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5/11 to 5/13 Series Preview: Oakland A’s

May 11, 2018 by Domenic Lanza Leave a Comment

Olson and Chapman. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty)

The homestand concludes this weekend with three games against the Oakland Athletics as the Yankees finally escape their run of consecutive games against first or second place teams.

The Last Time They Met

The Yankees visited the A’s for a four-game set last June, and it was one of the most frustrating stretches of the 2017 season. Oakland took all four games, and did so by outscoring the Yankees by a mere six runs. And that’s overselling it to a degree, as three of the games were decided by just one run. It was awful. Some notes:

The Yankees entered the series with a 2 game lead in the AL East, and by the time it was over they were tied for first. They’d only spend one more day as the uncontested first-place team for the remainder of the season.
Starting pitching was the issue this time around. Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and Luis Cessa all allowed at least four earned runs, pitching to a combined 7.78 ERA in 19.2 IP. The bullpen’s 4.5o ERA in 14 IP is positively stellar in comparison.
A’s third baseman Matt Chapman made his big-league debut in the first game of the series (a game started by Sonny Gray), and started all four games. He went 3-for-14 with a double, two walks, and seven strikeouts.

Check out Katie’s Yankeemetrics post for more maddening tidbits on the series.

Injury Report

Oakland has a slew of pitchers on the disabled list right now, including starting pitchers Trevor Cahill and Jharel Cotton, and relievers Ryan Buchter and Liam Hendriks. Cahill is the only one that is expected to be back somewhat soon, but he will not be available for this series. Outfielder Boog Powell is out, as well.

Their Story So Far

The A’s are currently fourth in the AL West at 18-19 with a -16 run differential, and that’s probably a little bit better than you’d expect – particularly with all of the injuries to their already thin pitching staff. And they’ve done it in the least exciting way possible: by being right around league-average in everything. Their offense (101 wRC+), pitching (103 ERA-), and defense (-2.2 UZR/150) are all within a rounding error of average, and almost all of their players are within a similar margin. Though, to be fair, their offense has hit .269/.339/.519 in high-leverage situations, which translates to a third-best in the majors 128 wRC+. And the bullpen’s 16 meltdowns is also bested by only five teams. Put those together and you have a pretty good formula for winning close games.

It is worth noting that they A’s have had three compelling storylines so far this year, too. Sean Manaea no-hit the Red Sox on April 21, which is terrific. Former Yankee prospect Dustin Fowler made his return to the field after last year’s catastrophic knee injury the other night, which is also wonderful. And, in sadder news, Stephen Piscotty lost his mother to Lou Gehrig’s Disease on Sunday; the A’s crowd and players and the opposing Astros gave him a standing ovation when he returned on Tuesday, in a very touching moment. And he ripped a single the other way. Even in death, baseball can touch you.

The Lineup We Might See

Manager Bob Melvin tweaks his lineup based upon the handedness of the opposing pitcher, with Matt Joyce generally leading off against right-handed starters, and riding the pine against southpaws. He has eased up on that a bit over the last week due to Joyce’s struggles, but I could see him moving Joyce back up to take advantage of the short porch in Yankee Stadium. Based upon that, I suspect that we’ll see something along these lines:

Matt Joyce, LF – .191/.342/.330, 2 HR, 0 SB
Marcus Semien, SS – .263/.318/.378, 3 HR, 3 SB
Jed Lowrie, 2B – .338/.400/.579, 8 HR, 0 SB
Khris Davis, DH – .215/.294/.458, 9 HR, 0 SB
Matt Olson, 1B – .233/.317/.372, 4 HR, 2 SB
Matt Chapman, 3B – .222/.309/.422, 6 HR, 0 SB
Jonathan Lucroy, C – .289/.355/.392, 0 HR, 0 SB
Stephen Piscotty, RF – .248/.306/.364, 2 HR, 0 SB
Mark Canha, CF – .275/.326/.513, 5 HR, 0 SB

Dustin Fowler, who came off the bench on Wednesday, will probably slot into the lineup in some capacity. The A’s have suggested that their goal is to make him the starter at some point, for what it’s worth. Super-utility player Chad Pinder (.279/.323/.492, 3 HR, 0 SB), who has seen time at 2B, 3B, and all three OF positions this year, will almost certainly get a start or two somewhere, as well.

