Saturday, March 15, 2025

For weeks now, the Yankees have touted Will Warren; now, will they exile him to Scranton?

 

Last year was supposed to be Will Warren's breakout season. 

In fact, right around now, he was in a pitched duel with Luis Gil for the final slot in the rotation. That spring, he threw 15 innings with an ERA of 3.52. Not bad. Didn't matter, though. Gil led the Yankees in Grapefruit strikeouts and posted an ERA of 2.87. They kept him, and he became their best pitcher in April/May. Warren was flipped to Scranton, his second season in the Electric City, and - well - he did not thrive. 

In fact, he flopped. When summoned to the majors on July 30, Warren was in a sad state: a Triple A ERA north of 7.00. Against the NL leading Phillies that night, he went 5.1 innings, gave up four runs, and - well - it was arguably his best start of 2024. I guess that sums it up? He finished 2024 with a minor league ERA near 6.00 and a MLB ERA above 10.00 So much for breakout years.

Well, he's back - now 25 - and once again challenging for the fifth rotational spot. This time, though, he's battling 37-year-old Carlos Carrasco - a former Met - who supposedly has a secret weapon in this generational duel: an opt-out clause. On March 22, if the Yankees don't keep him on their roster, Carrasco can declare himself a free agent. And, if you think about it, why wouldn't he? 

Everybody should have an opt-out clause. In careers. In relationships. In life. We should all have the freedom to simply say, "Fukkit, I'm not shoveling this shit; I'm going drinking." Sadly, we do not enjoy such contracts. But Carrasco does, and knowing how Cooperstown Cashman works - he views everyone by their contract - it's a done deal that Will Warren's happy spring will go down in flames next Saturday, losing out to Carrasco's opt-out. (The Yankees have options on Warren; he cannot walk.)

I'm not saying the Yankees should keep Warren and let Carrasco merrily skip away. I get it: Cashman wants them both. Surely, by June 1, the franchise will be down to stems and seeds, with pitchers we've never heard of - Headrick, Winans, Schliittler. It's an annual turnover, where you start with a wave of arms and winnow them down to one or two that stick. 

But it's time for the Yankees to sink or swim with Will Warren. The guy might have a future. Carrasco has only a past. 

Warren is slated to pitch today. We'll see... 

13 comments:

AboveAverage said...

Yes, Yes indeed.

And if Warren is exiled, we’ll launch a commission to discover why.

HEY, JM. Please help me out here. Remind us all again please - What is your opinion of Aaron Boone?

Thank you

BTR999 said...

👎on Warren. Today doesn’t matter.

The Hammer of God said...

He ain't shown much, if anything. I confess that I haven't seen him pitch, beyond highlights, but he didn't strike me as anything special. He shoulda been trade bait this winter.

Hell, this past winter, I woulda traded Volpe, Cole, Grisham, Oswald Peraza, just to name a few off the top of my head.

Cole, all you have to do to get him to waive a no-trade clause is to sit him down and tell him "we don't want you; we're going to go with youth this year; and we'll look for a top contender who does want you" and he woulda been happy to waive his no trade.

I woulda put Stanton and LeMahieu out to pasture, if they wouldn't retire. Eat the remainder of their contracts or negotiate a buy out. That's what you have to do to move out the dead wood and give the kids a chance.

The Hammer of God said...

Is that Master Beeter guy still here? I think he's actually got a lot more going for him than Will Warren. Rather have Beeter master beeting as the #5 starter.

The Hammer of God said...

They don't have any choice with Carlos Carrasco. He's going to have to be in the rotation due to all the injuries. 40% of your rotation down, if you were going with five starters. 33% of your rotation down, if you were going with six starters.

Not too late to work a trade to get another good starter. Trade Volpe, Peraza, maybe another prospect or two. I'd even be open to talking about trading Spencer Jones for the right pitcher. But you know Cashman will do nothing.

The Hammer of God said...

They could've also traded Carlos Rodon and Mr. "I'm a starter". I woulda done that. But with the injuries, now it might've been a good thing that Rodon wasn't traded. Hindsight, of course. For the right package of prospects, I woulda traded Rodon over the winter.

Doctor T said...

I''ve seen nothing to think that 'Bombs Away' Warren is ready for the show. A good spring says nothing about a player's potential, if his regular season record is a disaster. But the constant pimping of a guy who has shown nothing to warrant such praise makes me wonder who he knows, who his daddy is, or what moron in Cashman's crack analytics squad is so hyped up on this guy that reality doesn't matter.

When Warren takes the mound, I know the game is over and Yankee failure is secured.

JM said...

Boone is an idiot.

JM said...

I'll say one thing. Will Warren is no Warren William.

BTR999 said...

Or Warren Zevon

JM said...

Or Earl Warren.

AboveAverage said...

or war and peace

Publius said...

Will War End?