2021-2022 Yankees Offseason Discussion

Minneapolis Millers

Wants you to please think of the Twins fans!
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,753
Twin Cities
A consistently good team that routinely makes the playoffs is fine by me too. If they keep giving themselves playoff opportunities, they'll break through again. With a little better injury luck, probably sooner rather than later.
Right, but speaking for the rest of baseball, a Yankees team that wins it only once every 10 or so years is a RELIEF!!
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Someone made the really good point on Twitter that after NY traded for Rizzo and Gallo at the deadline last year, they finished the season 39-22 from there, which is 103-59 pace over a whole season. Maybe that will make people feel better, that is the team that NY has improved on even more with Donaldson etc.
 

EvilEmpire

paying for his sins
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2007
17,178
Washington
I think the Yankees could have a special season if two out of these three things happen:

1) They find a solid SP to slot in at #2 or #3 in the rotation.
2) Gleyber plays closer to his potential.
3) The team avoids catastrophic (season ending type) injuries.

I like this team a lot so far.
 

Wingack

Yankee Mod
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
34,362
In The Quivering Forest
I think the Yankees could have a special season if two out of these three things happen:

1) They find a solid SP to slot in at #2 or #3 in the rotation.
2) Gleyber plays closer to his potential.
3) The team avoids catastrophic (season ending type) injuries.

I like this team a lot so far.
And I kind of hope they don’t trade any of the middle infield prospects. Let’s see what the kids can do, it’s more interesting.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
A lot of arb salaries agreed on today, that means teams trying to trade will know more precisely the incoming/outcoming 2022 salaries of anyone involved. I think NY is around $249M now, maybe they need a three team deal to get Montas, Gleyber for prospects and then those prospects and more prospects for Montas. Both players now had their salaries set today, Gleyber's is $6.25M (3 years left) and Montas' is $5.02 (2 years left), again I'm pretty sure NY needs to stay under $270M to not mess up their Brandon Mayea signing in January, and Gardner will get a couple million at some point, also Judge is in there for $17.5 and asked for $21, so that would eat into the gap too. Chad Green is $4M and might make sense to trade for value in the final year of his deal even if they didn't need the space, although with the extra roster spots in April, it maybe makes more sense to not deal relievers quite yet.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Just speaking to the media fluff I suppose, but Cashmsn has gone on the record saying the main reason the Yanks are in a WS drought is the 2017 Astros. Bad look.

https://theathletic.com/news/brian-cashman-yankees-in-world-series-drought-because-of-illegal-and-horrific-actions-by-astros/CaahiodAk5tY/
I mean, we don’t need to relitigate that here, but NY easily won all three home games in that ALCS, outscoring HOU 19-5 in those. I’m pretty sure he knows more about the specifics than us.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,090
Just speaking to the media fluff I suppose, but Cashmsn has gone on the record saying the main reason the Yanks are in a WS drought is the 2017 Astros. Bad look.

https://theathletic.com/news/brian-cashman-yankees-in-world-series-drought-because-of-illegal-and-horrific-actions-by-astros/CaahiodAk5tY/
Impossible to prove that the cheating impacted anything so, yeah, not sure why you go there. And it’s not like they dealt with an Astros situation every year since 2009. Seems to me that Cashman is feeling some pressure to deliver.
 

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
23,476
Garden City
I posted that in the main thread for the yankees letter stuff. but yea, I agree with Jon. You lost that series by 1 run in their home stadium where they were cheating. The counter argument is that we still didn't score enough there....so.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Impossible to prove that the cheating impacted anything so, yeah, not sure why you go there. And it’s not like they dealt with an Astros situation every year since 2009. Seems to me that Cashman is feeling some pressure to deliver.
Definitely the last, I also think it’s frustrating for him to essentially not be allowed to explain his spending limitations to the media, because teams can’t talk about international kids like Arias and Mayea before signing them and even then it’s kind of gross to talk about young kids in that context.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,090
Definitely the last, I also think it’s frustrating for him to essentially not be allowed to explain his spending limitations to the media, because teams can’t talk about international kids like Arias and Mayea before signing them and even then it’s kind of gross to talk about young kids in that context.
Yeah, it’s obviously a tough job and he’s done quite well in it so the "ha, haven't won since 2009!" stuff is lazy analysis. But that comes with the territory of the job. He clearly benefits from a strong financial backing but he's also made a ton of really good moves and he turned a team that was aging out fast into one that was arguably some trash cans away from a title and has been in the title mix basically every year. He's got 4 top 100 guys on MLB's list and a pretty solid farm behind them so to hear the 2009 stuff has to be a little frustrating. But I also think you need to avoid the temptation of responding to it and just take the high road. Not a major blunder or anything though. Just doesn't come off great in a world of 3 second media clips.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
I agree with that, I also think Covid hurt NY more than maybe any other team as it came right in the middle of their window, held back their wave of young pitching, erased two of their big advantages (trading for more international money and tons of in-person scouts) and came right as they drastically overhauled their coaching staff. I don’t know if I’d go through all that to a reporter if I was Cashman but I can certainly see the temptation.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
On the other hand, he hired and continues to employ Boone.
You know how irritated this decision makes me, but I think that kind of quietly they essentially took away his bullpen decision making for the upcoming season and more than ever, his role is a glorified press secretary,. I still hate that he has this job, though.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Really what Cashman should say is 'it's really fucking hard to win titles no matter how good you are' and stop making excuses, he has chosen to not mortgage the future for the present (wisely IMO) and has the team in contention every year, they just haven't broken through, for reasons of both bad luck and bad performance. The public discussion around Yankee personnel moves is so relentlessly clueless, though, I definitely get the frustration.
 

