Andrew McCutchen Archives - Page 3 of 4

Yankees activate Sanchez; call up Cessa, Wade, and Tarpley

September 1, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

September 1st has arrived and that means rosters have expanded. Teams can carry up to 40 players through the end of the season rather than the usual 25. Most teams will wind up carrying 30-35 players this month. Every team will have extra relievers and bench players starting today.

The Yankees announced a series of call-ups and roster moves today. A recap:

Andrew McCutchen and Adeiny Hechavarria added to the active roster.
Gary Sanchez activated off the 10-day DL.
Tyler Wade and Luis Cessa recalled from Triple-A Scranton.
Stephen Tarpley added to 40-man roster and promoted to MLB.

Andrew McCutchen! The Yankees acquired McCutchen from the Giants yesterday and he spent the day traveling to New York. He wasn’t put on the active roster yesterday because there was no reason to do so. He wasn’t going to be available and there’s no sense in playing with a 24-man roster. McCutchen is in today’s lineup. Hooray. I’m not sure whether Hechavarria, who came over in a trade late last night, is with the team yet. No harm in adding him to the roster now that rosters have expanded though.

The big news is Sanchez returning from the disabled list. For all intents and purposes, he’s missed the last two months with a groin injury. He went on the disabled list June 25th, returned July 19th, played three games, then returned to the disabled list after reaggravating the groin injury. All told, Gary has missed 54 games with the groin injury and reaggravation of the groin injury.

While Sanchez was out the Austin Romine/Kyle Higashioka catching tandem hit .201/.258/.350 in 231 plate appearances and opponents went 43-for-56 (77%) stealing bases. The overall team ERA also went from 3.43 to 3.72 during Sanchez’s absence. It has not been pretty behind the plate the last few weeks. I’m looking forward to Gary being back and him getting back to being the player he was last year.

The other big news today is Tarpley’s call-up. The left-hander came over as one of the two players to be named later in the Ivan Nova trade with the Pirates, and thanks to a new pitch and a new role, he posted a 1.94 ERA (3.23 FIP) with 25.6% strikeouts, 9.4% walks, and 68.1% grounders in 69.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this year. That 68.1% ground ball rate is the highest among the 1,011 minor leagues with at least 65 innings pitched in 2018.

Tarpley will be making his big league debut, and, like most first time September call-ups, I expect him to work in mop-up duty, at least at first. He held left-handed batters to a .148/.219/.193 batting line in the minors this year and could always get the call in low-to-mid-leverage left-on-left spots. Phil Coke quickly worked his way into the Circle of Trust™ in September 2008. Maybe Tarpley can do the same in September 2018. That’d be cool.

The Yankees have not yet announced a 40-man roster move for Tarpley. I wonder if it’ll be Shane Robinson now that McCutchen is with the team and Wade, who can also play the outfield, has been added to the roster. The Yankees might be waiting to make sure no one gets hurt during batting practice today before announcing Robinson has been designated for assignment, assuming he is the move. That’s a fairly common practice.

Update: Yep, Robinson has been designated for assignment, the Yankees announced. That’s the 40-man move for Tarpley.

Cessa and Wade have been up and down a bunch this season and are just extra bodies now that rosters have expanded. Wade is a speedy utility guy who can play pretty much anywhere. With Quintin Berry not being called up (not yet, anyway), I assume Wade takes over as the designated pinch-runner. Cessa is stretched out as a long man, so now the Yankees have him and Sonny Gray available for long relief work for whenever things go haywire.

Notably absent among today’s call-ups: Justus Sheffield. Aaron Boone said yesterday Sheffield would not be called up today, but could be later this month. I think it’ll happen fairly soon. Sheffield moved to the Triple-A bullpen last week in preparation for a call-up, but he missed a few games with an illness earlier this week, and fell behind a bit. I expect him to come up after one or two more relief appearances with the RailRiders.

As always, more call-ups will take place throughout September. Sheffield will be up at some point and I assume Chance Adams will as well. Probably once Triple-A Scranton’s season ends, which could be as soon as Monday. Berry is another call-up candidate. Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga will likely return later this month, plus Aroldis Chapman and Didi Gregorius will eventually be activated off the disabled list, hopefully soon.

Thoughts following the Andrew McCutchen trade

September 1, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

It took a little longer than I think everyone would’ve liked, but the Yankees have officially acquired an Aaron Judge replacement, and they got a good one. Prospects Abi Avelino and Juan De Paula went to the Giants for former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen yesterday. McCutchen is an impending free agent — that makes him a 27-game (plus postseason) rental — and the Giants are paying half his $2.4M salary to help make the luxury tax plan work. Time for some trade related thoughts.

1. Question No. 1: What does this mean for Aaron Judge? I do think the trade is an indication the Yankees have some concern either Judge won’t return before the postseason, or at least won’t return at full strength. There are four weeks and one day to go in the regular season and Judge has not yet started swinging a bat. Whenever he is cleared to swing, he first has to take dry swings, then hit off a tee and soft toss, then hit in the cage, then take batting practice, then face live pitching, and then play in games to shake off the rust. It’s a process and it takes time, and while there are four weeks remaining in the regular season, time is starting to run out. The minor league season ends in two days, so Judge won’t be able to play in rehab games. There is point of no return here and every day Judge doesn’t swing a bat brings us one day closer to that point. At the trade deadline, a few days after Judge went down, Brian Cashman said he was looking for an outfielder who could slide into a bench role once Judge gets healthy. That’s not McCutchen. They picked up an above-average everyday player who’s never been a part-timer or platoon bat. This isn’t a stopgap pickup. This is a “we need an everyday guy in case Judge doesn’t come back” pickup. That doesn’t necessarily mean Judge isn’t expected back or won’t come back. It just means the Yankees have enough concern that they added some protection.

