J.T. Realmuto

New York Yankees News/Rumors: With the Yankees quest for a catcher, will they look to another Molina brother?

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It’s no secret that the New York Yankees are in a bit of a quandary as to who will be the 2021 starting catcher for the team. Although past years have been question marks with Gary Sanchez’s strikeouts, poor defense, and the ability to stay healthy this season, the biggest question will be if Sanchez will be the primary catcher for the Yankees going forward. Sanchez stayed healthy throughout the season in which he had his worst performance in his Yankee career. He hit only .147, and his defense was again deficient.

From the time Gary Sanchez burst onto the scene in 2016, the Yankee heralded him as their catcher for the next decade and beyond. 2016 and 2017 made that statement believable. In 2017 he hit 33 homers. But his 2018 season was horrible catching and hitting. In 2019 he had a bit of a bounce-back with some improved catching and 34 home runs. But even with those stats could only garner a .232 batting average. Sanchez is not the player who gets on base; he had never had over 90 RBI’s in his career. This year he reverted to the poor catcher syndrome and merely took up space in the lineup without production.

The New York Yankees have a big decision to make with their backstop. They have to decide if his performance this year was affected by the shortened season or if it’s a sign of his future performance.  Meanwhile, backup catcher Kyle Higashioka has made a name for himself as Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher. Cole lost only one game with Higashioka catching him, and in that game, the Yankees only scored one run. As the season progressed, the Yankee brass began to lose faith in Sanchez, sitting him and letting Higashioka catch more games, even in the postseason.

There is an easy answer to solve the catching problem: for the Yankees to go out and sign arguably the best catcher in the game, J.T. Realmuto, a free agent. However, the likelihood of that happening is near zero. Realmuto will require that the catcher receive a record-breaking contract for a catcher. With the Yankees lack of revenue this year, and upcoming arbitration costs coming up, it is very doubtful the Yankees will spend that kind of money on a catcher.

There are other catchers out there that are free agents, but few that are an upgrade to Sanchez. One interesting look is Yadier Molina.  The Yankees have turned to one of the Molina brothers before. In 2007 they traded for Yadier’s brother Jose when Jorge Posada was injured. They later signed him to a two-year contract through 2009. Jose won a world series ring in 2009. The three Molina brothers are the only threesome in baseball to all win World Series rings.

The 38-year-old Molina has spent all 17 years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals but now is a free agent. The Cards will make every effort to keep him there. Molina is without question one of his generation’s best catchers, and if younger, would require a contract similar to Realmuto. Jadier stays healthy and is a contact hitter. He has a career batting average of .281 with over 2,000 hits. The younger Molina brother would answer the pitching problem and would only cost a fraction of Realmuto’s projected salary.  Jadier has said he would love to pitch into his ’40s and would require at least a two-year contract.

Molina might be happy to catch where his brother caught with the Yankees. Molina has earned a ton of money in his career and may be more interested in career-defining moments to help him in his quest for the Baseball Hall of Fame. He knows with the present Cardinal team that is not likely to happen in the next few years. A Yankees World Series ring might entice him to become a New York Yankee.

With the Yankee’s shortage of money and other unavoidable costs, I feel the Yankees will do nothing to solve the catching problem, and instead, will focus on improving the pitching situation that many feel caused the Yankees to both lose the division and in the postseason.  The New York Yankees may very well let Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka fight it out in spring training for that starting catcher spot. The Yankees should also resign backup catcher Erik Kratz, who works very well with the Yankees’ young pitching prospects.

One of the more memorable quotes of the 2020 season is when Erik Kratz, upon catching Deivi Garcia’s Major League debut, ran from the dugout shouting, “I’m going to catch my son.”

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Follow him on Twitter @parleewilliam.

 

J.T. Realmuto looking for big payday in looming free agency, will the Mets be involved?

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New York Yankees, JT Realmuto

Right now, New York Mets‘ fans are forced to watch how Travid D’Arnaud wreaks havoc in every rival pitching staff he has faced with the Atlanta Braves in the postseason. It has to sting, at least a little.

