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How the Yankees can mitigate the absences of Luis Severino and CC Sabathia

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(Presswire)

The regular season has yet to begin, but the Yankees’ season is already off to an auspicious start. Without ace Luis Severino until May (at the earliest) and back of the rotation stalwart CC Sabathia until some point in April, the Yankees will have to begin the season with a depleted pitching staff. Opportunities for Luis Cessa, Domingo German, and Jonathan Loaisiga have opened up thanks to these injuries. That’s not ideal, even if you’re a fan of German or Loaisiga (apologies to Cessa, but I don’t know many fans of him).

Injuries happen, especially to pitchers, so it’s not a surprise that the Yankees are in this situation. It’s just unfortunate that they’re already in this predicament. Even when Severino and Sabathia return, someone is going to miss start(s) later on in the year. For now though, the team can only address the short-term issue and be optimistic about a rotation at full-strength by early May. There are a few things that could help the team wade through the absences of Severino and Sabathia.

Skipping starts when possible

There are five off-days through the end of April, which would allow the team to use a fifth starter (or opener) only four times in the first 29 games of the year. In the scenario diagrammed above, opening day starter Masahiro Tanaka would start seven times through April 30th, allowing him an average of just under five days of rest. Even though he has a reputation of being better with extra time off, his career ERA is better on four days of rest than five. Starters two through four would average 5.67 days of rest and pitch six times a piece. Skipping starts frequently can be taxing on a rotation, but because there are so many off days to begin the year, it doesn’t look terribly strenuous.

The benefit of skipping the fifth starter as much as possible is obvious: it results in fewer starts by an inferior pitcher. We already know that the fourth starter isn’t going to be anyone the Yankees originally planned for, so that’s a step down already. You know what that means about the fifth guy. All that said about skipping starts, there’s a saying about best laid plans. Weather could throw a wrench in this approach pretty quickly. Or on the bright side, maybe Cessa provides a shot in the arm!

Using an opener

Mike wrote about why this makes sense already, even if it makes you queasy. No need for me to regurgitate what he wrote as I’m basically in agreement. Rather, here’s the simple question to ask yourself: do you want Cessa or German facing the top of the order? Or would you rather bring them in when the sixth or seventh hitter comes due?

A light early season schedule

The good news is that there are some bad teams on the slate for the first month of the season. 16 of the season’s first 29 games will be against the Orioles, Tigers, White Sox, and Royals. All but three of those games will be at home. Not having Severino or Sabathia against those teams shouldn’t make a big difference as there isn’t much of an excuse to lose to them. Obviously, things happen and they’ll inevitably drop a few against those teams, but the point stands.

The other 13 affairs aren’t a cakewalk, particularly the Astros and Red Sox. There’s a west coast trip at the end of the month, which is always challenging even though there are two presumably non-contending teams they’ll face: the Diamondbacks and Giants. By that time, perhaps they’ll have Sabathia back, which would be a nice boost to close the month.

Signing a free agent

It doesn’t sound like the Yankees are planning to go the external route, but until Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel sign elsewhere, it can’t be ruled out. Based on what we know about the prognosis for Severino and Sabathia along with the light schedule and off days, I can understand why the Yankees don’t feel pressed for external help. Still, setbacks happen. There’s only so long they can bide their time without outside assistance unless the young arms step up.

One reason that being proactive for a free agent makes sense is because of a potential setback for Severino or Sabathia. What if, in a few weeks, we hear that either of the two need more time on the shelf, but neither Keuchel or Gonzalez are available? The Yankees would really be in a bind then. Sure, it would be a issue if everyone came back healthy on schedule with one of Keuchel or Gonzalez in tow, but that’s a good problem to have. These things sort themselves out. Like I said, someone else is bound to miss some time down the road, anyway. It’s not like a six-man rotation would be unheard of, too.

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.

What if there was a Division Series MVP?

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Two-time ALDS MVP Bernie Williams (Getty Images)

You’ve likely come to this fine website for astute baseball analysis, but allow me a modicum of whimsy.

I recently found out that in Alex Rodriguez’s original 10-year deal with the Rangers, there was a standard awards clause, giving out bonuses if he achieved various results. This awards clause was curious, however, as it included a bonus for Division Series MVP.

There is no Division Series MVP. There has never been a Division Series MVP. There is no good reason for a Division Series MVP … but what if MLB gave it out anyway?

