Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Hot Stove! Middle Infielders! Churros!

I just threw that last one in there because...who doesn't like churros?  Especially with a good chocolate dip...

Anyway, let's do this systematically, people!  Next up:  middle infielders.

The path seems pretty clear here.  They will let Sir Didi walk, turn second over to The General, where he won a Gold Glove in the NL, and give shortstop to El Conquistador, The Gleyber, for the next 12 years or so.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, as our soon-to-be Brexited friends across the sea would say.  

Or maybe not.  LeMahieu, who really deserves this year's MVP award, is 30, and has only one year remaining in his contract with your New York Yankees.  Will he really become a fixture at second?

And great as it was to see Torres continue to blossom this year, I wish someone would stop him from making that sliding-across-the-grass move to stop ground balls.  He's going to really hurt himself doing that some day—and almost did so this year (And yes, I'm saying that as a warning to the JuJu gods.  We see you coming on this one!).

Our musical question here is—what is there to do about a problem like Sir Didi?

It's true he had a tough time coming back from injury this year.  His slash line—.238/.276/.441/.718—was way down.  While he had that grand slam against Minnesota, he often looked dreadful against Houston in the ALCS, popping everything up or striking out.

It should be time to finally let Tyler Too, Thairo the Pharaoh, and/or Kyle Holder have their shot as back-ups, at least.  Shouldn't it?

On the other hand, Didi is far from old.  He doesn't turn 30 until next spring training, and still looks plenty athletic.  He also has a major clutch gene.  Again and again he bailed us out at key moments this year, most memorably with both bat and glove during the big London farce.  And while I think "clubhouse presence" is generally overrated, let's face it:  Didi is the heart and soul of this team.

As is their wont—and it's a wanting wont—the Yanks have him in the wrong spot and expect him to do too much.  Didi should not be in the No. 3 or 4 spot, but more down around 7 or 8.

What I would do:  Sigh.  This is between the proverbial rock and the proverbial proverb.  I dunno.  The smart thing, I guess, would be to let him walk and save the money for a pitcher.

The nasty, hardball thing to do would be to bargain Sir Didi down—he can't command very much in the open market, not after this past season—see how things go in spring training...then trade him, if everybody is well and playing well, so we at least get some value in return.

But that would be such a sleazy, awful, miserable way of dealing with a beloved player.  Oh, sign him, dammit!  Sign him and play him wherever an opportunity opens up!  Someone is bound to get hurt.

WWCCD?  Sir Didi is gone, alas.  And the money saved won't even be used on acquiring a pitcher.
















33 comments:

Carl J. Weitz said...

I say bring him back on a one-year "make good" contract. Perhaps sweeten it with a two-year option based on certain criteria/performance milestones met. I'm sure Didi would prefer to say with the Yankees at least 1 year to, if nothing else, show MLB teams that he is back to where he was before the injury.

TheWinWarblist said...

Umm ... what about El Matador?

TheWinWarblist said...

Also, what about The Secret To Become Any Man's Secret Obsession!??

Huh!? What about that!?

Scottish Yankee fan said...

Kyle Holder is another player I have been watching with interest over the last few years.

He is a 1st round pick (albeit 30th if my memory serves me right which it usually does not)

His batting seems to be improving though at 25 years old he is a wee bit older than his opponents in AA/AAA.

What I remember most is he went to play in the Arizona Fall League at age 22 which I know seems to be very favourable to batters but his manager said in an interview that he thought his glove was good enough to play in the Majors even then.

So I think he could be a real option for us when the inevitable injuries strike.

I still have not given up on Thairo either he will still be just 24 when the season starts and with a slight blip in AAA excepted he has got on base a lot in his minor league career not a lot of power but that may come as he fills out a bit
Plus he plays with a bullet lodged in his hip which makes him a bad ass in my book

Again disclaimer I have never been to a MLN game nor played any type of baseball in my life so feel free to tell me I'm talking mince

All the best
John
North Lanarkshire
A cold wet and bleak Scotland

Scottish Yankee fan said...

See I even called it MLN instead of MLB

I can't be trusted

TheWinWarblist said...

No worries, SYF. We know and respect that the Scots are drunkards.


Wait? What? Did I get that right?

Scottish Yankee fan said...

Living in Scotland would turn anyone to drink trust me

smurfy said...

Scottish whiskey, Loch Glencoe Inn, single malt, ach, still remember the warm spot 'round me heart.