2. Question No. 2: How does everyone fit when Judge returns? This is not something worth worrying about right now. Worry about it when Judge does actually return, which doesn’t seem to be imminent. In a perfect world scenario, Judge comes back with two or three weeks to go in the regular season, giving him time to get at-bats and get back to full strength. If that does happen, and I really hope it does, McCutchen allows the Yankees to get Giancarlo Stanton off that tight hamstring for a bit, and it allows them to rest Aaron Hicks and especially Brett Gardner a little more often. If Judge gets healthy and the Yankees go into the postseason with five outfielders (Gardner, Hicks, Judge, McCutchen, Stanton) for four spots (three outfield plus DH), then celebrate. Too many good players is better than not enough. Aaron Boone will have plenty of lineup options. Let’s worry how all the pieces fit when all the pieces are actually healthy and on the active roster. That isn’t the case right now and it doesn’t appear it will be anytime soon.

3. Question No. 3: What took so long? The Yankees have needed an outfielder for weeks now. Weeks. It has been five weeks and two days since Judge got hurt. Billy McKinney was traded earlier that same day. Clint Frazier has been on the disabled list since the All-Star break. The outfield need didn’t come out of nowhere, and yet, the Yankees didn’t get Judge’s replacement until five weeks after Judge got hurt. And during those five weeks the Yankees essentially slipped out of the AL East race completely. Replacing Shane Robinson with McCutchen or Curtis Granderson or whoever on July 31st probably doesn’t change the division race much — they’d be what, maybe three games closer to the Red Sox at the most? — but still, would’ve been nice to have a real outfielder this last month. In McCutchen’s case, the Giants weren’t ready to trade him at the deadline because they were still in the postseason mix and wanted to try to make a run. Didn’t happen. They slipped in the standings and decided to cash him in as a trade chip. There were other outfielders available though. I know that because there are always outfielders available. I don’t know if the asking prices were too high or if nothing worked under the luxury tax plan or something else. Whatever it was, getting an outfielder is really something that should’ve happened weeks ago. Better later than never though.

4. Among the players who were actually available on the trade market, meaning no fantasy Bryce Harper trade, McCutchen is the best possible replacement for Judge. He’s no longer the MVP caliber player he was in his prime — this dude hit .313/.404/.523 (157 wRC+) from 2012-15 — but he’s hitting .255/.357/.415 (115 wRC+) this season and will walk a ton (12.9%) without striking out excessively (21.7%). Moving from spacious AT&T Park to hitter friendly Yankee Stadium figures to increase his power output, though there are only eleven home games remaining in the regular season. Beyond all that though, McCutchen has a flair for the dramatic …

… and he’s a Grade-A clubhouse dude who plays with a lot of energy and a lot of swagger. He’ll quickly become a fan favorite. Also, McCutchen has been a star player on a contending team. He was The Man when the Pirates averaged 93 wins a season and went to the postseason three straight years from 2012-15. McCutchen was the centerpiece of the lineup and the franchise player. He knows what that is all about and I have no worries about him fitting in. There might even be a Todd Frazier effect, so to speak. Frazier came in last year and, in addition to being productive on the field, he gave the team some more life and confidence. McCutchen can do the same this year. Other guys like Granderson and Adam Jones would’ve been adequate outfield fill-ins as well. McCutchen was the best possible addition in my opinion though.

5. Between the McCutchen trade and the imminent returns of Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius, the Yankees are getting a real shot in the arm this weekend. Sanchez will be activated today and Gregorius isn’t far off. The Yankees will still be without Judge for a while, but they have a more than competent replacement now, and their starting catcher and starting shortstop are back as well. We’ve seen some lineups the last few weeks where the 7-8-9 hitters had a real 2013 Yankees feel to them, no? McCutchen, Sanchez, and Gregorius are three middle of the order types, which means guys like Walker and Voit can move down in the lineup, adding depth. A possible lineup:

CF Aaron Hicks
DH Giancarlo Stanton
SS Didi Gregorius
RF Andrew McCutchen
3B Miguel Andujar
C Gary Sanchez
2B Gleyber Torres
1B Luke Voit/Neil Walker (sorry, Greg Bird, but you can’t seem to hit anymore)
LF Brett Gardner

Boone said he may bat McCutchen leadoff, but I think Hicks should be the regular leadoff hitter, and I said so weeks ago. Will Boone actually do that though? I’m not sure. Also, something tells me four straight right-handed hitters in the 4-5-6-7 spots will give Boone the heebie-jeebies, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see McCutchen leading off and Hicks hitting fourth or fifth to break that up. The lineup above is probably the lineup I’d go with though, without thinking about it too much. Flipping Stanton and McCutchen would work, ditto flipping Sanchez and Torres. That’s the way I’d go, I think. Sure looks a heck of a lot better than the lineups they’ve been running out there since Didi got hurt, doesn’t it?

