River Avenue Blues

March 15th Spring Training Notes: Severino, Hicks, Sabathia, Loaisiga, Wilson

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The Yankees beat up on the Red Sox this afternoon. Aaron Judge had a double and a homer — he has five homers, four doubles, and zero singles this spring — and Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu both had doubles. Brett Gardner, Luke Voit, Gary Sanchez, and Miguel Andujar (two) all had singles. Some of the minor leaguers had big games off the bench as well.

Domingo German started and was very good, striking out six and allowing two hits in four scoreless innings. He has 18 strikeouts and two walks in 11.2 innings this spring. Aroldis Chapman struck out the only batter he faced — Aaron Boone said during an in-game interview with the YES that Chapman will pitch again tomorrow, so the short outing was by design — and Adam Ottavino allowed a run in his inning. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from camp:

  • Luis Severino (shoulder) will see the doctor Tuesday and is tentatively scheduled to begin playing catch Wednesday. Brian Cashman doesn’t expect Severino to return until early-May at the earliest because he’ll essentially have to go through an entire Spring Training to get ready for the season. That jibes with the timeline I laid out following the injury. “I just want to be healthy and help my team,” Severino said. [Randy Miller, Dan Martin, Bryan Hoch]
  • Aaron Hicks (back) feels much better and believes he’ll be ready for Opening Day, but Cashman downplayed the possibility. He said Hicks might begin the season on the injured list to ensure he gets enough at-bats to be ready for the regular season. The Yankees have already discussed roster contingencies and it’s possible both Luke Voit and Greg Bird will begin the season with the team should Hicks not be ready. [Jack Curry, Bryan Hoch, Sweeny Murti]
  • CC Sabathia (knee) will throw his second simulated game tomorrow. Cashman said they expect Sabathia back in mid-April, and they’re considering carrying him on the Opening Day active roster to get his five-game suspension out of the way. He’d go on the injured list after the suspension. The Yankees have to play with a 24-man roster during the suspension. [Dan Martin, Bryan Hoch]
  • Sounds like Jonathan Loaisiga won’t be in the Opening Day bullpen. It’s either the MLB rotation or Triple-A. “(There) are some things we’re still figuring out. There’s still time. But his development would be as a starting pitcher,” said pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Loaisiga in Triple-A would open the door for Stephen Tarpley to make the Opening Day bullpen. [Brendan Kuty]
  • If you’re still interested in non-injury bullpen sessions and whatnot, Zack Britton pitched in a simulated game today (so the Red Sox wouldn’t see him?). Chad Green, David Hale, and Drew Hutchison threw bullpen sessions. Earlier this week Green became the team’s first projected big league reliever to pitch back-to-back days. [Brendan Kuty]
  • Mike King (elbow) will throw his first bullpen session next Saturday and is on track to join Triple-A Scranton in early-May. “I feel good. I want to get going quicker … It definitely stunk originally, but now that I’m not feeling anything it’s definitely relieving,” he said. [DJ Eberle]
  • And finally, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson arrived in camp today. He took batting practice and shagged fly balls. Wilson will only be with the Yankees today and tomorrow, and it’s unlikely he’ll get a Grapefruit League at-bat like he didn’t last year. [James Wagner, Brendan Kuty]

If you’re interested, YES will replay today’s game at 7pm ET. The Yankees will be back at it tomorrow afternoon with a home game against the Blue Jays. Former Blue Jay J.A. Happ will be on the mound and that game will be televised live. Only four more home games remaining this spring, you know.

The Scranton shuttle and other relief depth [2019 Season Preview]

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(Presswire)

It’s pretty easy to predict how the Yankees are going to staff their bullpen this season. There are six players guaranteed a roster spot, barring injury. The team is planning to carry a 13 man pitching staff this year, meaning that there are two open spots assuming a five man starting rotation. Tommy Kahnle probably snags one of the two jobs considering he’s out of options. The last opening probably will be interchangeable throughout the season, though having a long reliever could be the outcome.

