Technically, he'll be traded, probably for a pack of cigarettes, along with $30 million in movie money. Thus will end a long, grinding, self-imposed nightmare over misspent cash by an owner that shall never know one pang of financial distress. Critics say the TV show Succession is about Rupert Murdoch's deformed mutant family. I think it's about the Steinbrenners, but let's table that discussion for another day, not during a win streak.
And yes, it's truly sad to see Hicks - a longtime Yankee - leave. That said, our psychic pain was salved a bit Sunday when Greg Allen - a symbol of Yankee replacement theory - stole second and third, and scored the go-ahead run. Streaky and tweaky, Hicks never learned the art of coming off the bench. Career desperation is a good teacher. Maybe on his next team, he'll take it more to heart.
Meanwhile, on this day of solitude and contemplation, the Death Barge must ponder the impending reincarnation of Jackie Donaldson, which Walking Dead fans surely dread like the return of Negan. Seriously, does anyone look forward to this?
This will happen around the time that the human muscle strain, Giancarlo Stanton - aka Mr. Exit Velo - returns from the jacuzzi. The Yankees will probably DFA the adorable Willie Calhoun, a Kewpee doll next to Stanton. Donaldson's return could force the Yankees to demote Oswaldo Cabrera or waive Jack Bauers, tilting the team, like Iowa, to the far, far right. In the lineup, he would replace DJ LeMahieu, who is - frankly - a better hitter and third-baseman. And we would have almost no LH hitters.
Barring an injury that creates a need, there is almost no upside to Donaldson's return.
The Yankees owe him $27 million. I say, pay it. He's Mariah Carey. He's the Babadook. Let him go. Again, unless injuries open a hole, there is no reason to force Donaldson onto this roster.
Sometimes, I get the feeling that Brian Cashman fears that a DFA'd veteran will rebound with another team and make him look bad. I get it. If there's anything worse than a bad acquisition, it's when the guy leaves and does well. Sonny Gray, for example. It makes the Yankees look like a toxic environment. Well, it didn't happen with Gary Sanchez, did it? And Minnesota can crow about Joey Gallo's month of April, but he's hitting .211, and the elevator arrow is pointing downward. Sometimes, guys have just reached their sell-by dates.
If the Yankee clubhouse is an emotional minefield, maybe it's because of the abundance of overpaid veterans, not of hungry youngsters. Let Donaldson go. If he returns to form, hooray for him. At 3B, I'll still take LeMahieu, IKF and Oswaldo. I'll take the future.
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If this makes it any easier for Hal to swallow his contract, Donaldson currently is only owed about 14 million because the season is 1/3 old with the 2023 price of 21 million (plus next year's 2 million buyout. If he cant play until after the All-star break, it's a few million lighter. If they trade him before the deadline to a contender willing to add one more piece, even less will be eaten. Let's hope this happens.
Hey, it was encouraging -- and unforeseen, at least by me -- that Hicks was disappeared.
If they ate his $$$, they can (more easily?) eat Jackie Dee's money.
I didn't dare hope about Hicks. But now I'm optimistic.
...don't see that much on this blog, duya?
Hard to have "career desperation" when you make 70M.
Now, Mr. Allen , a AAAA player looking for MLB service credit understands desperation.
I will root for a guy like that all day.
David Rifkin, whoever the hell David Rifkin is, claims he was sitting next to Jackie at the welcome home dinner and Jackie told him the Yankees "have him on the “Ellsbury rehab timeline”. He’s pretty sure they’re paying him to stay away".
I suppose it’s possible we could trade Donaldson around the deadline to a needy contender, especially if we eat a chunk of his salary. But I doubt he will be a hot commodity and it is far more likely that he remains with the Yankees until they cut him…what a terrible acquisition! What was cashman thinking? Per SPOTRAC, next year’s buyout is $6m, and he has a whole bunch of performance bonuses, but I don’t think anyone needs to worry about him reaching them. There’s no hard timetable for his return, and who knows what the truth is about his thumb injury? This team constantly lies about injuries. Best estimate seems to be a minor league rehab starting in June with a return to the Yankees somewhere around 6/15. Despite the sycophantic protests of Michael Kay and his ilk, the team has not missed him one iota.
