About the Off-season: Just a Second
By Tim Kabel
November 9, 2024
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Today, I will be discussing second base options for the New York Yankees in 2025 but first, there is something else to address.
Yesterday, the Yankees exercised the option on Aaron Boone’s contract. He will be back to manage the Yankees for an eighth season. Unlike the late Dick Van Patten, I believe eight is too many but, the decision has been made. However, what is notable is that at this point, Boone has not been given an extension. There is no new contract. It is simply the option year on the existing contract. It appears that if Boone wants a contract beyond this one, he will have to earn it. How precisely would he earn it? Well, this year, the Yankees made it to the World Series but lost in five games. Boone can be held partially responsible for two of those losses in the World Series. It would seem that Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman are willing to bring him back but, they expect a World Series victory next year. Up until this point, the Yankees had been reluctant to have a lame duck manager. Now it seems but they are unwilling to make another long-term commitment to Boone unless he delivers the ultimate prize. I wanted them to make a change but, I can live with this. It is also conceivable that if the Yankees have another mid-season swoon next year, Boone might not survive that since he is only signed through the end of 2025.
Now, let's take a look at second base. The Yankees did not make a qualifying offer to Gleyber Torres. It seems unlikely that they will bring him back. Although he did very well in the last couple of months of 2024 and into the playoffs, he was a streaky and inconsistent player throughout his tenure with the Yankees. He led the major leagues in errors by a second baseman in 2024 and made a costly error in game one of the World Series. Therefore, on merit, he should not be brought back because the defensive lapses, base running blunders, and occasional episodes of not hustling are all major concerns.
In addition, bringing Torres back would not be cheap. I'm not sure what he will get as a contract or where he will get it but, the Yankees have other areas where they will need to spend money, most prominently on Juan Soto, if they re-sign him.
A new contract whether it was long-term or not for Torres, would not be an efficient use of money. There are concerns about him, so why would the Yankees spend more money on a player with such obvious flaws. Brian Cashman recently commented about players on the 2024 Yankees who had inherent deficiencies to their game. Although he did not mention names, it was fairly obvious one player he was talking about was Torres.
So, if the Yankees do move on from Gleyber Torres, what will they do? They could shift Jazz Chisholm, Jr. to second base and find a third baseman. There are some rumors that the Yankees may go after Alex Bregman. That is not a move I would support. Bregman will also not be cheap and there will presumably be a lot of competition for him. In addition, Bregman will turn 31 before next season starts.
Earlier this week, Brian Cashman mentioned the possibility of an idea that I have been advocating along with others for quite a while. He discussed the option of having Caleb Durbin be promoted from the minor leagues and play second base. He has played multiple positions, but second base is the one with which he is most familiar. He only played 82 games it's Scranton Wilkes Barre this year due to injuries. Yet he had 10 home runs and 29 stolen bases. He is now playing in the Arizona Fall League, where he has a .935 OPS and is one stolen base short of the AFL record of 24. He is batting close to 300 and also has four home runs. Durbin is a right-handed hitter who will turn 25 years old in February.
If the Yankees do re-sign Juan Soto, they will need to have balance in the lineup and on the roster. The Yankees do have a lot of money, but they can't have expensive players at every position. They also cannot have older veterans at every position, if they intend to build a team that will contend on a yearly basis. Durbin is right-handed and could easily bat leadoff for the Yankees next year. With his speed and base stealing ability, he could be a true asset in that role. Think about the speed the Yankees would have as a team if they had Durbin, Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and Jazz Chisholm, Jr. in the lineup. The only caveat to that is that Aaron Boone would have to let them run, particularly the younger players. Volpe stole two game bases in game four of the World Series. When he is allowed to run freely, he can take over a game. The same certainly looks like it could be true of both Durbin and Dominguez.
At this point, I think Caleb Durbin could be the answer at second base. By giving him the opportunity to win the position, the Yankees will be improving their defense at second base and bringing in a player who is a superior base runner to Torres and who will hopefully push them over the top to a World Serries victory.
even in the horrific nightmare scenario where they do not sign Soto, WHY would a team that professes to care about the budget spend money for a 2b when they have a top prospect who has more than succeeded in AAA available, PLUS they have Berti and Cabrera to help
show some confidence in Durbin and give him the job. come July if he looks overmatched there will be a LOT of enexpensive infielders available. in the past July, we could have had the NLCS MVP, Edman, for ONE prospect. Ahmed Rosario was having a very good year and we could have had him for a lesser prospect. give the kid a shot and see what he can do. reinforce…
Glad that they did not extend Boone. But think it is only a matter of time unless they fall on their face early.
As to second base, Durbin is the popular choice but… It might be unwise to break in and depend on two raw rookies in the lineup. They are more than ever in “win now” mode. They CAN afford an expensive player at every position. Not to say Steinbrenner will pay the price. Prefer not to have an older veteran at every position on long term contract. But the judge/ Cole window is not opening any wider. Short term deals to guys like Santana are no problem. And, they have young veterans Volpe, Wells, Chisholm and with th…
Breaking: Roki Sasaki will be posted by his NPB club. The Yankees need to be all over this since Sasaki will be subject to international bonus limitations and will make the minimum salary.
the identity of the new second baseman will be reasonably determined only after the organization determines whether or not it will be employing Juan Soto
signing Soto is the hub around which all other off-season Yankee roster decisions are centered.
this is so obvious as to be a commonplace.
either Soto accepts the qualifying offer, which seems a bit unlikely, or Soto's salary is going to be a budget clot the size of a boulder.
with a new Soto contract in effect, speculation as to the efficient allocation of resources seems akin to speculation concerning the best design for alignment of deck chairs.
the Yankees will still, ideally, require additional pitching...... more urgently in the bullpen.
the Yankees will still…
Like you, I am good with giving a well earned opportunity to Caleb Durbin. However, i would trade for a real third basemen. Jazz isnt the answer. Move him for prospects to make up for not getting a draft pick by extending the qualifying offer to Gleyber. When you consistently finish as a top tier team, you get lower draft positioning. Extending qualifying offers is a back door into better draft positioning. Someone will give a lifetime 265 hitting, under 30 years old, 2nd baseman who averages 20 + hr a season a contract. They would get Draft pick compensation for him. Instead, they get nothing. You can always trade these guys. Ditto for Verdugo. Just my 2 cents.