Would A-Rod have won one or two ALDS MVPs with the Yankees? Almost assuredly. Therefore, I went back through all of the Yankees’ ALDS victories and determined the rightful winner of this non-existent award. First up, 1996.

1996 ALDS MVP: Bernie Williams

The King of the Division Series, Bernie Williams caught fire in the 1996 ALDS. He posted the highest WPA of any non-reliever and went 7-for-15 with three home runs. When you add further context, it simply gets better.

Bernie singled and scored the game-tying run in the eighth inning of Game 2 as the Yankees trailed the series. He homered in the first inning of Game 3 before tying it late with a sacrifice fly. Finally, he tied and capped the clincher with his final homer of the series. Enough said!

1998 ALDS MVP: Shane Spencer

Shane Spencer should not get this award. He was going to be a replacement player in 1995 and, in more relevant arguments, only played two games in this series.

But he hit two dingers!

The Yankees gave up just one run over three games with Davids Wells and Cone alongside Andy Pettitte dominating. However, I’m not going to give this to three people at once. I’m not going to split this award either. This has to go to one player and Spencer is it.

Spencer homered to put the Yanks ahead in Game 2 before singling and scoring two innings later. In Game 3, his three-run homer in the sixth inning put the game, and thus the series, out of reach. Normally, this isn’t enough for a series MVP, but it’s enough here.

1999 ALDS MVP: Royce Clayton

Royce Clayton didn’t play for the Yankees. What? I’ll explain.

This is the type of series why this award does not exist. The Yankees won the series in a rout with a 14-1 lead in aggregate and only one semi-interesting game in the middle.

I just couldn’t bring myself to award any particular Yankee. Derek Jeter went 5-for-11 with a double, triple and two walks. Mariano Rivera had two saves and three innings pitched. Bernie had six RBI and went 4-for-11 after pouring it on late in a blowout Game 1.

So I’m giving it to Clayton, the Rangers’ shortstop. He went 0-for-10 in the series, distinguishing himself among the Rangers’ hitters, who only mustered 14 hits and a .152/.228/.207 collective batting line. Yuck.

2000 ALDS MVP: Mariano Rivera

You could give Rivera about four of these awards (1996, 1998-2000, 2003). He has to get at least one, in my award-giving opinion, and this was his most impactful series.

Rivera saved all three wins in the 2000 ALDS — which went the distance — and threw five important innings along the way. He gave up just two hits, walked no one and struck out two Athletics.

Though all three of his saves came in multi-run victories, Rivera entered Games 2, 3 and 5 with the tying run at the plate and deftly navigated each situation. Game 5 was essentially a six-run first inning followed by scratching and clawing to get to Rivera. Let’s call this one a unanimous selection.

2001 ALDS MVP: Derek Jeter

Jorge Posada has been overlooked for his entire career. Perhaps not as much as Williams recently as Posada made the “Core Four” but based on his Hall of Fame vote totals and by playing next to Rivera and Jeter, he didn’t get the credit he deserved.

And by the numbers, he should be the 2001 ALDS MVP. He went 8-for-18, hit the homer for the lone run of the pivotal Game 3 to turnaround the series. He compiled a 1.167 OPS.

But the Flip Play happened.

You can’t ignore the play and Jeter would have won easily on that narrative if they’d given out the award back then. Doesn’t hurt that he matched Posada with an 8-for-18 series.

Sorry, Jorge. I tried.

2003 ALDS MVP: Bernie Williams

Going just on raw numbers, Jeter would win again. He went 6-for-14 with four walks, a homer and a 1.198 OPS. However, the homer was meaningless and he already stole the award from Posada.

Outside of a loss in Game 1, this was reminiscent of the 1998 and 99 ALDS with three good starts in a row, but no one of the starters can get the award. Rivera could once again win this, but he’s not going to be the first two-time award winner here.

Therefore, we’re going with Williams, who was at the center of the action in the three wins. He hit a sac fly to put the Yankees up in Game 2 early, scored the go-ahead run and knocked in an insurance run in Game 3 and put the team up to start the knockout rally in Game 4.

2004 ALDS MVP: Alex Rodriguez

The whole point of this exercise was to get the obscenely wealthy Rodriguez his extra $100,000 or so and he gets it right off the bat.

A-Rod essentially wins it for Game 2 alone, as the Yankees knotted up the series in dramatic fashion. He homered in the fifth to put NYY up one before extending the lead with a single in the seventh. After a rare Mariano Rivera meltdown, the game went to extras and the Yankees trailed in the 12th. Don’t worry, Joe Nathan came on for the save and Rodriguez hit a game-tying, ground-rule double and set up the winning run two batters later.

