Offseason Hotstove Thread

The Yankees are kicking the tires on Soto, as they should be.

We can certainly get a .202 average and 35% k rate from one or more of our prospects. Let someone else work their magic on those other advanced metrics.

Prayer is such that I see no prospect on wasting it on something so unimportant as my favorite baseball team.

I’d rather spend it attempting to attain world peace or to solve world hunger/poverty.

Besides it seems to me to as effective and reliable as a rain dance…

youtu.be/8JgHbO4SCiY?si=3XWDvDFy03jUiFfW

Judge and Cole are in their prime right now so the time win is right now.  If you can get Soto a year early, you have to do it, he's the game changing left handed bat they so desperately need.   

New York seemingly has a logjam at catcher and reportedly has told other teams that both Ben Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka are available through trade, according to SNY's Andy Martino.

"The Yankees are signaling in talks with other clubs that at least two of the catchers on the 40-man roster are available in a trade, according to league sources," Martino said. "The Yankees’ expectation is to enter the season with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells as the catching tandem. That leaves Ben Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka as potential victims of a roster crunch.

www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/10/offseason-outlook-new-york-yankees-12.html

...For all of these bigger-picture issues facing the Yankees, their offseason plan is perhaps pretty simple — improve the offense. New York finished within the bottom seven of the league in total runs, OPS, OBP, batting average, and were persistently undone by an inability to get hits with runners in scoring position. Losing Judge to a torn toe ligament for close to seven weeks didn’t help, but almost all of New York’s other hitters had down years. Judge (174), Gleyber Torres (123), and the lightly-used Dominguez and Greg Allen were the only Yankees hitters to post even a 102 wRC+, as DJ LeMahieu was the next best of the group with a slightly above-average 101 total.



In the most optimistic of views, getting healthy seasons from Judge and Anthony Rizzo, some level of bounce-back from LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton, and that aforementioned breakout from one or two of the rookies could greatly improve the lineup without even any outside upgrades. But, that is asking a lot from inexperienced players, and it might be that LeMahieu and Stanton won’t ever regain their prime form. Given the lingering effects of Rizzo’s post-concussion syndrome, it also shouldn’t be assumed that Rizzo will suddenly be an All-Star again even with an offseason of recovery.



To some extent, the rookie crop can be a hedge against the veterans’ chances of a comeback season. LeMahieu and Peraza could be involved in a timeshare at third base, LeMahieu could likewise get some first base time along with Rizzo, and Pereira’s ability to become an everyday left fielder could keep Stanton firmly in a DH-only role, which may be for the best at this stage of his career.



Could a trade clear some room? Stanton’s salary and his no-trade clause make him among the most immovable players in baseball, so the Yankees would have to eat virtually all of his contract to accommodate a deal, even if Stanton did agree to a move. LeMahieu is also a tough sell in trade talks, given the $45MM left on his contract and his own no-trade protection due to his 10-and-5 status. Rizzo is perhaps the easiest of the trio to move since he is only under contract through the 2024 season, yet the Yankees would be selling low given the unknowns of his injury situation, and they’d be losing one of the few left-handed bats from their heavily righty-leaning lineup.



Trading Torres would also seem counter-productive, as he was the team’s second-best hitter in 2023. Moving Torres would both open up a natural middle infield spot for Peraza (or Volpe, if he was moved to second base and Peraza took over shortstop) and it would save some money, as Torres is projected for a huge arbitration raise to $15.3MM. While the Yankees generally don’t pursue extensions as a club policy, there hasn’t been any indication that Torres is in the team’s plans beyond 2024, which is the second baseman’s final year of arbitration eligibility prior to free agency. Still, the Yankees might be content to just let Torres walk in free agency.

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/yankees-may-be-banking-on-outfield-prospect-to-lock-down-left-field/ar-AA1j2GQ1?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=c177ec0edb93442898b216fdf9756ed0&ei=16 YES!  YES!  YES!
Yankees may be banking on outfield prospect to lock down left field