Well not sure if it was discussed on the game thread last night...don't car. Bird to have surgery out 6 weeks. So Yanks are discussing a trade with the A's for 1b Alonzo. Jon Morosi reporting.
He is a UFA next season so I would not give up any of our top players for a 1 and possibly done player. What would you give up for Alonzo?
It is good to have both Holliday and Castro back in the lineup.
No inside info but my guess is they are looking for a Gray/Alonso package. I'm not a Gray fan but he's going to cost a guy like Rutherford or Frazier for sure.
More
Sources: #Brewers, #Rays, #Yankees among the many teams in mix for #Phillies' Neshek. Talks fluid. No clear leader.
Even just Rutherford for Alonzo straight up would be piss poor for the Yankees and doesn't seem like something they'd do in the organization's renaissance of prospect appreciation.
And I say this as someone who isn't 100% dismissive of dealing a few of the kids. But dealing one of the brighter ones for a half season rental 1B in the midst of a by-far career year shouldn't happen.
I'd prefer hanging with Mr Cooper ten times out of ten.
Even just Rutherford for Alonzo straight up would be piss poor for the Yankees and doesn't seem like something they'd do in the organization's renaissance of prospect appreciation.
And I say this as someone who isn't 100% dismissive of dealing a few of the kids. But dealing one of the brighter ones for a half season rental 1B in the midst of a by-far career year shouldn't happen.
I'd prefer hanging with Mr Cooper ten times out of ten.
Of course injuries happen, but corner outfield seems like it's about to be locked down for the foreseeable future
I haven't watched him pitch a lot, but some of the things I've heard make it sound like the results so far are better than "the stuff".
Obviously he'd be a huge upgrade for the Yankees. I just like discussing these things because they're interesting. I think I actually prefer Gray to Fulmer. Fulmer stays close because of the age diff, but I think Gray has better stuff.
So I'm thinking that in 2020, our team will look like:
OF - Frazier, Rutherford, Judge
1B - Bird (Conner/?)
2B - Torres
SS - Didi
3B - Machado
C - Sanchez
DH - Canaan Smith (also can backup 1B, RF, and C)
Pitching: anybody's guess with Severino, Montgomery, Kaprielian, Chance Adams, and Sheffield fighting for somewhere in the 2,3,and 4 order. I suspect the Yanks will go all out for Shohei Otani who will be the Ace of the staff.
With that said, I don't think they move Rutherford. I think the A's would love to get OF Billy McKinney back after drafting him in the first round. McKinney has been hotter than hot lately.
I could see the Yanks trading Mateo, McKinney, and throwing in Abreu. I think Fowler could also be trade fodder. I'm really high on Tyler Wade and think he's being groomed to eventually be the Yank's super-utility guy and the future lead off batter, so I'd be surprised if they let him go.
Bottom line: I can't see them letting go of Rutherford. They have a lot of quality players in the minors that don't really have a genuine shot at getting to the parent club due to the logjam of even better players in front of them and they deserve a shot at playing in the majors.
Of course injuries happen, but corner outfield seems like it's about to be locked down for the foreseeable future
Quote:
But if Gray is involved, I'd seriously consider including Rutherford.
Of course injuries happen, but corner outfield seems like it's about to be locked down for the foreseeable future
Not a big Gray fan, so I don't like the trade. But I agree with you, with the glut of top OF talent throughout the Yankees' system, the Yanks are going to have to trade someone at some point in the future (i.e., Rutherford, Florial, McKinney, or maybe Frazier). Judge is a lock, then there is Hicks and these guys for the last 3 OF spots (2-starters and one rotational). Of course with the DH, one more could be kept in the rotation. I like Frazier, not sold on Hicks yet, and the other are all promising left handed sticks (which the Yanks love).