There are no shortage of relievers who could ride the Scranton shuttle this season, rotating as the 13th pitcher as needed. Some of them are already on the 40-man, while others are non-roster invitees. It would be easy to write off any of the foregoing players as significant contributors, but let’s not forget that what Jonathan Holder did last year. He went from being the main back-and-forth guy to a major league bullpen staple.

40-man shuttlers

Stephen Tarpley

There usually isn’t too much to say about a September call-up who’s a reliever. Yet, Tarpley has become a pretty fascinating pitcher to follow. The Yankees probably envision him as Zack Britton-lite, and there’s good reason why. Prior to Britton joining the Yankees, Tarpley spent some time shadowing him prior to the 2017 season. Who knows if that story would have been uncovered had Britton not been traded to New York.

Tarpley saw his groundball rate jump dramatically in 2017, almost certainly due to Britton’s influence. Combine that with the high strikeout rates in the high minors and you have an interesting relief prospect. Tarpley was pretty good in his 10 inning cameo last September and even made the playoff roster. He’ll probably get the bulk of the major league time that anyone else on the Scranton shuttle gets this summer.

Ben Heller

Tommy John surgery cost Heller all of 2018 and will curtail part of his 2019 as well. After going under the knife last April, he’s six weeks away rehab game action. That doesn’t mean he’s close to the big leagues, though. In all likelihood, he’s probably not an option until mid-season.

The Yankees acquired Heller as part of the Andrew Miller trade a few years ago. He’s already seen small parts of two major league seasons with the Yankees, totaling 18 innings. Best known for his mid-to-high 90s fastball, it’ll be interesting to see how his velocity returns this summer. Even though he’s already had a good deal of success in Triple-A, he’s probably going to spend a lot of time there this year.

Joe Harvey

Harvey was a somewhat surprising 40-man roster addition a few months ago. One of the reasons I profiled him in February was because I didn’t know anything about him. He’s still a bit of a mystery, though the Yankees clearly like him enough to save him a seat on the 40-man.

A little bit has been made about the spin rate on his fastball. It’s very good, and spin rate has become all the rage in baseball these days. Just look at what the Astros have done with their pitchers. Anyway, Harvey doesn’t appear to have much else other than a good fastball. Yet, if he puts up numbers like he did in the minors last year (sub 2 ERA), he’ll get his shot this summer.

Non-roster possibilities with big league experience

Danny Farquhar

As Mike wrote last month, it’s pretty easy to pull for Farquhar to carve out a role with the big club. It’s a distinct possibility that he could return to the majors after his near-death experience in the White Sox dugout last summer. As a non-roster invitee who’s already been sent to minor league camp, he’s still on the outside looking in. It’s not hard to see why the Yankees like him: he strikes out plenty of hitters and has had good seasons with Seattle and Tampa Bay. Plus, the Yankees have had him in the organization before, back in 2012. There’s still a lot for Farquhar to overcome, but if he resembles something of his old self he could be in pinstripes this year.

Rex Brothers

Brothers is representative of the adage that lefties never run out of opportunities. The southpaw was pretty impressive for the Rockies early in his career with his high velocity fastball. Eventually, Colorado cut bait when his control evaded him. After not making the Cubs in 2016, he sat out the entire season. Beginning in 2017, he worked his way back to the big leagues with Atlanta. His walk problems never went away though, and he walked more than a batter per inning in the minors last year. Still, his velocity from the left side is tantalizing. He averaged over 96 MPH on his heater in limited time with Atlanta last season. He can’t be totally ignored as an option for the Yankees since he is in camp, but it would probably take a ton of injuries or an unlikely resurgence.

Daniel Coulombe

Stylistically, Coulombe is the opposite of Brothers. Instead of a high-octane fastball, Coulombe is a lefty who relies on his slider and curveball two-thirds of the time. He’s been in the majors every year since 2014, split between the Dodgers and A’s, with middling results. It’s hard to see him as much more than emergency depth even though he’s hung around the highest level for a while now. Maybe another team will want to give him a big league chance before the month is over, but if not, he’ll hang around in Scranton most of the year. Maybe he could be plucked for September call-ups if the Yankees want a matchup lefty.