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Friday (7:05 PM EST): RHP Sonny Gray vs. RHP Kendall Graveman

A few days ago, Graveman was scheduled for a Friday start against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox – Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate. An injury to Trevor Cahill left the A’s a starter short, though, so he will instead face the Yankees lineup in Yankee Stadium. That can’t be fun for anyone, let alone a guy that had an 8.89 ERA (6.02 FIP) in 28.1 IP prior to being demoted to Triple-A in the first place. Graveman was basically a league-average starter in his first three seasons in Oakland, pitching to a 4.11 ERA (99 ERA+) in 407 IP, so he’s probably not this bad.

Graveman is a four-pitch guy, featuring a low-to-mid 90s sinker, a low-90s cutter, a mid-80s change-up, and a low-80s curve. None of the pitchers are swing-and-miss offerings, but he does boast a career 51.5% groundball rate.

Last outing (vs. TEX on 4/25) – 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 7 K

Saturday (1:05 PM EST): RHP Domingo German vs. RHP Andrew Triggs

Triggs is another league-average-ish guy, with a 4.32 ERA (97 ERA+) in 156.1 IP in the bigs. He was a waiver-wire pick-up for the A’s in 2016, which makes him a steal as a league-average pitcher – but he could be more than that. Triggs has solid peripherals across the board, including a 21.1% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate, and 50.5% groundball rate with the team, all of which hint at a bit more goodness beneath the surface.

Triggs is something of a junkballer, utilizing a low-90s fastball, low-90s sinker, low-80s change, low-80s slider, and mid-70s curve. He locates all of his offerings well, though, and all of them have a bit more wiggle than you’d expect.

Last outing (vs. BAL on 5/6) – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K

Sunday (1:05 PM EST): RHP Luis Severino vs. LHP Brett Anderson

It almost feels like Anderson was a Yankee at some point, given how much writers and fans have talked about him as a buy-low candidate at various times. He was a rock-solid mid-rotation starter in his two full seasons, which is what lends hope that there’s more there – but he’s also a 30-year-old pitcher that averaged just 16 appearances per season in his first nine years due to a variety of injuries. He also has a 7.46 ERA since the beginning of 2016 … but that’s in a small sample size of just 76 IP. It’s a shame.

Anderson uses five pitches – a low-90s four-seamer, a low-90s sinker, a low-80s change, a low-80s slider, and a mid-70s curve.

Last outing (vs. HOU on 5/7) – 3.0 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 3 BB, 0 K

The Bullpen

The A’s have a very top-heavy bullpen, with closer Blake Treinen (1.13 ERA), Ryan Dull (2.35 ERA), Santiago Casilla (2.40 ERA), and Lou Trivino (a totally not made-up pitcher with a 0.75 ERA in 12 IP) locking down the late innings. The rest of the relief innings, however, tend to go to Yusmeiro Petit (4.66 ERA), Danny Coulombe (5.93 ERA), and Chris Hatcher (6.55 ERA), which isn’t great.

Yankees Connection

Dustin Fowler was dealt to the A’s (alongside James Kaprelian and Jorge Mateo) in last summer’s deadline deal for Sonny Gray. He was a back-end top-100 prospect heading into this year, and it’s difficult not to root for him given his ignominious debut last season. Mateo, by the way, is hitting .184/.223/.289 at Triple-A, and Kaprielian has yet to pitch this year as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.

Who (Or What) To Watch

I’m hoping the Yankees crowd gives Fowler a big-time ovation if and when he plays – he certainly deserves it. I’m also intrigued to see what he can do now that he’s fully healthy. If you’re looking for non-ex-Yankee to watch, Chapman is an excellent defender at the hot corner.

Update: A’s claim Trayce Thompson off waivers from Yankees

April 5, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Thursday: And he’s gone. Thompson was claimed off waivers by the Athletics today, the Yankees announced. Aaron Boone said yesterday the Yankees were planning to send Thompson to Triple-A, and since he’s out of options, he has to clear waivers to go to down. The A’s claimed him when the Yankees tried to pass him through. I’m not sure why Oakland didn’t claim him the first time — they have a higher waiver priority than the Yankees — but whatever. At least now Trayce can room with Klay.

Tuesday: The Yankees have claimed outfielder Trayce Thompson off waivers from the Dodgers, the team announced. Ben Heller was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot. No word on when Thompson will join the Yankees, though I imagine it’ll be soon.

Thompson, 27, hit .212/.269/363 (58 wRC+) with nine homers in 95 Triple-A games last season, and .122/.218/.265 (25 wRC+) in limited big league time. The right-handed hitter is a career .233/.310/.445 (105 wRC+) hitter in 452 big league plate appearances, including .236/.295/.458 (101 wRC+) against southpaws. Not much of a platoon split there.