The Mets got relatively good production from Wilson Ramos in 2019, but he was below average in 2020, hitting .239/.297/.387 with a subpar .297 wOBA and an 89 wRC+. He improved with the glove, but regressed with the bat, and, at 33 years old, the New York Mets are unlikely to exercise their club option for 2021.

As the Mets transition from the Wilpons to a new owner, hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen, their sporting direction is expected to change. Without blowing everybody away and under the leadership of familiar face Sandy Alderson, they are expected to have more funds available to spend on the roster.

That said, Philadelphia Phillies’ catcher J.T. Realmuto will become a free agent after the World Series. It doesn’t take a whole lot to realize that he makes perfect sense for the Mets as a prime signing.

However, what would it take for Realmuto to come to New York? He is one of the premier catcher in the major leagues, one of the rare talents who are above average in both offense and defense. In the 2020 shortened season, he accumulated 1.7 fWAR. In his last full season, 2019, he had 5.7 wins above replacement according to Fangraphs.

He makes too much sense for the Mets

According to reports, Realmuto is said to be looking for at least $200 million in his free agency. It is fair to question whether the Mets will be involved, but it makes sense to make a run at him given his obvious talent and how much he would improve the team and the pitching staff.

According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Realmuto is looking for a massive deal that could approach $200 million. Here is what Zolecki had to say: “Realmuto is a lock to receive a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer, which must be made no later than five days following the final game of the World Series. Realmuto has 10 days to accept or reject the offer.”

“He will reject it. If he accepts it, he is no longer a free agent and is signed to a one-year deal with the Phillies. Realmuto is eyeing a record-shattering contract for a catcher, perhaps in the $200 million range. If he rejects the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, the Phils will receive Draft pick compensation. It will be a small consolation prize, especially if they watch Miami’s Sixto Sánchez pitch against them for the next several years.”

Will Cohen want to spend such a high amount of dollars in his first season in charge of the Mets? We shall wait and see. We do know that he makes perfect sense for the win-now Queens franchise.

New York Yankees Analysis: A Deeper Look, what’s wrong and how to fix it

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman

The New York Yankees lost again in the postseason on Friday night. There is obviously something wrong that the Yankees haven’t been able to win a World Series in the last eleven years.  The question is how to fix it and get back to their winning ways. I don’t pretend to have the answers, but at the same time, I have been an avid life-long Yankee fan for 70 plus years. I have seen teams come and go, and dynasties come and go. I’ve seen some truly great players and many that were not.  This look at the Yankees is not a report, but purely an opinion piece. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a Yankee writer for the last five years.

First of all, we are talking about the New York Yankees, not the Kansas City Royals or any of the other 29 major league teams. I can think of at least 25 teams that would consider this 2020 shortened season for the Yankees a great success.  But, that is not the case we talked about the Yankees, where the season is a failure if they don’t go into the postseason and win a World Championship.

The 2020 Yankees season was a good one, considering all of the obstacles and injuries.  For the second year in a row, the Yankees had an unprecedented number of injuries. Key pitchers and some in the lineup were either missing for the whole season or much of it.  Last year the Yankees completely shook up their strength and conditioning department. One would not expect an immediate positive result, but those changes should reap the rewards in the coming years after a season. But going forward, there is no way to predict what injuries the Yankees might endure in the coming season.

Last December, after another losing season, the New York Yankees made a big move, their first in a few years.  The front office was tired of losing. They went to California and signed the best pitcher available in the offseason, and one of the best in all of baseball; Gerrit Cole.  That was the only change they made, believing it would be the difference in winning a Championship, and they spent $324 million to sign him.

As the Yankees approached spring training, everything looked rosy, as the team was healthy, and they had a new pitching ace that would take care of the 2019 shortcomings.  Well, it didn’t take long for that rose to start to wither. They knew going in that they would be without their 2019 winningest pitcher, Domingo German, who was 18-4 last season. He would be out the much of the season, serving the remainder of his domestic violence suspension.

