yankees news

Yankees News: Brian Cashman answers big outfield question ahead of 2021 season

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

One of the major lingering questions revolves around New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman finding another outfielder. The Yankees have been linked to Brett Gardner this off-season, as the two sides usually find common ground. Gardner did state this past season that he wants to play one more year in front of his family. With that being said, the likelihood of him returning to New York is high, especially if he settles on a more cost-efficient deal.

However, while Gardner started a majority of games in 2020, one young player has finally started to reach his potential. Clint Frazier, who was originally drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Indians in 2013, was a Gold Glove finalist this past year but was also effective on offense. He finished with a .267 average, eight home runs, and 26 RBIs. While his strikeout rate is a bit high at 27.5%, the expectation is that he will become more comfortable and efficient with more at-bats.

The Yankees, who were recently linked to players like Yasiel Puig, seem to be committed to Frazier and his growth.

Cashman stated in regards to Clint’s future with the Yankees:

“Clint Frazier has continued to reinforce that he is a force and has gotten better and better,’’ Cashman said. “This past year was another testament to that. Going into this, without a doubt, he’s solidified himself as the guy, and he’s been a guy that’s been saving us quite a few times when injuries hit.”

Frazier made a significant jump from 2019 to 2020. While he was a defensive liability two seasons ago, his development was extravagant and finally convinced the Yankees that he can be their future starter in left field. With one of the quickest bats in the MLB, more action will only help him improve. He is set to earn just $2.1 million in 2021, an absolute steal for a player of his potential and quality.

“He had a hell of a year,’’ Cashman said of Frazier. “He’s working his tail off this winter. He’s hungry. He wants to keep getting better.”

It is always nice to see players continuing to work during the off-season, and “Red Thunder” has the potential to take a big step forward offensively, claiming an everyday role on the starting roster. Ultimately, this is his chance to cement himself in the outfield, and based on his progress over the past year, I don’t think he will let it pass him by.

 

Yankees News: An inside look at just how dominant Corey Kluber looked during workout

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New York Yankees, Corey Kluber

Clearly, the New York Yankees were impressed by two-time Cy Young award-winning pitcher Corey Kluber during his workout on Wednesday. After missing nearly two years of baseball with two individual injuries, he is looking to make a comeback and cash in during 2022.

Kluber reportedly was only seeking one-year deals, signing an $11 million deal with the Yankees for the 2021 season, just hours after they landed DJ LeMahieu for six years and $90 million. However, Corey turns 35 in April and has pitched just 36.2 innings since 2018.

His first injury came in 2019 when he was hit by a line drive and fractured his right arm. After rehabilitating for quite some time, he picked up an abdominal strain that shut him down for the remainder of the season. Last year, he dealt with shoulder tightness and was diagnosed with a torn teres major muscle.

A few years worth of bad luck in the injury department can de-value a player, and the Yankees could be landing the steal of the year if he manages to regain his form. According to one pitcher who was present during Kluber’s workout, he looked robotic and as good as ever.

Relief pitcher Steve Cishek, who featured on MLB Network this past Thursday, raved about Corey Kluber’s performance in front of scouts.

“I was pulling in I just saw all the scouts, and all the front office personnel sitting in the stands like, ‘Wow, this is impressive.’ Like, it was a good show,” Cishek said. “So, I had to go over there and peek and see what Kluber’s doing, and he looked like himself. As smooth as ever. You wouldn’t be able to tell that he had adrenaline pumping in front of those guys. But I asked him after. He was like, ‘Yeah, of course.’ But he just looks like a robot, of course.”

Just how great can Corey Kluber be for the Yankees?

Just two years ago, Kluber finished 2018 with a 2.89 ERA and 20 wins. This was no anomaly, as he pitched in 215 innings, and in the year prior, he landed a 2.25 ERA over 203.2 innings. He has proved time and time again, he can be one of the best arms in baseball, and while he hasn’t pitched in two years, he’s not far off from his average fastball speed. During his workout, he reached a high of 90 mph with his fastball but only averaged 92 during the height of his career.

With preseason workouts and build-up, Kluber can return to his former self with some luck, and if the Yankees do manage to extract the most from him in 2021, they will have found their No. 2 guy behind Gerrit Cole. He could be the missing piece in the starting rotation that can catapult them to a World Series, which would be the first time in over a decade.

Yankees News: Clint Frazier details the secret to finding his swing in 2020

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees had their fair share of struggles in 2020 regarding injuries and supplementing with depth pieces. This is the second consecutive season the Yankees have had to find ways to compensate for influential players missing time.

Of course, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge both missed chunks of the season, and given the year was only 60 games, to begin with, it was quite disappointing how little they played.

One player who was thrust into a starting role was Clint Frazier, who had been looking for more starting reps but was logjammed behind a bevy of players. Fortunately, injuries allowed him to play in 39 games, experiencing 160 plate appearances. He finished the year with a .267 average, eight homers, and 26 RBIs. He played so well, and saw his defensive efficiency elevate so much, general manager Brian Cashman is expecting him to be an everyday starter in 2021.

Considering Stanton can’t even play defense anymore, we should expect to see Frazier in the outfield regularly. Surprisingly, he was a Gold Glove finalist in the outfield this past season after disappointing in 2019 as a defender.

“I’m not making any changes this offseason,” Frazier said on the MLB Network on Monday. “I’m just trying to familiarize myself with that movement more going forward and mash.”

However, he did see a career-high 15.6% walk rate, showing polarizing abilities at the plate. If he can be more consistent and continue to develop with more appearances, the Yankees will finally realize his true potential.

Frazier detailed his struggles last year with the Yankees and why his bat went quiet toward the end of the year:

“At times I always felt like I was trying to swing but my swing was on safety, and there were things that were preventing me from moving forward the way that I wanted to,” he said.

