yankees news

Yankees hypothetical trade proposal for star SS Trevor Story will blow your mind

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trevor story, new york yankees

The New York Yankees have an issue at shortstop with Gleyber Torres, primarily revolving around his defense. A 24-year-old, the Venezuelan has earned two All-Star appearances in four years and could push for a third in 2021, but his defense needs to improve if he wants to reach that accomplishment.

So far this year, Torres is hitting .219 with seven hits, but the sample size is too small to even consider. Defensively, though, he played 40 games at shortstop in 2020, earning a .933 fielding percentage, well below the .973 league average. This year, he’s settled in even below his 2020 number at .929.

Unfortunately, his inability to make routine throws has plagued his defensive development. Whether it be arm strength or inaccuracy, these issues aren’t being alleviated over time, as general manager Brian Cashman even indicated he is a better second baseman. However, the Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu to a long-term extension to play 2B, Torres’ natural position.

Joel Sherman of the NY Post believes the Yankees should call the Rockies and inquire about Trevor Story’s availability:

But I think the Yankees should call the Rockies today and offer Gleyber Torres for Trevor Story, because Torres’ defensive deficiencies at shortstop are not from a small sample size.

Of course, the idea of adding Story is fantastic, as the 28-year-old is one of the best shortstops in baseball. Having also made two All-Star appearances, Story is capable of being an elite player, historically averaging double-digit home runs per season. In 2019, Story logged 35 homers but saw that number dip to just 11 last year, still showing prowess in the category. He finished 11th in MVP voting, earning a .961 fielding percentage.

The primary issue with this hypothetical trade is that parting ways with Gleyber Torres would be silly. The team has control over Torres until 2024, and Story is projected to hit the free agency market after this current season. Not only would you be giving away a player with star potential, if not an already established one, with three years left of control and protection, but you’d only be gaining Trevor for the rest of the season and no guarantee of retention.

The Yankees are better off sitting still, for now, playing out the current season with what they have available and signing Story in free agency. They could even consider moving LeMahieu to first base, Torres back to second, and Story cemented at shortstop. This would allow them to utilize the value of Luke Voit and potentially trade for pitching.

Yankees: Good news and bad news in 2nd consecutive loss to Tampa Bay

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

In yet another disappointing performance, the New York Yankees fell to the Tampa Bay Rays for a second consecutive time. Once again, the offense was nowhere to be found, as the Yankees recorded nine strikeouts and just five hits in a scoreless effort. Starting pitcher Domingo German picked up the loss, allowing four runs over four innings, including eight hits and two homers. Luckily, the bullpen performed well, racking up seven strikeouts over the last four innings of play.

The Yankees have started off the 2021 season playing very sloppy baseball, as skipper Aaron Boone stated that the Yankees are a better team than the Rays but simply haven’t been able to get things going.

“We’ll see. They’re one of the teams that we got to compete with in this division. They’re obviously a good team and the defending American league champions. We have expectations of being that and more this year, so they’re one of the teams we have to go through. And I’ll take our chances. But we got a long way to go between here and then. So I think it’s silly to answer that question right now. We got to go out and prove it.”

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

The negatives are endless from Saturday’s loss, as German was optioned from the fifth spot in the starting rotation. German currently has a 9.00 ERA on the season with two losses, despite dominating during spring ball. German will head over to the alternate site, and we can only imagine the Yankees will elevate his counterpart, Deivi Garcia.

Garcia had flashes of star power in 2020 during his limited action but struggled at times. During spring training, Garcia finished with a 3.86 ERA over five games, allowing six runs and 12 hits, while accumulating 14 strikeouts. He actually performed quite well, but German was simply dominant — he clearly was not ready to face off against starting-level talent.

I think the Yankees should give Garcia an opportunity as the fifth man, as he showed up big at times last season. As for the offense, they simply couldn’t get anything going, as DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton totaled six strikeouts. The Yankees need more from their top hitters, especially since they are paying them an exorbitant amount of money to produce on offense.