Prospects invited to big league spring training

Trevor Stephan

Even though Stephan has been a starter in the minors, it sounds like 2017’s 3rd-rounder could be best deployed out of the bullpen. He works exclusively out of the stretch, doesn’t really have a third pitch just yet, and has a little bit of an odd delivery. Stephan’s a pretty big guy, standing at six-foot-four, but his fastball extension is even more impressive. He’s got a seven foot reach which certainly makes his fastball tougher to hit. He’ll be in the minors to start the year, but he should be knocking on the door by year end.

Brady Lail

25-year-olds aren’t always prospects, but Lail became mildly interesting after moving to the bullpen last summer. From getting drafted in 2012 through his climb to Triple-A, the righty was a starter. Last year, he became a full-time reliever and started picking up more strikeouts. He wasn’t a one-and-done type of guy though; he pitched multiple innings quite a bit out of the pen. His ERA was too high, sitting over 5, but as a multi-inning option he could become an alternative to someone like Luis Cessa this season. Lail’s already been assigned to minor league camp, but he could be around later this year.

Raynel Espinal and Phillip Diehl

I’m grouping these two together because Domenic called them out as guys who could help the Yankees this year. Espinal, 27, has been in the organization since 2013 and finally made Triple-A last year. He’s yet another hard-thrower with impressive strikeout rates. Diehl, 24, is a lefty without much of a platoon split thus far in his minor league career. He’s had a great spring (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K) and Aaron Boone has mentioned him by name when asked who’s impressed in camp. Both are probably heading to Scranton to start the year, but either could become part of the shuttle in a few months.

Cale Coshow

At six-foot-five and 270 pounds, Coshow has a presence on the mound. He flip-flopped between starting and relieving from 2013 through 2016 until becoming a reliever full-time in 2017. You’ve heard this story before: he started to miss a lot more bats in the bullpen. He’s likely low on the promotion pecking order, but the fact that he was in big league camp means the Yankees like him to some degree.

Spring Training Game Thread: 13 days to Opening Day

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(Presswire)

T-minus 13 days to Opening Day 2019. The Yankees have 12 exhibition games between now and then and, in theory, six position battles to decide: first base, fourth starter, fifth starter, seventh and eighth relievers, and the final bench spot. My guess is the Yankees have already chosen winners for no fewer than five of those position battles, with maybe only the final bullpen spot still up for grabs.

Domingo German will make his latest case for an Opening Day rotation spot this afternoon. He’s had a good Spring Training overall (7.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K) and has caught the eye of at least one scout, so he’s put himself in position to break camp with the team. Also, Troy Tulowitzki is playing back-to-back days for the first time this spring today. He played yesterday and is back in there today. Hopefully he makes it out in one piece. Here is the Red Sox’s lineup and here are the players the Yankees will use today:

  1. CF Brett Gardner
  2. RF Aaron Judge
  3. LF Giancarlo Stanton
  4. 1B Luke Voit
  5. 3B Miguel Andujar
  6. C Gary Sanchez
  7. DH Greg Bird
  8. SS Troy Tulowitzki
  9. 2B DJ LeMahieu

RHP Domingo German

Available Position Players: C Francisco Diaz, C Ryan Lavarnway, C Jorge Saez, 1B Chris Gittens, IF Diego Castillo, IF Kyle Holder, IF Gio Urshela, OF Trey Amburgey, OF Billy Burns, OF Rashad Crawford, OF Estevan Florial, OF Matt Lipka, UTIL Tyler Wade. Gittens, Castillo, and Crawford are up from minor league camp for the day.

Available Pitchers: RHP Braden Bristo, LHP Aroldis Chapman, LHP Phil Diehl, RHP Rony Garcia, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Adam Ottavino, LHP Stephen Tarpley, RHP Greg Weissert. Bristo, Garcia, and Weissert are extra arms from minor league camp.

