2021-22 Yankees Off Season / Spring Training ...

[donniesyracuse]

Well, there is the physics aspect of one fence being farther away than the other ...

There should be a preference for left handed hitting with the short right porch, although it's not what it once was, and neither is Death Valley in left center field.

And there is also the fact of righty-vs-lefty pitcher/hitter match-ups and their statistical significance. There are more lefties in baseball that the 10% or so that exist in regular society. Because they provide certain statistical advantages in certain situations.

Another one is speed to first base, and trying to bunt for a base hit. Both favor the lefty.

But there is no actual evidence that lineups with more righty-lefty balance produce more runs over an entire season.

It is a fact that a lefty hitter has an advantage in baseball, but of course many righties are better than many lefties. It’s more important to fill your lineup with guys who produce runs, not to make sure there is an even split of lefties and righties.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Sanchez makes me sad. It was fun when he exploded into the league in 2016. His success appeared to be more sustainable than other former Yankees who made similar first impressions (e.g., Maas, Spencer). Unfortunately, flashes of that magic have been sparse since 2017. Sanchez is one of the seemingly-infinite illustrations of the difficulty and mystery of baseball.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

If Donaldson is at 3rd and Kiner-Falefa is at SS, does that put Gleyber at 2nd and Le Mahieu at 1st?! Maybe they plan on rotating the Machine at 3rd? Getting Donaldson and a backup catcher is weird. The only need this addresses is a short term fix at SS.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

If Donaldson is at 3rd and Kiner-Falefa is at SS, does that put Gleyber at 2nd and Le Mahieu at 1st?! Maybe they plan on rotating the Machine at 3rd? Getting Donaldson and a backup catcher is weird. The only need this addresses is a short term fix at SS.

Volpe might be the long term answer at short, but he needs another year or so.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

How Yankees’ lineup could look with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa after trading Gary Sanchez

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman pulled off a shocking trade on Sunday night that reshapes the team's lineup.

www.nj.com

Yankees get Donaldson, send Sánchez, Urshela to Twins

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees have reconfigured their infield in a blockbuster trade, acquiring third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Twins in exchange for catcher Gary Sánchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. New York will also acquire catcher Ben Rortvedt in the...

www.mlb.com

Yankees trade ushers in a change that proves they had seen enough

By Sunday evening, the Yankees had dealt out of their recent static look. Both Urshela and Sanchez were shipped to the Twins

nypost.com

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Volpe might be the long term answer at short, but he needs another year or so.

Yeah, I get that. I was just trying to figure out the upcoming year. I guess I might as well wait until they're done.

 

[Alsacs]

Hearing Torres for Olson is likely on the horizon.

 

[Alsacs]

What type of prospects do the Yankees have that could interest LA in trading Belanger?
He is a guy that would fit the Yankees and i bet Dodgers would move him in a right package.

 

[br801]

Wow.

The more Higgy plays, the more he has revealed himself as best suited for a backup role. There's a reason he didn't get to the major leagues until he was in his late twenties.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Gets us back to 40...

 

[JeremyCuse]

Gets us back to 40...

Ya he clearly won't be back anytime soon, maybe the all star break

 

[Chip]

Volpe might be the long term answer at short, but he needs another year or so.

Either Volpe or Peraza will get moved. Either to another team or to another position.

But agree, the plan was that they're ready (at best) in 2023. IKF (I'll never remember 3 names) appears to be the stop gap. He started 155 games at SS last year for Texas, so he's durable. Don't know if he's a good defender, but stole 20 bases, seems to be a contact hitter.

 

[Noexcuse]

Hearing Torres for Olson is likely on the horizon.

Yes, that would make sense. And since Cashman loves holding on to prospects I also think one of Volpe or Perazza will switch to either 3rd or 2nd.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Noexcuse]

Rizzo was probably always the most realistic. Underwhelming though. Plus he can't travel with the team to Canada.

 

[Fly Rodder]

The Yankees are completely satisfied with merely competing for a wild card only to get bounced in the 2nd round.

 

[br801]

The Yankees are completely satisfied with merely competing for a wild card only to get bounced in the 2nd round.

I'm not sure about that, but I do think ownership and management are clinging to the hope that most of these guys will somehow remain healthy and produce at near career peak levels, which seldom happens.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Funny...

 

[Madbiker]

The trade for Olson will be a long dance with the A's who of course are starting out asking for the moon. As teams balk at the price they likely will come down to more reasonable asks, though still will require a package of high level prospects. The question is will Cashman stay engaged or just pivot to Rizzo as he won't be on the market forever. We'll see.

 

[Madbiker]

Looks like Cashman had to eat aging Donaldson's $50M contract in order to (1) get IKF who he apparently loves at SS, (2) dump Gary Sanchez and his $8M contract because there's no interest in him from any trade partner. If this is all Cashman does plus Rizzo it's pretty disappointing and not nearly enough to win the AL East. Was this really the best use of Hal's $50M? Lots of questionable spending decisions the last few years.

 

[br801]

Funny...

Looks like Nightengale might have that wrong. And if true, there will be interest in a top 10 offensive catcher/DH somewhere, even if he won't bring back a huge haul a year away from free agency. I just don't want to see him in Boston.

 

[IthacaMatt]

But there is no actual evidence that lineups with more righty-lefty balance produce more runs over an entire season.

It is a fact that a lefty hitter has an advantage in baseball, but of course many righties are better than many lefties. It’s more important to fill your lineup with guys who produce runs, not to make sure there is an even split of lefties and righties.

Yes, but teams with unusually shaped baseball fields usually organize their lineups to take advantage of those oddities about their home field. After all, if you play half your games in a place like Fenway, or Yankee Stadium, or any of the old, odd shaped stadiums that still remain, you want to take advantage of your home field.

 

[donniesyracuse]

And if true, there will be interest in a top 10 offensive catcher/DH somewhere, even if he won't bring back a huge haul a year away from free agency.

He has been outside of the Top 10 these last couple of seasons (depending on to how many plate appearances one limits the sample).

 

[br801]

He has been outside of the Top 10 these last couple of seasons (depending on to how many plate appearances one limits the sample).

Close enough. How about top 10-ish? Anyway, you get the point.

 

[Noexcuse]

Braves acquire Matt Olson from A's for 4 prospects

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos was thrilled to acquire Matt Olson. But he still had to fight back tears while announcing this trade, which ended Freddie Freeman’s legendary tenure with Atlanta. The Braves acquired Olson from the A’s on Monday in...

www.mlb.com