The Yankees will take on the Rays on Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game series, and they need to walk away with a victory to end this hopeless drought.

Yankees: Good news and bad news in loss to Tampa

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New York Yankees, Corey Kluber

Another day, another loss for the New York Yankees, who are one game below .500 to start the season. After a disappointing defeat against the Baltimore Orioles in what would’ve been the final game in a three-game sweep, the Yankees took their talents to Tampa Bay, where they were blown out by the Rays on Friday afternoon.

By a score of 10-5, the Yankee offense once again struggled, and their defense wasn’t much better. Starting pitcher Corey Kluber lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up five hits and five runs over just 62 pitches. He currently has a 5.68 ERA on the season — the Yankees brought in Nick Nelson to help soften the blow, but he proceeded to allow four runs in just 1.2 innings of work.

Overall, it’s too early to make any assumptions on players based on a limited sample size, but Kluber has struggled to start his 2021 season, which is justifiable based on the lack of reps he’s taken in recent years.

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

There were far more negatives than positives in the loss to Tampa on Friday, but let’s start with the offensive side of the ball. While five runs might be adequate against some teams, Tampa has a fantastic lineup, tallying 13 hits over the course of the contest. The Yankees totaled seven, with two coming from DJ LeMahieu and the rest spread throughout the lineup.

LeMahieu logged a solo home run in the eighth inning, and the only other Yankee to go deep was Aaron Hicks in the third, driving in Giancarlo Stanton. However, if you look at the scoring summary, Tampa only hit one homer, which was a solo shot by Willy Adames. Their ability to get on base and make solid contact is what spurred a 10-run performance by Tampa, who currently has the same record as the Yankees after being swept in three games by the Boston Red Sox. It seems as if this was just a poor outing in the pitching department by the Bombers, who will feature Domingo German on Saturday afternoon.

German lost his first outing of the season, allowing four hits and two homers over just three innings. Hopefully, he will bounce back with a better performance, as the Yankees desperately need to snap their inconsistent streak.

Other than the usual suspects, Clint Frazier has had a tough start to the season, currently hitting .200 and striking out three times over four at-bats in the loss. Jay Bruce has also been ineffective, currently hitting .125 with two strikeouts on the day.

Yankees injury news doesn’t get better as Gio Urshela is scratched and Aaron Judge remains a mystery

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New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

With the New York Yankees scheduled to take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday evening, they will be without two of their primary starters. Right fielder Aaron Judge has been dealing with a mystery injury as of late, and skipper Aaron Boone has failed to offer a reasonable explanation for his absence.

The second player to miss Friday’s game is Gio Urshela, as he is experiencing side effects after being vaccinated on Thursday.

Gio Urshela scratched:

Per the Yankees:

  • Placed INF Gio Urshela on the COVID injured list due to side effects from vaccination.

Aaron Judge remains out with mystery injury:

Judge reportedly has pain in his left side, and whether it be his oblique or a lower-body issue, the Yankees refuse to offer any explanation for what’s going on. This might be part of their new approach, trying to keep the media away from making any egregious assumptions, or they simply are unsure where the pain is stemming from.

“Just felt like I wanted to wait another day,’’ Boone said Friday. “We’ll see where he’s at in 24 hours. It’s simply wanting to play the long game and not force anything.”

Ultimately, the Yankees desperately need Aaron Judge in the lineup, as he could’ve been the catalyst in their most recent loss to the Baltimore Orioles that went to extra innings. Judge played in just 29 games out of 60 last year and 28 in 2020. His injuries have significantly dampened the overall mood surrounding a potential long-term extension in the future. When available, he’s easily one of the best hitters in baseball, but sometimes the best ability is availability.

