Trade Deadline Archives - Page 2 of 68

Saturday Links: Bumgarner, Spring Training, Best Tools, CC

September 8, 2018 by Mike

The Yankees and Mariners continue their three-game weekend series later today. Much later today. It’s a 9:10pm ET start. Literally the latest game on the schedule today. So it goes. Here are some links and notes to check out in the meantime.

Yankees were “in the hunt” for Bumgarner

According to Nick Cafardo, the Yankees were “in the hunt” for Madson Bumgarner prior to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, but the asking price was too high. My guess is that asking price included Gleyber Torres plus more, possibly a lot more. Bumgarner strikes me as one of the least likely to be traded players in baseball. I think it’s far more likely he signs an extension than gets traded. Never hurts to make the call though. Wouldn’t surprise me if the Yankees check in again this winter.

Bumgarner, who turned 29 last month, has a 3.07 ERA (4.08 FIP) in 105.2 innings since returning from a fluke finger injury (a comebacker broke his pinky in Spring Training). As good as Bumgarner is now and has been throughout his career, he’s starting to show some of decline. Strikeouts are down, walks and homers are up. Six straight 200+ inning seasons from age 21-26, plus all those deep postseason runs, might be catching up to him. Felix Hernandez threw a ton of innings early in his career and he started to lose it age 29. Hmmm.

2019 Spring Training schedule released

Never too early to look ahead to next season, right? Right. A few days ago MLB released the 2019 Spring Training schedule. The Yankees open Grapefruit League play against the Red Sox on Saturday, February 23rd, next year. The spring home opener will be Monday, February 25th, against the Blue Jays. The Yankees close their 32-game spring schedule with an exhibition game at Nationals Park on Monday, March 25th. Opening Day is Thursday, March 28th. Here is the team’s spring schedule.

The Yankees have not yet announced their 2019 reporting dates. The last two years the Yankees had pitchers and catchers report ten days before the Grapefruit League opener and position players six days before the opener. Based on that, pitchers and catchers will report Wednesday, February 13th, with position players reporting Sunday, February 17th. Those are just my estimates. Official reporting dates usually aren’t announced until mid-to-late November sometime, after the awards rush.

Law’s best MLB tools

I missed this last week, but Keith Law (subs. req’d) released his rankings of the top tools at the Major League level. Several Yankees rank among the various categories. A recap:

Chad Green: Fifth best fastball (behind Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom)
Aaron Hicks: Third best throwing arm (behind Andrelton Simmons and Brett Phillips)
Aaron Judge: Second best power (behind Joey Gallo)
David Roberson: Third best curveball (behind Corey Kluber and Aaron Nola)
Giancarlo Stanton: Third best power (behind Gallo and Judge)

No real surprises here nor any notable omissions. Maybe Luis Severino’s fastball? He does have the best average velocity among starters again. Well, whatever. Last year I made a kinda sorta bold prediction and said Green would top Law’s best fastball rankings this year. Came close. He’s top five.

Sabathia nominated for Clemente Award

Earlier this week MLB announced each team’s nominee for the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given annually to the player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” CC Sabathia is the Yankees’ nominee this year. Here are the 30 nominees. Three Yankees have won the award: Derek Jeter (2009), Don Baylor (1985), and Ron Guidry (1984). Current Yankee Andrew McCutchen won it while with the Pirates in 2015.

Amazingly, MLB turned a prestigious award intended to honor community involvement into a popularity contest. The Roberto Clemente Award winner will be selected via fan vote. Here’s the ballot. The winner will be announced during the World Series. Among other things, Sabathia and his wife run the PitCCh In Foundation, which promotes and supports educational and athletic activities for inner city youth. During Thursday’s off-day Sabathia gave away roughly 1,700 backpacks with school supplies to kids in the Bay Area, near where he grew up. Pretty cool. Congrats to the big man. Just getting nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award is an honor.

The Yankees and the suddenly available Josh Donaldson

August 30, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

A very important deadline is approaching. Tomorrow is the last day for teams to acquire players and have them be eligible for the postseason roster. The player doesn’t have to be on the big league roster before the deadline to be postseason-eligible, but he has to be in the organization by 11:59pm ET tomorrow night. There are no loopholes around this one. It is a hard deadline.

As always, there will be a flurry of trades before the deadline tomorrow — Justin Verlander was traded minutes before the August 31st postseason-eligibility deadline last year, for example — and although they’ve been inactive on trade waivers this month, the Yankees could make a move before the deadline. An outfielder figures to be atop the shopping list. Or at least I hope it is.

