Cressey most certainly come at very high costs. Outside of the Cincinnati Reds, who hired Driveline founder Kyle Boddy as director of pitching initiatives/pitching coordinator last October, no team has been as aggressive as the Yankees in rebuilding their organizational infrastructure with premium talent in nearly every area of instruction and conditioning. None of this happens without Hal Steinbrenner’s authorization (and his money, of course). 

As for the team on the playing field, the Yankees have been quiet since the highly successful press conference last month to introduce Gerrit Cole. The re-signing of Brett Gardner has yet to be officially announced but that seems to be a product of the holidays and the formal announcement could be coming any day now, along with the corresponding roster move to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Barring a trade of J.A. Happ, the most significant moves before pitchers and catchers report next month will probably be players coming in on minor league deals with MLB camp invites. 

Some Yankee fans wanted a reunion with former Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro, however, All-Starlin signed a two-year deal with the World Champion Washington Nationals to be their second baseman next season, replacing Brian Dozier and Asdrubal Cabrera. After a few years living in obscurity in Miami, I am glad to see Castro get another chance with a contender. Credit to Starlin who could have been a malcontent with losing under the Marlins, he was nothing but a positive, inspirational force on Don Mattingly’s team and I am happy to see him land with a good club.

Probably a couple of the remaining free agent names I am watching with interest are second baseman Scooter Gennett and first baseman Eric Thames. Not that I feel it is absolutely critical the Yankees bring in another left-handed hitter, but it would be nice.

Fangraphs, via Steamer, projects Gennett to hit .261/.311/.421 with .310 wOBA and 90 wRC+ this coming season with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs (0.6 fWAR) in 112 games. 2019 was a lost season due to injuries. He missed three months of the season after severely straining his groin in March. When he came back he only hit .217 in 22 games and was traded at the July deadline to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, who had cut former second baseman Joe Panik, another name recently linked to the Yankees, to make room for Gennett, released Scooter on August 27^th.  Gennett is infamous for the four home run game in 2017, but I think there’s potential for a rebound in a part-time role. Whether the Yankees bring in Gennett or Panik on a minor league deal, I’ll use the words of The Greedy Pinstripes’ Daniel Burch, “No such thing as a bad minor league deal.” I agree. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If it doesn’t work, you sever ties and move on. I like to  bring in as much competition at certain spots as possible and let the cream rise to the top. It’s not that I have anything against Tyler Wade or Thairo Estrada. I think one of them will serve a very valuable role as backup at shortstop for Gleyber Torres and there’s no question I love Wade’s speed. But there is room for a guy like Gennett who could provide some flexibility to use D.J. LeMahieu around the diamond like last year.   

Credit: USATSI

As for Thames, he may not hit for average but when he gets a hold of a mistake pitch, the balls go a very long way. That plays nicely with the short porch in right at Yankee Stadium. I am comfortable with Luke Voit and Mike Ford at first base, but would certainly not be opposed to bringing in Thames on a minors deal. 

It was a little tough watching Dellin Betances wearing Mets gear at his press conference this week. Last off-season, I wanted the Yankees to re-sign David Robertson, perhaps over then free-agent Adam Ottavino. D-Rob signed with the Phillies and only pitched in seven games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury. He subsequently had Tommy John surgery and is not expected back anytime soon. Meanwhile, Ottavino was signed and became a very valuable part of the Yankees bullpen despite the late season slide. The Yankees called that one right and perhaps they’ve made the right call about Betances. I’ll miss Dellin and I hope the achilles injury does not resurface for him. We know how critical your legs are for power as a pitcher so if anything’s off, it could be very problematic for a pitcher who occasionally struggles with command. I’d love to see Dellin return to form in 2020 and then opt out after the season to re-sign with the Yankees. In my dreams, I know, but Dellin will remain a favorite for his time in the Bronx.

For those of you who may have forgotten, potential fifth starter Jordan Montgomery was 9-7 in 2017 with 3.88 ERA. His K/9 rate was 8.34 and he started 29 games. His fWAR was 2.6.  I’d gladly take that production in the fifth spot again. I still expect the Yankees to trade J.A. Happ and his contract to lessen the team’s payroll for luxury tax purposes, but I think Montgomery represents a great replacement for Happ. Montgomery is a better starter, in my opinion, than 18-game winner Domingo German, who will miss the season’s first 63 games after his suspension for domestic violence was handed down this week by MLB. 

Speaking of German, I’ve seen many Yankee fans call for his release. While I in no way, shape or form, condone German’s actions, I do feel that he deserves the opportunity to serve his sentence and get the help he needs to be a better man. It would be wrong to cut him for no return. As a player he has value, and I’d hate to see him land in Boston to help the Red Sox who seem to be crumbling at the moment. If the Yankees opt to trade him and control where he goes, I would not be opposed. I feel the Yankees owe German nothing, but for letting his teammates down, he owes the team everything (same with his family, actually more so, who suffered the domestic violence). I am willing to forgive although I doubt I’ll ever forget his actions which form my impressions of his character, but let’s give him a second chance to prove he is better than this.

This time next month we’ll be anxiously awaiting the start of Spring Training (as if we aren’t already). February 12^th is not that far away and we’ll soon see Gerritt Cole walking up to Steinbrenner Field as a member of everybody’s favorite team.  Good times.

As always, Go Yankees!