Yankees: Good news and bad news in loss to Baltimore

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gio urshela, yankees

The Yankees lost a heartbreaker against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday evening by a score of 4-3. Heading into extra innings, the Yankees gave up one run in the 10th and another in the 11th, failing to make a come-back and complete the sweep over Baltimore. Ultimately, the Yankees beat themselves in this game, as Gleyber Torres struggled defensively at shortstop, and their pitching collapsed when it mattered most.

However, walking away with two wins out of a three-game series was a positive, and while the Yankees sit at .500 on the season, they now had to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays.

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

Let’s start with some positive news for the Yankees regarding the loss to Baltimore. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon last 4.2 innings, giving up three hits and two runs but struck out seven batters.

Overall, I think he had a solid performance, considering he hasn’t pitched a meaningful game in over a year. He gave up two home runs, displaying a few poorly located pitches as the catalyst of his runs allowed. Nonetheless, it was a positive step for Jameson, who is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last year.

From a statistical standpoint, the Yankees should’ve won this game with ease, as they posted 13 hits compared to Baltimore’s four and 10 strikeouts compared to 17. Leaving runners in scoring position is going to end up biting the Yankees in the butt, as it did in this defeat.

A few individual performances that stood out came from Gary Sanchez, who got on base three times over three at-bats, and Gio Urshela, who posted two hits after struggling to open his season. There are a few lingering injuries that are affecting players, including Urshela, and Aaron Judge, who is expected to miss Friday’s contest, according to Aaron Boone.

Boone said that it was too early to tell if a Judge would be available against Tampa Bay but that he’s dealing with a myriad of injuries, ranging from soreness in his side to an undisclosed illness. Judge would’ve been the catalyst the Yankees needed to overcome Baltimore in this context, but clearly, he’s dealing with something rather significant Boone wasn’t even willing to pinch-hit him when I needed him most. Without him, they don’t have the same pizzazz, and it’s showing.

As for the team’s relief pitching, they got the job done up until Chad Green allowed two runs over 1.1 innings. After Jameson’s day ended, the bullpen had racked up seven strikeouts and no hits allowed. Baltimore stole this one from the Yankees, and there’s no other way to look at it.

Yankees have found the not so secret catalyst behind Gerrit Cole’s dominance

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yankees, gerrit cole

When looking at New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole objectively, he is the best pitcher on the team and arguably in baseball. However, don’t underestimate the effects a catcher can have on a pitcher, as we saw on Opening Day with Gary Sanchez behind the plate. It took only one contest for skipper Aaron Boone to realize that Sanchez isn’t the right man behind the plate for Cole, who prefers Kyle Higashioka, a more defensive-minded option.

Unfortunately for Sanchez, it took him just one start with the Yankees’ top starter before losing his job for at least one day a week. In 2020, Sanchez’s offensive struggles hurt him significantly, but his defense was also inadequate.

His poor performance forced management’s hand, as Kyle took over in the postseason and displayed solid attributes and consistency. He’s not the slugger that Gary is, but he makes decent contact and has a bit more upside left to un-tap.

With what clearly seems like a match made in heaven with Cole and Higashioka, Boone wasn’t convinced that Sanchez should lose his opportunity catching the most talented pitcher on the roster.

“I’ll pair them up I’m sure a fair amount,” Boone said of Cole and Higashioka. “But I also felt like, especially going back to Opening Day, I felt like Gary and Gerrit were really good together. I’m comfortable with both guys.”

Let’s reflect on Opening Day for the Yankees, when Cole allowed five hits and two runs over 5.1 innings. For most pitchers, this would look like a great performance, but for Cole, his second outing of the year is what we expect.
On Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, Gerrit lasted 7.0 innings, not even breaking the 100 pitch mark. He allowed four hits and zero runs, striking out 13 batters in an absolutely dominant performance with his favorite catcher behind the plate in Higashioka.
Boone did state the pairing “have a good thing going, a ying and a yang.”
If I were Boone, I wouldn’t mess with that combination since Cole clearly seems to prefer the alternative to Sanchez. Ultimately, the Yankees shouldn’t hold any of their players back, especially one that’s capable of automatically winning them a game with incredible pitching performances.