The Yankees are currently without Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique), Aaron Hicks (intercostal), Billy McKinney (shoulder), and Clint Frazier (concussion), so they’re running short on outfielders. Thompson can play center field and he figures to be a fill-in fourth outfielder until guys get healthy.

The Dodgers designated Thompson, who is out of minor league options, for assignment at the end of Spring Training when he didn’t make the team. If you’re an NBA fan, he is Klay Thompson’s brother

Al Pedrique leaves Yankees to join Athletics coaching staff

December 4, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Triple-A Scranton manager Al Pedrique has left the Yankees to become the Athletics first base coach, the A’s announced. Pedrique was speculated as a possible managerial candidate for the Yankees, though he never did get an interview. Over the years he’d been very open about his desire to manage in the big leagues again at some point.

Pedrique, 57, had been with the Yankees since 2013. He managed Low-A Charleston in 2013, High-A Tampa in 2014, Double-A Trenton in 2015, and Triple-A Scranton in 2016 and 2017. The RailRiders won their division the last two years — they won the Triple-A championship in 2016 — and Pedrique was named International League Manager of the Year both years.

Prior to joining the Yankees, Pedrique had worked as a scout — while with the Astros, he was the scout who recommended signing Jose Altuve — and minor league coach with several organizations. He was the Diamondbacks third base coach in 2003 and their interim manager for part of 2004. That is his only MLB managerial experience to date.

Pedrique had worked with basically every notable prospect in the system the last few years. He managed Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Gleyber Torres, you name it. Now the Yankees will have to find a new Triple-A Scranton skipper. Such is life. Minor league managers usually don’t stick around long-term.

Update: Yankees interview Aaron Boone, Hensley Meulens for managerial job

November 17, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Friday: The Yankees interviewed Meulens yesterday and Boone today, the team announced. I’ve seen a few beat writers on Twitter say Meulens was impressive. Impressive during his conference call, at least. Thomson, Wedge, Meulens, and Boone are the four candidates so far. Supposed the Yankees are only going to interview five or six. Chris Woodward is rumored to be another candidate.

Monday: According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees will interview both Aaron Boone and Hensley Meulens for their managerial opening. There’s no word on when exactly they will interview. Also, Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees asked the Athletics for permission to interview their manager Bob Melvin, but the A’s said no.

Boone was first mentioned as a managerial candidate last week. He played for the Yankees briefly in 2003 — you may remember that home run he hit — and has been working as an analyst for ESPN since he retired a few years ago. Boone has no coaching or managerial experience, but these days teams aren’t shy about hiring rookie skippers. It initially wasn’t clear whether he’d actually get an interview, but now we know he will.

Meulens, 50, was a top prospect with the Yankees way back when. He’s one of the most famous busts in franchise history, in fact. Following his playing career Bam Bam gradually worked his way up the minor league coaching ranks before joining the Giants. He was their hitting coach from 2010-17 — Meulens was on the coaching staff for their three recent World Series titles — and was named their bench coach this offseason.

In addition to his MLB work, Meulens has also coached and managed in international competition over the years. He and Didi Gregorius are close. They work together each winter and were both part of the The Netherlands’ World Baseball Classic squad earlier this year. Like just about everyone from Curacao, Meulens speaks multiple languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, and Papiamento. That is an obvious plus for a manager. Meulens has been considered a future manager for several years now.

So far the Yankees have only interviewed Rob Thomson and Eric Wedge for their managerial opening. Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand the next interview is set for Thursday — things are on hold while Cashman is at the GM Meetings the next few days — though he declined to say who it’ll be with. Could be Boone, could be Meulens, could be someone else entirely. We’ll find out soon enough.

Yankees acquire Sonny Gray from A’s for three prospects

July 31, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees have landed their young controllable starting pitcher. Prior to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees acquired Sonny Gray and $1.5M in international bonus money from the Athletics for prospects James Kaprielian, Jorge Mateo, and Dustin Fowler. Both teams have announced the trade, so it’s a done deal. Officially official.

The trade comes after days of rumors, which is uncharacteristic for the Yankees. They tend to keep these things quiet. The big David Robertson/Tommy Kahnle/Todd Frazier trade with the White Sox came out of nowhere two weeks ago. The Yankees and A’s haggled over the prospects, and according to Jon Heyman, Kaprielian was the deciding piece. Once the Yankees agreed to include him, the deal was done.

Gray, 27, has pitched to a 3.43 ERA (3.24 FIP) in 16 starts and 97 innings so far this season. Here’s my Scouting The Market post. He is under team control as an arbitration-eligible player through 2019, and as a ground ball heavy right-hander with big time competitiveness, Gray fits what the Yankees need pretty well. Keep the ball on the ground and you’ll do well in Yankee Stadium and the other hitter friendly AL East parks.