The only thing the Yanks love more than LH sluggers, are switch hitters. And it's been that way since Mickey Mantle terrorized pitchers. Throw in Roy White, Jorge Posada, Bernie, Beltran, etc., and the Yanks loved them. That's why Hicks is sticking no matter what. He will be in the OF rotation for a long time to come because he is the only switch hitter left on the team - and not to mention, he's a top notch player, both defensively and hitting. He's still young and just starting to get comfortable in the majors and a valuable piece of the Yank's future (IMHO)
Quote:
way should the Yankees give up Rutherford for ANY rental but if it takes a guy like Mateo I wouldn't think twice. He's become pretty overrated by prospect people. He's really stagnated. An Alonso or Duda should really help them at the right price. I could see Beane being high on a lottery ticket like Florial
Mateo may have stagnated at Tampa A, but since his promotion to Trenton AA he has been on fire. After 18 games he is hitting .365, HR-3, 3B-3, 2B-6, runs scored-20, SB-9
His BABIP in AA is .444...Keith Law really hammered him saying he just doesn't hit the ball with any authority. I'd sell high if he could headline a deal. He didn't even make BA's mid season top 100.
Thanks, Greg. I saw the headline yesterday over there but didn't have a chance to read. I just did. Definitely interesting. It's a strange dynamic because all of their other peripherals seem to indicate he's back to 2014/15, and the K-rate is better. Is it smoke and mirrors? Or does the ceiling go higher if he re-finds the curve?
Gotta love baseball.
Quote:
Fangraphs had an article up just yesterday on how Gray's stuff isn't what it used to be despite still pitching effectively. He used to have a killer breaking ball but it's league average now.
Thanks, Greg. I saw the headline yesterday over there but didn't have a chance to read. I just did. Definitely interesting. It's a strange dynamic because all of their other peripherals seem to indicate he's back to 2014/15, and the K-rate is better. Is it smoke and mirrors? Or does the ceiling go higher if he re-finds the curve?
Gotta love baseball.
The piece Greg referenced
Link - ( New Window )
Quote:
Fangraphs had an article up just yesterday on how Gray's stuff isn't what it used to be despite still pitching effectively. He used to have a killer breaking ball but it's league average now.
Thanks, Greg. I saw the headline yesterday over there but didn't have a chance to read. I just did. Definitely interesting. It's a strange dynamic because all of their other peripherals seem to indicate he's back to 2014/15, and the K-rate is better. Is it smoke and mirrors? Or does the ceiling go higher if he re-finds the curve?
Gotta love baseball.
He's never been as good as his rep. His best season he posted a 3.45 FIP (2015) which was good for 26th in baseball. Not really sure where he got this rep of being a potential ace.
Could Judge throw harder, IDK.?
So when it comes to cannons in the outfield, Hicks still has the best arm. Frazier doesn't appear to be a slouch, either.
I see him as a guy who keeps the ball on the ground and misses a pretty decent number of bats. A solid number two or 1A. A guy like him plus a free agent could really turn the rotation weakness into a strength for NYY.
If he didn't have question marks he probably wouldn't be available or the price would be completely prohibitive.
Nothing's to say it isn't prohibitive right now. As always, it's all about the price.
So I'm thinking that in 2020, our team will look like:
OF - Frazier, Rutherford, Judge
1B - Bird (Conner/?)
2B - Torres
SS - Didi
3B - Machado
C - Sanchez
DH - Canaan Smith (also can backup 1B, RF, and C)
Pitching: anybody's guess with Severino, Montgomery, Kaprielian, Chance Adams, and Sheffield fighting for somewhere in the 2,3,and 4 order. I suspect the Yanks will go all out for Shohei Otani who will be the Ace of the staff.
With that said, I don't think they move Rutherford. I think the A's would love to get OF Billy McKinney back after drafting him in the first round. McKinney has been hotter than hot lately.
I could see the Yanks trading Mateo, McKinney, and throwing in Abreu. I think Fowler could also be trade fodder. I'm really high on Tyler Wade and think he's being groomed to eventually be the Yank's super-utility guy and the future lead off batter, so I'd be surprised if they let him go.