The Yankees were not aware at the time that James Paxton had had back surgery and would also miss the start of the season.  They knew that they had co-ace Luis Severino coming back from missing much of the 2019 season. Fast forward to him throwing his first few pitches of spring training, and his elbow was injured, which ended up requiring him to have Tommy John surgery, and he too would miss the season.  Considering the aging Masahiro Tanaka and missing two key pitchers, I, at that point, said to myself, well, that negates the plus of having Gerrit Cole, and we are back in the same situation we were last year.

Another big blow came when we learned Yankee slugger and star Aaron Judge had shoulder problems, which turned out to be a collapsed lung and a fractured rib. He two would miss the beginning of the season. The injuries piled up that I am not going to go into, but the Yankees’ rosy season looked in jeopardy.  Then it hit, COVID-19. As the virus began to sweep the nation, MLB shut down all baseball operations and announced a delay at the baseball season.

The original two-month delay turned out to be a delay of more than four months. There were contentious negotiations between MLB and the players regarding how to start the season safely and who would get paid for what. Those negotiations lagged, and Commissioner Rob Manfred ended up putting health protocols in place and implementing a 60 game season. To a degree, this was a godsend for the Yankees as it would give them time to get everyone healthy in time for the season start.

After a surprisingly good start to the season, they went 9-2. But then the injuries started popping up. The Yankees endured a 5-15 stretch and the season looked like they would have to fight to win the division.  They didn’t, allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to win the East Division. Gerrit Cole did his job, but much of the rest of the rotation didn’t. The Yankees endured long stretches where the powerful lineup was anything but effective.  Roughly half of the season, they went without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees ended up the regular shortened season going 33-27.

Because of the expanded postseason format set up by MLB, the New York Yankees got to the postseason. They faced the Cleveland Indians, burying them in just two games while scoring 22 runs in the two games. The Yankees advanced to the ALDS against their nemesis  Tampa Bay Rays, winning the first game with 9 runs and Gerrit Cole on the mound.  That would be the last time they would score as much as two runs in the remaining four games. The lead in the series bounced back and forth, calling for a game five. In the eighth inning of that game, Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman would give up the winning run to Mike Brosseau.  This is the second season in a row that Chapman has ended the season giving up the winning run.

So, what’s wrong with this team that they can’t win in the win in the postseason and advance to a World Series appearance?  The answer is multi-folded. They don’t have dependable pitching, they don’t have consistent, timely hitting, they leave too many men on base, and they have some defensive holes.

Let’s address the defensive problems first, as they are the least significant. At shortstop, we have Gleyber Torres, after the Yankees did not re-sign Didi Gregorius in the offseason.  They bet on Torres fulfilling the position, it did not turn out well. Torres got off to a slow hitting start, but his main problem was holding down hitters at short. Torres committed 9 errors, the second-most in all of baseball. Torres also had two errors in the postseason.

One of the most significant problems the New York Yankees had in the 2020 season was their catcher, Gary Sanchez; after a year of improved performance at the backstop, Sanchez returned to his old ways, having allowed six passed balls, that’s near 19 in a regular season, leading all of baseball for a catcher. Add to that, he was, for the most part, just taking up space in the lineup. He ended the season with a .147 batting average. He had only 23 hits on the entire season, 10 of them home runs.

The Yankees have had undying faith in Sanchez as their catcher of the future. The Yankees continue to wait for him to fulfill that promise. The only problem is that he is going backward. His defense is worse than last season, and he has had a batting average of less than .232 during the last three seasons, two of them under .200. For the first time since he has been a Yankee, the Yankee front office, is showing cracks in that support.  As the end of the season approached, manager Aaron Boone benched him twice, and in the postseason, he caught in only one of the seven games.

Turning to pitching, Gerrit Cole was the only dependable starting pitcher in the season. Masahiro Tanaka, second in the rotation, went 3-3 with an ERA of 3.56 on the season. The Yankees lost both of his postseason starts. He had a postseason ERA of 12.58. James Paxton went 1-1 on the season but was injured and missed the last half of the season, and he all of the postseason.  J.A. Happ was a mixed bag, pitching poorly in the first half but becoming the best pitcher in the second half. Happ was 2-2 with an ERA of 3.47 ERA.  Jordan Montgomery was inconsistent all season, going 2-3 with an elevated ERA. He pitched his one postseason game well, but the Yankees lost the game nevertheless.