Coming into the season I ranked Kaprielian, Mateo, and Fowler as the Nos. 5, 7, and 12 prospects in the farm system, respectively. All have seen their stock slip since then, however. Kaprielian blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. Mateo continued to struggle with High-A Tampa before being promoted to Double-A Trenton and going on a hot streak. Fowler blew out his knee earlier this month.

This trade boils down to this: three risky prospects for one risky starting pitcher (and international bonus money). Gray is healthy right now, though he has had some injury problems over the last 18 months or so. Fowler and Kaprielian are currently rehabbing from major surgeries and Mateo’s performance hasn’t always matched up with his loud tools. The A’s are banking on upside here. This is very much a boom or bust trade.

The Gray trade combined with the previous Robertson, Kahnle, Frazier, and Jaime Garcia trades make this the busiest deadline in quite some time for the Yankees. They were busy in 2014 (Martin Prado, Brandon McCarthy, Chase Headley, Stephen Drew), though those moves did not come close to this magnitude. The Yankees are going for it, both now in 2017 and going forward. It’s awfully exciting.

2017 Trade Deadline Open Thread: Friday

July 28, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

The 2017 non-waiver trade deadline is 4pm ET next Monday, and already the Yankees have made one significant trade. They acquired Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox for three prospects (and Tyler Clippard) a week and a half ago. That one has paid dividends already. The Yankees have made two smaller trades (Tyler Webb for Garrett Cooper, Rob Refsnyder for Ryan McBroom) as well.

At the moment the Yankees are a half-game back in the AL East and 2.5 games up on a wildcard spot, so they’re very much in the race. Adding is the way to go. The White Sox trade answered any “buyer or seller?” questions. A starting pitcher is the obvious priority following Michael Pineda’s injury, though another bat and a lefty reliever shouldn’t be ruled out either. We’re going to keep track of all the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here, so keep coming back for updates. All timestamps are ET.

3:44pm: The Yankees had a scout (Brandon Duckworth!) on hand to watch Yu Darvish’s most recent outing, so if nothing else, they’re doing their due diligence. Darvish got hammered by the Marlins on Wednesday night (3.2 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 BB, 5 ). [George King]
3:42pm: The Yankees have interest in Lance Lynn and the Cardinals have been scouting New York’s farm system. Lynn is a pure rental. Here’s my Scouting The Market post. [Derrick Goold]
1:41pm: During talks with the Mets about Lucas Duda, the Yankees offered a similar relief prospect to Drew Smith, who the Mets acquired from the Rays in the trade yesterday. I wonder if that means Ben Heller or Jonathan Holder? Either way, since the Yankees were only offering a similar prospect, the Mets opted not to send Duda across town. [Sherman]
12:00pm: Talks with the Athletics about Sonny Gray at an impasse because they’re asking for either Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres, and the Yankees won’t include them in any deal. Oakland also likes Jorge Mateo, James Kaprielian, and Estevan Florial. Despite the impasse, the Yankees are still believed to be in the lead for Gray because they’re offering the strongest package. [Jon Heyman, Bob Klapisch]
12:00pm: The Yankees are among the teams in the mix for Tigers lefty Justin Wilson. Tons of teams are after the former Yankee. I’d be surprised if the Yankees go all out to win a bidding war for Wilson after adding Robertson and Kahnle. [Anthony Fenech]
12:00pm: The Yankees remain engaged with the Braves about first baseman Matt Adams, though a starting pitcher remains their priority. Atlanta is playing Freddie Freeman at third base in deference to Adams, which is crazy, but it’s not my problem. [Joel Sherman]
12:00pm: There have been no recent talks with the Cubs about Bryan Mitchell. Chicago has liked him in the past and the Yankees are trying to clear up the back of their 40-man roster, though the two clubs haven’t touched base. [Sherman]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.

Trade Deadline Rumors: Starter, Verlander, Alonso, Duda, Reed

July 20, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

The 2017 non-waiver trade deadline is now only eleven days away and the Yankees have already made one big move, acquiring Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox. I get the feeling they’re not done. That doesn’t necessarily mean a blockbuster is coming, but I don’t think the Yankees are going to stop here. Anyway, here’s the latest from the trade rumor circuit.

Yankees still looking for a starter

Not surprisingly, the Yankees are still looking for rotation help, reports Ken Rosenthal. They’re casting a wide net. Controllable guys and rentals. They’re all in play. Michael Pineda is out for the season and I don’t think the Yankees want to continue running Bryan Mitchell or Luis Cessa out there every fifth day. You don’t go out and make that trade with the White Sox only to skimp on the rotation, you know?