Yankees strike deal with Rangers to acquire infielder Rougned Odor

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Rougned Odor, yankees

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers have struck a deal to trade infielder Rougned Odor to the Bronx. Having last played in 2020, Odor experienced 38 games of action, hitting 10 homers and 30 RBIs, finishing with a .167 average. The Rangers recently designated Odor for assignment prior to Opening Day, who has two years and $27 million remaining on his contract.

This is undoubtedly an interesting move for the Yankees, as Odor is capable of being a solid lefty hitter with power, hitting 30 homers in 2019. At 27 years old, he is still youthful and has tons of potential left to un-tap. However, his strikeout rate has ballooned in recent years, going from 17% in 2014 to 31.8% in 2020.

The Yankees might see something in his fundamentals and technique that might be throwing him off as they look to resurrect his career and make him a potential starter moving forward. He will join a bench that features catcher Kyle Higashioka, outfielders Mike Tauchman, Brett Gardner, and INF Tyler Wade.

Wade could be sent back to the minor leagues while Odor will take over his spot. The question is, who in the infield is going to make a move with the acquisition of Odor. Theoretically, the Yankees could move DJ LeMahieu to first base, Gleyber Torres to second, and Gio Urshela to shortstop, with Odor taking over the hot corner. The only issue, Odor has never played third base before, so that could present an issue.

Nonetheless, we will have to wait and see how the Yankees approach this acquisition and what they plan to do with the former Texas Ranger.

 

Yankees: Good news and bad news in win over Blue Jays

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New York Yankees, Corey Kluber

The New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of a three-game series to open the 2021 regular season on Saturday. After losing Opening Day 3-2 in extra innings, the Yankees bounced back nicely, securing a 5-3 victory with new starting pitcher Corey Kluber on the mound.

While the Yankees offense still needs a bit more time to get in the groove, they showed a bit more liveliness against Toronto starter Ross Stripling. In just 3.1 innings, they posted seven hits and three runs off Stripling, getting him up to 77 pitches before they replaced him with Tyler Chatwood.

Good news and bad news for the Yankees:

The good news comes in many different ways for the Yankees, as Kluber lasted 4.0 innings and allowed five hits and one earned run. He struck out five batters in the process and walked three, managing to get himself out of trouble on a few occasions.

Unfortunately, there were a few negatives in his game, including the walks and the one home run he did give up, but overall it was a fantastic performance for him after not pitching for more than a year due to injuries. This is a positive sign for the Yankees moving forward that they can rely on him regularly, and he should improve as the season progresses.

Offensively, DJ LeMahieu recorded two hits, and Aaron Judge did the same, bouncing back after problematic Opening Day performances. Even Jay Bruce got into the action, recording two RBIs on a single to centerfield in the sixth inning to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead. Overall, the offense was adequate, collecting 11 hits and five runs, and they didn’t solely rely on the long ball, making solid contact.

Gary Sanchez, on the other hand, hit his second home run in as many days, now sitting at .429 on the season with a 1.286 slugging percentage. While his only hit on Saturday was a homer, we can’t complain.

There wasn’t much negative news to go around, aside from Aaron Hicks striking out three times again, but he did record a hit and an RBI in the fourth inning.

As for the Yankees pitching, the only negative to extract was from Lucas Luetge, who allowed a run in his 1.0 innings of work. This shouldn’t be alarming, considering Lucas hasn’t pitched in the MLB since 2015 with the Seattle Mariners. There’s no doubt he was experiencing some jitters, so we can give him a break for this one, but overall it was an impressive performance from the Yankees despite a low score.

Yankees: 3 keys to taking down Toronto on Saturday

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New York Yankees, Corey Kluber

With high hopes entering the 2021 regular season, the New York Yankees threw up an unfortunate dud on Opening Day against the Toronto Blue Jays. With an entire 162 game campaign, we shouldn’t be worried about the Yankees’ future, as they are set to take on Toronto on Saturday afternoon once again.