6. Look at that lineup above. Look how much turnover there’s been since Opening Day. The Yankees have a new right fielder, a few first baseman, a new second baseman, and a new third baseman. And also two new starting pitchers and a new late-inning reliever. Four-ninths of the lineup and two-fifths of the rotation have turned over since Opening Day. Part of that was planned (Torres was always going to take over at second base at some point) but most of it wasn’t (Luke Voit!?). Amazing how so much can change in this game over the course of the 162-game season, even with the best teams. The Yankees came into the year with like seven viable big league outfielders and now here they are trading for McCutchen in August. Go figure.

7. Not often you can say this about a guy who hit .298/.387/.533 between Triple-A and MLB, but wow what a crappy year for Clint Frazier. He missed much of Spring Training and the first few weeks of the regular season with the concussion, then went up and down a bunch of times as a spare bench bat, and then the post-concussion migraines flared up just in time to land him on the disabled list right when playing time became available. It would’ve been Frazier in right field these last few weeks instead of Robinson and Walker. He would’ve been in the lineup every single day. The concussion and migraines robbed him of an opportunity at regular playing time, and a chance to show the Yankees and everyone else what he can do. Sucks. And now the Yankees trade for McCutchen just as Clint begins a minor league rehab assignment. Poor kid, man. Awful timing from start to finish. It’s been a difficult year for Frazier. Hopefully he finishes healthy and strong, has a good offseason, and becomes a better player after dealing with all the adversity this year. (I wonder if Frazier will look to play winter ball somewhere to make up for the lost time. He has too much service time for the Arizona Fall League.)

8. As for Avelino and De Paula, the Yankees didn’t give up a whole lot to get McCutchen, which isn’t surprising. He’s a one-month (plus postseason) rental. I had neither Avelino nor De Paula in my most recent top 30 Yankees prospects list — before the trade MLB.com ranked them as the 23rd and 26th best prospects in the system, respectively — and they were both surplus players for the Yankees. Avelino’s a middle infielder who had success in Double-A (162 wRC+) and not much success in Triple-A (83 wRC+) this year while repeating the levels, and he’s due to become a minor league free agent after the season. I don’t think he was a good bet to get a 40-man roster spot at all with Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada still around. As for De Paula, he is still in short season ball and the Yankees are loaded with lower level pitching prospects. He’ll be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season and, with his 21st birthday three weeks away, De Paula was one of the team’s oldest pitching prospects not in full season minor league ball. He was arguably the most expendable of the bunch. Avelino figures to get a chance to help the Giants right away as a utility guy. They wouldn’t have traded for him if they weren’t planning to add him to the 40-man to prevent him from leaving as a minor league free agent this winter. De Paula is still a few years away from helping. The Yankees dealt from positions of depth and gave up two players they’re not going to miss. Avelino was probably a goner after the season and De Paula is way too far down the ladder to worry about.

9. This is the first time the Yankees have made an August waiver trade since getting Steve Pearce for cash in 2012, and that was a minor trade for a spare part player — that was two years before Pearce really broke out with the Orioles — who was waived after 12 games. The last time the Yankees made an August waiver trade for a no-doubt big league player who stayed on their roster the rest of the season was 2009, when they sent cash to the Padres for Chad Gaudin. The sample size is not big, but the best August waiver trade the Yankees ever made went down in 1996, when they got Charlie Hayes from the Pirates for a minor leaguer who never made it. Hayes went 19-for-67 (.284) with three doubles and two homers in 20 regular season games with the Yankees, then caught the final out of the World Series. So, long story short, there’s a pretty darn good chance McCutchen will go down as the best August waiver trade pickup in franchise history. He has to perform, of course, but there’s no reason to think he won’t other than baseball being weird sometimes. It’s not often impactful trades go down in August. That Justin Verlander deal last year? A complete and total outlier for August, historically. The Yankees may’ve just made an impactful August trade, however. McCutchen is a great player who fills a big need and is a super likeable dude.

Game 135: Still waiting for Good Sevy to return

August 31, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

So. The Yankees lost that stupid game last night. It was annoying. Nothing they can do about it now though. The best and worst thing about baseball is that they play every single day. Can’t enjoy the successes or dwell on the failures too long. There’s another game tomorrow, or in this case, today.

Tonight we again turn our attention to Luis Severino, who is still trying to work out of his recent rut. He’s allowed 36 runs and a .325/.365/.579 opponent’s batting line in his last 46.2 innings. That is in the range of what Christian Yelich is hitting this year (.316/.378/.559). Severino has turned every batter he’s faced the last eight weeks into Yelich. Not good. A dominant start would be a welcome sight. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. CF Aaron Hicks
4. 3B Miguel Andujar
5. 1B Luke Voit
6. SS Gleyber Torres
7. RF Neil Walker
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Ronald Torreyes

RHP Luis Severino

Detroit Tigers
1. 3B Jeimer Candelario
2. 1B Jim Adduci
3. RF Nick Castellanos
4. DH Victor Martinez
5. LF Niko Goodrum
6. SS Ronny Rodriguez
7. C James McCann
8. CF JaCoby Jones
9. 2B Dawel Lugo

RHP Jordan Zimmermann

It is cloudy and humid in New York and it was raining for a bit this afternoon. That’s supposed to clear out by game time, and here’s no more rain in the forecast until much later tonight/tomorrow morning. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Roster Updates: In case you missed it earlier, the Yankees did indeed finalize the trade for Andrew McCutchen today. He is officially a Yankee. He is not with the team, however. He’s traveling from San Francisco today and will join the Yankees tomorrow. McCutchen is going to wear No. 26, apparently … Justus Sheffield will not be called up when rosters expand tomorrow. He’s still in the mix for a call-up though. Seems like the Yankees want him to get one more Triple-A relief appearance under his belt first, especially after missing time with an illness earlier this week.

