2023 Yankees off-season thread

[mvp 78]

Many Yankees fans think he was a disaster fielding-wise.

 

10 DRS

 

Disaster? I didn't think that's what DRS stood for?

[Bellhorn04]

You certainly watched more Yankee games than me, but I’ve always liked IKF as a player…

 

Over the last 2 seasons he has a total fWAR of 3.0 in 300 games, or 1.5 per 150 games. He is by definition a below-average player.

[Bellhorn04]

10 DRS

 

Disaster? I didn't think that's what DRS stood for?

 

What bkz said above is what other Yankee fans complained about. He has skills, but blows a lot of simple plays.

[moonslav59]

10 DRS

 

Disaster? I didn't think that's what DRS stood for?

 

0.0 UZR/150 suggests his defense is questionable.

 

Career +0.9 suggests he is not bad.

[bkzwhitestrican]

He is a good defensive third baseman, and at best an average defensive shortstop. When you combine that with his weak hitting, he is a below average player at short.

[Bellhorn04]

The Yankees played musical shortstops in the ALCS.

 

Game 1 IKF

Game 2 Peraza

Game 3 Cabrera

Game 4 IKF

[moonslav59]

He is a good defensive third baseman, and at best an average defensive shortstop. When you combine that with his weak hitting, he is a below average player at short.

 

He was basically a placeholder for the kids.

 

His time is up.

[mvp 78]

What bkz said above is what other Yankee fans complained about. He has skills, but blows a lot of simple plays.

 

Wouldn't that be accounted for in DRS though?

[moonslav59]

Wouldn't that be accounted for in DRS though?

 

UZR/150 captures it nicely:

+0.3 DPR

+0.4 RngR

-0.8 ErrR

 

0.0 overall

[jacksonianmarch]

Plus $15M for DJ to be the utility guy.

 

DJ has to be a utility guy. Two years in a row he doesn’t make it to October. Gotta keep the tank full for the end of the year and not burn him out by overplaying him in May

[jacksonianmarch]

IKF’s issue is he shrank with the glove when it matters most. Your bat can slump, but when your D slumps, that’s when it’s in your head and the game gets too big for you. We don’t need a player like that

[jacksonianmarch]

Our window is still open next year due to the pitching staff. Cole-Cortes-Sevy is a hell of a 1-3. If Montas is healthy, that’s a damn good 1-4. Cannot waste years of a dominant staff

[moonslav59]

Our window is still open next year due to the pitching staff. Cole-Cortes-Sevy is a hell of a 1-3. If Montas is healthy, that’s a damn good 1-4. Cannot waste years of a dominant staff

 

This may be true, but your best window was 21 to 22.

[jacksonianmarch]

This may be true, but your best window was 21 to 22.

 

Depends on what they do this year. They've got another window coming with what we hope should be a dangerous core of talented position players. But when you can roll out three ace level performers at the top of your rotation and another guy in Montas, who when healthy, can head a rotation then you've got to invest in the team. Judge being an FA is a problem, but aside from a magical regular season, he has been total meat in the post season. Good pitchers know what to do to him. His lack of bat to ball contact has cost him when it matters the most. Strangely, Stanton is a better playoff performer than Judge because Stanton can go periods of time where you cannot pitch to him at all then fade into nothingness. Judge is consistent. Miss middle or up and you're dead. Stay on the margins and down and you'll be ok.

[moonslav59]

Depends on what they do this year. They've got another window coming with what we hope should be a dangerous core of talented position players. But when you can roll out three ace level performers at the top of your rotation and another guy in Montas, who when healthy, can head a rotation then you've got to invest in the team. Judge being an FA is a problem, but aside from a magical regular season, he has been total meat in the post season. Good pitchers know what to do to him. His lack of bat to ball contact has cost him when it matters the most. Strangely, Stanton is a better playoff performer than Judge because Stanton can go periods of time where you cannot pitch to him at all then fade into nothingness. Judge is consistent. Miss middle or up and you're dead. Stay on the margins and down and you'll be ok.