In addition to Andrew McCutchen, the biggest name on the trade market leading into tomorrow’s deadline is Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, who has not played in a big league game since May 28th due to a nagging calf injury. He started a rehab assignment earlier this week and, according to Jon Heyman, he was put on trade waivers yesterday. (Donaldson sat out last night’s rehab game with general soreness, which is something to monitor.)

Donaldson is an impending free agent and Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) hears “the Jays want Donaldson gone,” so I guess that means he’ll be traded at some point in the next 38 hours or so. He hasn’t played in months and hit only .234/.333/.423 (104 wRC+) before the calf injury, but I think there will be interest given his track record. Does Donaldson make sense for the Yankees? I have four questions.

1. Where does he fit? First base or DH, most likely. Even before the calf injury, Donaldson had some shoulder trouble and was having a devil of time making the throw from third base. Remember this? A healthy Donaldson would be a massive defensive upgrade over Miguel Andujar at the hot corner. Even an unhealthy Donaldson might be an upgrade. The real question is whether he can keep the calf (and shoulder) healthy at that position. He may not be able to handle the hot corner physically.

The Yankees have a gigantic hole at first base and Donaldson has limited experience at the position, but he did play a game there earlier this year, and I think he’d be willing to do it for a month heading into free agency. It would not be in his best interests to complain about a position change a month before free agency given his injuries and slip in production this year. Be a good teammate and good clubhouse dude, make the position switch, and go rake for a postseason bound team. That’s how Donaldson improves his free agent stock. Not by insisting he plays third.

Donaldson could spend his time at first base and DH with the Yankees, and hey, if he shows he can handle the hot corner physically even a few times a week, that’d be great too. The numbers are not there in 159 plate appearances this year. Donaldson is only a year removed from a .270/.385/.559 (149 wRC+) line though, and there’s a decent chance he’ll be the second most impactful hitter traded this summer behind Manny Machado. He is AL East battle tested, he won’t be scared away by late season pressure games, and he can crush great pitching.

Donaldson has been there, done that. The division, the postseason, all that. He knows it all. If he has to play first base, so be it. Get the elite talent and sort it all out later. What do I always say? These things have a way of working themselves out. Because they do have a way of working themselves out. Every contender should be trying to figure out a way to get this guy on the roster, including the Yankees.

2. What about the luxury tax? Donaldson still has about $4 million coming to him this season and that won’t fit under the $197M luxury tax threshold. The Yankees had about $3.3M in luxury tax payroll space remaining when I did my last estimate, and that number is probably closer to $2.9M now because they’ve had to make some injury call-ups this month. Donaldson’s not going to fit.

The Blue Jays will have to eat some money to facilitate a trade and it is probably in their best interest to do so no matter where they trade Donaldson. The injuries and lack of production, plus the fact you’re only getting the guy for one month plus however many postseason games, means his trade value is a fraction of what it was a few months ago. Eat money and maximize your return. The Yankees would have to get the Blue Jays to eat money to make the luxury tax plan work.

3. Will waivers be a problem? Normally a player who hasn’t played since May and still has $4M coming to him this year would clear waivers with ease. I think Donaldson is a special case though. This guy was a dominant hitter as recently as last season and there’s reason to believe he can be a dominant hitter in September with good health. He’s someone who could put a contenting team over the top, either in a wild card race or division race or in the postseason.

Because of that, I think Donaldson could very well end up getting claimed, even if the claiming team doesn’t want him. Think about it. If you’re the Yankees, don’t you have to claim Donaldson just to prevent him from going to the Red Sox? The Phillies have to claim him to prevent the Braves from getting him, right? I don’t think he’ll get to the Phillies on waivers because he has to pass through the AL before going through the NL, but that’s the idea.

The AL races are very competitive and I could see a scenario in which multiple teams claim Donaldson, either because they want him on their roster or don’t want him going to a rival. The Athletics, Indians, Yankees, and Red Sox could all make claims. The downside is potentially having the Blue Jays dump that $4M in salary on you as a claim, but I think the chances of that are small. It’s still a risk though.

The Yankees have the second best record in the AL — the second best record in baseball, at that — and that means every AL team except the Red Sox gets a crack at Donaldson before New York. If the Athletics or Astros or Indians claim him, there’s nothing the Yankees can do. Their record puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to trade waivers. I’d rather have a good record than a high waiver priority, but yeah, this is kinda out of the Yankees’ hands.