However, reflecting on their Opening Day loss, the Yankees posted far too many strikeouts, totaling 13, with almost all of them coming at the beginning of the batting order. In fact, both Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton struck out three times, with Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Gio Urshela totaling two each.

The Yankee pitching wears solid, with Gerrit Cole lasting 5.1 innings and striking out eight batters. Aside from an unfortunate home run in a sixth inning, he looked stellar, finishing with a 3.38 ERA. The bullpen also was adequate, aside from Nick Nelson giving up a run in the 10th, but went on to strike out three batters afterward.

Three keys for the Yankees to take down Toronto on Saturday:

1.) Corey Kluber must last more than 4.0 innings

The Yankees invested in starting pitching this off-season, bringing in Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon. Kluber is a former Cy Young winner — he’s had an interesting start to his Yankee career, having a few ups and downs this spring, but he is capable of being a fantastic starter moving forward. Kluber must last more than 4.0 innings to help the Yankees establish a firm lead before they have to rely on their bullpen. This is the first time Kluber has pitched in over a year, specifically in a regular-season contest, so he will certainly be jittery.

2.) Better hitting at the beginning of order

Again, the Yankees must be more efficient at the beginning of their batting order, with the top six hitters only recording two hits on Opening Day. Luckily, we know how this offense works, and one day they will struggle, and the next, they will put up double-digit runs. The strikeouts must come down significantly, as the bottom of the order actually performed adequately in comparison. We know how things shift in baseball, and hopefully, they’ve already forgotten about their Opening Day woes.

3.) Keep the strikeouts DOWN!

I just wanted to hammer this concept home, strikeouts will hurt the Yankees significantly, and while we know they rely on home runs primarily to win games, forfeiting strikeouts in the process, totaling 13 with 12 of them coming in the first six batters is unacceptable. I expect this to change course on Saturday afternoon, as the Yankees have too many quality hitters for this to be a consistent problem.

Yankees News: 3 positives to look at after Opening Day

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yankees

The New York Yankees fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings on Opening Day, putting forth a disappointing performance in the offensive category. Losing 3-2, the Yankees pitching did enough to get them over the hump, but their premier batters struggled to get things going. In fact, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, and Gio Urshela combine for 12 strikeouts out of a total of 13.

There were a few positives in the loss, as the Yankees prepare to take on Toronto on Saturday afternoon, but for the most part, it was not how they wanted to start the regular season. The Yankees struggled to finish spring training, and clearly, some of their issues carried over into the regular season. While more live-action and at-bats will help them get out of their funk, having Corey Kluber on the mound on Saturday should be a bonus.

Three positives to take away for Yankees:

1.) Gary Sanchez rebound

In his first action of the 2021 season, Gary Sanchez got the job done, launching his first at-bat into the stands. Hitting a home run to left field 407 feet was exactly how Sanchez wanted to start his season, and he also picked up two hits and a walk, +2 RBIs.

While his defense looked improved, his chemistry with Gerrit Cole seemed a little off at times, as Cole gave up a home run in the 6th, which lost the lead for the Yankees after Sanchez acquired it in the second inning.

2.) Gerrit Cole’s performance

Despite Cole finishing with a 3.38 ERA and giving up five eights and two runs, he did strike out eight batters over 5.1 innings. I would argue that Garrett looked phenomenal in this outing but just missed on a few poorly located pitches. Those issues will quickly be alleviated considering his quality, but it was great to see him rack up the strikeouts in his first appearance of the season.

3.) Clint Frazier starts strong

While Frazier did make one mistake in the outfield, his offense was stellar, picking up two hits and one walk over three at-bats. After finishing the 2020 season as the starting left-fielder, earning a .267 average with eight homers and 26 RBIs, he started off his regular campaign strong. Hopefully, he can continue dominating offensively and provide the spark the Yankees need at the bottom of the order.