After a quiet Game 3, he went 2-for-4 with two walks in Game 4 and scored the series-clinching run in the 11th inning by doubling off Kyle Lohse, stealing third base and scoring on a wild pitch.

2009 ALDS MVP: Alex Rodriguez

While A-Rod already got his bonus for the 2004 series, the 2009 ALDS was his piece de resistance. It was an undisputed masterpiece. He had two RBI singles in Game 1 to pad the Yankees’ lead en route to 7-2 win. He hit a tying homer in Game 3 to lead another comeback win.

But this is all you really need to know.

Other players had good series then, but no one neared Rodriguez’s peak in this one. This was the best all-time ALDS for a position player.

2010 ALDS MVP: Curtis Granderson

In a three-game series, the MVP comes down to one game, if not one moment. There isn’t enough time for a starting pitcher to go twice, so whoever makes the play or comes through with the key hit would earn it. This is precisely the reason why there’s no ALDS MVP in reality, 2009 A-Rod being a supernova exception.

With two men on and two outs and the Yankees down 3-2 on the road, Curtis Granderson came to the plate against Francisco Liriano, who was 100 pitches into his start. This was a guy coming off a career year facing Granderson, who could barely make contact against lefties.

But Granderson smacked a ball to right-center that carried. And carried. In most parks, it would have left, but it went for a triple to put the Yankees in front. Mark Teixeira hit the game-winning homer an inning later, but Granderson’s shot was the turning point where it came apart for Minnesota.

Tex has a cogent argument for MVP, but I’m handing it to Grandy after he put up better overall numbers, going 5-for-11 with a double, the triple, three RBI and a walk in a precursor to his near-MVP season.

2012 ALDS MVP: CC Sabathia

Raul Ibanez stole the headlines in this series with his two Game 3 homers and his go-ahead single in Game 5. Normally, just those moments would be enough to win the short series MVP.

But CC Sabathia won two games nearly by himself and shut down the Orioles’ hopes of an upset, even with Ibanez’s advantage in WPA (0.90 to 0.84). CC threw 8 2/3rds in Game 1 of a closely-contested matchup and went the distance in Game 5.

Game 5 was likely the last peak CC Sabathia game. He’s had some big playoff moments since, but he hasn’t been the ace or workhorse in the regular season or playoffs after that game. He threw 121 pitches, allowed just six baserunners and held Baltimore to one run, striking out nine. He capped it off by throwing out a runner at first and clinching the series. Well done, big man!

2017 ALDS MVP: Didi Gregorius

There wasn’t a clear statistical victor in this one. Sabathia had a solid Game 5 and underrated Game 2, but he didn’t get the win in either start and wasn’t dominant. Nearly every hitter and reliever had a big moment, but no one stood out. Aroldis Chapman would have been an OK choice if one player didn’t steal the show in Game 5.

And it was Didi Gregorius who stole said show in the winner-take-all finale. His two home runs off Corey Kluber were enough to give the Yankees the series. I still get goosebumps watching this.

—

If there was an ALDS MVP, history looks more favorably upon A-Rod, who was often destroyed for his playoff woes. Rivera, Williams and Jeter get their just due for postseason excellence that wrapped into two decades. Meanwhile, one or two hits get Spencer and Gregorius immortality while the lack of a hit dooms Clayton into shame.

P.S. Sorry again to Posada.

March 9th Spring Training Notes: Opening Day starter, Hicks, Gregorius, Sabathia, Frazier

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The Yankees doubled and defensed their way to a win over the Orioles tonight. Tyler Wade, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, and Billy Burns all had two-baggers. Angel Aguilar socked a dinger and Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird both had singles. Sanchez’s was a ground ball that deflected off the diving third baseman’s glove and through the shortstop’s legs, so yeah, woo Spring Training. The Yankees turned in several stellar defensive plays as well. Total opposite of last night, when they kicked the ball around.