Going into the last half of the season, the New York Yankees realizing they needed pitching help, allowed the major league debut of Deivi Garcia. Garcia basically didn’t disappoint. He got in six starts on the season going 3-2 with an ERA of 4.98. In the season the Yankees also introduced Michael King and Clarke Schmidt who may be a part of the coming seasons.

The Yankees made a big mistake in the postseason. They tried to outsmart the Tampa Bay Rays by playing their game when they should have played their own game. Game 2 of the ALDS will be looked back upon as the game that turned the tide in favor of the Rays. For some unknown reason, the Yankees decided to start game two with an opener, instead of Masahario Tanaka. Mistake number two came when the only let Deivi Garcia pitch one inning. Mistake number three was when they brought in J. Happ to replace him, burning two starting pitchers in one game. The gamble didn’t pay off; the Yankees lost the game and their momentum.

The Yankees hitting in the Wild Card round was just that, wild. When it came to the ALDS the bats for the most part went silent again. I have no explanation as to why throughout the season, all of the Yankees bats went silent at the same time, with the exception of Luke Voit. I have to assume it was only an annoying coincidence.

How the New York Yankees can fix things!

The Yankees will presumably be getting Luis Severino and Domingo German back for the 2021 season. However, after not pitching for a year, the Yankees have no way of knowing how they will perform.  The Yankees need another premium arm.  Tevor Bauer is a free agent, he would be a good fit for the Yankees. That would give the Yankees a starting rotation that would look like this; Gerrit Cole Trevor Bauer, Luis Severino, Domingo German, and Deivi Garcia.  No one knows right now what will happen with Paxton, Happ or Tanaka who are all free agents.  My guess is that they will take Tanaka back at a discount and let Paxton and Happ go. Another option for the Yankees is Carlos Carrassco of the Indians.

On the defense and hitting side of the issue, the Yankees need to replace Gleyber Torres at short. Enter Francisco Lindor who is a free agent.  Lindor would be an upgrade at short and in the lineup. That would allow Torres who the Yankees will not get rid of, to return to his natural position at second base.  This would allow LeMahieu to become a utility man that can adequately fill in at all infield positions while keeping his hot timely bat in the lineup.

Looking at the other positions, Voit and Ford, although not the best, they can handle first base. Voit finished his season as the best home run hitter in all of baseball. The Young Gleyber Torres can continue to blossom at second base and in the lineup.  At third base is the real deal Gio Urshela, who is a Gold Glove type defender and timely hitter.  The outfield is pretty well set with Judge, Hicks, Frazier, and the MLB’s best defending outfielder, Mike Tauchman. Tauchman committed no errors.

Outside of the Torres situation, the Yankees still have three situations they must clear up in the postseason. One is easy; the Yankees must re-sign DJ LeManhieu, the 2020 batting average winner.  My suggestion is a 4 year $65 million contract, although it may take more dollars, the Yankees must get it done.  The other two questions are less clear. Brett Gardner is in the last season of his contract although he has an option for 2021. The Yankees can dump him for $2.2 million. Although Gardner didn’t hit as well this year he did contribute on the field and the bases. Gardner is also a team leader in the clubhouse.

The question about Gary Sanchez is more complicated. Sanchez can be very good, he hit 34 home runs in 2019. His defense is still questionable and his ability to get on base has been greatly reduced.  His trade value is near zero presenting the options to leave things as they are, move Higashioka to the everyday catcher, and domote him to backup.  Another option is to go after one of the best catchers in the game, J.T. Realmuto who is a free agent and would be a big-time upgrade.

The New York Yankees have the money to make all these upgrades, they spend less on player salaries compared to revenue than any other baseball team. In general the Yankees rely on the home run to win games, when they don’t hit them they lose. Lindor would help that, he hit 61 hits compared to Torre’s 33 hits.  Realmuto added to the lineup would provide more timly hitting as well.  The result would be a team that plays small ball and long ball for a better mix, and more consistant scoring.

