NFT: D-Rob to Phils

Jacob Lindgren wasn't the closer for Mississippi State, Jon Holder was (and was nowhere near the relief prospect Lindgren was). Not always the case, but usually.

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I don't think he was completely healthy last year and would fully expect him to be much more effective.

Robertson wasn't nearly as good as he's been in the past and was somewhat a liability in those high leverage situations - much more so than in previous seasons. I'm not too upset about the loss.

In comment 14246249 Greg from LI said:

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Successive arm injuries, never came back. Was in the Braves system for awhile, may still be there. To my knowledge hasn't pitched professionally since 2016.

When they do they start to leak that they would "have gone 5 years on Harper/ Machado at X money didn't want to go past 5 years"?

It is a complete joke that they aren't in on either of these guys. And their outfield depth is very bad, and thats with Cespedes coming back....

have had a solid off-season so far IMV.

Adding Familia, Diaz, Cano and Ramos while dumping Bruce and Swarzak is good work from BVW. Still time to go.

I have NO IDEA how legit the source is so don't kill the messenger. Just figured it was worth sharing since Fox Sports Radio tweeted it out.
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Jon Heyman
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yankees seem focused on Zach Britton for the pen. he is believed to have multiple offers. but nyy wants to bring him back.

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In comment 14246425 Dave in Hoboken said:

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That's weird. It's still on their home page but can't click through. They also deleted the tweet. I think because the title was definitely over the top, as if he was breaking that they had signed Manny. Here's a tweet with a quote from the segment.
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He looked good last year

the couple of unofficial yankees-related Twitter sources who have said previously that Manny to NYY is a certainty are basically doubling down in the face of the CWS stuff.

Feels like this balloon should get popped soon one way or the other.

In comment 14246456 BIG FRED 1973 said:

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He looked good last year

I like Tarpley, sits 94-95 and his FB dives down hard. He was one of the players sent back from the Bucs for Ivan Nova. Scranton - YS3 Shuttle the first few months of 2019.

In comment 14246474 bigbluehoya said:

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the couple of unofficial yankees-related Twitter sources who have said previously that Manny to NYY is a certainty are basically doubling down in the face of the CWS stuff. Feels like this balloon should get popped soon one way or the other.

All a guess.

unless the money is absolutely far beyond what anyone else is offering. That organization is pure dogshit.

CHW would really have to outbid us by a good bit for him to choose them instead, I would think. That's a really unattractive destination.

A 100-loss team... not even the main attraction in that same city... he'll just get buried there.

Not a fan and I believe he is a jerk

You would think that the Dodgers, seeing Machado up close and personal last season, would want to sign him up. Unless I'm missing something, that is very telling to me. Personally, I'm not a big fan of 7 - 10 year contracts --they limit a team's flexibility to add young, inexpensive talent or complementary pieces down the road. If the Yanks or other team wanted Machado or Harper, I could see a 5 - 6 year / $150 - $180 million deal. The player would be 31 at the end of the contract and, if they are still at the top of their game, could command even bigger dollars for the next portion of their career.

That said, I believe the Yanks are still 1 starter and 1 or 2 relievers away from filling out their opening roster, with youngsters on tap to step in for injuries. In terms of relievers, they really should focus on someone who can effectively close games ---Chapman has been out for some stretches in the last couple of years and Betances can't be relied upon in those 9th. inning situations ---he's great in the 7th or 8th but something seems to happen when he enters the 9th. It was the same with Robertson --hope he does well in Philly, but he was a "scary" closer when called upon in that role ---seemed to get in trouble before closing it out, generally through missing the strike zone. Seems to argue for a push to sign Britton, presuming they feel he's back to being the shut down pitcher he was in prior years.

BTW, did anyone catch the MLB Network showing of the Larsen Perfect Game the other night? Lost in the story was Maglie's nice effort. I was struck by the pitchers and their lack of "nibbling", which is the reason for modern high pitch counts. Also, the hitters had a greater tendency to swing at first pitches, knowing that the pitcher was always going to be in or around the strike zone. The pace of the game was different.