Since his defense took such major strides, I feel comfortable with him in the outfield. There’s also the potential that Cashman could bring back Brett Gardner on a one-year contract, given his statement during the season that he didn’t want 2020 to be his final playing year. I don’t think this is a situation where they want to spur a competition battle, as Frazier deserves the first crack at a starting gig.

Yankees News: The perfect backup plan if ‘dismayed’ DJ LeMahieu leaves in free agency

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

As most of you have heard, the New York Yankees are in danger of losing star infielder DJ LeMahieu. He’s becoming fed up with general manager Brian Cashman taking his good old time in offering him a reasonable contract extension. The Yankees are settled in at four years and aren’t biting on his aggressive tactics to speed up the process. Cashman is daring him to find an alternative club they will offer him more, but it could be ruining their relationship in the process.

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, the Yankees are in danger of losing DJ LeMahieu:

A two-time batting champ and the New York Yankees’ best player for two seasons running, LeMahieu, according to a source close to his family, has become dismayed by the slow-play tactics of the Yankees, along with other clubs. Teams that have engaged with the LeMahieu camp say LeMahieu expects more than Josh Donaldson’s four-year, $92 million deal with the Minnesota Twins and at least on par with J.D. Martinez’s five years and $110 million with the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees, LeMahieu’s preferred club after two successful seasons in the Bronx, have not met those terms.

The 32-year-old LeMahieu has, therefore, asked his representatives to re-engage with teams that have previously shown the most interest, the source said, among them the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, and to reconnect with teams that reached out early in the free agent period, including the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and others.

At this point, it is reasonable to consider alternative plans of action, LeMahieu could easily strike a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers or Toronto Blue Jays. Things are moving quickly with competing teams, as the Mets just concluded a massive blockbuster deal, acquiring Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. The Yankees need to ensure they have the talent to compete, and while DJ represents arguably their best player, they could supplement his loss with more pitching and a shortstop with a familiar face.

The perfect backup plan:

1.) SP Trevor Bauer

While Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer might not get along, there’s nothing that solves feuds better than winning. Adding a player of Bauer’s quality to the rotation would instantly make the Yankees’ unit one of the best in the MLB.

Trevor won the Cy Young this past year and is extremely vocal on social media, which could be a negative thing in New York. However, he posted a 1.73 ERA with 12.33 strikeouts per nine over 73.0 innings this past year. Of course, the sample size is smaller than usual and should be considered as such.

The Cincinnati star is extremely a talented starter but has been inconsistent in the past and is looking to cash in after his best season yet. It doesn’t seem as if his market is astronomically high, so the Yankees might be able to land him and an additional infielder to supplement the loss of DJ.

2.) SS Didi Gregorius

Earlier this off-season, general manager Brian Cashman stated that Gleyber Torres was out of shape when the MLB started back up over the summer. He also indicated that his better position is second base, which could indicate a desire for the Yankees to replace him at shortstop.

In this scenario, they look to a familiar face, Didi Gregorius. Didi had a fantastic bounce-back season with the Philadelphia Phillies after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019. He recorded a .284 average with 10 homers and 40 RBIs, including a career-low 11.8% strikeout rate.

Gregorius is a fan favorite and would plug an inconsistent position with ease. Torres would be able to move back to his more comfortable spot at second base, and the Yankees would have another lefty batter to work with in the lineup.

Adding Bauer and Gregorius might even be more beneficial than keeping LeMahieu in the first place.

New York Yankees: Why a shortened season significantly hurts Deivi Garcia’s development

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New York Yankees, Deivi Garcia

A significantly shortened season will hurt the New York Yankees more than help them, precisely because several starting pictures will become free agents after 2020. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ will all be on the market next off-season, and the Yankees were hoping that some of their younger arms could develop into potential starters to supplement the losses.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the inability for team owners and the MLBPA to find a resolution on player contracts, the season could be shortened to 50 games.

A 50 game season would force the Yankees to maximize their healthy players right off the bat. The issue is, their younger prospects will have lost an entire season of development essentially.

What Yankees’ players will be affected the most?

Starting pitcher Deivi Garcia is one of the players hurt by the situation. He was projected to start in the Minor League system this year to continue his progression to becoming an eventual starter at the MLB level. Both Garcia and Clark Schmidt were potential call-ups for the top team this year, even if it was in a rotational or bullpen role. Injuries have affected the team significantly, and they have had success relying on alternative options in the recent past.

At 5-foot-9, Garcia is small for a starting pitcher, but his stuff is nasty, boasting a 90-95 MPH fastball and a daunting curveball/changeup. His ability to diversify his pitch repertoire and confused batters are how he maximizes his game, but losing a year of development might hold him back from reaching the Majors until 2021. Ultimately, it is his breaking ball that makes him unique and elite for a 21-year-old pitcher.

While some scouts believe his command is below average, he is still young and has plenty of room for improvement. As he continues to refine his skillset and add more diverse pitches with better quality to his arsenal, he can only become a more effective player on the mound.

In 2019, Garcia struck out 33 batters in just 17.2 innings. He climbed through the Minors in just three months last year, showing off his immense talent and adaptability. Eventually, he was going to hit a wall and require a bit more time, and that happened with Scranton Wilkes-Barre in AAA ball.

He posted a 5.40 ERA, allowing eight home runs over 40 innings in high A ball. A bit more consistency and dominance at that level will earn him a spot in the rotation, possibly as a bullpen arm for the time being. There is no rush for him to see starting reps, but I believe he has the skill set to earn them eventually. The reality of a shortened season will push his timeline back a few months, but luckily age is on his side, and the Yankees know that.