The New York Yankees have a great team but need to make some minor tweaks to win a World Series, and time is running out.  The Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made no moves to improve the team by the trade deadline in the last two years. The cheap “Baby Bombers” aren’t so baby anymore, they are aging and will all become free agents in the next two years, with the exception of Gleyber Torres, who is under team control until 2024.  If the Yankees want to win with the core of players they have, they only have this and the next year to make that a reality. Only the front office’s determination to win a 28th Championship and more in the coming Cole years will make that happen.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s Columnist William Parlee is s member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Follow me on Twitter @parleewilliam

 

 

New York Mets: Top Priority, J.T. Realmuto or Trevor Bauer?

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New York Yankees, JT Realmuto

The New York Mets have quite a few holes to fix this offseason after their disappointing 2020. Struggles from their lack of starting rotation depth and catching production derailed sustained success. J.T Realmuto is the long dream of Mets fans, but maybe Trevor Bauer should be their priority once free agency starts.

Once Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman were out for the 2020 season, they had no choice put to hope in their lack of pitching depth. Steven Matz, Rick Porcello, and Michael Wacha all struggled to a point where Seth Lugo was forced into the rotation. The rookie, David Peterson, became the Mets second-most reliable starter, way behind Jacob deGrom.

The issue with the Mets starters was not the amount of depth, but the quality of it. Matz was an inconsistent start through his career, Porcello/Wacha had not found success in a couple of years, and Peterson had not thrown an inning in the big leagues. If the Mets put themselves in a situation where the top four in the rotation were reliable to great options, it would solve many of their issues. Just look at how great the Mets rotation was in the second half of 2019.

The Goal is to Get Both

Bauer gives the Mets a top two in their rotation that matches up with any in baseball. Resigning another arm like Stroman to go along with Peterson would supplement the rotation should Noah Syndergaard run into any issues in his first year back from Tommy John Surgery. It also allows Lugo to move back to his natural role in the Mets bullpen.

By no means is this a knock on Realmuto or saying the Mets should not sign him. This is saying the Mets have a better chance to win without Realmuto than they would without Bauer. Tomas Nido never got a fair shake after only playing seven games and then spending time on the COVID injured list. If Nido is better as a backup, quality options like James McCann and Kurt Suzuki sit on a reasonably solid catchers market. There is no quality replacement for what Trevor Bauer brings to any rotation.

Realmuto is the premier catcher in baseball, and no other catching option should be on the table. But like everything in baseball, there has to be a plan B if the Mets lose the sweepstakes. Brodie Van Wagenen never thought of that as general manager, and while options like McCann or Suzuki improve the team like Realmuto, they are still upgrades from Wilson Ramos.

Of course, both players will have plenty of potential suitors lining up for their talents, but the Mets need to sign at least one. If there is any blueprint towards getting a World Series in 2021, at least one of these top-level players need to wear a Mets uniform when Spring Training rolls around.

New York Mets: Steve Cohen to Better Analytics Department

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

New owner Steve Cohen is looking to transform the New York Mets into something they never were under the Wilpon regime. Joe Pantorno’s of AM New York reported that Cohen’s most significant focus is on “beefing up the team’s analytics department” after spending years with the second smallest in baseball.

This does not mean the idea of signing Trevor Bauer or J.T. Realmuto is out the window. Cohen wants to make the Mets a well-rounded team that can spend money and finds undervalued players. Think about the Tampa Bay Rays or Oakland Athletics having the funds to supplement the cheap talent they find.

Spend Smart, Not Crazy

The Mets now find themselves in a unique situation with an owner who cares about putting a winning product on the field. They have spent money in prior offseasons, bringing in Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, Rick Porcello, etc. but they were not championship level pieces. Instead of bringing in C or D level free agents, they can go after the A or B level players who make a big impact.