Interesting to see a well dressed crowd at the game --shirts, ties and hats!

their left side of the infield is set.

but can Yanks fans tell me is he still a legitimate dominant closer?

The Phils have Seranthony Dominguez who has closer stuff but was put in the role last year at 23 and did a pretty decent job until he got a little tired at the end of the year.

likely gives you an ERA in the low 3's, dependable, durable to date, but he's not going to go out there and give you a 1.50 ERA at this point, that's just not who he is.

In comment 14246900 dep026 said:

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but can Yanks fans tell me is he still a legitimate dominant closer? The Phils have Seranthony Dominguez who has closer stuff but was put in the role last year at 23 and did a pretty decent job until he got a little tired at the end of the year.

I actually think his better role at this point is akin to the way Tito used Andrew Miller in Cleveland. High leverage at whatever time in the game, perhaps more than one inning.

I think he can be a fine closer in the NL, though. Not dominant.

Big brass balls and not afraid of pressure.

He doesn't flat out dominate, even at his best. He will frequently create jams for himself, but almost always manage to work out of them. It's just the way he pitches.

His name is Scott Boras... I could see the Yanks pivot to Ottavino very soon if Boras don't move off the 4 year demand for Britton.

In comment 14246930 bigbluehoya said:

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In comment 14246900 dep026 said: Quote: but can Yanks fans tell me is he still a legitimate dominant closer? The Phils have Seranthony Dominguez who has closer stuff but was put in the role last year at 23 and did a pretty decent job until he got a little tired at the end of the year. I actually think his better role at this point is akin to the way Tito used Andrew Miller in Cleveland. High leverage at whatever time in the game, perhaps more than one inning. I think he can be a fine closer in the NL, though. Not dominant.

Thanks. I can see Kapler using him and Dominguez as closers. Dominguez has a 100 MPH sinker with pinpoint accuracy.

If he can learn the ins and outs of being a closer. Watch out. Guy was unhittable for large portion of the year.

In comment 14246984 JPinstripes said:

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His name is Scott Boras... I could see the Yanks pivot to Ottavino very soon if Boras don't move off the 4 year demand for Britton.

the hold up is 4 years? I'd sign him to 4 years in a heartbeat. 4/$50 or so. Done.

In comment 14246112 arcarsenal said:

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I don't think Britton was all the way back last year - but it looked like he was getting closer. The guy was virtually unhittable from 2014-2016. I would bet on him having a really nice 2019 if he has no setbacks and I think he'll be back here.

I'm right there it's ya on this.

I think he'll be back at 100% healthy and one of the best relievers in the game. I'd feel really good about having him,Betances and Chapman as the back end of the BP and hope Cashman locks him up.

In comment 14246984 JPinstripes said:

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His name is Scott Boras... I could see the Yanks pivot to Ottavino very soon if Boras don't move off the 4 year demand for Britton.

Don't discount this factor.

Remember- the only current Yankee represented by Boras is Ellsbury. The Yanks have generally purged the roster of Boras clients.

It should also be noted that Boras represents Harper, but not Machado.

It might be that what Britton brings to the table is so singularly unique that you need to keep him- but I am not sure that the Yanks will even go to 3 years, let alone 4.

have gotten options in lieu of a third year. Britton has a little more leverage because he was reasonably healthy last year, but I would expect he'd have one too.

Especially with Robertson gone. We know they wanted to add relievers - if not Britton, who?

Kelvin Herrera is a guy who's a bit younger and isn't being talked about much. Plenty of closing experience.

Or even as a second guy if they do land Britton.

A bit lackluster the past 2 seasons, but only 29 years old and the numbers really look perfectly fine if you view him as #3-5 option out of the bullpen.

I'm not convinced they still need to add 2 bullpen arms, though. I think Tarpley has shown enough promise to pencil him in there.