4. So what would it take? I have no idea. There is basically no comparable trade here. We’re talking about a previously elite hitter who hasn’t played in a big league game in more than three months. The Nationals traded Daniel Murphy for nothing last week but that was a straight salary dump, and the Yankees are not in position to take on Donaldson’s full salary because of the luxury tax plan. The Murphy deal doesn’t work as a benchmark.

The Blue Jays could simply keep Donaldson and make him the qualifying offer after the season, which would entitle them to draft pick compensation should he sign elsewhere as a free agent. If he accepts the qualifying offer, well, no big deal. Donaldson on a one-year contract worth $18M or so isn’t a bad gamble at all. They could always try to trade him again next summer. I reckon a lot of teams would be willing to roll the dice on Donaldson at one year and $18M-ish in 2019.

Here’s where it gets slightly complicated. If Donaldson signs a contract worth less than $50M this offseason, the Blue Jays only get a supplemental third round pick. That would be something like the 75th overall pick. (The supplemental third round was picks 75-78 this year.) Donaldson would have to sign a contract worth more than $50M for Toronto get a supplemental first rounder. Will Donaldson get a contract that size?

Not that long ago the answer would’ve been an easy yes. The guy was just so good when healthy. Now though? Now he’s batted injuries all season and hasn’t hit much when healthy, and he’ll turn 33 in December. Remember how hard it was for Mike Moustakas and Todd Frazier to sign contracts last offseason? Donaldson is better than them, but they were younger and healthier when they hit the market. I don’t see Donaldson taking a one-year pillow contract. This is probably his last chance to cash in big. His best case scenario might be something in line with the three-year, $60M contract his former Blue Jays teammate Edwin Encarnacion received two years ago, and even that might be rich.

Because of that, the Blue Jays can’t really go into trade talks and claim they need something in return that is better than the supplemental first round pick they’d receive after the season, because they might not get a supplemental first round pick after the season. Does one good prospect get it done? Chance Adams or Domingo Acevedo for one month (plus postseason) of Donaldson with the Blue Jays paying his salary? Or is that not enough?

There are a lot of factors in play here. If Donaldson doesn’t get claimed on trade waivers, there could be a bidding war. If Donaldson does get claimed, the Blue Jays have little leverage because they can only trade him to that team. If the Yankees claim Donaldson, the Blue Jays could say “give us something good otherwise we’ll waiver dump him on you and screw up your luxury tax plan.” Would they actually do it? Probably not. Hard to see Toronto unloading their franchise player for nothing but salary relief, but the threat might be enough to scare the Yankees.

* * *

I am completely on board with the Yankees acquiring Donaldson to play first base down the stretch. I know he hasn’t played in months and there will be moments of inexperience at first base, but a) the Yankees don’t exactly have a Gold Glover at first base now, and b) the upside with the bat is too great to ignore. Donaldson can be a real difference-maker. I’m not saying I’d give up the farm to get him. But giving up a dude like Adams or Acevedo would be a-okay with me (maybe even both if you’re confident in his health?). The Yankees are a World Series contender. Put together the best team possible.

There are a million reasons why this won’t happen, of course. Donaldson has to get to the Yankees on trade waivers and that’s not a given, even with his salary and his injuries. (The Indians are the team I’m really watching here. They can move Jose Ramirez to second and put Donaldson at third.) The luxury tax plan is also an obstacle. Donaldson to the Yankees is very unlikely. Impossible? No. But unlikely.

Rosenthal says the Blue Jays want to move Donaldson and I totally believe it. Seems to me whatever they can get for him now will be more valuable than the draft pick they’d receive after the season, even if it is a supplemental first rounder. The Yankees need an outfielder more than they need a first baseman (Donaldson and Curtis Granderson package deal!), but upgrades are upgrades, and Donaldson is potentially a huge one short-term, even at first base.

Yanks reportedly place Andujar, Bird, Hicks on trade waivers

August 27, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Hicks and Andujar. (Patrick McDermott/Getty)

According to George King, the Yankees placed Miguel Andujar, Greg Bird, and Aaron Hicks on revocable trade waivers last Thursday. This is the first bit of Yankees’ trade waiver news reported this month. I’m certain several other Yankees have passed through waivers already. We just don’t know about it.

