2018 Yankees Offseason Discussion

jon abbey

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I think it's hard to judge without knowing what Cashman plans to do if he doesn't end up with Machado. The only crucial need not addressed yet is getting a much better defensive 3B, and if that's not Machado, it needs to be someone else. Marwin Gonzalez has great positional flexibility but is just an OK hitter and defender, Moustakas would be a solid short-term fit, trading for Scooter Gennett (so CIN can play Senzel at 2B) and moving Gleyber to 3B could work too.

So that move needs to be made either way, add in the luxury of Ottavino too, and it's a very loaded team.

It's easy to lose perspective, but since the start of 2018, NY has already added:

Gleyber/Andujar (rookies that started in AAA last year, seems like a long long time ago)
Voit
Paxton
Happ
Britton

As for guys they lost, Robertson is gone, they may replace him with Ottavino. Didi is hurt, the question mark that is 34 year old possibly rejuvenated Tulo is replacing him for now.

So add a good defensive 3B in there (Andujar to DH, Stanton to LF, Gardner to 4th OF, Clint to Scranton) and they're in very good shape with or without Machado. I'm still hoping for 'with', though.
 

terrynever

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Don’t count out Andujar working his ass off this winter and in ST to improve his footwork and throwing motion at third base. He was supposed to hook up with Adrian Beltre in the DR last month. I never read anything more. Bad fielders can get better. Maybe not good but mediocre is okay at third base.
With Tulowitzki likely playing short until July, the real problem is a lack of range at both shortstop and third base.
 

jon abbey

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Don’t count out Andujar working his ass off this winter and in ST to improve his footwork and throwing motion at third base. He was supposed to hook up with Adrian Beltre in the DR last month. I never read anything more. Bad fielders can get better. Maybe not good but mediocre is okay at third base.
With Tulowitzki likely playing short until July, the real problem is a lack of range at both shortstop and third base.
He could get twice as good and still not be acceptable, your last sentence is the main issue (zero range) and that is the left side infield defense for a pitching staff with three lefties in the rotation and two out of the main three relievers. Britton leads the league in ground ball percentage every season, you can't spend the entire season pulling Andujar in the sixth and not starting him when CC pitches. You know I love the kid and was rooting for him to get a chance way before he did, but he just is not a third baseman. 'Past a diving Jeter' has become 'past a tilting Andujar' because he's too slow to get past about 60 degrees before the ball is into the OF, it's just ugly.

Anyway, no way you sign four left-handed pitchers in a winter (all four pitching additions have been lefties so far) and choose Tulo as your fill-in SS (sure-handed with meh range) if you are planning on keeping Andujar at 3B, Machado or someone else is bumping him.
 

Big John

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Well, in my view "range" at 3B is about anticipation and reflexes. It's a step and a dive. It's not as if Graig Nettles had great range. I agree with terrynever that the jury is out on Andujar, and he might improve enough to be acceptable if he works hard at it. Plus if someone like Wade can't fill a late-inning defensive role, it's not that hard to find someone who can.
 

terrynever

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When speaking of range and glove, Todd Frazier is the best recent Yankee third baseman. But he’s getting older and more injury prone. Mets have him for one more year at $8M.
If Machado goes elsewhere, Cashman has dug himself a big hole on the left side of the infield, as JA so aptly described. If Cashman can’t find a fill-in for 2019, then maybe Torres can bounce over to third and Wade plays second.
And then you offer Nolan Arenado the moon for 2020. Early projections are 10 years for $300M. Estimates are Arenado gets $26M in arbitration next month for 2019.
 

jon abbey

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Arenado is a couple years older and not quite as good as Machado, check out his home/road splits, big Coors effect there.
 

Big John

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Well, Cabrera and Moustakas are still out there, and each provides another lefty bat. The hole can be filled by someone other than Machado.
 

EvilEmpire

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Jed Lowrie could be an option too. Would take at least 2 years though. Full time 3B next season with more of a utility role for the second year if the Yankees sign someone better at 3B for 2020.