It is warm and sunny in Tampa this afternoon. Temperatures in the mid-80s with a nice breeze. Great day for a ballgame. Today’s game will begin at 1:05pm ET and you can watch live on YES, MLB.tv, and MLB Network out of market. There are no Spring Training blackouts on MLB.tv but the game will be blacked out on MLB Network in the Yankees’ and Red Sox’s home markets. Enjoy the game.

Mailbag: Sabathia, Opener, Trade Deadline, Judge, Florial, Voit

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There are ten questions in this week’s mailbag. Only one more mailbag until Opening Day! Can’t wait. Anyway, send your mailbag questions to RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com.

Sabathia. (Presswire)

Dominic asks: Last chat you talked about CC’s five game suspension he will serve this season. Given that he’s starting the year injured, can he serve his suspension concurrently with his IL stint? Or is there a loophole wherein the team can retroactively put him on the IL after the suspension?

There’s no loophole and CC Sabathia can not serve his suspension while on the injured list. Performance-enhancing drug suspensions can be served while on the injured list, but not disciplinary suspensions for brawls or throwing at hitters, etc. (Don’t get mad at me. I didn’t make the rules.) For example, last season Yuli Gurriel served his five-game suspension for the Yu Darvish incident starting on Opening Day, then he was placed on the disabled list for the hand injury he suffered in Spring Training. The Yankees have to play with a 24-man roster during the suspension, which isn’t a huge deal because Sabathia is a starting pitcher and he wouldn’t play between starts anyway. The only question is whether the Yankees want to play shorthanded for the first five games of the season (suspension then injured list), or a few weeks into the season (injured list then suspension).

Nathan asks (short version): This might be more of a chat question, but how is Harper discussing his intent to talk to Trout that much different than GMs openly discussing their interest level/intent to sign a particular free agent? If Harper’s comments are tampering, the GMs comments have to be viewed the same way.

Mike Trout is under contract with another team. That’s the key difference. Players and executives aren’t supposed to talk about players under contract. Executives talking about their level of interest in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado over the winter skirted the tampering rules because they were free agents and not under contract with another club. I think MLB should allow players to openly discuss players with other teams like Harper did with Trout. Make players exempt from tampering rules. Similar to the NBA, it would create buzz for the game, and it’s silly to think players don’t talk to each other about this stuff behind the scenes. I get banning executives from discussing other players. That makes sense. Letting players tamper keeps MLB in the news and gives fans a reason to stay engaged.

Greg asks (short version): If the opener thing continues to increase in popularity among major league teams as appears will be the case, do you think MLB (or the non-analytic stat community) should adopt an arbitrary statistical measure for those guys along the lines of the save, the hold and the quality start? What should it be called and what should be required to earn it?

I don’t think it would be necessary and, frankly, baseball probably doesn’t need another pitching stat that tells us more about usage than performance. I guess you could call a scoreless first inning an “open?” Or maybe it’s a first inning in which the pitcher’s team finishes with the lead or tied? This would help everyone keep track of who is being used as an opener — it’s going to weird to look at the back of Ryne Stanek’s baseball card in 20 years and see he had 29 starts and 30 relief appearances in 2018 — but I’m not sure there’s any analytical value in such a stat. It doesn’t tell us about their performance, necessarily. It’s a bookkeeping thing. Maybe it would help relievers in arbitration? Or maybe it hurts them since you can now differentiate between starts and opens. Something to help us easily keep track of who’s starting and who’s opening would be nice, at least until managers start managing to the stat the same way they manage to wins (try to get the starter through five innings) and saves (build their entire bullpen strategy around the ninth inning).

Josh asks: If you know an opposing team is going to use an opener, what are your thoughts on altering your lineup so that basically your regular leadoff hitter actually hits cleanup and so on?

I don’t like it. You’re pushing your best hitters down in the lineup and robbing them of at-bats. I’m not necessarily referring to the 162-game season — last year the Yankees’ No. 1 hitter received 50 more plate appearances than the No. 4 hitter — I’m talking about at-bats in that individual game. You’re making it less likely your top hitters get that one extra at-bat in the ninth inning, which could make a huge difference in a close game. Not only that, but you’re also making it more likely the opener succeeds because he’s (theoretically) facing inferior hitters. I get the idea, but I’m inclined to stick with the same lineup construction. Get your best hitters high in the lineup and up to the plate as much as possible. If they have to face an opener in the first inning, so be it.