The foundation for a strong analytics department is in place. Sandy Alderson is back in the organization as team president after a couple of years away from the organization. Alderson was responsible for crafting the 2015 National League Championship team with a low budget. Even many of the players he drafted or signed were major contributors during the 2020 season.

What many fans do not understand is Alderson has experience building a team with and without money to spend. He was part of building the strong Oakland A’s team from the late 80s to the early 90s. Following that, he mentored Billy Beane on analytics to help create the Moneyball phenomenon. Alderson’s experience as CEO of the San Diego Padres also shows his ability to work in varied money situations.

Analytic Department

Adam Guttridge is less known among Mets fans as he is the leader of the three-person analytic department. He was a big reason why Jeff McNeil remained a Met and J.D. Davis became a Met last season. Guttridge co-created NEIFI (normalized empirical individual forecasting index) as part of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Much like anything in sports, a good foundation is needed for sustained success. With Cohen, Alderson, and Guttridge, there is finally leadership and competence within the Mets organization.

New York Yankees: 2021 Free Agents, who should the Yankees consider?

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The New York Yankees have their lineup set for the delayed 2020 baseball season and, to a lesser degree, the pitching rotation.  The area they must address as the season finally starts is pitching.  The starting rotation will be led by newly acquired Gerrit Cole followed by either Masahiro Tanaka or James Paxton, and then fourth in the rotation will be J.A. Happ and most likely Jordan Montgomery bringing up the rear.

The only question is whether Paxton will be ready for the start of the season as he is still rehabbing from back surgery. If he’s not, the Yankees will have to consider Jonathan Loaisiga, Clarke Shmidt, Micheal King, or even Dievi Garcia.  Some relief will come late in the season when Domingo German returns from his suspension.

There are a few concerns the New York Yankee will need to address during the season.  The major one is how Gleyber Torres will fair in his first full year at short.  The Yankees decided not to trade for a veteran shortstop when they lost Didi Gregorius to free agency.  They put their faith in Torres, hoping he could adequately handle the position.  They may have to look at 2021 free agents to fill the spot if Torres fails.

Other areas of concern include if Kyle Higashioka can handle the job of backup catcher assuming Gary Sanchez has his usual injuries.  The Yankees lost Austin Romine to the Tigers.  Another questionable job is that of the left-fielder. With Giancarlo Stanton’s durability in question that leaves Mike Tauchman and Clint Frazier to fill in.  Should Stanton become a permanent DH, the Yankees may be looking for a left-fielder.

Looking at the shortstop position, the New York Yankees should consider free agent Marcus Semien.  Semien signed a one year $13,000,000 contract with the Oakland Athletics last year.  Semien is a very adequate shortstop with a .981 fielding percentage compared to Torre’s meager .954.  Torres hit 38 homers, and Semien hit 33 although Semien has a higher batting average.  Overall, Semien would be an upgrade over Gleyber Torres.  Semien actually has a better fielding percentage at short than the superstar Francisco Lindor.

As for catcher Yadier Molina of the famous Milina brothers will be available after the 2020 season.  However, it is likely he would be a short term fix as he is now 38 years old.  A better choice would be the Phillies J.T. Realmuto, who is just 29.  Realmuto has a better batting average than “Higgy,” and he hit 25 home runs last year.  The biggest plus is that he, by way of stats, is a better catcher than Gary Sanchez with a superb fielding percentage of .992, making him one of the best fielding catchers in the business.  The only downside is that the Yankees may not want to pay a backup catcher $10MM.

When considering the New York Yankees outfield, the Yankees are not in a dire situation but still may wish to bolster it by going out and getting a veteran left-fielder.  There will be several available in 2021.  My pick would be Yoenis Cespedes, but there is no way the Yankees will anty up the $30MM salary he will demand.  That leaves the 32-year-old Michael Brantley, who is an 11 year veteran of left-field play.  Brantley has a fantastic .992 fielding percentage while hitting .311 last year with the Houston Astros and hitting 22 home runs.

Whatever the case, the New York Yankees will be watching these positions very closely this year and, as always, will be looking to improve the team during the 2020-21 postseason if necessary.