A month before Spring Training, the roster (whether we like it or not) is starting to come into focus. Also the questions that they'll take into ST are also starting to come into focus.
The obvious: Who plays 2B and who plays SS? Ideally for me, unless Tulowitzki flashes his 2015 form with the bat and/or with the leather, it's LeMahieu and Gleyber with Tulo in a backup role.
Secondary: What does the bullpen look like? Do they add or are they content with the personnel on the roster? My preference would be to hold what they've got, because perversely and counterintuitively it should keep the big arms fresher (because they won't have to handle garbage time)
Tertiary: What do they do with Adams, Acevedo and Abreu? Do they force the issue on starting vs. relieving because they're all 40 man guys?
Then comes the question who plays short if and when Tulo gets hurt? I don't know.
So playing this out (and it does not include Machado, I think that ship has long sailed).
- Padres trade for Kluber
- Yankees and Padres reach deal for Kluber which will include Andujar and Gray as the headliners (and maybe other parts)
- LaMahieu takes over at 3rd base
- Give Tulo his shot at SS or if that's not working, then look to maybe shift Torres there. But ultimately it's holding down the fort until Didi is back.
So now you have a rotation of Kluber, Sevy, Tanaka, Paxton, Happ, and CC.
But we discussed in a thread last week how does Tulo fit in here, in this scenario, and with no Machado, Tulo would end up being needed until Didi is ready.
Vegas thinks so
1. Another front line SP
2. Another quality reliever
3. Someone to hit 3rd in the lineup (hopefully Manny)
Here is my thinking (and this could be way off):
First, we heard that the Yanks have not make an offer to Machado so they were out. Well, at that point no team made an offer except for possibly Chicago.
Second, we hear that Chicago offered 8 years and could possibly go up from there. Well, not even a day later those reports were debunked and it is known that Chicago offered 7 and have not increased it.
Chicago made their offer. If Machado wanted that then he would have accepted it by now imo if he wanted to be there. The only way he plays in Chicago is if no other team comes close to what they offered.
Finally, there was a report that came out that Machado is going to the highest bidder and not team, not even the Yanks, will get a discount. Um, why is that public? Thay just screams to me, "Hey, Yanks! I want to play in NY so make me a better offer."
I am not saying he will end up with the Yanks but he is trying to squeeze every dime out of them before committing.
Oh, then we get into these mystery teams. Don't get me started on that. Machado was not heard from for weeks and then all of a sudden we start hearing thesd reports. When you put it all together it tells me he isn't happywith either the offers, the locations, or both. Imo, that favors the Yanks.
As always, SP is still too much of a question mark. Even with Sevy regaining form and solving the mystery of last season.
Perhaps they will move even closer to SPs pitching less innings. This may be where our 'Triple AAAs' in the OP come in.
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Honestly, I don’t think so.
Vegas thinks so
The Yanks had a better over/under last year too. How’d that work out?
It doesn’t sit well that the Yankees are gonna pass on both Harper and Machado at a time that they happen to be at a lower than usual payroll. Those guys are both 26 and as good as it gets. I admit to being a spoiled Yankees fan, but they still need to spend to surpass Boston and Houston. I just can’t think of a good reason that they wouldn’t make a solid effort to land them.
It doesn’t sit well that the Yankees are gonna pass on both Harper and Machado at a time that they happen to be at a lower than usual payroll. Those guys are both 26 and as good as it gets. I admit to being a spoiled Yankees fan, but they still need to spend to surpass Boston and Houston. I just can’t think of a good reason that they wouldn’t make a solid effort to land them.
But they aren't at a lower than usual payroll. If we do not get either player we will either be 2nd or 3rd in payroll in MLB.
My guess for not aggressively pursuing Manny or Harper is that they are looking at the guys on the team that will be getting big paydays in the next few years.
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I also don’t believe the Yankees are completely out of it on Machado, but if they are does trading Andujar really make sense long term? If you lose Andujar to gain Kluber its probably a plus, but Andujar was very important to the team last year. Does that move really put us past the Sox?
It doesn’t sit well that the Yankees are gonna pass on both Harper and Machado at a time that they happen to be at a lower than usual payroll. Those guys are both 26 and as good as it gets. I admit to being a spoiled Yankees fan, but they still need to spend to surpass Boston and Houston. I just can’t think of a good reason that they wouldn’t make a solid effort to land them.
But they aren't at a lower than usual payroll. If we do not get either player we will either be 2nd or 3rd in payroll in MLB.
That’s true. I’m still greedy just greedy I suppose lol. I hate that the Sox seem to have a better team than us. I just hate passing on Harper, I know he was never in their plans but I really enjoy watching him play and was hoping to see him on the Yanks. Signing Machado would have been a pretty great consolation. Rarely do you get a shot at signing a 26 year old star in free agency, hate passing on them. Maybe it’s the smart move though.
He’s 23? and should have been the rookie of the year. He had a lot of big hits for the Yankees last year. I’d rather not lose him.