Luis Cessa started and looked about as good as he’s looked at any point in his big league career. Thirteen up, 12 down, four strikeouts. He filled up the strike zone with everything. Looked great. Maybe it’ll last this time. Albert Abreu labored and walked three in his 1.1 innings. Phil Diehl struck out two of the five batters he faced. He’s struck out nine of the 19 batters he’s faced this spring, or 47.4%. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:

  • It is official: Masahiro Tanaka will start Opening Day. Aaron Boone made the announcement earlier today. It’ll be his fourth Opening Day start in the last five years. James Paxton and J.A. Happ will start the second and third games of the regular season, respectively. [Kristie Ackert]
  • Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery) has started taking dry swings. Hooray for that. “He’s doing some dry swinging. He’s already started a little bit with the fungo. Real bat? Probably the first of next week. It’s kind of a graduation there,” said Boone. Good news. [Kristie Ackert]
  • Aaron Hicks (back) is still experiencing discomfort and will see a doctor Monday. It sure sounds like the issue everyone insists is nothing is turning into something. Good thing there’s still more than two weeks to go until Opening Day. [James Wagner]
  • CC Sabathia (knee) threw 31 pitches in his fourth bullpen session of the spring earlier today. He’s likely to face hitters in live batting practice next. Progress. [Associated Press]
  • Boone seemed to indicate Clint Frazier will begin the season with Triple-A Scranton. “He needs to play every day. That doesn’t necessarily mean (the at-bats) don’t come here. We expect him to impact our club this year,” said Boone. [George King]
  • And finally, Paxton will be away from the Yankees for a few days. There was a death in his family. Our condolences go out to him and his family. [George King]

If you’re interested, tonight’s game will be replayed on MLB Network (2am ET). The Yankees have a pair of split squad games tomorrow afternoon. Sadly, neither game will be televised. J.A. Happ will start the home game against the Pirates and Nestor Cortes will start the road game against the Tigers. Randy Miller has the travel squad roster. Not many regulars, as you’d expect.

Saturday Links: Sabathia, YES Network, Rule Changes

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(Presswire)

The Yankees will continue their Grapefruit League season on the road against the Orioles tonight. That is a 6pm ET start and the game will be televised. Luis Cessa will start and make his case for an Opening Day rotation spot. Until then, here’s some news to check out.

Sabathia joins ESPN

CC Sabathia’s post-playing career is starting now. Earlier this week ESPN announced Sabathia is joining the network in a variety of roles. Sabathia told Bryan Hoch he’ll make 15 in-studio appearances on various shows (SportsCenter, First Take, etc.) this year — only on days he’s not pitching, of course — as well as several call-in appearances. Most appearances will cover non-baseball sports.

“As I begin to look toward the future, I’m excited to have this opportunity with ESPN. With that said, my singular focus is on winning another World Series Championship for Yankees fans and the city of New York,” Sabathia said in a statement. Based on his podcast, Sabathia seems very well suited for a media gig like this. He knows his sports and I couldn’t imagine him sitting in a broadcast booth calling or analyzing a game. This seems like a better fit.

Yankees reach deal to buy back YES Network

After weeks of rumors, the Yankees have reached a deal to purchase the 80% of the YES Network they do not own from 21st Century Fox, report Josh Kosman and Richard Morgan. It’ll cost them $3.47 billion and the deal has 120 days to close. Amazon and the Sinclair Broadcast Group are among the investors. With the deal, Amazon will be in position to control streaming rights for Yankees (and Nets) games.

The YES Network was valued at $3.9 billion when the Yankees sold an 80% stake to 21st Century Fox in 2012. Disney has a deal in place to buy 21st Century Fox and must sell off various regional sports networks to get approval. I’m not sure what this means for streaming Yankees games in the short-term. Kevin Draper and Edmund Lee indicate Yankees games could be included in Amazon Prime memberships. The sale isn’t final yet, and as more information comes in, I’ll be sure to pass it along.

MLB, MLBPA nearing rule change agreement

According to Ron Blum and Jeff Passan, MLB and the MLBPA are expected to ratify a series of rule changes at some point before Opening Day. Among them is a change to All-Star Game voting. The new system will be a two-step process. The first vote will pick three finalists at each position. The second will be a one-day race to pick a starter from the three finalists. Sounds fun. Here are details on the other forthcoming rule changes:

  • 26-man rosters with a 13-pitcher maximum (begins in 2020).
  • 28-man rosters with a 14-pitcher maximum in September (begins in 2020).
  • Injured list and optional assignment minimum increase to 15 days (begins in 2020).
  • Extra innings in the All-Star Game begin with a runner on second base (begins in 2019).
  • No pitch clock until at least 2022.

I am totally cool with expanding rosters to 26 players. I don’t like limiting the number of roster spots that can be used for pitchers and I am strongly against limiting September call-ups. Many players are going to miss out on a big league opportunity (and a month’s worth of big league salary) because of that. What would Stephen Tarpley’s outlook be right now had he not gotten an opportunity to come up last September? Making it more difficult to reward minor leaguers for a good season, audition young players for next season, and rest fatigued regulars seems like a bad idea.