Now, Sir Didi, a three year deal nw3ould be fine, at a nice number we could trade him at later, if we prefer Thairo or Wade as part of DP combo.

13bit said...

Not even up for debate: Ditch DiDi and give the money to The General.

After he's gone, we forevermore call him DooDoo - because we're all adults here - and we call the General "Sir."

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

I fucking hate Zack Greinke! Zack Greinke sucks ape shit! I fart in your general direction! I waive my private party at your aunties, you filthy George Bush/Donald Trump -lovin' Texas white trash! My fevered yellow mucous drips from your face on my screen!

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

FUCK YOU ALTUVE, you miserable rotting little ZWERG! TROTTEL! SCHLEIM-SCHEISSER! KINDERFICKER! ROSETTENSCHLEMMER!

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

Hang in there! I am yours, my dear old heterochromia iridum-eyed daddy! Mein teurer Held! Mein fliegender Holländer! I will crawl barefoot over broken glass on my hands and knees to lick the dog piss from the tyres of the laundry truck that is taking away your soiled boxer shorts. I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABY!

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

I’ll take your mother, Marsha Greinke, out for a nice seafood dinner and NEVER CALL HER AGAIN!

TheWinWarblist said...

Aaaàaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

Don't worry, John of Scotland—and glad we are that you'll trust us with your name. MLB is a bullshit, corporate entity, it always used to be National League/ American League, but these corporate wankers think they will transform the whole sport by doing this.

Holder is indeed a glove and yeah, WTF do they want from Thairo, he takes a bullet and keeps on ticking. So maybe...but I just hate to lose Sir Didi...

13bit said...

We should think twice before maligning ape shit. It's not my personal favorite, but some people might enjoy a cup now and then.

What is uniformly repulsive to everybody and everything? Here's a matter that touches on the material the philosophical at the same time.

How about shit from Altuve's ass after he has gotten giardiasis? Can we safely agree that no creature, mammal, reptile, aquatic, natural or supernatural, would ever want to go anywhere near a puddle of THAT?

TheWinWarblist said...

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TheWinWarblist said...

Strikes, my Corbin!! Fucking throw fuckin' strikes!!!

TheWinWarblist said...

Bitty, I am not a connoisseur of feces, but that does sound dreadful.

TheWinWarblist said...

Aaaàaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!Aaaàaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!CORBINMYMAGNIFICIENTBASTARDAaaàaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Oasisdave said...

Hopefully the Yankee Front Office will take not of the starting pitching these two clubs have.

13bit said...

Yes on the pitching. It’s all about pitching. Also looks like they may have gotten a batch of those juiced balls again.

It’s getting close to the time, and I’m not gonna say anything, but if I were going to say anything, it would be that it’s close to the time when Houston can take their heads out of their asses so that they could start kissing everybody else’s ass.

JM said...

FUCK HOUSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

13bit said...

HOUSTON, SUCK MY BALLS!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Yankee thought #9

Theeeeeee Asssssssssssssssssstros lose.

Doug K.

Platoni said...

The Nats did what Yankees couldn't in multiple years: Beat Verlander and Cole in Houston

TheWinWarblist said...

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Joe of AZ said...

Oh God I already dont like the pasty muthaf**** being Interviewed for pitching coach.... Yanks never learn :(

Im brighter news FUCK HOUSTON

HoraceClarke66 said...

Gee, who WERE those impersonators from the Houston bullpen giving up an average of 3 runs a game from the 7th inning on?

Well, hey, sometimes relievers just go south.

OR...could it possibly be that Washington has a different/better hitting approach than our boys????

Nah! Couldn't be. Some stats guys say we're a-okay. Keeping swinging for the fences!

HoraceClarke66 said...

That's "keep" swinging for the fences. Damn that autocorrect, not correcting what I need corrected when I want it corrected!

cabish47 said...

For years the Nats have been talented and dysfunctional. Always had great starting pitching and failed. This year great talent, great starting pitching and a World Series. What was different? No Harper. Hmmm.

As to Didi, give him a mulligan for this year. Make the qualifying offer that ties him up for one year at a better salary than this year. Let him prove himself and see what happens.

Anonymous said...

I say try to hold on to Didi, for one more year at least. Make him a decent offer for a one off. I think he'll take it. We'll decide what to do after we see how he does. My reasoning is that he is a left handed hitter, something worth its weight in gold in this right handed hitting team. And he does hit the other way, at least sometimes. He is capable of hitting .300 and hitting in the clutch, which is more than what you could say about most of our other hitters.

The Hammer of God

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