This is the strangest off-season I can remember in my mature adult life. Something about the rhythm feels all kinds of off. Some of it likely is due to the fact that the Yankees' season ended so much later than it has in recent seasons. Frankly, I'd like to see a lot more late finishes to the season, so if that's from whence all of the weirdness stems, I'll gladly adjust.
I think there's more to it, though. The Yankees were clearly as all-in on Soto as Hal Steinbrenner is capable of being on any single player, and they lost the sweepstakes. That lead to an absolutely frantic pace by Brian Cashman not seen since his earlier years as GM. In the span of a month, the Yankees made a lot of moves, most of which were good and helped fill out the roster.
However, we have followed that ping pong pace with winter doldrums. As Yankee fans in recent off-seasons, we're used to that, but I looked up and realized that we're a mere 31 days from the reporting date of pitchers and catchers! That's insane to realize. In the span of just one and a half months, I can describe the Yankees' off-season pace as frantic and still at the same time. There's still time to close some gaps in the roster, and I have a hunch that Cashman has one or two moves left before camp starts, but the hardest work of the off-season has likely been completed.
Still though, the natural rhythms of the off-season have been different this year, and I guess that's okay. If it happens again next year, I hope the late start to the off-season is because the Yanks won it all.
As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, I'll put on my GM hat to make one final move this off-season, and we'll discuss Oswaldo Cabrera's value and the backup catcher situation! Let's get at it:
Brian asks: I'd like you to put on your GM cap. You've talked about a lot of potential avenues for the team to explore in the last few mailbag's. If you were Brian Cashman, what would you do to complete the off-season if you only had one more move?
(and yes, it needs to be realistic)
OK, so I didn't trade Ben Rice to the Blue Jays for Vladito, got it. This is a good question because it really seems like the only moves left to make are reasonably imperfect for a host of reasons, but it's also clear that something needs to be done, even if it's wrong.
I've seen a lot of yelling by Yankee fans about grabbing a lefty reliever, but that's an easy task that can happen on the cheap close to Spring Training or even as camp breaks. With the 3-batter minimum, lefty relievers are not in demand in the same way anymore, and the Tim Hills of the world will be around for a bit longer. I'm OK even with going into the season without a lefty reliever; the Yankees did that last season and they managed to find one who could perform more than adequately by the time the playoffs rolled around.
To me, the Yankees need to make a move on the infield. I know there are a host of people who don't want to see Jazz Chisholm back at 3B, and while I think he's more valuable at 2B for now, I really don't understand why people are so against putting him back at 3B. Given his relative inexperience last season, I thought he grew as the season went on defensively, and his defensive skillset (reaction timing, arm, and hands) all looked to be more than enough to become a fine defensive 3B. Presumably, he has spent the off-season drilling and learning the intricacies of 3B while re-acclimating to 2B. Given that likelihood, I don't see a problem with sending Jazz back to 3B in 2025 if the need presents itself. I see that flexibility as part of Jazz's value on this roster.
With that in mind, I think that we can expand our net to guys that can both play 2B and 3B as we look to fill another spot in the infield. My options consist of a mix of free agents and realistic trade targets:
Free Agents:
Ha-Seong Kim 2B/3B/SS
Jorge Polanco 2B/3B (2B much more likely, however)
Brendan Rodgers 2B
Jose Iglesias 2B/3B
Yoan Moncada 2B/3B
Alex Bregman 3B
Trade Targets:
Matt Vierling 3B/OF
Luis Arraez 2B...I guess
No, it's not the most appetizing list. Given the choices, I would have pushed for a deal for Gavin Lux to play 2B, but I think the Dodgers zeroed in on an opportunity to go grab a pitcher they really liked in multiple MLB Drafts, so I don't think the Yankees could have grabbed Lux without a serious overpay.
Everyone here has issues. Kim is an excellent defender with consistent, if not thrilling, offense, but the fact that we've heard nothing about his progress following shoulder surgery combined with the seeming lack of interest he's generated on the free agent market tells me he's a ways away from playing. Brendan Rodgers has talent, but has never hit at the big league level, though maybe you can squint and see something there, given that the Rockies seem to destroy all of their prospects. Iglesias plays fantastic defense, but don't let the big numbers from last year fool you; he's a BABIP monster, who is due for an awful amount of regression and would be exposed in anything more than a utility role. Bregman will be expensive and will certainly command big dollars that he won't match with performance. Vierling brings an interesting offensive profile and speed, but 3B is likely his worst defensive position on the defensive spectrum (though he can handle it adequately). And we've discussed Arraez ad nauseum here, so all of you know the plusses and minuses there.
For now though, I want to highlight something. Which of these two players do you like best:
Player A: .263/.362/.441, .804 OPS, 124 OPS+, 60 HR
Player B: .255/.333/.462, .796 OPS, 120 OPS+, 63 HR
These two players are remarkably similar offensively in terms of value. Player A draws more walks (based on his OBP and batting average combination), but Player B hits for much more power. What if I also told you that Player A batted right-handed while Player B was a switch hitter who was valuable from both sides of the plate (but historically is a bit better from the left-side)? Given that information, I might lean towards Player B.
Are you ready to find out what we're looking at? Player A is Alex Bregman from 2021-2023. Player B is Jorge Polanco from 2021-2023. Yes, Bregman is superior defensively, but Polanco was his equal at the plate prior to 2024. Everything went wrong for Polanco in 2024, but he is still in prime age range and will likely be cheap. Polanco had knee surgery to fix a knee issue that bothered him all of last season and he'll get out of Seattle, which would help almost every player's offensive game. Maybe he won't match his peak in 2021-2023, but if he's 85% of it, he's better than any other option out there.
I don't love it, but I think Jorge Polanco may be the Yankees' best bet.
David R. asks: I've been seeing reports that Oswaldo Cabrera is of interest to teams on the trade market. Should the Yankees bite and what is Cabrera worth?
I love Oswaldo Cabrera, and have since I latched onto him as a prospect in low-A ball. He's everything you want in the clubhouse and from an attitude perspective, and his positional versatility is valuable. He's also imperfect if he's overexposed at the plate. He's a useful hitter in a part-time role, but likely not enough bat as an everyday player.
Waldo has value on the trade market, but I'm not sure it's enough to bring back anything the Yankees really need. He's more valuable than a lefty reliever (even a really good one), but not good enough to bring back an impact bat. I'm not opposed to dealing Cabrera, but I'm not sure it's in the Yankees' best interest right now.
Michael G. asks: You've discussed backup catcher but not one important factor. Wells bats lefty and was paired with a righty catcher. As good as Ben Rice seems to fit for a bench role as a Catcher and First Baseman, does it make more sense to find a righty to pair with Wells?
I think this is overblown a bit because the right-handed compliment to Wells will likely play once per week. It's true, Wells has struggled against lefty pitching, but with Trevino gone, I don't see a good right-handed compliment to force playing time against left-handed pitching. I think the Yankees are better off seeing if they can develop Wells' ability to hit lefties at the big league level, given that they believe in both his defensive and offensive profile.
And to those who say that can't be done, look back in Yankee history. Robinson Cano struggled against lefties, but Kevin Long came up with a host of drills to help Cano come up to snuff against lefties. Cano became a star when the platoon split shrunk. I hope the Yanks can do it again for Wells.
In short, no, I'm not as worried about finding a right-handed compliment to Wells. If it happens, great, but I don't see it as a requirement.