Nick asks: Total cart before the house stuff here but with a farm system loaded at its lower levels, should a “top of his game” MadBum (or any other true, top of the rotation type ace) become available at the trade deadline, would the Yankees have the pieces to win a bidding war?

It’s hard to say. The Yankees are short on high-end prospects at the upper levels of the minors right now, and those guys are usually most in demand at the trade deadline, so they might be at a disadvantage come trade deadline time. Then again, if a few of those lower level guys (Deivi Garcia, Roansy Contreras, Antonio Cabello, etc.) really bust out this season, they would become more attractive in trades. Ultimately, it comes down to the other team’s preference. The Giants might be more willing to take lower level guys for Madison Bumgarner than, say, the Indians would for Corey Kluber. The good news is the Yankees have talent in their farm system. It’s not barren like it was way back when. They should be able to get whatever they need in July. It just might be more difficult to make a match than it was a year or two ago.

Judge. (Presswire)

Jerry asks: Would swinging earlier in the count help Aaron Judge cut down his strikeouts? Or would that negatively affect his OB%? Maybe being more aggressive yields more hits to offset the fewer walks.

Judge is a career .395/.393/.775 hitter in the first two pitches of an at-bat and a career .244/.399/.515 hitter thereafter. Based on that, yes, he should swing early in the count more often, though it’s not quite that simple. There’s a lot of selection bias at play. Judge’s numbers on the first and second pitch are so good because he’s usually swinging at only very hittable pitches that early in the count. If he starts swinging early in the count more often, pitchers will adjust, and try to get him to fish out of the zone. With his plate discipline, that might not be a problem. Judge is so good and such a smart hitter than I think it’s best just to let him do his thing and not force a change. Trust him to adjust when pitchers tell him he has to adjust. He’s done it before and he’ll do it again.

Kian asks (short version): I know this is a long shot and zero chance Yanks do this…. But after reading our lack of options in center-field if Hicks can’t start the season, is there anything more than a 0% chance that Florial starts there?

I feel like I get asked some version of this question each spring. “This Major Leaguer might not be ready for Opening Day, so what about going with this prospect who’s having a great spring?” Estevan Florial is hitting .345/.406/.517 this spring and he looks great. That doesn’t mean he’s any more Major League ready than he was four weeks ago. Florial hit .255/.354/.361 (110 wRC+) around his wrist injury in High-A last season and asking him to jump from that to the big leagues is unfair. He’s not on the 40-man roster and he doesn’t have to be added until after the season, so there are roster ramifications here as well. The Aaron Hicks injury shouldn’t change Florial’s development plan. You’re only making a bad problem worse. Teams sign players like Billy Burns for situations like this. To cover for an injury without rushing prospects. Florial’s pitching recognition might not be Double-A ready right now. Big leaguers would almost certainly pick him apart.

David asks: Who is the third string centerfielder? It seems they are reluctant to put Judge in there, but why?

I don’t think the Yankees want Aaron Judge to deal with the extra wear-and-tear. Center fielders have more ground to cover and they have to back up on every ball hit to an outfield corner. It’s a lot of running. There’s a reason it’s a young man’s position. I’m sure Judge could do it and play a passable center field on an everyday basis if pushed into action, but if the Yankees can save him some running and avoid fatigue throughout the season, by all means, do it. He’s too important.

Paul asks: Seriously, Voit looks like he’s for real. Why was he so cheap to get?

I guess it would be the same reason why Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks were so cheap, right? Their former teams undervalued them (or overrated the players they received in the trade), and the Yankees had a better and more accurate evaluation of the player, and/or had a better plan to help the player reach his potential. Teams make mistakes all the time. All the time. Even the smart ones. The Cardinals might’ve undervalued Voit because he was stuck behind Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez on their internal first base depth chart, or not understood the value of his hard contact. Maybe Voit isn’t for real and last year proves to be a fluke. It could happen. But guys like Gregorius, Hicks, and Chad Green show the Yankees are pretty excellent at identifying buy-low players in other organizations. I don’t know how to answer this question other than to say the Yankees are just that smart.

