Post#315 » by moocow007 » Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:18 pm
Here's what I would suggest they try to do...
Trade Gallo
I honestly never understood the lust for Gallo from so many Yankee fans. He is the poster child of the type of hitter that the Yankees don't need more of. Gold glove defense? Sure. But Gallo will be a free agent after this upcoming season and with Scott Boras as his agent has already reportedly rejected a contract extension made by the Rangers that would have likely paid Gallo about $20 million a season.
If 'George' was in front of 'Steinbrenner' on the owners door at Yankee headquarters then sure. But when it 'Bean Counter' (er I mean 'Hal') it just does not make sense for the Yankees to basically carry an ill fitting Gallo who looked like the Sonny Gray of hitters for them for one season and then watch him leave cause they won't pay him.
There are teams out there they still love Gallo and with one year left on his contract at a cheap $9.5 million the Yankees should be able to get something in return that can either restock their farm system or be used to make trades for players that actually fit better and/or address other positions of (greater) need.
Who will play LF? The guy that currently has the largest contract on the Yankees and that actually showed he is a better hitter when he's also playing the field?
Trade Torres
This is what I suggested that they do BEFORE this past season of hopes and dashed dreams. I said he wasn't a SS and warned that if the Yankees cheapness forces him to play short that it will likely screw with his hitting. And I was right. Torres is not a SS and he never will be a SS. And honestly even as a 2B his defense is average at best and with SS a big black hole for the Yankees you simply cannot afford anything other than superior defense up the middle.
Hopefully and theoretically, Torres still has some significant value in the eyes of some front offices in baseball. Use it and move him to try to get something that actually fits (there's that word again right?).
DJL is your 2B. They paid him (rightfully so) and now they are stuck with him (in a good way). They already have way too many guys that should be playing 1B to suggest moving DJL, a career 2B to 1st (see fit). So with DJL your 2B for the forseeable future (and with Anthony Volpe, who MAY move to 2B?) in the wings you have no need for Torres (again he's NOT a SS).
Just as they should have looked to do before last season, see if there's a trade to be had for someone like Luis Castillo (who is also coming off a down year but actually would fit a perfect need for the Yanks) who there was a lot of talk about concerning Torres at the same point last season. Castillo had one of his worst seasons so far which should help keep him within reach of a Torres based package doable.
Trade Hicks
I have a theory that Hicks propensity for injury is actually a curse that some gypsy placed on him and that that curse is so strong that it actually spreads to those around him (LOL). But seriously Hicks has been a hot mess and is the posterchild of what trying to be too smart and cheap does. Wipe this mistake clean even if you have to pay half his remaining contract to find another team to take him. It doesn't matter if it looks like he's "finally going to be healthy". It's a mirage...he'll get injured again. Screw his cannon arm (which with all the injuries isn't cannon anymore) and screw the OBP (when you play only 50% of the games that your teammates have played your ability to get on base lessens in terms of meaning).
Who to replace him with? If they are going to go cheap then maybe giving Estevan Florial a more extended look is an option? After years of up and down injury plagued minor league career Florial looked pretty good both in the field and at the plate in limited playing time with the parent team. But if they don't feel that they can live with that, Starling Marte (someone they've been apparently interested in regularly) will be a free agent and is coming off a 6 year $31 million contract. Since he's a bit long in the tooth now you can probably get him for half those years at the same AAV? 3 years $16-17 million contract? Marte brings a very fiery energetic style of play with him and that's something that this team seems to be lacking.
Pay someone to take Hicks contract by offering to eat half of it and sign Marte. Net difference could just be a few million more per to get a guy that actually can do something. And then you work in Florial as a super cheap backup OF/CF and finally let Gardner go (be a bench coach?).
Someone like Marte would be your stop gap that hopefully gets you close to the Martian in NY.
Let Gardner Go And...
Maybe with all the shakeup on the coaching staff, let Gardner be the bench coach with a potential future eye as the manager? Brett Gardner has been a great Yankee favorite but I think it's time to move on. Maybe see if he's willing to become the bench coach.
Even if they (do the right thing) and let Boone go I'm sure they can talk whoever replaces him to keep Gardner on as a coach.
Replace Boone
You can argue this any number of ways and Boone has managed to take really odd rosters put together by Bean Counter and Cashman to the playoffs (does the Wildcard count as playoffs?) but the reality is that he just doesn't seem to be able to make the sum better than the individual parts consistently. And isn't that the true measure of a great manager in any sport?
They can go any number of ways but I think for this team they need to go back to basics and look for a more "old school" manager that can get this mish mosh group of guys to fight and compete and be in attack mode more.
The 2 guys that I like the most that are apparently available and that have proven track records are former Giants manager Bruce Bochy and once a Yankee always a Yankee Buck Showalter. Now there's talk about why Showalter back to the Yankees will never happen (based on Buck wanting total autonomy to manage the team they way he wants and Cashman being the type that insists that his managers take "suggestions" from him and his "analysts") and Bochy is rumored to be a "west coast guy" at heart. But nothing is written in stone and things can be rectified (especially if Bean Counter grows a pair of man balls and fires Cashman).
Replace Cashman
While I'm sure Bean Counter sees Cashman as his perfect little front office bride, the reality is that if he's not going to authorize spending whatever it takes, it may be better off bringing someone into the front office that can build a better winner with a budget.
What he should have done was tried to swipe Erik Neander from the Rays (before Neander re-upped). Neander has been able to build better teams consistently while staying south of the Rays $70 or so million budget. Even if you pay Neander $20 million a year you'd still be saving about $120 million a year LOL.
