Well, Andujar's main defensive issue is he simply doesn't have the fast-twitch reflexes for 3B, and he has now played 750 games in the minors and majors and is still this bad. I'm not optimistic but I guess anything is possible.
I think you can`t hide cap space in the ml anymoreWhere is this Greinke giveaway nonsense coming from? The man has posted a 3.20 ERA the last two seasons in a pretty good hitters' park. He's not being given away certainly not for Ellsbury's corpse.*
* Famous last words of course given the various giveaways in the past in favor of the Yankees.
Edit: Something more realistic would involve adding Tomas to the deal who can get the Allen Craig treatment at SWB and not count against the cap.
Didn't he have issues with pressure a few years ago? Or "Social Anxiety Disorder" as a website claims? Would pitching in NYC be an issue for him?
Based on your close friendship with him?Yes. I don’t think he could handle the NY market/media.
Soxhop is working on finding a link that proves he is close friends with Greinke.Based on your close friendship with him?
Based on your close friendship with him?
I wouldn’t be surprised if we stay under the cap again. If you trade Gray, this still gives you about $70m to spend annually to stay under the newly increased $206m cap.Someone pointed out today that Happ is only two years younger than CC (36/38), somehow I thought it was more.
Cashman has done an amazing job building with pre-arb youth and other team's castoffs, but now he finally has spending big money when he wants back in his quiver too to fill in the holes. It was a very different baseball time (2 CBAs ago) but NY spent $423M combined long term on Sabathia/Teixeira/Burnett after 2008, and I'd be surprised if NY doesn't go over that this winter one way or another. Bring on free agency.
It wasn't SAD.I haven’t seen anything about Greinke’s “SAD” since his Kansas City days. Hopefully, for him, it’s a thing of the past.
Well, since now the tax rate has been reset, you can read that like less money will be transferred if they do go over, so I don't think you can read much into that about future behavior. That statement is more trying to explain why they made a big deal about staying under and resetting the rate.I wouldn’t be surprised if we stay under the cap again. If you trade Gray, this still gives you about $70m to spend annually to stay under the newly increased $206m cap.
Cashman made some comments during the interview that made it sound like there was at least a preference to stay under based on the sheer principle of not wanting to give other teams cash that they use to beat you.
Here’s the quote
“I don’t want to speak for Hal, but my general feeling from him and for us has been not wanting to line the pockets of others to let them utilize that excess against us,” Cashman said. “It was mission accomplished in terms of the payroll this year, and taking away advantages that teams have been getting from us because we were exceeding those thresholds.”
It could be but I can see it both ways. Especially considering that it probably makes sense to leave some payroll flexibility open for next year the next 2 or 3 years as our young kids go through arb 1-3.Well, since now the tax rate has been reset, you can read that like less money will be transferred if they do go over, so I don't think you can read much into that about future behavior. That statement is more trying to explain why they made a big deal about staying under and resetting the rate.
I think the point is that just because Cashman now can spend a lot more if he chooses (I am guessing at this), it doesn't mean it is the smartest way to go overall necessarily. Anyway, we'll see soon enough, actions (or non-actions) speak louder than words, NY has holes to fill, and not a lot of excess prospect talent to move anymore.It could be but I can see it both ways. Especially considering that it probably makes sense to leave some payroll flexibility open for next year the next 2 or 3 years as our young kids go through arb 1-3.
Those are strange quotes, but honestly less concerned about that than about his need to grab the fielder illegally when he slides into second. That shit needs to stop.So maybe this doesn't exactly belong in the Yankees thread, but it's more relevant here than it would be in the Red Sox forum so what the hell...
Manny Machado says hustling "is not my cup of tea". Admits it's appalling that he doesn't run harder up the first base line, but at the same time he says he doesn't really care to change, because "that's just me".
https://www.mlb.com/news/manny-machado-discusses-his-lack-of-hustle/c-297923956
I thought SAD was Seasonal Affective Disorder, not Social.
Manny is a prima donna straight out of A-Rod's playbook.Those are strange quotes, but honestly less concerned about that than about his need to grab the fielder illegally when he slides into second. That shit needs to stop.
I've never heard SAD refer to Social Anxiety Disorder.I thought SAD was Seasonal Affective Disorder, not Social.
I guess it could be both
Greinke seems to be fine, at least as measured by performance. He has horrible numbers in Fenway and Yankee Stadium in very small sample sizes but I'm not sure that means anything. At any rate he has a limited no-trade (15 teams) so if there's some place he doesn't want to play he won't go there, but he was negotiating with the Red Sox before they signed Price so if he felt he was OK to go to Boston I don't know why he wouldn't go to New York.Yes. I don’t think he could handle the NY market/media.
Kicking the first baseman on the way by doesn't look great either. Pass!Those are strange quotes, but honestly less concerned about that than about his need to grab the fielder illegally when he slides into second. That shit needs to stop.
