|
|
Post by azbob643 on Feb 23, 2024 9:27:44 GMT -5
Gleyber Torres didn’t just get in the lab for the Yankees this offseason, he created one... Players entering their walk years often arrive at spring training coming off of strong offseasons. Gleyber Torres went the extra mile: he built a facility where he could train whenever he pleased. Torres didn’t actually build it by hand, but he and former Yankees teammate Gio Urshela rented out a warehouse in the Tampa area and filled it with weights, turf and a batting cage. The gym, called The Lab, opened last July, meaning it was ready in plenty of time for Torres and Urshela to use it over the offseason. Torres had been wanting to create something like The Lab for a couple years, he said. In past offseasons, he would usually go to the Yankees’ player development complex to work out (before the rest of his teammates would begin to trickle in at some point in January) or any available gym in Tampa. But the latter made him yearn for some privacy. “There was always more people, maybe some fans we see during the day. Just wanted some privacy and just open a facility for my own trainer. He’s prepared me from years ago, so he moved to Tampa. He does everything with me.” www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/gleyber-torres-didn-t-just-get-in-the-lab-for-the-yankees-this-offseason-he-created-one/ar-BB1iLEQr?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b60dfbb36df24adbb3145b6bf0fd10b4&ei=20
|
|
|
|
Post by jiminy on Feb 23, 2024 9:28:03 GMT -5
Brendan Kuty: Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner confirms payroll is above $300M and is over the highest luxury tax. But said he’s not ruling out any additions Cashman brings his way, though he declined to speak specifically about Blake Snell.
|
|
|
|
Post by jiminy on Feb 23, 2024 9:29:30 GMT -5
Joel Sherman: I’m old enough to remember when Giancarlo Stanton was Juan Soto, the obtained slugger who was going to form an indomitable duo with Aaron Judge.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Giancarlo Stanton had a lost season in 2023, and the now-34-year-old seemed to take those setbacks to heart. After showing up to camp looking leaner than he has in years, the presumptive Yankee DH is concentrating on a healthy season, but a look under the hood reveals a little more to be worried about than just IL time. His swing mechanics were off most of last season, leading to less optimal contact than he’s ever made before. Stanton reportedly showed up at camp with new mechanics, and that may be the key, moreso than even health, to making him an offensive threat again.
|
|
|
|
Post by qimqam on Feb 23, 2024 10:26:30 GMT -5
Gleyber Torres didn’t just get in the lab for the Yankees this offseason, he created one... Players entering their walk years often arrive at spring training coming off of strong offseasons. Gleyber Torres went the extra mile: he built a facility where he could train whenever he pleased. Torres didn’t actually build it by hand, but he and former Yankees teammate Gio Urshela rented out a warehouse in the Tampa area and filled it with weights, turf and a batting cage. The gym, called The Lab, opened last July, meaning it was ready in plenty of time for Torres and Urshela to use it over the offseason. Torres had been wanting to create something like The Lab for a couple years, he said. In past offseasons, he would usually go to the Yankees’ player development complex to work out (before the rest of his teammates would begin to trickle in at some point in January) or any available gym in Tampa. But the latter made him yearn for some privacy. “There was always more people, maybe some fans we see during the day. Just wanted some privacy and just open a facility for my own trainer. He’s prepared me from years ago, so he moved to Tampa. He does everything with me.” www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/gleyber-torres-didn-t-just-get-in-the-lab-for-the-yankees-this-offseason-he-created-one/ar-BB1iLEQr?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b60dfbb36df24adbb3145b6bf0fd10b4&ei=20 Wait a minute???? I thought Gleyber was a fat, lazy, beer drinking, potato chip eating slob in the offseason Was that a lie??? |
|
|
|
Post by azbob643 on Feb 23, 2024 10:28:34 GMT -5