All jokes aside, Cashman hasn't really ever done anything to push this team over the top and win a title. No he did not build the last Yankees dynasty (that was Gene Michael) and I don't know that I count 2009 as Cashman's "masterpiece" as he was reportedly forced to make moves that he would not have done otherwise.
Trade Gary Sanchez
They should have moved Sanchez well before now. But such as it is, they simply cannot keep moving forward where you have your backup catcher being the "personal catcher" for your top of the rotation guys.
It's time to cut the cord. Get whatever you can out of a deal. Sanchez still is not a catcher that can make your pitching staff better and the whole dynamic is just off when you have him on the roster and in the lineup.
Who to replace him with? There are a few different options IMO and the Yankees can go with any number of them.
Option 1 is to believe that one of the many catching prospects you have in the organization is your future and that you just need a stop gap for a couple years. The obvious best stop gap guy is the guy they probably should have looked at signing last offseason as a stop gap...Yadier Molina. He'll be free again. He's old but still from a pure catching expertise and running a staff goes he's top notch. Higashioka can continue to be your backup and with Molina aging should still get his fair share of playing time (which is what you want). Then hopefully in a couple years one of your many many catching prospects will be ready to step up.
Option 2 is a slight variation of Option 1. You still go with a stop gap approach but in this case the stop gap is so you can set your eyes on someone that is on another team that will hit free agency in a year that you can make a serious push for that could be a difference maker type. For this option the obvious immediately guy that comes to mind is Christian Vasquez of the Red Sox. Vasquez is an elite defensive catcher that is also a big game player, has pop and just is a winner type mentality.
Optin 3 is to make a trade for someone like Willson Contreras. The Cubs are still a long ways away from contending as they are currently in a rebuild. Contreras will be a free agent after next season. From an age, defense, offense point of view he's a perfect get for the immediate future and for the next half decade or so. So you focus on trying to make a trade with the Cubs. Costly? I mean you won't be able to get him for a bag of beans obvioulsy.
Bite the bullet and sign a real top of the rotation starter in free agency
Rather than tryin gmore of these Corey Kluber and Jameson Tailon thrift store shopping hoping to find a diamond acquisitions actually go take whatever money you have and go after guys that actually are still top of the rotation starters.
There are actually quite a few top of the rotation guys on the free agency market this offseason that would seem to be much better bets than anyone not named Gerrit Cole on the Yankees roster. Talking Max Scherzer, Carlos Rodon, Robbie Ray, Eduardo Rodriguez headline the guys that are possible exits from their current teams (Kershaw isn't going anywhere and Bauer is a hot mess that no one is going to touch).
With the Yankees resetting the tax threshold maybe a short term (super) high dollar contract for Scherzer? Even at 36 Sherzer is showing he's still an elite big game guy. You put him with Cole at the top of the rotation you can then afford the mish mosh of bargain basement and young up and comers to fill out the rest of the rotation. And because you're not talking a long term contract it keeps Bean Counter Hal from having to have nightmares about all the money locked up long term for some other guys.
Or if they feel they want to invest less (but still big) dollars for a longer term guy then going after a Rodon (only 28) would be an option. Rodon has elite stuff.
What about SS?
To say that this is a once in a millennium free agency class at SS is an understatement LOL. You have 4 all-star caliber in their prime proven SS hitting free agency (would have been 5 if Francisco Lindor didn't extend with the Mets).
And hopefully everyone finally agrees that Gleyber Torres is not a SS?
What to do, what to do?
The way I see it the Yankees can go in 2 directions here. The obvious one is realize how rare this opportunity is and how important the SS position in, figure out which one they like and go after him. All it will cost you is money (and a compensatory draft pick). If this was the old Yankees this would have been about as easy an option as you can get. Either Trevor Story or Corey Seager would be getting measured for pinstripes shortly after the world series is over.
But since we got Bean Counter in charge, the other option is to accept and just be honest with your fanbase that you aren't going to spend all that money (that you have to spend) and put your eggs into the basket that one of your young prospects (Volpe or Perazza) is your future at SS and (as with catcher) look for a stop gap. The obvious stop gap guy is the guy that they reportedly had been trying to get in pinstripes for near half a decade now...Andrelton Simmons. Simmons can probably give you 2 or 3 more years of quality SS play (defense more so than offense) as you eventually move one of those guys in and hope they are your next Derek Jeter.
So in one hypothetical scenario (the cheap one...aka the more likely one) you'll have something like this:
C - Contreras (his contract will still be real cheap for the upcoming season)
1B - Rizzo
2B - DJL
SS - Simmons (super duper cheap compared to the big name SS free agents)
3B - Urshela (pocket change contract status still)
RF - Judge (still cheap relatively speaking)
CF - Marte (his current year AAV if was assume that we can carry it over to the new contract is VERY cheap)
LF - Stanton
DH - Voit (yeah yeah frayed relationship but Voit is as cheap a productive 1B as you can get in baseball...and cheap matters to Bean Counter Hal)
Potential batting order - DJL, Judge, Rizzo, Stanton, Contreras, Voit, Marte, Urshela, Simmons
Waiting in the wings would be your (hopefully future cornerstone guys) to replace your stop gap guys. Talking about Volpe (possible move to 2B, Dominguez (CF) and Perazza (SS)...and maybe one of the catching prospects. That would project the over the 4 most important positionals (up the middle).
SP - Cole, Sherzer (big AAV but short years), Castillo,...then whatever else currently on the roster or in the farm
The one big ticket expense would be Scherzer but it won't be anywhere like Stanton or Cole in length. Everyone else (assuming you can get Rizzo for his last AAV) will be either extremely or relatively cheap.