MLB announces Atlantic League experiments

Last week MLB and the independent Atlantic League announced a partnership in which MLB will use the Atlantic League to test various rule and equipment changes. In exchange, MLB will install Trackman (i.e. Statcast) at all eight Atlantic League parks and take over as official statistician, and increase their scouting coverage of the league. Yesterday MLB announced the changes they’ll test this year. The list:

  • Trackman will assist umpires with calling balls and strikes.
  • No mound visits except for pitching changes or injury situations.
  • Three-batter minimum for pitchers unless they complete an inning (or get injured).
  • Increase size of first, second, and third bases from 15 inches square to 18 inches square.
  • Require two infielders on each side of second base when a pitch is released.
  • Reduce time between innings from two minutes, five seconds to one minute, 45 seconds.
  • Move the pitching mound back two feet to 62 feet, 6 inches from home plate.

“Players sign in the Atlantic League for the Major League Baseball showcase opportunity it offers. We are excited to see that showcase grow exponentially, while working with MLB on initiatives critical to the future of the game,” said Atlantic League president Rich White in a statement. Making the bases larger will help avoid collisions and hands and ankles getting stepped on, so that’s a plus. I don’t like the three-batter minimum for pitchers or eliminating shifts, but whatever. I’m fighting a losing battle.

Moving the mound back is a seismic change and, weirdly, it will only happen during the second half of the Atlantic League season. They’re going to move the mound back midseason! I assume MLB is looking for ways to increase balls in play and reduce strikeouts. Is this the best way to do it? I have no idea. That’s why they’re giving it a test run. The big concern here is health. The extra two feet and theoretical increase in contact isn’t worth it if pitchers are getting hurt.

March 7th Spring Training Notes: First Base, Sabathia, Wade

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The Yankees beat up on the Phillies this afternoon. Estevan Florial hit an opposite field three-run home run that looked like a gap shot double off the bat, but carried over the fence. “I mean, wow. It’s a short list of people that can hit a ball like that. I told that to Reggie Jackson on the bench. He was quick to tell me that he was one of those,” Aaron Boone said to Bryan Hoch. Mike Ford also went deep. Miguel Andujar had two hits on the day.

James Paxton started and was very good, striking out five and allowing three hits in 3.1 scoreless innings before reaching his pitch count. Adam Ottavino struck out three in 1.2 innings. He and Paxton struck out eight of the 19 batters they faced, or 42.1%. Pretty cool. Jonathan Holder tossed a perfect inning and Danny Farquhar had a scoreless inning as well. It was his second Grapefruit League appearance. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are today’s Spring Training notes:

  • Aaron Boone pretty much shot down the possibility of a first base platoon. “It’s tough for me to envision us having two first basemen, especially when I feel like (DJ) LeMahieu would be that guy that gets backup reps there,” he said. That means either Luke Voit or (more likely) Greg Bird is going to Triple-A. [Bryan Hoch]
  • So far, so good for CC Sabathia during his bullpen sessions. “We are just trying to build up enough time, the knee is fine … I feel great,” he said. Sabathia is expected to begin the season on the injured list as he builds up his arm strength and stretches his pitch count. [George King]
  • Tyler Wade’s versatility will be a factor when the Yankees pick someone for their final bench spot, Boone said. That doesn’t surprise me. Wade has played second base, shortstop, third base, left field, and right field so far this spring. [Lindsey Adler]
  • Aaron Hicks (back) did some running and throwing today, and he’s aiming to be back in the lineup this weekend. Boone said Hicks has “significantly improved,” so that’s good. [Bryan Hoch]

The Yankees are back in action with a night game tomorrow. It’s their second night game of the spring. They’ll host the Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field at 6:35pm ET. Masahiro Tanaka is the scheduled starting pitcher. Tomorrow’s game will be televised live.

Poll: Undoing one Yankees’ offseason move

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(Presswire)

Now that the big fish of free agency have picked their destinations, we can officially close the door on the Yankees’ offseason. (I wouldn’t hold my breath for a Dallas Keuchel signing even after the Luis Severino injury.) Even without Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, the Yankees had a pretty busy winter. They signed seven free agents, though only three are new to the club. Two significant trades were completed as well.