Injury Updates: Gary Sanchez (groin) is back with the Yankees and will be activated tomorrow, when rosters expand. Today was a planned rest day anyway after playing the last four days with Triple-A Scranton … Aaron Judge (wrist) still hasn’t started swinging a bat but Aaron Boone is “very optimistic” he will return this season. Uh huh.

Yankees send two prospects to Giants for Andrew McCutchen

August 31, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Friday: It’s a done deal. The trade has been announced. The Yankees get McCutchen for infielder Abi Avelino and righty Juan De Paula. Also, Jon Heyman says San Francisco will pay half the $2.4M owed to McCutchen the rest of the season. He’s a rental and because the trade went down before tonight’s 11:59pm ET deadline, McCutchen will be postseason eligible.

DePaula, a soon-to-be 21-year-old, came over from the Mariners in the Ben Gamel trade and has a 1.71 ERA (3.44 FIP) with 23.4% strikeouts and 13.2% walks in 47.1 innings with Short Season Staten Island this year while repeating the level. MLB.com ranks De Paula as the team’s No. 26 prospect — he wasn’t in my most recent top 30 list — and he will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season.

Thursday: The Yankees are about to finally land an Aaron Judge replacement. According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees are trying to finalize a trade with the Giants for Andrew McCutchen. Infielder Abi Avelino, who was pulled from tonight’s Triple-A game, will be one of two prospects heading to San Francisco. The Yankees needed an outfielder weeks ago, but better late than never, I guess.

For what it’s worth, Buster Olney says the trade is done while Mark Feinsand hears there is “nothing finalized” yet. They’re probably both right. The two sides might have an agreement in place but haven’t made it official with the league yet. The Yankees have until 11:59pm ET tomorrow night to acquire McCutchen and have him be postseason eligible. That shouldn’t be a problem with 24 hours to go.

McCutchen, 31, is no longer the MVP caliber producer he was in his prime, but he is hitting .255/.357/.415 (115 wRC+) with 15 home runs this season, and that is a massive upgrade over Shane Robinson and fading Brett Gardner. Also, moving from spacious AT&T Park to Yankee Stadium should result in an uptick in power. McCutchen is postseason tested and he’s a Grade-A clubhouse dude. He is pretty much the best possible Judge replacement among guys who were actually available.

Judge has been out five weeks since an errant fastball broke his right wrist — the original timetable had him returning to game action after three weeks, as I’m sure you remember — and he still hasn’t started swinging a bat, so it’s safe to say his return is not imminent. He has to start swinging a bat, then progress to hitting in the cage, in batting practice, and live pitching. It takes time.

With Giancarlo Stanton nursing a hamstring injury, the Yankees have been playing Neil Walker in right field primarily this month. Walker has been hitting well, but he is no outfielder, and it has showed plenty of times in recent weeks. McCutchen can slot right into right field and into Judge’s No. 2 spot in the lineup. Gary Sanchez is due back Saturday and Didi Gregorius isn’t far away either. Help is coming.

As for the luxury tax plan, McCutchen is owed about $2.5M the rest of the season — apparently the Pirates are paying some of his salary this year, which reduces his luxury tax hit — and Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees can absorb the full $2.5M and stay under the $197M threshold. My last estimate had the Yankees at $3.3M in available payroll space. We’ll see if the Giants eat money. I’d bet the farm against the Yankees going over the threshold.

Avelino, 23, did not rank among my most recent top 30 Yankees prospects but he would’ve cracked a top 50. MLB.com ranks him as the 23rd best prospect in the system. Avelino is hitting .287/.333/.446 (116 wRC+) with 15 home runs in 122 games this season, though he’s been much better in Double-A (162 wRC+) than Triple-A (83 wRC+). He’ll be a minor league free agent after the season and wasn’t a good bet to land a 40-man roster spot.

If I had to guess, I’d say the second prospect will be a Rule 5 Draft eligible pitcher who is on the 40-man roster bubble. Erik Swanson or Nick Green, maybe? McCutchen is a big upgrade for the Yankees but he doesn’t have a ton of trade value. The Yankees are only getting him for a month plus the postseason. The Giants are out of the race and there’s not much sense in keeping McCutchen.

Scouting the Trade Market: Fill-In Outfielders

August 14, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

For only the the fifth time in the last 12 games, Shane Robinson did not start for the Yankees last night. Robinson has played so much lately because Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier are on the disabled list, and because Giancarlo Stanton is nursing a hamstring injury. The Yankees are so short on outfielders at the moment that Neil Walker has started the last three games in right field.

There is still no firm timetable for Judge or Frazier to return from the disabled list, or for Stanton to resume playing the outfield. The Yankees tried to acquire another bat at the deadline but came up empty, though the need remains. Robinson’s playing too much and I’m not sure Walker in right field is viable long-term. The Yankees could use another outfielder, for sure.

Ideally, whoever the Yankees acquire will be comfortable slotting into a bench role once Judge returns. Being a bench player is not easy. We saw how much Walker struggled earlier this year when he was playing sparingly. As always, there are plenty of spare part bats on the August trade market, some of which are more attractive than others. Here are a few who could interest the Yankees while Judge and Frazier are sidelined.