“I’m going to stay engaged. We are going to remain careful buyers. We want to maximize our present while protecting (our) future,” said Cashman to Meredith Marakovits following the White Sox trade. Unless the Yankees budge on their unwillingness to trade close to MLB prospects, it’s hard to think they’ll land a high-end controllable starter. And that’s okay. They could really use one of those guys, but I am totally cool with keeping the top position player prospects. Build around bats. Even after trades and graduations, the Yankees still have plenty of depth in the farm system to land a useful starter.

“No indication” Yankees are after Verlander

There is “no indication” the Yankees are after (former?) Tigers ace Justin Verlander, reports Jon Morosi. Detroit is very bad this season (43-50) and there’s been plenty of talk they will sell at the trade deadline. Verlander, 34, has a 4.54 ERA (4.25 FIP) in 20 starts and 117 innings this season, though just last year he was the runner-up in the AL Cy Young voting thanks to a 3.04 ERA (3.48 FIP) in 227.2 innings.

Including the remainder of his $28M salary this year, Verlander is still owed roughly $70M through 2019, and his contract includes a $22M vesting option for 2020 based on Cy Young voting. Morosi says the Tigers are willing to eat some money to facilitate a trade, but how much? I doubt it’ll be a ton. I feel like there’s way too much downside here. Verlander was great just last season, sure, but he’s entering his mid-30s and has a ton of innings on his arm. Trading for mid-30s past prime Verlander feels like an old Yankees move.

Yankees talked Alonso, Duda, Reed, Neshek

Before the trade with the ChiSox, the Yankees were talking to the Athletics about Yonder Alonso, and to the Mets about Lucas Duda and Addison Reed, report Morosi and Mark Feinsand. They were also in the mix for Pat Neshek, per Rosenthal. I suppose the Yankees could still go after Reed or Neshek because there is no such thing as too many good relievers, but it seems very unlikely with Robertson and Kahnle on board. Alonso and Duda? There’s no need for those guys now. Not unless someone gets hurt.

With Greg Bird out for most of the rest of the season, it only made sense for the Yankees to explore the first base trade market. Ji-Man Choi and Garrett Cooper had some success this month, though Cashman wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t looking for upgrades. One thing to keep in mind: the Yankees were pretty much the only team with a need at first base (or DH). There was plenty of supply (Alonso, Duda, Matt Adams, Justin Bour, etc.) but very limited demand, so they were able to let the market come to them, then take the most favorable terms.

A’s scouting Low-A Charleston

In a crazy coincidence (nope), the A’s have had a top scout watching Low-A Charleston recently, according to Rosenthal. There’s no need for Alonso now. Sonny Gray is still out there though. With Blake Rutherford traded, the best prospect on Charleston’s roster is outfielder Estevan Florial by a mile. Others of note include catcher Donny Sands, infielders Diego Castillo and Hoy Jun Park, and righties Nick Nelson, Freicer Perez, and Nick Green.

Unlike the White Sox trade, I have a hard time believing the Yankees could swing a deal for Gray using a Single-A kid as the center piece. Gray is too in demand for the A’s to take someone that far away from the big leagues as the headliner in a trade. Oakland can and will insist for a closer to MLB prospect and the Yankees will probably decline. That said, the A’s have made some weird trades lately, and if the Yankees can get a deal done for Gray with a Low-A kid fronting the package, they should jump all over it. Prospects that far down in the system aren’t close to helping at the MLB level and they’re so risky because they still have so much development left ahead of them.

Yankees were “in strong” for Quintana

Before he was traded to the Cubs, the Yankees were “in strong” for lefty Jose Quintana, according to Feinsand. “They were quietly deep in it,” said one executive. Rosenthal hears the Yankees did make an offer for Quintana, and Cashman told Brendan Kuty the White Sox asked the Yankees for players similar to the ones they received from the Cubs. So I guess that means an elite prospect (Gleyber Torres?), a very good pitching prospect (Chance Adams? Justus Sheffield?), plus two lesser pieces.

It was reported following the White Sox trade that the Yankees offered Rutherford to Chicago for Quintana, though the rest of the package is unknown. If Rutherford was the headliner, then it’s easy to understand why the ChiSox passed and went with the Cubs’ package. I think the Yankees were willing to give up a really nice package to get Quintana, but even then they would set a limit and not increase their offer. I guess that’s why Quintana is a Cub now. For shame. He really would have been a nice get from a pure “he’s a good pitcher” perspective.