Mike asks: With the removal of the August trade waivers, could you foresee more veteran players on minor league deals with August 1st, August 15th, and August 31 opt outs? If multiple teams have the same needs, these players could have a mini free agency in August. Could also force more teams to call these types of players up to the MLB roster to avoid losing depth and then optioning young controlled players.

Yes, definitely. Maybe it’s not a set opt-out date, but instead a blanket opt-out clause that allows the player to leave if another team is willing to put him directly on their MLB roster. Those clauses are common in Spring Training. The end of trade waivers could bring those clauses to the regular season as well. Teams can’t go out and trade for help when an injury strikes in August (and September!) now, so it only makes sense for players and their agents to ensure they can escape Triple-A after the trade deadline so they can be available to teams in need. It’s a win-win. The player gets a chance at the big leagues and teams get more options for late season roster help.

March 14th Spring Training Notes: Betances, Hicks, Frazier, German, Estrada, Cabello, Wilson

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(Presswire)

The Yankees tied the Blue Jays this afternoon. Another tie? That’s two straight and three in the last five days. Kyle Higashioka had two hits, including a double, while Gleyber Torres, Troy Tulowitzki, Clint Frazier, and Estevan Florial all had one single apiece. Miguel Andujar drove in his team’s only run with a run-scoring ground out to Brandon Drury, the guy he Wally Pipped last year.

Luis Cessa started and allowed two hits in four scoreless innings against what might’ve been Toronto’s Opening Day lineup. He’s been great this spring (13 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 13 K). Cessa told James Wagner that his friend and former MLB pitcher Rodrigo Lopez told him to enjoy the game more, which has helped. Huh. I look forward to Cessa winning the Cy Young this year. Here’s the box score and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:

  • Dellin Betances, who said he felt like “crap” following his last Grapefruit League appearance, threw 28 pitches in two simulated innings today. “Still trying to play catch up,” he said. Betances reported to camp a few days late after his wife gave birth to their first child. [Pete Caldera]
  • Aaron Hicks (back) responded well to the cortisone shot, but there’s no firm date for his return to game action. “I think we’re gonna take it slow as far as building him back up to make sure his core is rock solid before we put him back into baseball activities. I think (the soreness) is pretty much out of there. We’ll see how the next couple of days unfold,” said Aaron Boone. [Dan Martin]
  • Clint Frazier hit the outfield wall chasing a home run the other night and came away with no problems. “That was the first time I collided with a wall since (the concussion), but I didn’t even hit it that hard. It was still a good step for me because I’ve been saying I’m not gonna tone down my aggressiveness and that was the first time to show it,” he said. [Dan Martin]
  • Baseball America (subs. req’d) polled scouts on players who impressed them this spring. Domingo German earned a mention. “Seeing that (changeup) to go along with the arm strength and the breaking ball, that kind of opened my eyes … I think now he has a chance to sustain being a bonafide starter,” said one of the scouts.
  • Thairo Estrada opened some eyes before being sent to minor league camp, apparently. “He was talked about a lot. The ability to play the middle of the diamond, the hands, the ability to impact the ball — he did a lot of good things this spring … He’s a guy we think can absolutely play in the big leagues,” said Boone. [Bryan Hoch]
  • Conor Foley has the day’s minor league camp lineups. Those are just Spring Training workout groups, not regular season assignments. It’s notable Antonio Cabello played today. He had surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder at the end of last season. Glad he’s doing well.
  • And finally, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will be in camp tomorrow and Saturday. He was in camp for six days last year. Only two days this year? Slacker. [Randy Miller]

The Yankees have a very important Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox tomorrow afternoon. Domingo German will start and that game will be televised live. I’m sure of it this time.