Gleyber Torres didn’t just get in the lab for the Yankees this offseason, he created one... Players entering their walk years often arrive at spring training coming off of strong offseasons. Gleyber Torres went the extra mile: he built a facility where he could train whenever he pleased. Torres didn’t actually build it by hand, but he and former Yankees teammate Gio Urshela rented out a warehouse in the Tampa area and filled it with weights, turf and a batting cage. The gym, called The Lab, opened last July, meaning it was ready in plenty of time for Torres and Urshela to use it over the offseason. Torres had been wanting to create something like The Lab for a couple years, he said. In past offseasons, he would usually go to the Yankees’ player development complex to work out (before the rest of his teammates would begin to trickle in at some point in January) or any available gym in Tampa. But the latter made him yearn for some privacy. “There was always more people, maybe some fans we see during the day. Just wanted some privacy and just open a facility for my own trainer. He’s prepared me from years ago, so he moved to Tampa. He does everything with me.” www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/gleyber-torres-didn-t-just-get-in-the-lab-for-the-yankees-this-offseason-he-created-one/ar-BB1iLEQr?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b60dfbb36df24adbb3145b6bf0fd10b4&ei=20 Wait a minute???? I thought Gleyber was a fat, lazy, beer drinking, potato chip eating slob in the offseason Was that a lie??? Yes...yes it was. And certainly not the only one... |
|
|
|
Post by qimqam on Feb 23, 2024 10:33:05 GMT -5
Joel Sherman: I’m old enough to remember when Giancarlo Stanton was Juan Soto, the obtained slugger who was going to form an indomitable duo with Aaron Judge. FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Giancarlo Stanton had a lost season in 2023, and the now-34-year-old seemed to take those setbacks to heart. After showing up to camp looking leaner than he has in years, the presumptive Yankee DH is concentrating on a healthy season, but a look under the hood reveals a little more to be worried about than just IL time. His swing mechanics were off most of last season, leading to less optimal contact than he’s ever made before. Stanton reportedly showed up at camp with new mechanics, and that may be the key, moreso than even health, to making him an offensive threat again. Apparently Joel Sherman is old enough to be losing his memory ... Stanton was never as good a hitter as Soto |
|
|
|
Post by jiminy on Feb 23, 2024 10:38:47 GMT -5
SSTN: Nick Burdi.
Stuff has never been a question with Burdi; he's been as banged up as any pitcher in baseball since he was drafted. 2 Tommy Johns, Thoracic Outlet Surgery, and a host of other arm trouble. That's not a recipe for success. What is, though, is a 100 MPH fastball with rise paired with an absolute wipeout slider. Burdi's stuff is intact even after all of these injuries, and he supposedly feels as healthy as he's been in a long time. Anecdotally, he has also changed his arm slot a bit, dropping it a few inches, which he has noted feels like it takes a lot of strain off of his arm. If Burdi stays healthy, he will make an MLB roster and be an incredibly effective relief arm.
My bold prediction: Nick Burdi makes the Yankees out of camp, and by mid-season, he's so electric that he effectively takes the closer role from Clay Holmes, freeing up Holmes for fireman work to which he's well-suited.
YES: Burdi, 31, has made 19 career Major League relief appearances over parts of four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-20) and Chicago Cubs (2023), going 2-2 with one save and a 9.39 ERA (15.1IP, 19H, 17R/16ER, 10BB, 27K, 2HR). The right-handed pitcher made three relief appearances with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, posting a 9.00 ERA (3.0IP, 3H, 3ER, 3BB, 4K, 0HR). He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Iowa, posting a 3.20 ERA with four saves (19.2IP, 16H, 7ER, 14BB, 33K, 1HR) in 21 relief appearances. Burdi was signed by the Yankees as a Minor League free agent on Dec. 20, 2023. The Hinsdale, Ill., native was originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville.