Trade waivers are necessary to complete trades following the July 31st deadline. Here’s a real quick primer on trade waivers:

All 40-man roster players must go through trade waivers to be traded after July 31st. Non-40-man players can be traded at any time. They don’t require waivers.
Players claimed on trade waivers can only be traded to the claiming team within 48 hours of the claim. Players who go unclaimed can be traded anywhere the rest of the season.
Trade waivers are revocable. If a player is claimed, his team can pull him back and keep him.

Why place Andujar, Bird, and Hicks on trade waivers? Well, why not? There’s no risk — again, if a player is claimed, his team can pull him back — and it allows the Yankees to gauge interest in their players. Also, teams flood the market with players to “hide” the guys they want to/are willing to trade. A claim limits the market. Teams want their players to clear to give them more potential trade options.

Being placed on trade waivers last Thursday means the waiver period has already expired for Andujar, Bird, and Hicks. They’ve either cleared or been claimed and pulled back at this point. The 48-hour window to work out a trade would have expired already (I think). Even if the Yankees have soured on Bird and are open to moving him, doing it in August would be tough. That’s a move that was always going to wait until the offseason.

The deadline to acquire players and have them be postseason eligible is 11:59pm ET on August 31st and that is a hard deadline with no loopholes. Four days remain to swing a deal for a postseason-eligible player. Andujar, Bird, and Hicks have already gone through the trade waiver process. Surely other Yankees have as well. Now it’s just a question of whether the Yankees swing a deal to address their outfield (and first base) need.

Friday Links: Jones, Rosenthal, Best Tools, MLB Japan All-Stars

August 24, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Later tonight the Yankees and Orioles kick off Players’ Weekend with the first of four at Camden Yards. They’ll play one game today, two games tomorrow, then one game Sunday. Inexplicably, the series finale is an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. The 2018 Orioles have to be the worst team ever on Sunday Night Baseball, right? Well, anyway, here are some links and notes to check out.

Orioles called Yankees about Jones

According to Jon Heyman, the Orioles approached the Yankees about a potential Adam Jones trade at some point earlier this month. Jones has cleared trade waivers and can be dealt anywhere, but he has 10-and-5 no-trade protection, and he used it block a deal to the Phillies before the trade deadline. Heyman says there’s some belief he’d be more willing to consider a trade to an AL contender. Jones spoke about his decision to block the trade to Philadelphia during a recent R2C2 podcast.

Jones, 33, is hitting .281/.315/.431 (101 wRC+) with 13 home runs this season, which is a typical Adam Jones season. He’s an impending free agent and he recently shifted over to right field in deference to center field prospect Cedric Mullins. I’m all in Jones. Good player, great and honest dude. The money doesn’t work with regards to the luxury tax plan, but Jones would be a great fit as an Aaron Judge fill-in and spare bat down the stretch. Heyman says the Yankees passed because they expect Judge back soon. Alas.

Rosenthal holding showcase in October

Former Cardinals closer and current free agent Trevor Rosenthal will throw for teams in October, he announced on Twitter. Rosenthal is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He blew out his elbow late last year and St. Louis non-tendered him over the winter because it was his final season of team control, and there’s no sense in paying a dude several million dollars to rehab when he’ll become a free agent after the season. The Yankees did the same thing with Nathan Eovaldi in 2016.

Rosenthal, who is still only 28, struggled as he battled elbow woes in 2016 and 2017, but he was a monster from 2012-15, pitching to a 2.66 ERA (2.49 FIP) with 30.5% strikeouts as the top high-leverage reliever on a contending team. Greg Holland’s contract with the Rockies last year set the market for a former All-Star closer rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Colorado gave Holland a one-year deal worth $7M guaranteed that including a player option and bonuses that could’ve pushed the total value to $35M across two years. It’s been a while since the Yankees rolled the dice on one of these injured guys (I think Andrew Bailey was the last?), but I’m sure they’ll check out Rosenthal’s workout.

Baseball America best tools survey

The crew at Baseball America (subs. req’d) posted their annual MLB Best Tools survey last week, in which managers, scouts, and executives chime in on who does what the best. Several Yankees make appearances on the American League survey:

Brett Gardner: Second best bunter (behind Dee Gordon)
Aaron Judge: Best power, best outfield arm
Aaron Hicks: Third best outfield arm (behind Judge and Jackie Bradley Jr.)
Luis Severino: Second best fastball (behind Chris Sale), third best slider (behind Sale and Trevor Bauer)
Aroldis Chapman: Third best fastball, third best reliever (behind Edwin Diaz and Craig Kimbrel)
Giancarlo Stanton: Second best power

No Dellin Betances among the best relievers? Betances gets no respect. His failures get magnified and his successes are just something people ignore until the next time he fails. I still love ya, Dellin.