He was the most consistent offensive contributor on the team. OPS+ doesn't like him because he's not a big OBP guy, but they have other guys who walk. His offensive skill set was valuable; his lowest one-month OPS still saw him hit .287 and he was at his best in August. I like the new stats and I find them instructive, but let's acknowledge their limitations. A team needs different types of contributions and Andujar's were particularly valuable to a team battling slumps and injuries all year long.
The more I think about it, the more I'm fine with passing on Machado unless the price comes down.
Like I said yesterday, the Yanks scored more runs last year than anyone in baseball outside of Boston - with our best hitter missing nearly 1/3 of the season. I don't know why Machado is really a major "need" here.
It's not that I'd be against signing him or be mad if we did - I just am not sure it's a necessary addition. It's like paying for an extravagant meal when you're not even that hungry. Is the ROI there?
NYY won 100 games in 2018 and can still improve as-is (I also expect another addition or two - smaller scale)
It's really not unique to us - Bryce Harper is a free agent right now and barely anyone seems interested. Think about that....
The FA landscape is in a spooky place right now. The teams just don't see the value in these megadeals and no one wants to give them out.
But dealing Miggy is easier said than done and finding the right match could be a challenge with his positional future sort of in flux.
I also think with him busting his butt every day to work on his defense, etc... the Yanks probably aren't too eager to reward that by shipping him away. I know in a vacuum, that shouldn't matter or have any bearing on what they do - but I think there's an undeniable human element and the brass probably wants Andujar to succeed here knowing he's putting in so much time to improve.
That’s a fair point, but Kluber will be 33 at the start of the season. Is that the right guy to get if you are selling high? He’s obviously a good pitcher but his age has to be a consideration.
The kids who came up are now producing and the Farm is very young now.
They really need another Lefty in the lineup and to add another Reliever.
The IF defense without Didi is also very scary right now.
Are the Yanks playing opossum with one of Manny/Harper?
That doesn't make it correct, only time will tell. But it's not a given to me that he improves defensively.
true, Didi also missed a ton of games. With that, Boston and Houston were still better, deeper in the rotation.
Beyond that, Sale is a good bet to spend time on the DL, and would it stun anyone if he's shut down at some point in 2019 with arm troubles? The same can be said for Price. With a weakened bullpen, Boston is going to drop back to the pack a bit. If the Yankees can get a full year of health out of Judge, get Sanchez back in shape, and Stanton with now familiarity of the AL, I think the Red Sox and Yankees are at the least even, with the Yankees probably a shade better. If they are able to somehow maneuver and get a trade for Kluber, by any measure, the Yankees should/would be favored over Boston.
As for who plays SS, it seems apparent that Torres will swing to SS when Tulo needs a day off, unless DJ can play SS, which would surprise me.
I’d prefer that we sign Machado or Harper, but Harper’s personality may not be a good fit.
Yanks will really miss Didi. Yet the SPs should be better, ergo the BP should not but under the same stress and it is basically better than a year ago. A full year of Britton, should be as good if not better than DRob.
But have to wait and see what transpires healthwise in ST.
Eh, he took too long to throw the ball. His footwork was poor and he had to rush the ball to 1st. The arm is strong, but he takes forever to throw it. It is what ARod was working with him on over the All Star break. Hopefully he kept working over the winter.
His range is ok, but if you can't make the throw to 1st, you aren't good, true. But if he corrects the throws, he isn't below average.
It would be great to land another ace, but we won 100 games with Sanchez out about 5 weeks, Judge missing a month and a half, no offense from 1B or C, Hicks out a bunch, Frazier missing the season, and two rookies in the infield. It’s not like we suck.
Boston seems content to bring back pretty much the same team next season. Not the worst idea considering the success they had. But I'm counting on some regression there.
It would be great to land another ace, but we won 100 games with Sanchez out about 5 weeks, Judge missing a month and a half, no offense from 1B or C, Hicks out a bunch, Frazier missing the season, and two rookies in the infield. It’s not like we suck.
CC and Rodriguez are not a wash. E Rod has tremendous potential; CC does not.
Maybe a tad strong but he's a 25 year old lefty who had north of a 10 K/9 last year. He has the potential to make a leap to being a very good starter. We know what CC is.
Defensively I am curious with all the shifting the Yankees do how he would do playing second?
It's weird that you are concerned about Tanaka's health and consider him a question mark but say nothing about Sale's shoulder which wrecked his second half and is a massive concern for him going forward. And you are taking shots at Tanaka's "condition" cause of his baserunning? WTF? Happ was luckier with the Yankees. His peripherals between the Blue Jays and the Yankees were pretty similar and Happ has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball for a while. He is not going to come back to earth cause he is what he is. A very solid #3 starter. And how exactly is a LHP in his prime with a career 3.13 FIP in Paxson a question mark? For reference Patrick Corbin has a career 3.65 FIP and is getting 6 years based on 1 great year.
You couldn't be more negative about the Yankees starting pitching if you were the most biased and brain dead Red Sox fan ever. Congrats.