My God, Donaldson is so...whatever he is, that the New York Times has an article (The Athletic, to be technical, I guess) about the Yanks cutting him, absorbing about the same money that they did when DFAing Hicks. The New York Times, putting a baseball article on the home page. About the Yankees. Must be serious.
Willie is probably not long for this world, too. Once The Glass Giant comes back, baboom. After all, we still have Franchy down in Scranton if we need him.
Mildred,
Russian disinformation:
Born:David Borisovich Rivkin, 1956 (age 65–66), Leningrad, Soviet Union
JK, although, I'd very gladly welcome it to be true.
Who would-ah thunk it possible that these, our, their NY Yunkeez would have ever dfa’d Hicks?
There’s a change brewin’ in da Bronx.
You can almost smell it (and I’m in California).
Interesting times are coming.
Get your socks sorted and your, uh….hernias deherniated.
Hicks was hot, actually hot, that's the only reason I can think of for dfa'ing him at this time. So they'll hope that someone will now take a chance and make an offer to acquire him. That ain't happening, extremely unlikely. Who'd be dumb enough to pick him up?
In other news, Tampons ran into their cryptonite, the Mets. Who'd have thunk that? Tampons bullpen has been exposed to reveal lace panties and pantyhose underneath their miniskirts. I still fear that they will make their adjustments and improve themselves in the blink of an eye with a couple of big trades. When the Tampons call, other GMs better slam down the phone, as Suzyn Waldman always says.
Anyone know what's going on with DJ LeMahieu?
2019 .327 BA
2020 .364 BA
2021 .268 BA
2022 .261 BA
2023 .252 BA
2019 13.7 K%
2020 9.7 K%
2021 13.8 K%
2022 13.1 K%
2023 27.2 K%
I feel like it's very bad when a mid-30s player doubles his strikeout rate in a single season.
LeMahieu is striking out more often than 2021-2022 Aaron Judge.
I noticed that too. Trouble. There's something still wrong with him. Or the ravages of time are doing a number on him. Either way, Yanks are in trouble. Their offense sucks as it is. With a compromised DJL, they just won't have enough to hit good pitching.
Zach, I saw that the other day. I think it’s just age, he’ll be 35 in July. Still a dependable glove, but kind of a meh hitter now.
Again, the perils of handing out long term contracts to players over 30. Dealing withHicks just the tip-off the iceberg.
Duque:
You ask about Josh Done aldson. I do not believe Cheapskate Hal will eat his contract.
I suspect that, sadly, the Yanks will be all the less willing to "lose" more money over Donaldson, now that they've paid off Hicks.
To kinda quote edb; Isn't Donaldson Done'aldson at the end of the year?
Try moving him with cash (not "Cash", although that would be GREAT), or if there are no takers - make the most of the situation and ride it out.
Time cures all Jackie Daughtersons.
(and I'm mighty thankful that Hicks has been lanced and drained from the organism)
Glad Hicks is gone for sure, and I wouldn't mind letting the door hit Donaldson on the way out as well, for a lot of reasons. However, does this author really lament the possible return of Stanton because of what it means for ... Willie Calhoun (career WAR of -0.2)?? Or am I missing a certain sarcasm here?
So ... if DJLM is disintegrating right before our eyes, wouldn't Yankees be wise to keep Jackie D lingering on the IL as a sunk cost, an insurance policy. nobody would ever pick up his contract.
Even in decline DJLM is a better option at 3B than the current version of. Donaldson. We also have a hard hitting, weak fielding 3B option in Scranton in Andres Chaparro who (say it with me) strikes out too much. Will our farm system EVER produce a contact hitter?
Donaldson has mutual option clause in 2024. The Yanks will not exercise that...
Also, if Donaldson DID say that...he's just showing what an ass he is. AGAIN.
Peraza plays a serviceable third base.
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