John Andreoli, Mariners

2018 Batting Line: .279/.392/.390 (113 wRC+) with 19 steals in 21 attempts in Triple-A

Why Him? The players in this post are listed alphabetically, though I suppose it’s only right we start with the guy no one knows. Andreoli, 28, was a career minor leaguer with the Cubs before joining the Mariners as a minor league free agent. He has three games worth of MLB experience, all with Seattle this year, and over the last four years he’s posted a .370 OBP with lots of walks (13.8%) and lots of steals (121-for-156, 76%) in nearly 2,000 Triple-A plate appearances. There’s even a little pop in his bat.

Andreoli is a speed and defense outfielder who takes his walks, steals some bases, and will catch everything in all three outfield spots. Even with Judge and Gary Sanchez sidelined, the Yankees have some power to spare. A speedy outfielder who hits ninth and puts together long at-bats can fit the lineup well right now.

Why Not Him? I have no idea whether Andreoli is an upgrade over Robinson. He’s five years younger, I know that much, but Andreoli has no MLB track record. Robinson is another speed and defense outfielder, remember. They’re kinda the same player. You say tomato, I say tomahto. Trading for Andreoli might be at best a lateral move and potentially even a downgrade.

What Will It Cost? This can probably be a cash trade. The Yankees got fellow Quad-A types George Kontos and Gio Urshela in cash deals earlier this month.

Jose Bautista, Mets

2018 Batting Line: .195/.335/.368 (98 wRC+) with nine home runs

Why Him? If nothing else, Bautista will still draw walks (16.7%) and get on base at a respectable clip while running into the occasional fastball. His platoon split is relatively small (102 wRC+ vs. 94 wRC+), so he doesn’t necessarily need to be platooned, plus Bautista can also play first and third bases, if necessary. He’s done both this year. He knows the AL East and he’s not going to be scared away by a postseason race.

Why Not Him? Even with last night’s homer, Bautista stopped hitting a few weeks ago. He’s at .161/.282/.259 (59 wRC+) in 131 plate appearances since July 1st, and the whole “he can play the four corner positions” thing doesn’t help much given his overall below-average defensive play. Right now, the only thing you can count on 37-year-old Jose Bautista to do is draw walks. Does that make him an upgrade over Robinson? Maybe! Enough to make it worth the hassle? Eh.

What Will It Cost? Probably another cash trade. Cash or a very fringe prospect. I can’t imagine any team would pay much for a declining player who didn’t sign until mid-April and has already been released once this year. That all said, are the Mets willing to trade with the Yankees? I’ll need to see it to believe it.

Carlos Gomez, Rays

2018 Batting Line: .218/.309/.354 (88 wRC+) with eight homers and nine steals

Why Him? Gomez remains a strong defender even at age 32, though he’s much better in the corners than in center at this point. There’s not much thump in his bat these days. He can still ambush a fastball and steal the occasional base, and that’s about it. His platoon split (99 wRC+ vs. 84 wRC+) is small, so it’s not like the Yankees would be bringing in a bona fide lefty masher. Gomez is better than Robinson though, has been his entire career, and he’s still young enough that there might be a good dead cat bounce in here.

Why Not Him? Fair or not, Gomez is the type who rubs some people the wrong way. The Yankees might not want to bring anyone in who could potentially disrupt the clubhouse, especially since we’re talking about a bit player who will get pushed into a bench role once Judge returns. Whatever little bit Gomez gives you on the field might be negated by him getting on everyone’s nerves.

What Will It Cost? A lower ranked prospect who might not crack his team’s top 30 list. Spare parts like Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda were traded for fringe top 30 prospects last August. That’s the benchmark.

Curtis Granderson, Blue Jays

2018 Batting Line: .234/.333/.414 (105 wRC+) with ten home runs

Why Him? Who doesn’t love the Grandyman? Granderson still takes his walks (12.1%) and will sock some dingers, plus he knows how to use the short porch. Few left-handed hitters have done it better since the current Yankee Stadium opened a decade ago. Granderson can still hold his own against high-end pitching …

… and his .240/.336/.429 (109 wRC+) batting line against righties is far better than anything Robinson will give you. Granderson has been used as a platoon bat for a few years now, so he’s comfortable with a part-time role, plus he’s a Grade-A dude who fits in any clubhouse. I suspect that, if the Yankees brought Granderson back, it’d be like David Robertson last year. Like he never left. He’d fit right in.

Why Not Him? Granderson is a strict platoon bat, so you can’t use him against lefties, and his defense has slipped with age. Also, his 29.5% strikeout rate is a career high, and the Yankees don’t really need to add more strikeouts to the lineup. Otherwise, Granderson is a rental on a bad team, and he’d be a clear upgrade over Robinson, even in a part-time role.

What Will It Cost? Last August the Mets traded Granderson for a Triple-A reliever (Jacob Rhame) who was a prospect, but not a very good one. No reason to think it’ll cost more to get him this time around.

Andrew McCutchen, Giants

2018 Batting Line: .255/.355/.413 (114 wRC+) with 13 home runs

Why Him? McCutchen’s days as an MVP candidate are over, but he remains an above-average hitter who draws walks (12.4%), doesn’t strike out excessively (21.7%), and hits lefties hard (124 wRC+). He is someone the Yankees (or any team, for that matter) could run out there on an everyday basis with no issues whatsoever. McCutchen can still hit and hit in the middle of a contending team’s lineup. Get him out of AT&T Park and his power numbers will increase for sure. He’s an obvious fit.