 

I get the feeling you will always think you are "in a window."

 

I'm not saying it is unwarranted. You guys have some top prospects just about due for arrival. There is good reason to think your window can extend beyond '21-'22.

 

The problem goes way beyond keeping Judge or not. Look at the rest of the offense, and now you pen is losing some key pieces from the last 2-4 years.

 

Sure, if you retool, your window can stay open, but a lot of teams can apply that "if" and be even or ahead of the Yanks.

 

I still think your best bet was from 2021-2022 and your next best bet is after Volpe and others arrive. You guys can spend like maniacs, this winter to stay a top contender, but I'm not sure topo management will okay it.

[notin]

Depends on what they do this year. They've got another window coming with what we hope should be a dangerous core of talented position players. But when you can roll out three ace level performers at the top of your rotation and another guy in Montas, who when healthy, can head a rotation then you've got to invest in the team. Judge being an FA is a problem, but aside from a magical regular season, he has been total meat in the post season. Good pitchers know what to do to him. His lack of bat to ball contact has cost him when it matters the most. Strangely, Stanton is a better playoff performer than Judge because Stanton can go periods of time where you cannot pitch to him at all then fade into nothingness. Judge is consistent. Miss middle or up and you're dead. Stay on the margins and down and you'll be ok.

 

Is Cortes really “ace level”?

 

He’s 28 years old and he’s topped 93 IP in a season once. Calling him an ace already is like calling Schreiber a reliever comparable to Eckersley…

[moonslav59]

Is Cortes really “ace level”?

 

He’s 28 years old and he’s topped 93 IP in a season once. Calling him an ace already is like calling Schreiber a reliever comparable to Eckersley…

 

He does look pretty promising as a "late bloomer," but 2022 could easily just be an outlier season. Same with Holmes in the pen, who started to show signs of flukiness, late in the season. They both had a decent 2021 to add to their records, but is that enough to anoint them sure best for 2023?

 

I'm not so sure about Sevy being back to ace status, either. Taillon might outpitch him in '23, assuming good health.

[moonslav59]

Pitching is certainly a strength and should be, next year, too.

 

Here are the OPS Against number by Yankee pitchers, listed in order of most PAs Against:

 

.650 Cole 793 PAs against

.713 Taillon 728

.554 Cortes 615

.670 Montgomery 469 (Traded away)

.616 Severino 405

.714 German 298

.547 Holmes 260

.721 Luetge 251

.648 Schmidt 236

.534 Peralta 223

.599 Loasisiga 203

.548 King 199

.838 Montas 185

.525 Marinaccio 181

.654 Chapman 160

.741 Castro 131

.656 Abreu 108

.607 Trivino 93

 

For reference, here are the Sox numbers:

 

.753 Pivetta 773

.747 Hill 526

.693 Wacha 515

.754 Eovaldi 460

.794 Crawford 334

.852 Wink 316

.639 Whitlock 311

.804 Bello 268

.793 Brasier 263

.577 Schreiber 257

.743 Davis 254

.608 Houck 247

.664 Sawamura 221

.664 Strahm 193

.676 Barnes 176

.763 Danish 173

.744 Diekman 171 (Traded away)

.845 Ort 134

.831 Robles 111

 

[jacksonianmarch]

I get the feeling you will always think you are "in a window."

 

I'm not saying it is unwarranted. You guys have some top prospects just about due for arrival. There is good reason to think your window can extend beyond '21-'22.

 

The problem goes way beyond keeping Judge or not. Look at the rest of the offense, and now you pen is losing some key pieces from the last 2-4 years.

 

Sure, if you retool, your window can stay open, but a lot of teams can apply that "if" and be even or ahead of the Yanks.

 

I still think your best bet was from 2021-2022 and your next best bet is after Volpe and others arrive. You guys can spend like maniacs, this winter to stay a top contender, but I'm not sure topo management will okay it.