Mattingly managing MLB team for Japan All-Star Series

Here’s a fun one. According to Kaz Nagatsuka, Don Mattingly will manage a team of MLB All-Stars during an exhibition series against NPB All-Stars in Japan in November. The five-game series will be played in three different ballparks from November 9th to November 15th. The MLB Japan All-Star Series has been played irregularly since 1986. MLB is 48-20 all-time in the series but Japan did win three of five in 2014, the last time they played.

The MLB All-Star roster won’t be finalized until “sometime in October or late September,” according to MLB vice president for Asia Pacific Jim Small. I am certain MLB wants Shohei Ohtani there. I am also certain they’d like a Yankee on the roster because the Yankees are the sport’s most recognizable team. The Yankees are going to the postseason though. It might be tough to get a firm commitment from a player on any postseason bound team in September or early October. The last Yankee to participate in the MLB Japan All-Star Series? Mike Myers in 2006. For real. Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams both participated in 2002.

The Yankees have an opening for another bat, but their record puts them at a trade waiver disadvantage

August 23, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees didn’t have a chance to get Murphy. (Presswire)

Tuesday was a fairly eventful day in the National League. The Nationals, hands down the biggest disappointment in baseball this season, decided to throw in the towel and cash in some trade chips. Daniel Murphy was traded to the Cubs and Matt Adams was dumped on the Cardinals on a waiver claim. Bryce Harper, meanwhile, was claimed by the Dodgers and pulled back.

The Yankees, thanks to their seemingly never-ending injuries, have an opening for another bat on the roster. Aaron Judge is out, Didi Gregorius is out, Gary Sanchez is out, and Clint Frazier is out. Neil Walker was the everyday right fielder for a while (and still might be!). Aaron Boone indicated Giancarlo Stanton’s hamstring has improved to the point where he could start playing the field regularly, freeing up the DH spot.

That’s great. But it frees up the DH spot for who? Luke Voit? Ronald Torreyes? Tyler Wade? No, no, no. Stanton playing the field is good news because healthy players are better than injured players. All it does is shift the lineup hole from one position to another though. Stanton is right, Walker at second, and ??? at DH rather than Stanton at DH, Walker in right, and ??? at second. See what I mean?

The Yankees still have time to add a bat before the August 31st postseason eligibility deadline — players not in the organization by 11:59pm ET on August 31st are not postseason eligible, and that’s a hard deadline with no loopholes — but getting that bat won’t necessarily be easy. Tuesday’s trades are a reminder of that:

The Cubs claimed Murphy on trade waivers.
The Cardinals claimed Adams on trade waivers.
The Dodgers reportedly claimed Harper on trade waivers.

When a player hits trade waivers, he goes through his league first before passing through the other league, so American League teams had no chance at Murphy, Adams, or Harper. And, because only the Red Sox have a better record than the Yankees, it means the Yankees are 29th on the NL waiver priority list and 14th on the AL waiver priority list.

That’s not great. I mean, it is great because the Yankees do have the second best record in baseball and that’s awesome. I’d rather have a great record than a high waiver priority. That said, it does complicate things when it comes to trade waivers. A Harper trade was never happening. Murphy or Adams? The Yankees could’ve had interest in either guy, especially Adams.

“Because of our record, it’s unrealistic to think we would add a substantial player,” said Brian Cashman to Joel Sherman earlier this week. The Yankees could go after a player who has already cleared waivers — Curtis Granderson, Justin Smoak, and Andrew McCutchen are the most notable players who’ve cleared trade waivers based on available reports — but, like Cashman said, I don’t think they qualify as substantial players. (McCutchen certainly was at one point. I’m not sure that’s the case now though.)

That said, the Yankees don’t need a substantial player. They just need some who passes the “better than Luke Voit” test, and that’s not a very high bar. And remember, it’s not just about plugging a roster hole while Judge and Didi and Sanchez are out. Adding a bat now provides protection for future injuries — the Yankees are one outfield injury away from Shane Robinson, Everyday Player — and also gives the team more options come postseason time.

