SSTN Mailbag: Cashman's Comments, Caleb Durbin, And Free Agent Choice!

If you ever wanted a little behind-the-scenes information on the inner workings of the site, today is your lucky day: here's a small window into the vagaries of managing article posting on this site. AI has been a hot topic in recent years, and we are seeing its use in all kinds of day-to-day applications (seriously, the most famous social media platforms are basically just AI scrubbing bots talking to other bots...it's an odd facsimile of real interaction). This may sound like an odd, ominous start to a Mailbag post, but stay with me.

I don't intend to speak for Paul or Ethan on this front, but we've been very happy since the decision was made to move the hosting of the site over to WIX a few years ago now (wow, time flies!). That said, there's a lot to keep up with from a technological standpoint when you host a website. Internet hosting sites get updated seemingly daily, and there are constant changes to platforms, editing tools, and included services. If you interacted with WIX a couple of years ago and didn't touch it again until today, it would look quite different!

A number of months ago, WIX's release notes for each update talked about all of the new AI features users could utilize in their websites. I mostly ignored these notes until I started seeing AI toolboxes and the like on my editing panes. Recently, those tools have expanded further to recommend article titles and subjects when you try to write an article. Presumably, WIX has some AI bots scrub the site for content to make relevant suggestions. I assure you, we are not using AI in any of our posts, but the suggestions have really taught me a lot about this place...

Every time I sit down to write an article, the WIX AI bots suggest article titles like the following: "Why Aaron Boone's Strategies Are Costing The Yankees," "Should Aaron Boone Return To The Yankees?" "Did Aaron Boone Cost The Yankees The World Series?" "Can The Yankees Win Despite Aaron Boone?" and "Fire Aaron Boone Now." I have seen maybe one or two article title suggestions that don't involve Aaron Boone since WIX started producing AI title suggestions. Honestly, it cracks me up every time I see it. AI bots scrubbed our site, and almost tis only takeaway is that Aaron Boone is unfit to manage the Yankees.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about Cashman's comments last week, Caleb Durbin's possible ascension, and make a choice on a set of free agents! Let's get at it:

Mark W. asks: Brian Cashman made a host of comments at the GM Meetings following this seasons World Series loss. Did you have anything worth taking away from those comments, or was it all just PR-speak?

A lot of it was typical platitudes that the Yankees train their people to say after every season. However, that doesn't mean there's nothing worth taking from his comments.

We'll talk about this in more detail in a minute, but I think it was very interesting that Cashman went out of his way to mention Caleb Durbin multiple times when discussing the Yankees' holes in the infield. Clearly, the team thinks highly of him.

I also took significant issue with Cashman's focus on the 5th inning of the World Series. The Yankees did not play their best baseball in the World Series, that is true. Cashman's assertion that this was not the most talented group of players from a defensive standpoint is also true to a point. However, to imply that the Yankees' sloppy fundamentals in all facets of the game were a blip isolated to the World Series is simply inaccurate.

Teams that lack fundamentals are an absolute hallmark of the Aaron Boone era of Yankee baseball. The team has often made crucial baserunning mistakes, found themselves out of position on routine plays, and made critical defensive blunders that are compounded by multiple players on the same play since Boone was hired in 2018. There comes a point at which this is a feature of the system, not a bug. Fans and baseball observers aren't stupid, and to treat them in that manner is insulting. I'm generally a bigger Cashman apologist than most around here, but his comments related to the Yankees' lack of fundamentals were infuriating. The honest answer is clearly that the Yankees value whatever it is Boone does behind the scenes above fundamental baseball. I think the front office and ownership is wrong on this point, but I wish they could be honest enough to say it out loud. I get it, maybe Cashman can't iterate that idea publicly, but at least don't lie through your teeth.

OK, maybe the AI bot has a point...

John C. asks: Do you think the Yankees are serious about giving Caleb Durbin a real shot to make the starting lineup this year and what might he bring to the table? He seems fast and a lot of people are talking about him leading off, which is a hard thing for a rookie. Can he do it?

In the moment, yes, I think the Yankees are serious about their belief in Caleb Durbin's future. However, I can't help but get some Bubba Crosby vibes here. Don't remember Bubba Crosby? Cashman famously stated one offseason that Bubba Crosby would be the Yankees' starting centerfielder...and then he signed Johnny Damon. The situations are not identical, but it's important to keep in mind that offseason talk is just that: talk. The Yankees really like Durbin; he might be a starting infielder at some point next season; but the Yankees won't rest on their laurels if something more fits this offseason.

I think Caleb Durbin is a fascinating prospect, but I caution anyone who thinks he's a silver bullet to pump the brakes. I think leading off an MLB lineup is a huge job, and asking a rookie to handle it right out of the gate is too much pressure. I didn't feel that way with Anthony Volpe, and I was proven wrong. Hey, at least I learn from my mistakes.

Durbin is legitimately fast and he has great instincts on the bases. I don't think he'll be as prolific a basestealer at the MLB level as he's been against weaker competition in the minors, but the instincts and speed are there to be an asset there. Durbin also has solid hands with enough arm to play 2B everyday. He has really good range, but he does not have the arm strength to be an everyday option at SS or 3B. Luckily, the Yanks could allow Jazz Chisholm to stay at 3B, and they'll likely be satisfied once he gets an offseason to work at the position.

The big question is how Durbin's bat will play. He makes more contact than almost any Yankee prospect. Durbin's 16% whiff rate in 2024 was excellent, and his surface numbers are also outstanding. However, I have some concerns under the hood. Durbin does not hit the ball hard consistently, running really low hard hit rates and exit velocities. Durbin does produce enough lift with his swing to find the gaps in the outfield, which is a positive, and runs low strikeout rates with above-average walk rates. The peripherals indicate that he hit into some good luck in 2024, but still others indicate that maybe he's a guy that can consistently outperform those peripherals. Durbin is a unique player who plays hard with tenacity.

I've liked Durbin since he came over in the Luetge trade. He's making good on whatever tools he has, and I don't doubt that he can become a decent big league player. He has limitations, but I do think Durbin is capable of providing a spark. I suspect that Cashman will try to find someone that is more of a sure thing in the infield, but I also don't think they'll be upset if they go into Spring Training with a competition.

Alan B. asks: Andy: From Shane Bieber, Walker Buehler, and Yoan [Moncada], which one would you sign  if it's up to you? 

I have interest in all three of these guys this offseason, depending on the price. All 3 are very risky given their injury history. Bieber is coming of TJS, and won't be available until mid-season at the earliest; Buehler had his 2nd TJS, and showed diminished stuff throughout much of the season; and Moncada has had numerous ailments and has battled underperformance around those injuries (though he was pretty good this season before injuries ended his season).

Of those 3, I think I'd take Bieber if I had to take one. Bieber has the least mileage on his arm and body, and I'd bet that he'll be an asset by the end of the season. He might fit the Yankees quite well, and I feel more strongly that he'll recover enough to closely resemble his previous level of performance.