Might be better short term to just go full defense and a lighter bat though.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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The problem with using a late innings defensive replacement for Andujar is you are then taking his bat out of the lineup. The Yankees starting third baseman really shouldn't be a 6-inning guy.
 

SirPsychoSquints

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Lowrie is a 2B only now, I think.
He played 14 games at 3B last year, but that's his only material non-2B experience since 2015 (when he split time between SS & 3B) Of course, Oakland had a pretty good 3B last year, so not much reason for Lowrie to have gone over there.

I bet he's available to play 3B full time.
 

EvilEmpire

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It is a tough market for 2B this offseason, but I can totally see Lowrie not wanting or being able to play 3B full time, especially as he's getting older and maybe he's not super comfortable there to begin with. I have no idea if that is the case, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if he isn't up to it for any reason.

I just mentioned him because I know he's played there before and it wouldn't take much to improve on what Andujar provides there.
 

jon abbey

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Lowrie was being discussed in the previous posts, so it’s thread-related at least.
 

EvilEmpire

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So yeah, with regard to the Mets. Between Cano, Lowrie and Frazier, who is playing how much and where? Or did I miss something and someone is learning 1B? Or is Lowrie doing the utility guy thing?

To bring it back to the Yankees (before crow gets mad), would they want Frazier back for the last year of that contract if the Mets were willing to deal?
 
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jon abbey

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So yeah, with regard to the Mets. Between Cano, Lowrie and Frazier, who is playing how much and where? Or did I miss something and someone is learning 1B? Or is Lowrie doing the utility guy thing?

To bring it back to the Yankees (before crow gets mad), would they want Frazier back for the last year of that contract if the Mets were willing to deal?
I was just thinking about this exact same thing, but I think Cashman thinks he can probably do better. I think like Hechevarria down the stretch last year and Machado still hopefully next year, ideally you get a good defensive SS to play 3B, not just the added defensive flexibility but so much shifting now that the positions are more fluid. As of this second, I'd guess that Galvis might be NY's backup plan, maybe the Gennett trade still a possibility, Heyman tweeted about Sonny Gray maybe to CIN a few hours ago:

"Reds still among teams with interest in Sonny Gray. He has close connection with Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson. Yankees believed interested in multiple pitching prospects -- good ones in the category of Santillan, Gutierrez and Mella. upper level guys with a chance."

That is a big ask for one year of Gray from an unlikely contender, maybe Cashman is stalling there and will 'settle' for a Gennett deal if Machado doesn't happen. NY needs to open 40 man spots and has too many middle infielders, so CIN can get back a cost-controlled backup for Senzel also, Estrada maybe.
 

jon abbey

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Which reminds me that NY still needs to open a 40 man spot for Britton (stalling on an official deal for this reason, it seems) and decisions are getting harder. My guess is Higashioka and stick with 2 catchers on the 40 man for now. Either no one claims him (he is 29 in April) and they get him back to Scranton or they have Ryan Lavernaway on a minor league deal for emergencies and it forces them to upgrade the catcher depth which they really should do anyway (and I still don't know why they didn't last winter, but no excuses now).

NY does have some really good left side defensive infielders in the minors, Hanser Alberto who they nabbed from TEX for just this reason and Gio Urshela (played great 3B in CLE) and Kyle Holder (compared to 'the Ozzies' defensively when drafted and still in that range from reports). They would likely all be black hole 9th place hitters in the lineup, but the pitching staff would sure appreciate any of those guys behind them.
 

EvilEmpire

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If reports that the Yankees are out on Machado are true, I'd expect Cashman to move out smartly and sign or trade a 3B replacement quickly before more options come off the board.

If true, and Cashman doesn't move quickly, then I think your point about defensive talent in the minors is an especially important one. If that is the real plan B, Cashman can take his time making a trade to open up a roster spot.

And maybe Andujar will bust out the old Tom Emanski tapes and we never get to that point. One can dream.
 

