Sunday, November 24, 2019

For the Yankee Death Star, nothing can twinkle until Didi decides

It's quiet out there. Too quiet. Studying the hot stove news desert, you get a sense that the Yankees sit at a crossroads, unsure of whether to turn right, left or go straight - waiting to see what happens with Didi Gregorius. 

Of course, everything could change in an instant, if some slap-happy owner blows away Zach Wheeler with a lawyer-guns-and-money offer. Quid pro quo! I believe Wheeler is the Death Star's secret target because, 1) he's the third best starter on the market, 2) he's battle-tested in NYC, and 3) he'd be a poke in the eye to those pesky Mets, who are poised to rule Gotham next summer. (To the left, look at their rising number of back pages over the last three years.)

As I've shouted repeatedly - not that it matters - I doubt Cooperstown Cashman will go all in on Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg; he can't afford another long-term contract debacle. But Wheeler is not them. He would require less, right? So if he suddenly looks ready to sign, it would flush the Yankees out from their burrow. We'd see immediately whether - and how - Food Stamps Hal Steinbrenner intends to spend his hard-inherited money. 

One last question: Is Wheeler worth surrendering a second and fifth round draft pick, plus $1 million in international spending? Cole and Strasburg are. Wheeler... probably. But it's another factor to consider. The Yankees just spent more on one 16-year-old Latino outfielder than any other team in history. Jasson Dominquez - this year's biggest ever! Did they drain their pockets for when next year's comes around?

Which brings us back to the Didi crossroads. If and when Gregorius signs with another team...

a. The Gleyber Torres era begins at SS. (Or does it?) Can he keep the Jeter-Didi tradition alive? Could the Yankees be overextending their best player? He's done fine at 2B. Is it smart to move him?

b. DJ LeMahieu becomes full-time 2B, where he's won a Gold Glove. No problem here. In fact, it makes sense. Why have a Gold Glove playing out of position?

c. Two Ohio State linebackers - Luke Voit and Mike Ford - platoon at 1B. Can Luke stop pulling balls? Is Ford for real? Can either play defense? (Fifteen scoops could save Gleyber 15 percent or more errors on car insurance.)

d. Gio Urshela and Miguel Andujar vie for 3B. If Andujar wins - by showing defense - Urshela becomes the everyday utility guy, last year's LeMahieu. If Gio wins, Andujar moves to the OF or 1B. Or maybe one gets traded for a pitcher.

e. The team that signs Didi will look to move its current SS. The Yanks could trade for a glove SS as backup or late inning replacement. Right now, it's Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade, and neither will evoke memories of Ozzie Smith. (There's also Kyle Holder, 25, said to possess the best glove in Double A last year. If we don't lose him in the Rule 5 draft, who knows?)

f. Hal will have an extra $10-$15 million in his fanny pack. That's $20-$25 million, if you count CC's retirement fund. That's Cashman's war chest. To me, that looks like Zach Wheeler, a bullpen lug nut, a fielder-first SS and a LH catcher. But first, let's see what Didi do.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

It’s sad. I remember the days of yester-year, when marquee free agents hit the open market. As a Yankees fan we’d have burning questions like -

‘Ooooh, will we get a bat like Manny Ramirez of a potential ace like Mike Mussina?’

Or ‘we need an OF, will it be Guerrero or Sheffield?’

It was always a foregone conclusion that they’d get whomever they needed to stay competitive. Now, we’re lucky to get a shiny new toy every few years. The winter of Jacoby, McCann, Beltran and Masahiro... then nothing until getting Giancarlo in the discount bin about 5 years later.

We need an ace. Go get us a Fucking ace Hal.

ranger_lp said...

@Unknown...you can blame the analytics for that...

Anonymous said...

IN THE LATEST NEWS....

I JUST READ, "WHITE SOX SHOWING THE MOST INTEREST IN ZACK WHEELER"...

THEY LOVE HIM...THEY'RE SHOWING BIG INTEREST...THEY WANT HIM...THEY ARE READY TO SPEND.

WATCH HOW ONE PITCHER AFTER ANOTHER WILL DISAPPEAR TO OTHER TEAMS.

WE SIT THERE WAITING FOR THIS, WAITING FOR THAT, USING DIDI OR ANYONE ELSE AS AN EXCUSE, WHEN IN ACTUALITY, IT'S HAL'S "MANDATE" THAT IS MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO SECURE A DECENT FREE AGENT PITCHER ANYMORE.

PART OF THE JOY OF BEING A YANKEE FAN, IN THE PAST, WAS IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY YEAR, US FANS WERE REWARDED WITH CHRISTMAS GIFTS UNDER OUR TREE. (FREE AGENTS WE NEEDED TO CORRECT OUR SHORTCOMINGS)...

NOW WE DON'T EVEN GET A "COLE" IN OUR STOCKING.

WE MAKE LOWER LEVEL DEALS THAT DON'T DIRECTLY ADDRESS OUR PROBLEMS.

STUPID SHIT, LIKE GETTING ANOTHER RELIEF PITCHER, AND HOPING OUR BULLPEN CAN SHUT THE OTHER TEAMS DOWN FROM THE 5TH INNING ON...........

IT DOESN'T WORK.

BTW HAL, WE ARE STILL NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER CLUB, AND DID NOT LOSE BY "A PLAY OR TWO NOT GOING OUR WAY"...

THAT IS THE MISCONCEPTION.

WE ARE STILL LOSING BY A LOT.


13bit said...

I'm with you ALL-CAPS.

Also, as for Wheeler being a "poke in the eye," remember when Jacoby was a poke in the eye to some schmucks from Beantown? How did that work out for us. We need to be careful about karma these days, now that we don't have George's fuck-you money to smooth things over. Hal is such a drag, such a total and complete fucking drag.

13bit said...

And Cashman is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

They need to do five things.

1) Trade for Marte to play CF. Yesterday the Post brought him up for the Mets. He's the guy we need. Been saying it for a while now. (Frazier + Pitcher = Marte) When/if Hicks comes back he moves to left.

2) Then - Don't resign Gardy. Give left to Tauchman. Marte is CF. Give the 12M to Marte it's an extra 4 mil but more than worth it)

3) Pay 1/2 of Stanton's contract to anywhere he'll go. (Saves 14 Mil)

4) Don't resign Didi. Gleyber at short, DJ at Second, Wade as cheap utility guy.

4) Pitching. Sign Cole. 28-30M (Take the money saved from Stanton, Add the money saved from CC and the money saved from Didi.

5) More Pitching!

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

Jimmy,

I'd sign up for that.

Doug K.

Alphonso said...

With respect to the Gio/ Andujar debate;

There is no debate.

Gio is the starting third baseman. There is nothing Andujar could have done rehabbing from surgery that makes his glove 10% better, much less 1000% ( the Gio level ).

So Andujar either plays left, which I have advocated whilst he was active and healthy, playing third for us in his rookie year , or he gets on the export goods boat. And is traded.

Maybe he is a key component of how we land a pitcher.

Or a new owner.

Anonymous said...

Didi and Gardy will be the big signings.
Hal is satisfied with the pitching as is.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I would be very loathe to get rid of AnDUjar. It would have to bring a pitcher on the level of Cole or Scherzer, and it's hard to picture who that might be.

The Yankees outfield right now has more holes than Swiss cheese. Put him in left, let him DH and play 1B at times.

And while I agree with Alphonso on Gio, there's no telling if THAT Gio will show up next year.

13bit said...

Fuck gardy, fuck Stanton and Didi can walk, for all I care.

We have no pitching. Everything else can be assembled from spare parts, but not a starter.

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