I can't argue with a hunch, but 3/39 is not really a big commitment and he is a good fit on paper, especially being a lefty. Also he is not really blocking anyone and NY doesn't have great prospect impact reliever depth right now, I will bump the bullpen thread in a minute.Hunch: Yankees will regret this deal.
Other than the money aspect, I'm not sure performance is gonna be an issue. He's one of 3 bullpen aces on the team with a likely 4th incoming. Cashman loves to stockpile arms in the pen.Hunch: Yankees will regret this deal.
If he returns to form it’s a steal. Obviously they know his medicals. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it, I think it’s a good signing, especially if the team can bail after two years. It’s a lot for a setup guy, sure, but I’m not sure you’ll regret it.Yeah, brainlock, thanks, but all of Miller/Robertson/Ottavino are 33 or 34, so a 2-3 year difference still. Like I said, I'm not the biggest fan, but maybe he will be better further removed from his injury.
And this is when we remind people that they were saying the same things about Patrick Corbin...until he signed with the Nats.This is when we remind people of some key off-field parts of Ottavino, grew up in Park Slope, went to his first Yankee game at 7, currently trains in Harlem a mile or two from Yankee Stadium and is best friends with Tommy Kahnle from their COL days. Here he is with his dad in 1995:
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/05/06/adam-ottavino-new-york-state-of-mind/
Corbin doesn't train in Harlem, but more importantly, WAS offered Corbin $40M more than NY was willing to go (6/140 to 5/100), that's probably around what Ottavino's full deal will be. NY has been rumored in on Ottavino constantly for weeks now and again tonight, same as they were Britton, we'll see soon enough as you said.And this is when we remind people that they were saying the same things about Patrick Corbin...until he signed with the Nats.
And it pushes everyone else back a notch, Tarpley specifically, curious to see what the opening day Scranton pitching staff ends up as.I don't see anything not to like about Britton for two or three years. The money looks fair and the Yankees have some familiarity and a pretty good idea of what they are getting.
And its secret Chapman insurance in case his knee isn't better. If he has the same knee issues as last year, he's useless.And it pushes everyone else back a notch, Tarpley specifically, curious to see what the opening day Scranton pitching staff ends up as.
No obvious 40 man spot move like Cole was for Tulo, I am guessing maybe Higashioka who no one will probably claim anyway, and if they do, they have Lavernaway on a minor league deal and can try to trade for an upgrade which they really should do anyway.
Yeah, not that I know anything, but not thriilled if he didn't get that surgically fixed this winter and I didn't hear anything about that.And its secret Chapman insurance in case his knee isn't better. If he has the same knee issues as last year, he's useless.
This is when we remind people of some key off-field parts of Ottavino, grew up in Park Slope, went to his first Yankee game at 7, currently trains in Harlem a mile or two from Yankee Stadium and is best friends with Tommy Kahnle from their COL days. Here he is with his dad in 1995
Ottavino is shaping up to be one of the more interesting relief signings of the off-season (mostly as one of the last players unsigned).And this is when we remind people that they were saying the same things about Patrick Corbin...until he signed with the Nats.
If another team offers Ottavino more money/years/a closer!s role, none of what you posted about may matter in the slightest. Tima will tell.
Britton or Brasier as your 8th innning guy? I would have loved to see the Sox take a flyer on Brittons bounce back years. Heck he could close at a fraction of what Kimbrel wants.Hunch: Yankees will regret this deal.
Maybe a fraction of what he wants, but possibly not far off from what he ends up getting.Britton or Brasier as your 8th innning guy? I would have loved to see the Sox take a flyer on Brittons bounce back years. Heck he could close at a fraction of what Kimbrel wants.
I think Ottavino will get around the same basic deal of 3/39, maybe 3/36. I had Britton at 4/52 and Ottavino at 3/39 a few days ago, somewhere around there would be my guess.I’d be very surprised if anyone got him for less than the Yankees signed Britton for (which still seems pretty reasonable - the relief market isn’t nuts; I wonder if Chapman isn’t the high water mark for RP contracts for awhile).
You ask that question facetiously, but 13m vs league minimum?Britton or Brasier as your 8th innning guy? I would have loved to see the Sox take a flyer on Brittons bounce back years. Heck he could close at a fraction of what Kimbrel wants.