Baseball is going to a single trade deadline and it complicates things for the Yankees

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(Presswire)

Earlier today, MLB and the MLBPA jointly announced a series of rather significant rule changes. Most notably, there will be a 26th roster spot and a limit on September call-ups beginning in 2020. I really dislike limiting September call-ups. Blah. Here is the full press release. Make sure you check it out.

As part of the rule changes, baseball will transition to a single July 31st trade deadline beginning this season. That means August (and September!) waiver trades are no more. Gotta love MLB’s ability to fix things that aren’t broken. Anyway, Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) and Jeff Passan reported this was coming yesterday. Here’s Passan with an explanation:

What will be in place come this summer are a single July 31 trade deadline and (a single All-Star Game voting) Election Day. Deals after the non-waiver deadline made August a hotbed for incremental upgrades by teams, and the union’s hope is that getting rid of them will incentivize teams to be more aggressive in the offseason knowing that the fallback for August deals no longer is an option.

Rosenthal says “indecipherable trade waivers” are “baseball’s version of the U.S. tax code,” which is a bit extreme to me, but whatever. Bottom line is there will be no more trades after July 31st going forward. No more worrying about trade waivers or postseason eligibility or anything like that. August is really going to feel like the dog days of summer without trade rumors to break up the monotony.

The Yankees have not been all that active on the August trade waiver market in recent years. The Andrew McCutchen trade last year is far and away their most notable August trade in quite a while. Their last August trade of note prior to that was probably adding Chad Gaudin in 2009. Or maybe getting Brendan Ryan in September 2013. The Yankees did trade away Ben Gamel in an August deal, so I guess that counts.

Despite their general August inactivity, a single July 31st deadline will create some headaches for the Yankees, and all teams really. If you’re a contender, you have that much less time to improve and no way to react to August and September injuries. If you’re a rebuilder, you have less time to shop your players. If you’re a bubble team, you have to pick a path earlier in the summer. No more seeing what happens in August before deciding what to do.

Aaron Judge suffered his broken wrist on July 26th last year. The Yankees would’ve had five days to find a replacement under the new single trade deadline, which means no waiting out the market for McCutchen — getting McCutchen for nothing in particular on August 31st was a hell of a deal — and it means paying a premium at the deadline because teams would’ve known the Yankees were desperate for outfield help and running short on time.

The new single trade deadline makes optionable depth players much more valuable. Contending teams have to not only get the roster help they need prior to July 31st, but also secure contingency plans. Guys who can go up and down to Triple-A without waivers are ideal. I wonder if we’ll see more optionable relievers and utility guys get traded at the deadline now. Players like Jonathan Holder and Tyler Wade become that much more important.

At the moment the Yankees are in good shape with optional depth. Wade’s an optionable infielder, Clint Frazier is an optionable outfielder, Kyle Higashioka is an optional catcher, Greg Bird is an optional first baseman, Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are optionable starters. That’s right now though. Who knows what the Yankees will look like on July 31st? August trade waivers meant the Yankees didn’t have to rush into anything when Judge got hurt.

Is there a loophole here? Could the Giants have released McCutchen in August with a gentleman’s agreement that he’d sign with the Yankees after clearing waivers (assuming he clears waivers!), then the Yankees trade San Francisco prospects (and any necessary cash) for future considerations in the offseason to complete the deal? Unlike trade waivers, teams couldn’t claim McCutchen just to block him. They’d have to take him and his salary on. A move like this would be tricky.

Passan and Rosenthal say the MLBPA hopes teams will be more aggressive in the offseason knowing they can’t get help in August and eh, I’m not sure about that. Would a single trade deadline help Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel find work? I don’t think so. Tons of teams can use them and they’ve yet to receive an offer to their liking. Would Adam Jones remain unsigned until mid-March with a single trade deadline? Yeah, I think so. I guess we’ll find out in time.

McCutchen trade aside, the Yankees have not been very active on the trade waiver market, but that doesn’t mean a single trade deadline won’t complicate things for Brian Cashman & Co. moving forward. Waiver trades were always available if the Yankees needed help, which they did when Judge got hurt last year. Now they’re no longer available. More than anything, this means hoping for good health after July 31st more than ever before.