About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

November 11, 2024

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The off-season is now fully underway. The free agent signing period is in swing. Teams are beginning to make moves. Things are moving at a more leisurely pace than during the season and there are no games to recap. Since it is Monday, I will now move from topic to topic like a politician scurrying through a crowd of supporters shaking hands.

·      The Yankees exercised the option on Aaron Boone’s contract. He will be back for 2025, but they did not give him an extension. Therefore, there will be a lot of pressure on him next season. In 2024, the Yankees made it to the World Series but lost in five games. If they did not give Boone an extension after that, it would logically follow that for him to get a contract beyond 2025, he will need to win the World Series. I also believe that if the Yankees go into a prolonged swoon as they did in 2024, and in other seasons under Boone, he could be replaced before the season ends. Based on Boone’s performances in high pressure games, this might not be a good thing for him. It could make him even more likely to make unnecessary bullpen moves and to be less patient with the development of young players. That could be a major problem which might backfire on Boone.

·      The Classic Baseball Era ballot for the Hall of Fame has been released. The finalists are Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Tommy John, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant. That is a very interesting group. I'm not sure who will make it but, I would like to see Luis Tiant get in. I have always felt that he belonged in the Hall of Fame. I would have no problem at all with Dave Parker, Dick Allen, and Tommy John getting in as well. If Steve Garvey doesn't get in, that will be two elections he lost in about a month. Maybe he will win this one.

·      It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here. It has always been my favorite holiday. My younger son, who is away in college, has been texting me and telling me how much he is looking forward to having my home cooked meal. I have been getting a turkey from a local farm for over twenty years. It's a little more expensive but, it is certainly worth it. Last year was the first year that my wife tried a turkey from that farm, and she was amazed at how much better it was. There is just something about using fresh, local ingredients that makes a meal even better. It's also nice to support local businesses.

·      I have a feeling that Juan Soto will sign fairly early in the off-season. He already has scheduled meetings with Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner. I don't know that he will sign before Thanksgiving but, I imagine he will sign before or during the Winter Meetings at the latest. I do not imagine that his contract negotiations will drag out like Scott Boras’s clients did last year. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Yankees negotiated a contract for Blake Snell while meeting with Boras. They have expressed interest in him before and he is a free agent once again. I do believe the Yankees will re-sign Soto.

·      As if my little neighbor upstairs, “the road runner”, wasn’t noisy enough, his parents purchased him a microphone device of some kind, which amplifies his running and shrieking. It's like having a surround sound television. I feel like an active participant in his antics. And I thought retirement would be boring.

·      Caleb Durbin went 2-3 in the Fall Stars game in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday. He had a two-run double, scored a run, walked, stole a base, and made an outstanding defensive play at third base in the bottom of the eighth inning. His flexibility would give the Yankees the option of moving Jazz Chisholm, Jr. back to second base and putting Durbin at third base, if they felt that was a better combination defensively.

·      This year, I am going to make an apple pie with a streusel topping that has a caramel drizzle over it for Thanksgiving.  I prefer a crumb or streusel topping to a crust topping for fruit pies but I'm certainly never going to refuse a double crust apple pie. By the way, a bit of history. The expression, “upper crust” came from pies. Long ago, ingredients for pie crusts such as flour, butter, and sugar were very expensive. So, only the wealthier folks could afford to make a pie with a top crust and a bottom crust whereas those people on a tighter budget would simply make a pie with a bottom crust.

·      The Yankees could be in the process of building a very nice core of young players. Anthony Volpe has two years’ experience.  Austin Wells will be entering his second year playing a very challenging position. The Yankees could have Caleb Durbin and Jasson Dominguez playing regularly. If they re-sign Juan Soto, he will only be 26 years old and Jazz Chisholm junior is young as well, and so is Luis Gil. The only question remains, who would play first base. I would prefer for the Yankees not to sign or trade for another aging veteran. That never seems to work out very well. I have read a few articles that suggest DJ LeMahieu could play first base next year, as he is under contract. I think the Yankees need to cut ties with him and move on. Having him on the roster next year would be a disaster. 

·      I am excited about decorating the apartment for Christmas. My cats are all outfitting themselves with mountain climbing gear to prepare for the arrival of the tree. They seem to think that it is their tree, and they are gracious enough to allow me to look at it and put gifts under it.

·      Roki Sasaki will be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines this winter.  The Yankees should pursue him vigorously. He just turned 23 years old and is a top-notch pitcher. Because of his age, he will be classified as a minor league free agent and therefore cannot command a huge contract. He would have to sign a minor league contract and therefore would not cost as much as Yoshinobu Yamamoto did last year.

·      It has been suggested that the Yankees should sign Willie Adames and move him to third base, returning Jazz Chisholm, Jr. to second base. I am not opposed to that move but, Adames might be very expensive, and the Yankees may choose to spend their money elsewhere. They need to upgrade the bullpen and potentially add another starting pitcher. I would not be opposed to signing Adames but, I would prefer to keep Chisholm at third base and play Caleb Durbin at second, or possibly reverse those roles.

·      There were many colleges and universities that canceled classes the day after Election Day and created safe rooms for the students who had difficulty dealing with the results of the election. This was in place before the election so, I don't know that it speaks to one party or the other. Instead of attending classes, the students were offered milk and cookies and the opportunity to play with Legos. As I read that, I thought about my parents’ generation. They only had to deal with the Great Depression and World War II. They had to get up and go to school or work every day and no one offered them time off with milk and cookies. The world has certainly changed.

·      Today is Veterans’ Day. I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank all veterans for their service. My father and all of my uncles served in World War II. We owe all veterans a debt that can never be fully repaid.