Chapman
Britton (hopefully)
Betances
Green
Holder

And then I think it's a safe enough approach to hope you can fill 2 spots with pretty good results out of:

Tarpley
Kahnle
German
Acevedo
Adams

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A couple of tweets by Andy Martino in the last day:

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IF the Yankees sign Machado, there is almost no chance it will be as their shortstop for any period of time. Cashman saying publicly and hearing strongly thru sources too. If healthy, the job is Tulo's. The Yankees mounted a very aggressive pursuit of Tulowitzki, I'm told, which included personal recruiting by Aaron Boone. They were really into him, and he was really into them as a longtime Yankee fan. One more thing, the Yankees and Tulowitzki did not even discuss the possibility of a utility role, moving around positions, I�m told. Their pitch to him was fully centered around an opportunity to play short

Not that this alone is a huge deal since his best position is third but combined with the time it's taking and Rosenthal's report yesterday has got me worried that he's going to take the most money which isn't going to be the Yankees.

Thing is, though - they seemed to make a point to notify Machado that they'd be signing Tulo, so I can't see why they'd do that if they weren't still seriously trying to ink Machado as well. Seemed like it was almost as if to say "we still want you here and this move doesn't change that"

I don't think anything regarding Tulo is going to impact whether or not they sign Machado. At this point, it's probably just a matter of how far ahead of us the Phillies or White Sox are with their offers and whether or not we can get close enough to get him to come here instead.

I'm guessing that's what he's waiting for. To see if the NYY offer gets close enough where he can take it without leaving too much $$$ on the table.

since it may be taking so long because no one is stepping up to the plate. From Bill Madden's column today:

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It was reported the White Sox were the first team to step up to the plate for Machado last week and that their offer was in the neighborhood of seven years/$200 million. That�s more than the Yankees are prepared to pay for him, and while Phillies owner John Middleton has been talking about flexing his financial muscles this winter, there is said to be a new line of thinking among the Philly high command that, with an eye on Mike Trout, who hails from nearby Millville, N.J., becoming a free agent in two years, it is best not to tie up too much money and years in a Machado or Harper when a much bigger (albeit much more expensive) prize could be just two years away.

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is a very smart buyer. Tulo is a low cost leverage buy against Machado, especially announcing that Tulo is the Yankee's starting SS for 2019.

I still think NYY lands Machado and deals Andujar for pitching.

In comment 14248124 JPinstripes said:

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is a very smart buyer. Tulo is a low cost leverage buy against Machado, especially announcing that Tulo is the Yankee's starting SS for 2019. I still think NYY lands Machado and deals Andujar for pitching.

I think so, too, though I am less confident by the day.

Nolan Arenado et al become available

In comment 14248435 xman said:

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Nolan Arenado et al become available

Believe there are 2 more seasons to wait on Trout, if I�m not mistaken.

Ken Rosenthal
‏Verified account @Ken_Rosenthal

#Yankees progressing toward deal with free-agent reliever Zach Britton, sources tell The Athletic. Could be finalized soon.

Done deal. Britton back. 3 year deal with 4th year option.

Britton gets 3 years guaranteed. NYY have a 4th year option but they need to exercise it after year 2, and if they don�t, Britton can choose to become a free agent after year 2.

Interesting product.

returns, very nice. In my opinion he was the top option on the market. Glad he's coming back on a 3 year deal with 4th year options. Now get Machado...

he did something similar with Kikuchi to Mariners that was very creative.

Jeff Passan
‏Verified account @JeffPassan

Zach Britton's deal with the Yankees will be in the range of $13 million a season, sources tell ESPN. The deal guarantees three years, includes a club option for a fourth season that can be exercised after Year 2 and, if not exercised, Britton can opt out after that second year.

Ken Rosenthal
‏
Verified account


Britton deal with #Yankees is three years for about $40M, source tells The Athletic. NYY can exercise fourth-year option after second year. If they do not, Britton can opt out. Option would take deal beyond $50M. Opt-out details first reported by @JonHeyman and @JeffPassan.

market for Britton (and Miller). About what I thought 4 yrs/$50 mill. So 3 at $13 and an option on the 4th would be 4 yrs/$52.
Good backup for Chapman and helps with Betances, too. Plus next year when Betances goes FA, they have his replacement if necessary. (I want Betances back)
Now get Ottavino or another better than avg RP.

And Manny!

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The player as well as the team.

Happy to have him back.