At some point the Yankees will get Judge, Gregorius, and Sanchez (and Frazier?) back and the lineup will look more formidable. They’re also in a pretty good spot with regards to the postseason race, so adding another bat is not super duper urgent. There is a clear need for one though, and I’d much rather the Yankees have too many quality players than not enough. They’ve been beset by injuries. Adding another player rather than relying on the Luke Voits and Shane Robinsons of the world is something a team with World Series aspirations should do.

Scouting the Trade Market: Fill-In Outfielders

August 14, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

For only the the fifth time in the last 12 games, Shane Robinson did not start for the Yankees last night. Robinson has played so much lately because Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier are on the disabled list, and because Giancarlo Stanton is nursing a hamstring injury. The Yankees are so short on outfielders at the moment that Neil Walker has started the last three games in right field.

There is still no firm timetable for Judge or Frazier to return from the disabled list, or for Stanton to resume playing the outfield. The Yankees tried to acquire another bat at the deadline but came up empty, though the need remains. Robinson’s playing too much and I’m not sure Walker in right field is viable long-term. The Yankees could use another outfielder, for sure.

Ideally, whoever the Yankees acquire will be comfortable slotting into a bench role once Judge returns. Being a bench player is not easy. We saw how much Walker struggled earlier this year when he was playing sparingly. As always, there are plenty of spare part bats on the August trade market, some of which are more attractive than others. Here are a few who could interest the Yankees while Judge and Frazier are sidelined.

John Andreoli, Mariners

2018 Batting Line: .279/.392/.390 (113 wRC+) with 19 steals in 21 attempts in Triple-A

Why Him? The players in this post are listed alphabetically, though I suppose it’s only right we start with the guy no one knows. Andreoli, 28, was a career minor leaguer with the Cubs before joining the Mariners as a minor league free agent. He has three games worth of MLB experience, all with Seattle this year, and over the last four years he’s posted a .370 OBP with lots of walks (13.8%) and lots of steals (121-for-156, 76%) in nearly 2,000 Triple-A plate appearances. There’s even a little pop in his bat.

Andreoli is a speed and defense outfielder who takes his walks, steals some bases, and will catch everything in all three outfield spots. Even with Judge and Gary Sanchez sidelined, the Yankees have some power to spare. A speedy outfielder who hits ninth and puts together long at-bats can fit the lineup well right now.

Why Not Him? I have no idea whether Andreoli is an upgrade over Robinson. He’s five years younger, I know that much, but Andreoli has no MLB track record. Robinson is another speed and defense outfielder, remember. They’re kinda the same player. You say tomato, I say tomahto. Trading for Andreoli might be at best a lateral move and potentially even a downgrade.

What Will It Cost? This can probably be a cash trade. The Yankees got fellow Quad-A types George Kontos and Gio Urshela in cash deals earlier this month.

Jose Bautista, Mets

2018 Batting Line: .195/.335/.368 (98 wRC+) with nine home runs

Why Him? If nothing else, Bautista will still draw walks (16.7%) and get on base at a respectable clip while running into the occasional fastball. His platoon split is relatively small (102 wRC+ vs. 94 wRC+), so he doesn’t necessarily need to be platooned, plus Bautista can also play first and third bases, if necessary. He’s done both this year. He knows the AL East and he’s not going to be scared away by a postseason race.

Why Not Him? Even with last night’s homer, Bautista stopped hitting a few weeks ago. He’s at .161/.282/.259 (59 wRC+) in 131 plate appearances since July 1st, and the whole “he can play the four corner positions” thing doesn’t help much given his overall below-average defensive play. Right now, the only thing you can count on 37-year-old Jose Bautista to do is draw walks. Does that make him an upgrade over Robinson? Maybe! Enough to make it worth the hassle? Eh.

What Will It Cost? Probably another cash trade. Cash or a very fringe prospect. I can’t imagine any team would pay much for a declining player who didn’t sign until mid-April and has already been released once this year. That all said, are the Mets willing to trade with the Yankees? I’ll need to see it to believe it.

Carlos Gomez, Rays

2018 Batting Line: .218/.309/.354 (88 wRC+) with eight homers and nine steals

Why Him? Gomez remains a strong defender even at age 32, though he’s much better in the corners than in center at this point. There’s not much thump in his bat these days. He can still ambush a fastball and steal the occasional base, and that’s about it. His platoon split (99 wRC+ vs. 84 wRC+) is small, so it’s not like the Yankees would be bringing in a bona fide lefty masher. Gomez is better than Robinson though, has been his entire career, and he’s still young enough that there might be a good dead cat bounce in here.