Me too but not at that price. The Yankees have more headroom than the Sox so the they can afford more coin on that slot and for him to not ever regain his pre-injury form with greater ease.Britton or Brasier as your 8th innning guy? I would have loved to see the Sox take a flyer on Brittons bounce back years. Heck he could close at a fraction of what Kimbrel wants.
What about if the 31 year old guy is coming off an injury and hasn't fully regained his form yet? The minimum is peanuts. Getting good production for the league minimum > getting great production at premium prices. Brasier is especially valuable to the Sox given how tight they are elsewhere payroll-wise.Yeah they’re volatile, but I’d rather pay $13M for a 31 yo guy that didn’t have to go play in Japan for five years then the minimum for one who did.
This is a false dichotomy. There are 7 bullpen slots. The Red Sox weren’t choosing between Brasier and Britton. If they signed Britton, he’d be replacing the worst pitcher in the bullpen, not the guy currently slotted as the 2nd best —shudder.What about if the 31 year old guy is coming off an injury and hasn't fully regained his form yet? The minimum is peanuts. Getting good production for the league minimum > getting great production at premium prices. Brasier is especially valuable to the Sox given how tight they are elsewhere payroll-wise.
It makes all the sense in the world for the Yankees to throw $$$ at Britton, as Britton is better with a longer track record than Brasier. However, if you deleted Brasier off the Sox roster and Britton off the NYYs, then asked the Sox to pick the one of their choosing, given their payroll constraints, that's a tough call.
I'm not shitting on the Britton signing. Again, he's good and they have more than enough cash for him, so it makes all the sense in the world. Just trying to point out that those Sox fans whining about DD sitting pat and about Brasier effectively being the 8th inning guy on the roster at the moment are lacking perspective. I fully expect the Yankees to get Ottavino as well, then the Sox to start searching for potential high-value options that may have been overlooked at non-premium pricing, like say, a Brach or an Allen.
His AAV suggestions are ludicrous, neither of those guys is worth $35M or $40M a year no matter how short the deal. Honestly he needs a vacation, thankfully for him he is currently taking one and hopefully it works.What would you guys think if the yankees used Joel Sherman's suggestion for a contract for Machado or Harper at the link below?
https://nypost.com/2019/01/05/boras-client-may-show-creative-way-to-reach-harper-machado-deals/
1. He will cost more, maybe a lot more in the end (I don't really know why this is, although I honestly think there is a good bit of racism in there which I'll elaborate on if it's not obvious to someone.)I kinda like Bryce Harper over Machado. Left handed bat, legit 3-hole hitter, plays hard, had a very solid second half of last season.
What’s funny is Harper, if my memory is correct, played catcher in high school.I'd like Harper more too, if he could play 3B.
I'd like him better if he could play catcher too.*What’s funny is Harper, if my memory is correct, played catcher in high school.
Wait, so CC's just going to begin working out now? He must be 4 bills.Cashman had said that he was waiting on CC to pass followup medical tests this month before going back to actively looking to move Gray, so this may be what he meant.
"LHP CC Sabathia underwent a scheduled follow-up stress test earlier today. He has now been cleared to begin working out, which will include baseball activities."
Andujar is Dominican, yes? I love his bat. Hire a coach to hit him 1,000 ground balls a day. It's not as if he can't improve defensively. Voit/Bird is a decent platoon at !B. And just for the record, Machado is not Dominican by birth. He was born and raised in FL, like his idol, ARod.4. I just noticed "plays hard". This is what I mean by racist (and I am honestly not directing this to you, Big John, it is something I continue to see everywhere). Harper dove for ONE BALL ALL SEASON last year, and he slid for just three (MLBN posted these numbers the other day). He was the worst defensive outfielder in baseball in 2018. He is either a horrendous defender at a young age (in which case you'd be paying $350M or whatever for a DH) or he simply didn't try on defense all season while his team was fighting to make the playoffs, which they ended up not making despite the highest payroll in the NL.