Bottom line: I can't see them letting go of Rutherford. They have a lot of quality players in the minors that don't really have a genuine shot at getting to the parent club due to the logjam of even better players in front of them and they deserve a shot at playing in the majors.
Before the season I thought Harper was a legit target. Now? No way. Not with Judge performing the way he has. We have Frazier up now. Our OF all of a sudden looks pretty stacked. Machado is much more likely. Starting pitching is still the top priority imo.
And I'm not sure which "prospect people" are overrating Mateo at this point. Who are these people? Pretty much everyone on the planet has given up an Mateo being a top 30 type prospect. But that's ok, they gave up on Damchez too...
Before the season I thought Harper was a legit target. Now? No way. Not with Judge performing the way he has. We have Frazier up now. Our OF all of a sudden looks pretty stacked. Machado is much more likely. Starting pitching is still the top priority imo.
Agree. With the emergence of Judge, and and the other young OF talent the team has, its hard to imagine that Harper's productivity would be so much better than the Yankees' young guns to justify the $400M+ price tag that Harper will get.
And I'm not sure which "prospect people" are overrating Mateo at this point. Who are these people? Pretty much everyone on the planet has given up an Mateo being a top 30 type prospect. But that's ok, they gave up on Damchez too...
I see people on twitter unwilling to give up Mateo for Sonny Gray for example... you aren't landing a good SP for a headliner less than Jorge Mateo, lets be realistic here. Can't say "these 5 aren't available" and expect anything more than truly garbage SP. As for that Law note it's simply untrue in regard to Mateo. He had him at #55 in baseball in 2016.
Quote:
Before the season I thought Harper was a legit target. Now? No way. Not with Judge performing the way he has. We have Frazier up now. Our OF all of a sudden looks pretty stacked. Machado is much more likely. Starting pitching is still the top priority imo.
Agree. With the emergence of Judge, and and the other young OF talent the team has, its hard to imagine that Harper's productivity would be so much better than the Yankees' young guns to justify the $400M+ price tag that Harper will get.
Link - ( New Window )
Frazier, Rutherford, Mateo and Torres. Not being snarky at all but what kind of SP would you expect holding back those 4? I'd suggest not much of one.
Quote:
Before the season I thought Harper was a legit target. Now? No way. Not with Judge performing the way he has. We have Frazier up now. Our OF all of a sudden looks pretty stacked. Machado is much more likely. Starting pitching is still the top priority imo.
Agree. With the emergence of Judge, and and the other young OF talent the team has, its hard to imagine that Harper's productivity would be so much better than the Yankees' young guns to justify the $400M+ price tag that Harper will get.
I used to hear he'd be looking at half a billion, but the latest stories say 650-750K for his services. To me, it's like A-Rod all over again, but at 3 times the money.
No way! I hope the Yanks have learned their lesson on handing out ridiculous contracts only to get stuck paying tens of millions a year for several years after the guy is no longer a stud. Let some other team pay out their ass for the guy. It's not like he alone can carry a team, but he would sure draw plenty of resentment from teammates who are having a better year than him and getting a tiny portion of the money he's pulling in.
Cameron is great with the numbers but his minor league opinions are laughable and when he had his mariners blog his trade ideas were off the wall.
I'd go something like Mateo/Florial + Austin + Tate for a guy like Gray (or someone of similar quality with a couple years of control).
Probably wouldn't be enough.
So it sounds like for you, Adams isn't off the table. That's how opinions work.
I don't claim to be an expert on any of these prospects. For me, NYY have struggled with pitching for so long that I'm loath to deal the closest-to-MLB ready good pitching prospect they've had in a number of years.
You could say "x prospect will never have more value than he does in a trade right now" about nearly every player and be right 75% of the time. That's just how baseball works. Low hit rates. That doesn't make it right to trade them all, just like it doesn't make it right to hold them all.