Why Not Him? Fair or not, Gomez is the type who rubs some people the wrong way. The Yankees might not want to bring anyone in who could potentially disrupt the clubhouse, especially since we’re talking about a bit player who will get pushed into a bench role once Judge returns. Whatever little bit Gomez gives you on the field might be negated by him getting on everyone’s nerves.

What Will It Cost? A lower ranked prospect who might not crack his team’s top 30 list. Spare parts like Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda were traded for fringe top 30 prospects last August. That’s the benchmark.

Curtis Granderson, Blue Jays

2018 Batting Line: .234/.333/.414 (105 wRC+) with ten home runs

Why Him? Who doesn’t love the Grandyman? Granderson still takes his walks (12.1%) and will sock some dingers, plus he knows how to use the short porch. Few left-handed hitters have done it better since the current Yankee Stadium opened a decade ago. Granderson can still hold his own against high-end pitching …

… and his .240/.336/.429 (109 wRC+) batting line against righties is far better than anything Robinson will give you. Granderson has been used as a platoon bat for a few years now, so he’s comfortable with a part-time role, plus he’s a Grade-A dude who fits in any clubhouse. I suspect that, if the Yankees brought Granderson back, it’d be like David Robertson last year. Like he never left. He’d fit right in.

Why Not Him? Granderson is a strict platoon bat, so you can’t use him against lefties, and his defense has slipped with age. Also, his 29.5% strikeout rate is a career high, and the Yankees don’t really need to add more strikeouts to the lineup. Otherwise, Granderson is a rental on a bad team, and he’d be a clear upgrade over Robinson, even in a part-time role.

What Will It Cost? Last August the Mets traded Granderson for a Triple-A reliever (Jacob Rhame) who was a prospect, but not a very good one. No reason to think it’ll cost more to get him this time around.

Andrew McCutchen, Giants

2018 Batting Line: .255/.355/.413 (114 wRC+) with 13 home runs

Why Him? McCutchen’s days as an MVP candidate are over, but he remains an above-average hitter who draws walks (12.4%), doesn’t strike out excessively (21.7%), and hits lefties hard (124 wRC+). He is someone the Yankees (or any team, for that matter) could run out there on an everyday basis with no issues whatsoever. McCutchen can still hit and hit in the middle of a contending team’s lineup. Get him out of AT&T Park and his power numbers will increase for sure. He’s an obvious fit.

Why Not Him? First of all, the pro-rated portion of his $14.5M salary doesn’t fit under the $197M luxury tax threshold. The Yankees would have to get the Giants to eat some money to make it work, which means giving up more in return. Also, McCutchen’s defense is not very good at this point, even in right field, and how does he handle being bumped into a reserve role once Judge returns? He seems like a more realistic option for a long-term injury. As far as we know, Judge remains on track to return at some point soon. If he were going to miss the rest of the season, then McCutchen would fit.

What Will It Cost? McCutchen has real trade value, and the more money the Giants eat, the more they can demand in return. San Francisco gave up a good prospect (Bryan Reynolds) and a big league reliever (Kyle Crick) to get McCutchen in the offseason, though they acquired a full season of him. Now they’re giving up less than one-third of a season of him. I don’t think asking for a quality mid-range prospect would be unreasonable. A Domingo Acevedo type, with the Giants eating some money to make the luxury tax plan work.

Hunter Pence, Giants

2018 Batting Line: .213/.250/.287 (45 wRC+) with one home run

Why Him? Well, he’s definitely available. The Giants have bumped the obviously declining Pence into a fourth outfielder’s role, so he’ll be okay with that once Judge returns. As with McCutchen, the Giants would have to eat salary to make this work — Pence is making $18.5M this year — though he should come cheap anyway. Think along the lines of the Vernon Wells salary dump.

Why Not Him? Pence can’t hit — he owns a .150/.203/.183 (4 wRC+) line against lefties, so you can’t even platoon him — can’t play defense, and can’t really run anymore. He is definitely more name value than on-field value at this point. Maybe being back in a postseason race will re-energize Pence and the Yankees can catch lightning in a bottle. At this point though, it is entirely possible if not likely he is no better than Robinson.

What Will It Take? Cash or non-prospects. Even if the Giants eat money. There’s just not much here.