VORP Speed

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,633
Ground Zero
You know how irritated this decision makes me, but I think that kind of quietly they essentially took away his bullpen decision making for the upcoming season and more than ever, his role is a glorified press secretary,. I still hate that he has this job, though.
How many little in-game decisions could have swung some of those super tight playoff series over the past few years? Boone is Cashman’s hubris personified.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Yep, no defense for that, I thought it was a dumb hire from day 1 and still do.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Ahlstrom was a 7th round pick last summer, Abreu is a victim of no options left and too many relievers.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
So, quietly, Cashman solved what would have been a major issue next winter, the future of NY's catcher position with Sanchez a FA. Now they have three defensive specialists through at least 2024:

Higgy (2024)
Trevino (2025)
Rortvedt (2026?)

And Antonio Gomez coming in maybe 2025 or so, but in the meantime NY is covered at a very hard position to cover.
 

simplicio

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 11, 2012
4,720
Lol at the Holt pitch.

The statcast pitch framing rating is fascinating. Watching top guys like Austin Hedges, Tyler Flowers and Christian Vazquez suddenly drop off a cliff in a single season is bizarre.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
I said since the Rortvedt/Sanchez exchange that to really do this strategy, you need three defensive specialists, two with options. I kept talking about NY going after Haim (the other backup TEX C behind Garver) because I thought Trevino would win the backup job, but they are pretty close and fairly similar, Haim is a switch-hitter.

Anyway, I have been asking Cashman to somehow add a catcher with options for years and this winter he added two, so yay. Also it won't be relevant until next winter, but going forward NY has to be a more tempting place for a pitcher to sign with these three in place over Gary being the main guy. For instance, the Sonny Gray move might have worked out a lot differently if NY had this kind of catching crew to work with him back then.
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,276
I kind of want to start a thread called 'Facial Hal', maybe if that nickname starts to get around (heh), they'd finally dump that antiquated and insulting rule.
Here is my thoughts on this. If Trout had a beard/facial hair and the Yankees traded for him. And Trout refused to shave what happens?
Do they make an exception for him? And if they do, that just proves how antiquated the damn facial hair rule is.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Here is my thoughts on this. If Trout had a beard/facial hair and the Yankees traded for him. And Trout refused to shave what happens?
Do they make an exception for him? And if they do, that just proves how antiquated the damn facial hair rule is.
Cole was the one who could have challenged it successfully, the Dodgers only stopped bidding because he told them he preferred NY.

Judge also could probably make it happen now as part of a new contract, you need someone who the team needs much more than they need the team and there aren't many of those.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
I had a thread on it at one point but somehow it disappeared, maybe in a server change.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

has big, douchey shoulders
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Cole was the one who could have challenged it successfully, the Dodgers only stopped bidding because he told them he preferred NY.

Judge also could probably make it happen now as part of a new contract, you need someone who the team needs much more than they need the team and there aren't many of those.
I honestly don't think they would. They know that's part of the Yankee Way.
 

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
23,476
Garden City
It's a stupid rule but I honestly don't think the players care that much. They can grow whatever they want in the winter.

I also think sometimes I look at other teams and their players look like they just woke up and put a uniform on. Maybe there's a middle ground, goatees, staches, and bears of a certain length are okay but nothing that a bird could nest in.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

has big, douchey shoulders
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
It's a stupid rule but I honestly don't think the players care that much. They can grow whatever they want in the winter.

I also think sometimes I look at other teams and their players look like they just woke up and put a uniform on. Maybe there's a middle ground, goatees, staches, and bears of a certain length are okay but nothing that a bird could nest in.
Birds love nesting in tall bears
 

geoduck no quahog

not particularly consistent
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 8, 2002
13,024
Seattle, WA
If there was ever a good argument for electronic balls/strikes it’s the framing stats. It makes zero sense that the same pitch can be called either way depending how the catcher receives it.

I know it’s an art, but it still seems unfair.