About the Off-Season: Edging Closer
By Tim Kabel
February 6, 2024
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Spring Training for the New York Yankees opens next week. We have been reading, hearing, and writing about the relative inactivity of the New York Yankees for several weeks now. They made some great moves immediately after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, but they didn't complete the mission. As we have discussed ad nauseum, the Yankees have developed a pattern of making “good enough” acceptable. In other words, as I wrote a few weeks ago, the Yankees have replaced George Steinbrenner’s ceaseless quest for excellence with Hal Steinbrenner’s faltering quest for adequacy.
Well, lo and behold, the other day, the Yankees addressed a need. They re-signed Tim Hill. For a moment, I thought they signed me but that would have been Tim Over-the-Hill. Hill now becomes the only left-handed relief pitcher in the bullpen. It would be nice if the Yankees added another one, such as Andrew Chafin but even if they don't, Hill is a solid signing. He proved to be a very valuable member of the team last season. If Aaron Boone had gone to him in Game One of the World Series instead of Nestor Cortes, who was clearly not ready to pitch in that situation, things may have ended differently.
Now that the Yankees have added Hill, what is the next hill to climb, so to speak? We all know they need a third baseman, or a second baseman. It seems much more likely they would bring in a third baseman and move Jazz Chisholm, Jr. to second base. Brian Cashman recently was quoted as saying that the Yankees are waiting for the prices to come down on third base options. I hope he doesn't wait until July.
We have repeatedly gone over the Yankees’ options if they do not bring in someone from the outside to play third base. Essentially, it is supposed to be a competition among DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza. However, most of Aaron Boone’s talking points have been regarding LeMahieu. On the surface, he appears to be the favorite. Well, he appears to be Aaron Boone’s favorite. That is important. I remember my British History professor in college, William Abbott, telling the class that the most powerful person in the British government used to be the sheriff, because he counted the votes. In other words, he could determine the outcome. There seems to be a similar situation at play with the 2025 New York Yankees and the third base position, if no additional moves are made.
In my opinion, the most important person in this whole situation is Alex Bregman. If the Yankees pivot and sign him, he will be the third baseman. However, if they don't and another team, such as the Cubs or Tigers signs him, they would suddenly have players to trade. The Tigers could move Jace Jung and the Cubs could trade Nico Hoerner. Essentially the two people who play the biggest roles in determining who will play third base for the Yankees in 2025 are Alex Bregman and Marcus Stroman. The Yankees need to free up Stroman’s salary for whoever will play third base. Hopefully, this issue will be resolved soon. Maybe the Yankees will quickly make another move after acquiring Tim Hill, rather than waiting a month and a half to do something.
The Yankees also need a backup catcher, as they traded Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds. The options on the current roster are not going to make anyone forget Jorge Posada. Goodness, they won't make anyone forget Rick Dempsey or Fran Healy. It is possible that Ben Rice could fill the role of backup catcher and backup first baseman. Even if the Yankees carried another catcher, Rice could get some time behind the plate as well.
The Yankees have invited a small army of non-roster players to Spring Training, as they always do. There are a few bright prospects, such as Spencer Jones, Chase Hampton, Roderick Arias, and George Lombard, Jr.. There are also players such as Dominic Smith and Carlos Carrasco who are hoping to catch a break and make the roster.
There is no one on this list who is a legitimate option to play third base for the 2025 New York Yankees. That position will be filled by one of the internal options, DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, or Oswald Peraza or someone who is not yet on the team. My preference would be either Oswaldo Cabrera, or the mysterious person who is not yet on the team. After that, it would be Oswald Peraza. After that, it would be Graig Nettles. I do not believe DJ LeMahieu will win the job as the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees. That doesn't mean that Aaron Boone will not give it to him. That is a possibility. In fact, it is a distinct possibility. Either way, if DJ LeMahieu is the starting third baseman this season, that will be a major problem for the Yankees.
The Yankees finally added one of the last pieces of the puzzle for this season. They just have a few more to put in, but one of them is a very important piece. Let's hope they get it right.
they've a full rotation, a pretty full bullpen, a full outfield and a big hole in the infield.
they need the infielder....right soon.
but I don't fully buy into the talk of using DJ or a bench infielder. I regard that as being bluster
a back=up catcher isn't a matter of urgency. they can use Rice as back-up at C and 1B at the beginning of the regular season, if nothing shakes out before then.
and, as always, the bullpen cohort will be subject to adjustment
Re-signing Hill? It's about damn time!!
The Yankees, in their mind, in my opinion, have the $15M man, DJ Lemahieu , always as the fall back option, Again, in my opinion, the Yankees at times over-value defense. But their defensive positioning for their fielders stink, especially the poorer one. They never move those guys enough. Like, would it have killed anyone if they would've moved Juan Soto back 2-3 steps back last year? Or what did they do with Miggy all those years ago at 3B? Ever move him a step to his right? Or what did they do to get rid of his natural double clutch before the throw? But getting back to DJ, what has the medi…
If only DJ could get back some of his previous skills, I would love to see him play 3B. If the Yankees are intent on getting to the WS, they must get someone who has current offensive upside, not wishful thinking. They dont need to spend like the Dodgers, but they need to get the players they need to fill each position even if they go over the salary threshold. Playing the waiting game is a dangerous way of building a roster. It's hoping they get lucky. Not the winning way.