Murderer's Crow

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FWIW, Arod talked about some of the improvements on his podcast that need to be made by Andujar and holds the position that his range and instincts could be improved with his timing. Essentially, he's late on everything. Gets a late jump, takes too long to throw, takes too long to make decisions. Since those tend to be mental and not physical barriers, there's a chance he could improve it with training and repetition.
 

Rough Carrigan

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If reports that the Yankees are out on Machado are true, I'd expect Cashman to move out smartly and sign or trade a 3B replacement quickly before more options come off the board.

If true, and Cashman doesn't move quickly, then I think your point about defensive talent in the minors is an especially important one. If that is the real plan B, Cashman can take his time making a trade to open up a roster spot.

And maybe Andujar will bust out the old Tom Emanski tapes and we never get to that point. One can dream.
Until Machado signs with someone else I will believe that the yankees are simply playing this smart, knowing that he wants to go to NY and adding nothing to his market.
 

jon abbey

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Whoa, didn’t see his name rumored even once in connection with NY all winter, huh.
 

jon abbey

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He has terrible home/road splits too, playing in Coors.

Home: .330/.387/.448
Road: .264/.311/.362

Even if NY is out on Machado (probably), I still think there is something else coming here, because this is an odd fit.
 

Murderer's Crow

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He has terrible home/road splits too, playing in Coors.

Home: .330/.387/.448
Road: .264/.311/.362

Even if NY is out on Machado (probably), I still think there is something else coming here, because this is an odd fit.
Machado isn’t out if Andujar is still viewed as a chip.

This is definitely an odd fit but home/road splits don’t seem bother Cashman.
 

jon abbey

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Also they are talking about moving him around, but he hasn't played anywhere besides 2B since 2014. You get LeMahieu for defense at 2B, maybe this means Gleyber to 3B.
 

jon abbey

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jon abbey

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Maybe NY has a revolutionary surgical technique to combine Andujar's offense and LeMahieu's defense into a single player, there's your Machado-esque player. :)
 

jon abbey

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I wonder if they are considering trading Gleyber? That is also something no one has considered possible.
 

jon abbey

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Most Def Runs Saved by Infielders 2018 Season (min. 1000 innings):

Matt Chapman 29
Andrelton Simmons 21
Nick Ahmed 21
DJ LeMahieu 18
 

moondog80

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Are they really going to strike out on Machado, Harper, and Corbin? I'll believe it when I see it, but that's a curious move given their payroll potential.
 

Murderer's Crow

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He is also obviously Tulo insurance. I'm guessing Cashman planned on signing a super utility player no matter what and just don't think Tulo can be relied on every day.
 

jon abbey

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For who? If you are not going in on 25 year old Machado or Harper, who are you waiting for?
Spreading the money around more maybe? Cole and Verlander next winter? Dunno, I am as surprised by this turn of events as anyone.
 

E5 Yaz

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The Machado thing boils down to whether he wants whoever offers him Stanton money, or whatever the Yankees' best offer will be.
 

EvilEmpire

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For who? If you are not going in on 25 year old Machado or Harper, who are you waiting for?
Maybe not anyone. The Yankees have a lot of young talent, but the biggest challenge has been SP. Going over the top for Harper or Machado doesn't change that. Corbin was a more interesting case, but it seems like Cashman wasn't sold.

If they don't sign Machado, who is a fit that makes obvious sense, my takeaway is that Cashman really, really doesn't want longterm deals and has a lot of confidence in his ability to adjust the roster to good effect as long as he has some flexibility.

Maybe he'll sign a subsidized Machado a few years down the road when the White Sox or Phillies blow things up. :)
 

Big John

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Isn't Cashman's mantra the statement that jon abbey uses in his signature-- "I want young, cost-controlled everything..." etc. The correlation between payroll and winning is virtually non-existent these days. I'm guessing that Ellsbury could be Cashman's last big long-term free agent deal for a position player who was not home-grown in the Yankee system or already a Yankee (via an extension). Yes, they traded for Stanton, but he's been a disappointment as far as I'm concerned. Too many strikeouts. And Cashman passed on paying the big bucks to a home-grown star (Cano) as well, and I don't think anyone is too upset about that.
 
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