Danny Valencia, Orioles

2018 Batting Line: .263/.316/.408 (93 wRC+) with nine home runs

Why Him? The Orioles designated Valencia for assignment over the weekend as part of the process of clearing roster space for younger players. He is a career southpaw masher and this year he owns a .303/.368/.505 (132 wRC+) line against lefties. Valencia can fake the four corner positions as well, so there is some versatility here. And considering he’s currently in DFA limbo, he should cost next to nothing to acquire. The Yankees might even be able to wait until he becomes a free agent, then sign him to the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

Why Not Him? Valencia is useless against righties (64 wRC+) and he’s a terrible defender anywhere, so the versatility just means he can cost you runs at more positions. Also, Valencia has a reputation for being a bit of a headache in the clubhouse. There’s a reason he’s played for seven different teams since 2012 despite solid offensive numbers.

What Will It Take? Well, he’s in DFA limbo now, so nothing. Cash trade or wait until he gets released, then just sign him.

The pitchers are working out, but the Yankees needed another bat at the deadline and didn’t get one

August 8, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Lance-o-Lynn? Like sheep’s wool? (Presswire)

Monday night, with the Yankees reeling from that disaster series at Fenway Park, Lance Lynn stepped up and fired 7.1 shutout (and dominant) innings against an admittedly terrible White Sox team to get the Yankees back in the win column. He allowed a walk and two soft singles, and retired 19 straight batters at one point. Lynn was great. “I needed to show up today,” Lynn said, and he did.

It has only been a week since the trade deadline and, so far, the three pitchers the Yankees acquired have been good. Yeah, Zach Britton blew the save last night, but the three pitchers (Britton, Lynn, J.A. Happ) have combined to allow four runs in 22.1 innings. Can’t complain about the aggregate. The Yankees wanted to land an ace-caliber starter and, when that guy wasn’t available, they went for depth.

The three pitchers were the only notable additions Brian Cashman made at the trade deadline. He did effectively swap out Tyler Austin for Luke Voit, which is a lateral move of Quad-A proportions. The Yankees were said to be in the mix for an outfield bat, possibly even a catcher, but came up empty. “We kicked the tires on a lot of different things,” said Cashman, noting the price tags were too high.

No one likes to pay top dollar for anything, and, in this case, it means the Yankees have been playing short a bat (or two) since the trade deadline, and it has been painfully obvious at times. The offensive showings against the Red Sox on Friday and Saturday in particular were hideous. Even last night was yucky for innings at a time. Consider what Cashman and the Yankees knew definitively on July 30th, the day before the deadline:

Aaron Judge (wrist) and Gary Sanchez (groin) would miss weeks, not days.
Clint Frazer (post-concussion migraines) was out with no timetable for his return.
Jacoby Ellsbury was out with numerous injuries and not close to returning.
Austin, Brandon Drury, and Billy McKinney had already been traded away.

Despite all of that, the only bat the Yankees added was Voit, who is essentially Austin by another name. The Yankees have had to continue to roll with Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate, and the generally punchless Shane Robinson has started six of the last eleven games. Six of the last eleven! Remember, Robinson was called up after the Happ trade, five days before the deadline. He wasn’t added to the roster post-deadline.

On one hand, overpaying stinks and that’s no way to do business, at least not consistently. On the other, the division was still within reach at the time and the Yankees had already paid handsomely for pitchers (Happ and Britton in particular), so if there ever was a time to overpay for a bat, wouldn’t it have this been this year? They were in the division race, the need for a bat is acute, and the Yankees have a deep farm system at their disposal. The trade chips were certainly there.

I suppose the good news is the Yankees can still add a bat through an August waiver trade. They have to navigate trade waivers and the luxury tax plan, but there are always bats available in August. It’s just a question of finding the right bat. Ideally, the Yankees would bring in a right-handed hitting outfielder comfortable with moving into a reserve role once Judge returns. Who is that player? Carlos Gomez?

Among the players moved at the deadline, only Cameron Maybin and Adam Duvall fit that description, and the Braves gave up quite a bit to get Duvall. So maybe it’s unfair to get on the Yankees for not trading for a bat. I dunno though. With so many outfielders out and Robinson playing so much, it’s hard for me to think a better option wasn’t out there. Hopefully the Yankees can get a bat in August or weather the storm until Judge & Co. return. Right now, it feels like the Yankees let a pretty significant need go unaddressed at the deadline.