Yet Machado, who has sat out only 11 total games IN THE LAST FOUR SEASONS COMBINED and played spectacular defense for most of those 159-games-on-average seasons is the one who is labelled as 'not hustling' (and yes, I know about the interview he gave). I have thought and thought about this and all I can come up with is one is white and one is Dominican.
I've thought all along that Harper was going to get a contract which will have a monetary value in excess of Harper's baseball value. That's because someone is going to see him as a huge famous star who drives TV ratings, and maybe they are correct. (That team seems unlikely to be the Yankees.) How much of that is "racism" I'm not sure. When I was a kid I was acutely aware that the biggest star in the game, Pete Rose, was far from the best player in the game. Or, usually, on his team. And that he was the biggest star because he played on a great team, ran to first on walks, dove for balls that most players would catch without effort, was always in contention for the batting title, slid headfirst into bases, and, most importantly, was white.1. He will cost more, maybe a lot more in the end (I don't really know why this is, although I honestly think there is a good bit of racism in there which I'll elaborate on if it's not obvious to someone.)
Yeah, it's a complicated topic, and I agree that star power is a real thing. I just don't get how Harper isn't getting dinged more for his horrible, seemingly minimal effort, defensive season. And even worse, WAS doesn't seem to care, they want him back even though their OF is full already (to be fair, Harper and Soto and Robles could be an alltime great OF, sorry Eaton).I've thought all along that Harper was going to get a contract which will have a monetary value in excess of Harper's baseball value. That's because someone is going to see him as a huge famous star who drives TV ratings, and maybe they are correct. (That team seems unlikely to be the Yankees.) How much of that is "racism" I'm not sure. When I was a kid I was acutely aware that the biggest star in the game, Pete Rose, was far from the best player in the game. Or, usually, on his team. And that he was the biggest star because he played on a great team, ran to first on walks, dove for balls that most players would catch without effort, was always in contention for the batting title, slid headfirst into bases, and, most importantly, was white.
I love watching him hit and was pushing for him to get a chance with NY well before he did, but I honestly don't think he can improve enough to play adequate 3B defense for a title-hopeful team, no. He has now played 680 professional games defensively (541 minors, 139 majors), all of them at 3B, and he was only getting worse at the end of last season, to the point where they only played him for about half of the ALDS even though he was one of their best few hitters. He has so many issues there, reflexes, range, footwork, release angle on his throws, slow release, I just don't think it's fixable. There were 40 3B last year with 300+ ABs, look how much worse his defense was than all of the other 39.Andujar is Dominican, yes? I love his bat. Hire a coach to hit him 1,000 ground balls a day. It's not as if he can't improve defensively.
Which I even understand from a fan's perspective, the guy was unanimous MVP when he was 22.I think the perception is that Harper is better than he was last year and better than he's been during his less productive years. Not agreeing or disagreeing, but people think of Harper's potential as a top 5 player in the game, though he hasn't been one consistently.
It would definitely seem like they're cheaping out but just like Corbin, I don't want them overpaying. And count that double when it's overspending for 8 or 10 years. If you wanna give a pitcher an extra $3M for 4 years, no big deal. Machado or Harper AND Stanton on top of the eventual long-term agreements with Judge and Co is a scary thought. Can't just have 5 players making $30m.I'm convinced that the Yankees are done shopping except for someone like Neil Walker.
So much buildup for this offseason just for the owners to pocket the money.
But isn’t this the time to pay FA a premium? You have a lot of cost-controlled guys already and payroll space. What’s the point in not maximising the payroll room?It would definitely seem like they're cheaping out but just like Corbin, I don't want them overpaying. And count that double when it's overspending for 8 or 10 years. If you wanna give a pitcher an extra $3M for 4 years, no big deal. Machado or Harper AND Stanton on top of the eventual long-term agreements with Judge and Co is a scary thought. Can't just have 5 players making $30m.
I can see the argument both ways. There's a part of me that thinks Machado is a luxury and not something the team needs, so why pay above market? If a stronger case could be made that this team needs more offense, I'd buy into it. However, I'd just as fast save the ammunition, get an Asdrubal Cabrera type for the infield, pick up another arm, and go to battle with an improved 100 win team.But isn’t this the time to pay FA a premium? You have a lot of cost-controlled guys already and payroll space. What’s the point in not maximising the payroll room?