He has been hitting so far this postseason, .881 OPS with 3 HRs in 9 games. His baserunning on the winning run last night was impressive too, hustling to 2B on a ball that didn't get too far away from the C and then flying home on Bellinger's single with a textbook slide to finish it off.Machado is the next great postseason underachiever, following in the footsteps of A-Rod and Stanton. Unlikable, too. Sign him up!
After all the passed balls from Grandal and others this postseason, Sanchez certainly isn't the only offender. Does the trend towards framing pitches lead to more passed balls? I am no expert but it seems like more pitchers are bouncing hard stuff in the ground, and there seem to be more cross ups, too. Plus, the average velocity is about 10 miles higher than when Yogi was catching.Yeah Sanchez seemed technically more sound at blocking breaking stuff in the dirt in the DS than he did during stretches of the season, but I saw fastballs go to the screen for which he didn't move his glove. Other times he would catch a ball and it would just fall out of his mitt for no reason. And there are times when he seems uncertain about strategy, having to go to the mound repeatedly. Put it this way, as a Sox fan, I feel pretty great about having Sanchez back there. Just as I get a sense of calm with Leon. I guess my comparison to Andujar is stemmed from the notion that historically, 3rd basemen can improve dramatically after they reach the majors(Boggs, for instance) while it seems catchers are pretty much what they are by the time they reach the bigs. Maybe Piazza was an exception. I'm interested to see what happens to Sanchez both offensively and defensively. He's certainly got a great arm and unworldly power.
People say this doesn't have much effect, but not sure I buy it. I wonder how many stolen strikes counterbalance a passed ball on average? 2? 3?Does the trend towards framing pitches lead to more passed balls?
I think framing absolutely does lead to more passed balls and we've seen multiple cases of it this post-season. One of the issues I see with Sanchez is he doesn't seem to have a feel for when he should be framing. He'll try to frame a pitch that is so far off the plate that it has no chance of being called a strike and it has probably cost him some passed balls.After all the passed balls from Grandal and others this postseason, Sanchez certainly isn't the only offender. Does the trend towards framing pitches lead to more passed balls? I am no expert but it seems like more pitchers are bouncing hard stuff in the ground, and there seem to be more cross ups, too. Plus, the average velocity is about 10 miles higher than when Yogi was catching.
The changing world of catching is an interesting discussion. Would love to hear what some great defensive catchers of the past have to say, especially guys like Pudge and Fisk. Just the whole onslaught of power pitchers for nine innings has to wear a catcher down.I think framing absolutely does lead to more passed balls and we've seen multiple cases of it this post-season. One of the issues I see with Sanchez is he doesn't seem to have a feel for when he should be framing. He'll try to frame a pitch that is so far off the plate that it has no chance of being called a strike and it has probably cost him some passed balls.
I don't know if there are more crossups but I suppose it would make sense since all the teams are so worried about sign stealing that they are going to multiple signs all the time just giving that many more chances for a crossup.
The other mistake Sanchez and some other catchers make is framing strikes on the edge, yanking them further into the strike zone. They lose strikes this way because umps (a) don’t like to be framed and (b) often think if the catcher needed to frame a pitch, especially a low strike, it was out of the zone to begin with.I think framing absolutely does lead to more passed balls and we've seen multiple cases of it this post-season. One of the issues I see with Sanchez is he doesn't seem to have a feel for when he should be framing. He'll try to frame a pitch that is so far off the plate that it has no chance of being called a strike and it has probably cost him some passed balls.
I don't know if there are more crossups but I suppose it would make sense since all the teams are so worried about sign stealing that they are going to multiple signs all the time just giving that many more chances for a crossup.
I actually haven’t given any thought to electronic signaling. Don’t know about crossups, but sign stealing is pretty easy to defend against with the right system. I think sign stealing is overrated, mostly about head games, and that teams “let on” that they are stealing signs when what’s really going on is that pitchers are tipping. If a pitcher is tipping, you’d want him and his team to think the reason you’re on his pitches is that you’re stealing signs... so they change signs and he keeps tipping pitches.So being a catcher's dad, you presumably have given more thought to this topic than me and I am curious: do you think there is a way for the catcher/pitcher to communicate pitch selection electronically and quickly? That would presumably cut way down on both crossups and sign-stealing and speed up games without impacting the actual sport really, so yes, please, if at all possible.
We went through this on the other thread already, Cashman used all of his money up (except for maybe $800K) by early August, he signed two top 12 guys with the original allotment and two more with the space acquired in the trades. They got Osiel Rodriguez and Alex Vargas with the additional money:After all that international signing bonus money the Yankees acquired, Victor Victor Mesa ends up a Marlin.
I think that is absolutely one of the answers, yes. I mean, just watch someone like Blake Treinen spike a pitch in front of his catcher that starts around the belt (his vicious slider) and how hard many guys now throw two seamers (in the mid 90s) and I imagine the overall difficultly level has increased for catchers as a result, as pitching coaches now know how to better identify and develop pitchers with above average spin rates....I wonder if increased spin rates are also leading to more passed balls.