If you had a mulligan, which transaction would you undo? For argument’s sake, I’ll make a brief case against each move. I’ll then make my choice and let you vote on yours at the end.

Re-signed Brett Gardner (1 year, $7.5 million)

The first step of the offseason was to buy out Gardner’s $12 million 2019 option for a cool $2 million. Then, the Yanks re-signed him for $7.5 million immediately thereafter. It wasn’t a total shock that the team declined its club option on the outfielder, but it was somewhat surprising to see them bring him back immediately. Gardner had a 66 wRC+ in the second half last season, and at 35 years of age, looked just about done. If the front office knew that Bryce Harper was never going to be an option, they should have looked for alternatives before handing Gardner the left field job this season. If Gardner is indeed toast, hopefully Clint Frazier rights the team’s wrong.

Re-signed CC Sabathia (1 year, $8 million)

Unlike Gardner, Sabathia is in the midst of a late career resurgence. The main concern is his heart health after he underwent an angioplasty over the winter, but in terms of performance, there haven’t been any signs of decline. He’s recorded a 117 ERA+ since 2016, but maybe it would have been wise to part ways before Sabathia’s decline. Even though he’s reinvented his pitching style, who knows what could happen at 38 years old.

Re-signed Zack Britton (3 years, $39 million)

The Yankees ostensibly believe that they’re going to get the old Britton. Yet, bouts of forearm soreness in 2017 and a ruptured Achilles prior to the 2018 season sapped much of the southpaw’s effectiveness in recent seasons. For what it’s worth, his stuff looked pretty good in pinstripes at the end of the year. Still, he was pretty wild and struggled to miss bats. Why should we be confident that he’s going to be an elite reliever again?

Re-signed J.A. Happ (2 years, $34 million)

The concern about Happ is not unlike the worries about Sabathia. Happ is another older pitcher, at 36 years old, so the end could come at a moment’s notice. And like Sabathia, Happ has been really good in recent years. It’s just a matter of: is it better to move on too soon or too late? Especially when a younger and better alternative, Patrick Corbin, was available in free agency.

Signed Adam Ottavino (3 years, $27 million)

Ottavino was awesome last season. He’s got a wipeout slider and a strong fastball. How can anyone argue against that? Well, he’s also just a season removed from walking 39 batters in 53 innings. Control has hindered Ottavino in past years and he’s had a bit of a volatile career because of it.

Signed DJ LeMahieu (2 years, $24 million)

As it always goes with ex-Rockies, will he be able to hit away from Coors Field? That’s not the only reason for consternation, though. He’s settled in as a starting second baseman but will now be expected to bounce around the infield without a regular starting role. Is he expected to play almost everyday? Yes. But perhaps having to spend time on the infield corners becomes a problem too. Perhaps Marwin Gonzalez would have been the better option as a super-utility player.

Signed Troy Tulowitzki (league minimum)

When much of the fanbase wanted Machado, signing an oft-injured ex-star is a bit underwhelming. Not only have injuries marred much of Tulo’s career, but he’s also 34 years-old and hasn’t played well since 2014. To count on him as the starting shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery is a huge risk. There’s nothing wrong with taking a flyer on a guy like Tulowitzki, but entrusting him with a significant role could get ugly.

Traded for James Paxton

On a per inning basis, Paxton is elite. The problem throughout his career has been that he’s struggled to rack up innings, however. The Yankees are really counting on him to create a one-two punch with (healthy) Luis Severino, but will Paxton hold up? Getting an ace isn’t a piece of cake, and sometimes risks have to be undertaken in order to get one, which is precisely what the Yankees are rolling the dice on here. Again, with Corbin available for money, the Yankees could have held prospects like Justus Sheffield for an alternative to Paxton.

Traded away Sonny Gray

There’s no question that Gray’s tenure in pinstripes did not work out. If Gray thrives with the Reds, it’ll be easy to say the Yankees screwed up. But, was it sensible to deal Gray at his lowest value? Gray could have been given some sort of opportunity to rebuild himself in New York this year. Maybe he could have served as the swingman, which appeared to be Luis Cessa’s job to lose before Severino’s injury.

My vote goes for Gardner. I’d have been happy to have him back as a fourth outfielder, but to me, there was no need to rush into an agreement at the outset of free agency. His performance wasn’t going to find him a big contract elsewhere for the Yankees to match, and in fact, they probably could have saved a few bucks if they were patient. Not that the Yankees need to save a few bucks, but rather, my point is that they could have sought a better starting left fielder before returning to Gardy.

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