|
|
|
|
Post by 1955nyyfan on Feb 23, 2024 11:16:04 GMT -5
Joel Sherman: I’m old enough to remember when Giancarlo Stanton was Juan Soto, the obtained slugger who was going to form an indomitable duo with Aaron Judge. FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Giancarlo Stanton had a lost season in 2023, and the now-34-year-old seemed to take those setbacks to heart. After showing up to camp looking leaner than he has in years, the presumptive Yankee DH is concentrating on a healthy season, but a look under the hood reveals a little more to be worried about than just IL time. His swing mechanics were off most of last season, leading to less optimal contact than he’s ever made before. Stanton reportedly showed up at camp with new mechanics, and that may be the key, moreso than even health, to making him an offensive threat again. Apparently Joel Sherman is old enough to be losing his memory ... Stanton was never as good a hitter as Soto I'll respectfully disagree a bit, I think it's a defendable statement. Soto is more of a contact hitter but hasn't put up the power numbers that Stanton did in his prime. Stanton also hit for a pretty high average when he was posting some of his better years, including 4 years with an OPS of 950 or better. |
|
|
|
Post by chiyankee on Feb 23, 2024 11:22:57 GMT -5
Apparently Joel Sherman is old enough to be losing his memory ... Stanton was never as good a hitter as Soto I'll respectfully disagree a bit, I think it's a defendable statement. Soto is more of a contact hitter but hasn't put up the power numbers that Stanton did in his prime. Stanton also hit for a pretty high average when he was posting some of his better years, including 4 years with an OPS of 950 or better. I think Sherman's point was that Stanton was supposed to be the second guy to form a one-two punch with Judge. Instead, Cashman had to go out and get Soto because Stanton has become so unreliable. |
|
|
|
Post by 1955nyyfan on Feb 23, 2024 12:14:03 GMT -5
I'll respectfully disagree a bit, I think it's a defendable statement. Soto is more of a contact hitter but hasn't put up the power numbers that Stanton did in his prime. Stanton also hit for a pretty high average when he was posting some of his better years, including 4 years with an OPS of 950 or better. I think Sherman's point was that Stanton was supposed to be the second guy to form a one-two punch with Judge. Instead, Cashman had to go out and get Soto because Stanton has become so unreliable. I didn't word it correctly, but I was reacting more to the comment that Stanton was never the hitter Soto was. |
|
|
|
Post by chiyankee on Feb 23, 2024 12:42:10 GMT -5
I think Sherman's point was that Stanton was supposed to be the second guy to form a one-two punch with Judge. Instead, Cashman had to go out and get Soto because Stanton has become so unreliable. I didn't word it correctly, but I was reacting more to the comment that Stanton was never the hitter Soto was. I think they're totally different hitters. Stanton has a much pure power has any hitter in the game but Soto is the much better complete hitter. Soto hits for a better average and his on base skills are elite. |
|
|
|
Post by ypaterson on Feb 23, 2024 13:45:58 GMT -5
I think Sherman's point was that Stanton was supposed to be the second guy to form a one-two punch with Judge. Instead, Cashman had to go out and get Soto because Stanton has become so unreliable. I didn't word it correctly, but I was reacting more to the comment that Stanton was never the hitter Soto was. The year 2017 was a career year for Giancarlo Stanton. He'll never reach those levels again. But if he repeats the work he did in 2018 or 2021 this year this Yankee team will lead MLB in runs scored. At least that is what my fortune cookie says !! |
|
|
|
Post by fwclipper51 on Feb 23, 2024 15:49:45 GMT -5
Steinbrenner: Yankees Open To Further Additions
By Darragh McDonald | February 23, 2024 at 1:35pm CDT MLB Rumors
Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner spoke to members of the media yesterday, including Chris Kirschner and Brendan Duty of The Athletic, noting that the club is open to making further additions to the roster but also adding that nothing is close and there could be budgetary concerns with any possible transactions.
“Given where we are payroll-wise, any addition to the club is going to be a costly one,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m still willing to consider anything that [general manager Brian Cashman] and his team bring my way. I’ll leave it at that. We are not done trying to improve this team.”
The openness to making another move doesn’t necessarily mean that one will come to pass, as Steinbrenner himself made clear. “I’m not saying anything is going to happen, I’m not saying something’s not going to happen. But I’m still willing to improve this team however we can.” But the mere fact that he’s keeping the window open is notable, especially given the way others have spoken recently.
Decision makers for the Giants, Rangers, Nationals, Mariners, Twins, Blue Jays and Angels have all downplayed the likelihood of further moves for their clubs in the past week or so. Though the so-called “Boras Four” of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger are all unsigned and many fans are pressing their favorite team to jump in, executives and owners seem to be doing their best to lower expectations.