Why Not Him? First of all, the pro-rated portion of his $14.5M salary doesn’t fit under the $197M luxury tax threshold. The Yankees would have to get the Giants to eat some money to make it work, which means giving up more in return. Also, McCutchen’s defense is not very good at this point, even in right field, and how does he handle being bumped into a reserve role once Judge returns? He seems like a more realistic option for a long-term injury. As far as we know, Judge remains on track to return at some point soon. If he were going to miss the rest of the season, then McCutchen would fit.

What Will It Cost? McCutchen has real trade value, and the more money the Giants eat, the more they can demand in return. San Francisco gave up a good prospect (Bryan Reynolds) and a big league reliever (Kyle Crick) to get McCutchen in the offseason, though they acquired a full season of him. Now they’re giving up less than one-third of a season of him. I don’t think asking for a quality mid-range prospect would be unreasonable. A Domingo Acevedo type, with the Giants eating some money to make the luxury tax plan work.

Hunter Pence, Giants

2018 Batting Line: .213/.250/.287 (45 wRC+) with one home run

Why Him? Well, he’s definitely available. The Giants have bumped the obviously declining Pence into a fourth outfielder’s role, so he’ll be okay with that once Judge returns. As with McCutchen, the Giants would have to eat salary to make this work — Pence is making $18.5M this year — though he should come cheap anyway. Think along the lines of the Vernon Wells salary dump.

Why Not Him? Pence can’t hit — he owns a .150/.203/.183 (4 wRC+) line against lefties, so you can’t even platoon him — can’t play defense, and can’t really run anymore. He is definitely more name value than on-field value at this point. Maybe being back in a postseason race will re-energize Pence and the Yankees can catch lightning in a bottle. At this point though, it is entirely possible if not likely he is no better than Robinson.

What Will It Take? Cash or non-prospects. Even if the Giants eat money. There’s just not much here.

Danny Valencia, Orioles

2018 Batting Line: .263/.316/.408 (93 wRC+) with nine home runs

Why Him? The Orioles designated Valencia for assignment over the weekend as part of the process of clearing roster space for younger players. He is a career southpaw masher and this year he owns a .303/.368/.505 (132 wRC+) line against lefties. Valencia can fake the four corner positions as well, so there is some versatility here. And considering he’s currently in DFA limbo, he should cost next to nothing to acquire. The Yankees might even be able to wait until he becomes a free agent, then sign him to the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

Why Not Him? Valencia is useless against righties (64 wRC+) and he’s a terrible defender anywhere, so the versatility just means he can cost you runs at more positions. Also, Valencia has a reputation for being a bit of a headache in the clubhouse. There’s a reason he’s played for seven different teams since 2012 despite solid offensive numbers.

What Will It Take? Well, he’s in DFA limbo now, so nothing. Cash trade or wait until he gets released, then just sign him.

2018 Trade Deadline Rumors: Tuesday

July 31, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

A lefty bat worth squeezing between Judge and Stanton. (Rob Carr/Getty)

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline is 4pm ET today and wow have the Yankees been busy. The busiest team in baseball over the last week or so, right? Feels like it. The Yankees have completed six trades in the last six days, some more impactful than others. A recap:

Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers, and Cody Carroll for Zach Britton. (RAB post)
Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney for J.A. Happ. (RAB post)
Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos for Luke Voit and $1M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
Caleb Frare for $1.5M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
Adam Warren for $1.25M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo for Lance Lynn. (RAB post)

Eleven players out, four players and $3.75M worth of international bonus money in. Know what the crazy thing is? I am not at all convinced the Yankees are done. They could still use another outfielder (because Aaron Judge is hurt) as well as a catcher (because Gary Sanchez is hurt). Plus more pitching. I’d rather have too much than not enough.

We’re once again going to keep track of the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here, so make sure you check back for updates. The Yankees have made so many moves already that I can’t promise many rumors today, they might in fact be done, but I am open to being surprised. Chat about all the day’s trade deadline rumors and activity here.

2:28pm ET: The Yankees will not be getting Cameron Maybin. He’s been traded to the Mariners. The Yankees reportedly remain in the hunt for a right-handed outfield bat, however.
11:10am ET: The Yankees want a right-handed outfield bat to help cover for Judge, though they were not in on Tommy Pham, who was traded to the Rays. They want someone comfortable with a bench role. [Joel Sherman]
10:49am ET: The Yankees have “zero interest” in Matt Harvey, and that was even before the Happ and Lynn trades. Not surprised. I couldn’t see the Yankees bringing him back to New York, especially since there’s little reason to believe he can pitch well in Yankee Stadium. [Andy Martino]
10:36am ET: You can stop fantasizing about Harper now. “Bryce is not going anywhere. I believe in this team,” said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo this morning. [Chelsea Janes]
10:21am ET: The Yankees have discussed Brad Ziegler with the Marlins. Unless there would be another deal coming a la Warren/Lynn, I’m not sure where he fits. Maybe they’re trying to drive up the price for the Red Sox, who have been connected to Ziegler. [Feinsand]
10:20am ET: The Yankees are expected to add an outfielder today. Expecting to add an outfielder and actually adding an outfielder are two different things though. [Ken Rosenthal, Feinsand]
10:09am ET: The Yankees have spoken to the Mets about Jose Bautista. The Mets don’t want to give him away though, plus the chances of a Yankees-Mets trade are always small. [Heyman]
9:30am ET: In case you missed it last night, the Nationals have made Bryce Harper available. The Yankees haven’t checked in as far as we know, but still, this is pretty noteworthy. [Mark Feinsand]
9:30am ET: The Yankees are among the teams with interest in impending free agent Andrew McCutchen. The Giants insist they’re not ready to sell even though they’ve fallen out of the race. McCutchen is definitely someone who could be on the move in August. [Jon Morosi]
9:30am ET: The Yankees have also checked in on Curtis Granderson and Cameron Maybin, so they’re casting a wide net for an outfielder in the wake of Judge’s injury. I’d be all for a Granderson reunion. The R2C2 podcast episode alone would make it worth it. [Morosi, Jon Heyman]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.