 

Not worried about the pen. Yanks have a lot of minor league arm depth and they keep churning out young pitchers who do well in relief roles. I do think we need to add to the pen in free agency, but not to the degree some think. I don't think we need to add to the rotation at all. I think our lineup needs a total overhaul and one that I think throwing all our cash into one player makes us less effective.

[jacksonianmarch]

Is Cortes really “ace level”?

 

He’s 28 years old and he’s topped 93 IP in a season once. Calling him an ace already is like calling Schreiber a reliever comparable to Eckersley…

 

Cortes has delivered top notch starting performance since middle of 2021. That's pretty good

[moonslav59]

Cortes has delivered top notch starting performance since middle of 2021. That's pretty good

 

It's damn good, but not a cinch.

[moonslav59]

Not worried about the pen. Yanks have a lot of minor league arm depth and they keep churning out young pitchers who do well in relief roles. I do think we need to add to the pen in free agency, but not to the degree some think. I don't think we need to add to the rotation at all. I think our lineup needs a total overhaul and one that I think throwing all our cash into one player makes us less effective.

 

Like Judge?

 

I hope you guys break the bank to sign him and cripple your budget for many years.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Found this post from before the season started

 

Cortes blows.

 

As of right now he'd be the #2 starter for the Sox.

 

lol!

 

I ended up being wrong though, he would've been the #1 starter for the Sox. Though he was arguably the #1 starter for the Yanks too.

[moonslav59]

Found this post from before the season started

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ended up being wrong though, he would've been the #1 starter for the Sox. Though he was arguably the #1 starter for the Yanks too.

 

True nuff, but we are talking 2023.

[bkzwhitestrican]

True nuff, but we are talking 2023.

 

True. I only brought it up because there was doubt around here about Cortes' ability before the start of 2022, and in this 2023 thread I see some doubt. Not to the degree as last year since he proved himself, but regardless I like posting things that make me sound like I know what I'm talking about.

[moonslav59]

True. I only brought it up because there was doubt around here about Cortes' ability before the start of 2022, and in this 2023 thread I see some doubt. Not to the degree as last year since he proved himself, but regardless I like posting things that make me sound like I know what I'm talking about.

 

Like a blind squirrel climbing a broken clock...

 

[jacksonianmarch]

Cortes followed the trajectory of the great finesse pitchers. Most finesse pitchers start off getting shelled and then either flame out or master the art of deception and location. Cortes is a dominant pitcher and he’s the kind of guy who can stand up to the spot light as long as he can stay healthy.

 

I know the Yanks plan on throwing lots of money at Judge and he definitely deserves it. But their current lineup is so bad that they’d probably be better served extending the lineup by splitting the $40 mil AAV it’ll take to sign him and getting two great bats.

 

They’re talking about adding prospects and dealing off Hicks and Donaldson because of payroll concerns, but they could just release them. This whole small market approach to the team is pissing me off. Who gives a f*** when you’re valued at $6-$7 billion about giving away good prospects to save $25 mil for one year. Eat the cost.

 

It’s also rather telling that Boone got the vote of confidence and Cashman didn’t. Rumors swirling that Cash might be fired after the WS

[mvp 78]

It’s also rather telling that Boone got the vote of confidence and Cashman didn’t. Rumors swirling that Cash might be fired after the WS

 

To me, I think Cashman is a better fit for the Yankees than Boone. I don't get it. I don't see the upside to keeping Boone. Cashman has at least kept the Yankees competitive for a long stretch of time and has been able to establish a great farm system. Due to the crap shoot of the playoffs, they just haven't gotten over the hump.

[mvp 78]

Is Cortes really “ace level”?

 

He’s 28 years old and he’s topped 93 IP in a season once. Calling him an ace already is like calling Schreiber a reliever comparable to Eckersley…

 

Guys can come out of nowhere and become aces. Guys can also disappear back into the ether after they completely lose it. He had an ace like season. He can do it again, it's just not guaranteed.

[jacksonianmarch]

Injuries will be the telling part for him. He’s never thrown this much before and he broke down late. He had a later career velocity bump that really helped and he developed a cutter that’s almost unhittable in right handed batters that really changed the game for him.