Whether that’s a genuine expression of the current state of affairs or a posture for bargaining purposes isn’t known, but Steinbrenner’s comments nonetheless stand out as being a bit less outwardly pessimistic. Though as he mentioned, there will be significant financial considerations to any possible deal.
Roster Resource currently pegs the Yankees’ competitive balance tax number at $307MM, already about $10MM beyond the fourth and final tax tier of $297MM. As a third-time payor at that level, the Yankees are looking at a 110% tax rate for any further spending.
The club has been connected to Snell throughout the offseason, reportedly offering him a deal of $150MM over 6 years at one point. That deal would have come with an average annual value of $25MM and the Yankees would have had to pay $27.5MM in taxes. That means they would be looking at giving up $52.5MM to add Snell to the rotation for this year.
That $150MM guarantee wasn’t enough to get Snell to put pen to paper, which perhaps suggests the Yanks might have to be willing to go even further to get a deal done. The lefty hasn’t signed anywhere so perhaps the club can hold firm to their position, but it still highlights the significant numbers the club is calculating when considering these kinds of moves.
The end of February is now in sight and spring games are taking place. As the regular season creeps closer and big name free agents are still available, it seems a staring contest is taking place. Boras obviously doesn’t want to take offers for his clients that he considers below what they are worth while clubs are doing their best to present themselves as content with their current rosters and payrolls. Something will have to eventually give and it seems as though the Yankees could perhaps be at the table.
Their rotation is currently fronted by Gerrit Cole but has question marks beyond that. Each of Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman missed significant time due to injuries last year. Clarke Schmidt is fine as a #5 but has an option year remaining and could potentially be pushed to the minors if someone else is signed. The Yanks dealt away 4 starting pitching options in the Juan Soto trade so there would be logic to pushing Schmidt down the depth chart for when a need inevitably arises as the season goes along. Steinbrenner trotted out the “I don’t think you can have enough pitching” cliché yesterday, per video relayed by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
It remains to be seen if they are willing to pay for someone like Snell or Montgomery in order to bolster the staff. The free agent market also features Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, Zack Greinke and others.
|
|
|
|
Post by jiminy on Feb 25, 2024 10:22:04 GMT -5
New York Post | Greg Joyce: Oswaldo Cabrera is a switch-hitter. The Yankees, however, like him better from the left side of the plate and have said to him that he will hit as a lefty against some southpaws in 2024.
Before the start of every series, Boone stated that the team will sit down with him and determine which lefties he will be facing as a left-handed hitter; and which ones will warrant a move to the right side. “We’ll be selective about it,” said Boone.
During his time in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason, Cabrera hit exclusively from the left side. “Just a stronger hitter left-handed,” the skipper said. “I think him focusing on that more and wanting to commit more to that side is something he wanted. So we got together and met him halfway on this (…) We’ll obviously adjust if we have to on the fly.”
|
|
|
|
Post by jiminy on Feb 25, 2024 10:23:07 GMT -5
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Trent Grisham socked a three-run blast, a 115.5-mph, 421-foot homer, in the second inning to open the scoring. A former top Brewers prospect who flashed serious ability in San Diego, he has always had some power, speed, and good defense, yet his career wRC+ is 96. Can he take the next step and make his offense match his excellent fielding skills? Nobody knows, but the Yankees like him anyway and want him ready in case he is needed to start.*
*Check out his season preview for more.
“He’s a guy who’s had some successes, some struggles at the plate,” Aaron Boone said of Grisham. “Has the ability to control the strike zone. Has some power. Obviously, some playoff experience where he’s had some success.
“All things being equal, he probably walks in here as our fourth outfielder,” Boone stated, with Alex Verdugo expected to start most days. “That said — and I’ve talked to [Grisham] about this — he’s going to play a lot. Maybe if we open tomorrow, he’s not playing as much as he’s accustomed to playing. But one thing happens and that changes in a hurry and I can’t get him out of the lineup.”
|
|