The Long-Term Future in Center Field

March 1, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

This is an exciting time to be a Yankees fan. The big league team might not be any good this season, and frankly they haven’t been all that good over the last four years anyway, but at least now the farm system is loaded and there are a ton of quality young players in the organization. Soon young guys like Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier will join Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird in the Bronx.

At some point in the near future, perhaps sooner than anyone realizes, the Yankees will have to figure out their center field situation. The two best center fielders on the roster, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, will both turn 34 later this year. Over the last ten years there has been one full-time center fielder age 34 or older: Mike Cameron, who continued to play center full-time from ages 34-36 in 2007-09. No one else has done it.

Center field is a young man’s position because it involves lots and lots of running, day after day after day. The Yankees had Johnny Damon begin the process of moving to left field at age 33 because Melky Cabrera was the superior defensive option, remember. By center fielder standards, Gardner and Ellsbury are pretty darn old, and it stands to reason they won’t be viable options at the position much longer. Speed usually doesn’t age all that well.

This creates two questions for the Yankees. One, who plays center field long-term? And two, what do the Yankees do with Gardner and/or Ellsbury? I’ll answer the second one first: they’re probably going to trade Gardner at some point. Would they prefer to trade Ellsbury? Yeah, I’m sure of it. But that’s not happening, so Gardner it is. They’ve been listening on him for over a year, and it feels like only a matter of time until a trade goes down.

I get the feeling the eventual outcome here is Gardner gets traded away, then Ellsbury slides over to left field for the tail end of his contract, similar to Damon back in the day. (Or worse, to designated hitter full-time.) That creates an opening in center field, and as good as the farm system is these days, the Yankees don’t have an elite center field prospect. Torres is a shortstop, Frazier and Aaron Judge are corner outfielders, and so on.

That doesn’t mean the Yankees lack potential center field options, however. Not at all. They actually have quite a few, both short-term and long-term. That’s good. Multiple options are good. As much as we all love the prospects, the reality is they won’t all work out, and you’d hate to pin your hopes on that one guy to take over a position long-term. Here, in no particular order, are the club’s various long-term center field options.

The Almost Ready Option

When the 2017 regular season begins, Dustin Fowler figures to roam center field for Triple-A Scranton. Fowler is New York’s best pure center field prospect — I ranked him as the 12th best prospect in the system overall — and last year he hit .281/.311/.458 (109 wRC+) with 30 doubles, 15 triples, 12 homers, and 25 steals in Double-A. He really fills up the box score. Fowler is also a very good defender with plenty of range.

There are two glaring weaknesses to Fowler’s game. One, he doesn’t have much of a throwing arm. And two, he’s pretty undisciplined at the plate. Minor league walk rates aren’t everything, though his career 4.4% walk rate in over 1,500 minor league plate appearances is emblematic of his approach. Those are negatives, clearly, but Fowler also offers enough positives to be an everyday player. He makes contact, has some pop, steals bases, and defends well. Similar skill set to peak Ellsbury now that I think about it.

For all intents and purposes, Fowler is a call-up candidate right now. He’s going to start the season in Triple-A and will be added to the 40-man roster no later than next winter (when he’s Rule 5 Draft eligible), and any time those combination of things exist, there’s a chance for the player to wind up in the show. Fowler is, by far, the Yankees’ best close to MLB ready center field prospect. He is easily the favorite to take over the position in the short-term.

The Square Peg, Round Hole Option

Although his tools point to a long-term future in left field, Frazier has enough speed and athleticism to handle center field right now, if necessary. He has plenty of experience at the position — he’s played more minor league games in center (260) than he has in left and right combined (117) — and still possesses enough speed to cover the gaps. Would Frazier be a perfect fit in center? No, but it’s doable. The question is whether mid-30s Ellsbury in left and Frazier in center is a better defensive alignment than mid-30s Ellsbury in center and Frazier in left. It’s not so cut and dried.

The Conversion Candidates

The Yankees are loaded with shortstop prospects at the moment, so much so that they’ve had Tyler Wade and Jorge Mateo get acquainted with the outfield. Wade played all three outfield spots in the Arizona Fall League last year and he’s been out there this spring as well. Mateo worked out in center field in Instructional League and is doing the same this spring. He’s yet to play an actual game out there, however.

Wade, like Fowler, will open this season in Triple-A, though he’s not an immediate center field option given his inexperience at the position. He’s not someone the Yankees could call up and stick in center for two weeks in May to cover for injuries, you know? That’s a little too soon. Besides, it seems the Yankees are looking to make Wade a super utility player, not a full-time outfielder. He’s too good defensively on the infield to throw that away entirely.

As for Mateo, I am pretty intrigued with the idea of putting him in center field full-time. He’s a good defender at shortstop, that’s not much of a problem, but his truly elite speed may be put to better use in center. Mateo is a good defender at short. He might be a great defender in center. Either way, Mateo is not close to the big leagues like Fowler, Frazier, and Wade. He’s yet to play above High-A and has to answer some questions about his bat before we can start to think about him as a realistic center field option. (And, you know, he has to actually play some games in center too.)

The Reclamation Candidate(s)

Earlier I mentioned Gardner and Ellsbury are the two best center fielders on the roster, which is true when taking all things into account. The best defensive center fielder on the roster is Aaron Hicks (despite a few funky routes last season). He’s got top notch closing speed and a rocket arm. Right now, in the year 2017, Hicks is a better gloveman than either Gardner or Ellsbury in center.

The best defensive outfielder in the entire organization is another reclamation project: Mason Williams. He’s a premium runner who gets great reads, and while his arm isn’t Hicks caliber, it is comfortably above average. Even after shoulder surgery two years ago. It’s unclear whether Williams will ever hit enough to play regularly, but his glove is unquestioned. The Yankees could play him everyday in center and he could handle it defensively.

That “will he ever hit?” question is a big one though, and it applies to Hicks as well. Hicks and Williams are so talented that you can never rule out things coming together, especially at their ages, but for them to have any shot at replacing Ellsbury in center field full-time, they’re going to have to do more at the plate. No doubt. (To be fair to Williams, he’s been hurt more than ineffective the last two seasons.)

The Far Away Options

Fowler and Frazier (and Wade) are knocking on the door. Mateo is a little further away. Ever further away are Blake Rutherford and Estevan Florial, two high-upside center field prospects. Both figure to start the season at Low-A Charleston. They were teammates with Rookie Pulaski last year, where Rutherford played center field and Florial manned left. (First rounder gets priority.)

It goes without saying there is a lot of risk involved with players this far away from the big leagues. There’s so much that can go wrong these next few years. The obstacles facing Rutherford and Florial are very different too. The expectation is Rutherford will shift to a corner spot at some point as he fills out and adds some bulk. Florial is a graceful defender who happens to be a total hacker at the plate. He might not make enough contact to reach MLB.

Give the Yankees a truth serum and I’m sure they’d tell you they want Rutherford to be their long-term center fielder. Frazier, Rutherford, and Judge from left to right would be the perfect world long-term outfield picture. The odds are against that actually happening though, mostly because prospects have a way of breaking hearts. Rutherford and Florial are definitely long-term center field candidates. They’re just far away and carry a lot of risk relative to the other guys in this post.

The External Options

These are the Yankees, and even though they’re trying to scale back spending to get under the luxury tax threshold, you can never really rule them out going outside the organization for help. I, personally, am hoping for a Rob Refsnyder for Mike Trout trade. Fingers crossed. If that doesn’t happen, here are some potential free agent center fielders:

After 2017: Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, Carlos Gomez, Andrew McCutchen (if option is declined)
After 2018: Charlie Blackmon, Adam Jones, A.J. Pollock, McCutchen (if option is exercised)

A few of those guys would look pretty good in pinstripes, no? Cain is pretty damn awesome. He’s a fun player and I am pro-fun. Blackmon hit .324/.381/.552 (130 wRC+) with 29 homers and 17 steals last season, you know. Pollock missed a bunch of time with an elbow injury last year, but he’s quietly been one of the best players in baseball the last three or four years.

There’s also Bryce Harper, who will become a free agent following the 2018 season, when he’ll still be only 26 years old. He’s a really good athlete and has played center field for the Nationals at times. Could the Yankees view him as a potential center fielder? That’d be interesting. It’s not like he’d be over the hill or anything. Perhaps Harper in center could work for a few years. Frazier in left, Harper in center, Judge in right? Sign me up.

Anyway, the problem with the non-Harper free agents is the same problem that currently exists with Ellsbury. The Yankees would be paying big money to someone over 30 and in their decline years. Before you know it, we’d be talking about moving Cain or Blackmon or Pollock or whoever to left in favor of a better defensive center fielder. Signing a free agent center fielder is definitely possible. It just seems unlikely given the team’s direction at this point.

The Worst Case Scenario

This is going to sound mean, but the worst case scenario would be keeping Ellsbury in center field through the end of his contract. Maybe he can make it work defensively in his mid-30s like Cameron did once upon a time. He’d be an outlier in that case, but hey, stranger things have happened. I’m sure the Yankees would prefer to keep Ellsbury in center as long as possible too. That’s where he’s most valuable. History suggests his days in center are numbered, however. There simply aren’t many players age 34 and over roaming center nowadays.

* * *

The center field situation is not a pressing matter, fortunately. The Yankees don’t need to figure this out right now. They can let the season play out, see how Ellsbury handles it defensively and how the kids progress in the minors, then figure out what’s next. And maybe nothing is next. Maybe keeping Ellsbury in center through the end of his contract is plausible. The Yankees do have some center field options, both short and long-term, just in case things don’t work out. Sooner or later the team will have to go in a new direction in center field, and odds are it’ll be before the end of Ellsbury’s contract.