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For the grabbag that is life

MLBRT 12/26/2024

The questions and discussion…  

1) The New York Yankees recently signed Paul Goldschmidt to a $12.5 million one-year contract to play first base for the team for the 2025 season.

Essentially this move completes the Yankees pivot from losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes this off-season… they signed free agents starting pitcher Max Freid and first baseman Goldschmidt and traded for center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger for what amounts to about $65 million versus the near $61 Million it took the Mets to sign Soto.

What is your rating for the Yankees post-Soto plans for the team’s 2025 roster? Why?

Joe

Yankees

As a Yankees’ fan I was betwixt and between on whether the Yanks should “win” the Juan Soto Sweepstakes or would it be better for them to “lose” him and then take the money and strengthen the team in other areas of need… like getting a first baseman, figuring out who is on third and second and two outfield spots and getting a pitcher wouldn’t hurt.

So when news broke the Yanks were not going to resign Soto I was more than a tad curious what Hal Steinbrenner’s/Brian Cashman’s next moves by the Yankees would be and I am so far more than satisfied on the pivot the team made.

Overall I give the Yankees a tentative B-plus to an A-minus for the players they did wind up getting after they “lost” Soto to the Mets..

 GM Cashman reinforced an already strong area for the Yankees when he got a top free agent starter in Max Fried (A-plus) and then he made a deal to acquire Cody Bellinger (B-plus/A-minus), who is primarily a centerfielder, but can play all the outfield positions as well as first very capably, and he most likely will be their centerfielder so the team can move (very correctly) Judge back to where he belongs in right.

Then Cashman working from a kinda, sorta position of strength with “extra” starters due to the Freid deal traded for reliever/closer in the game in Devin Williams (A) for starter Nestor Cortes and promising second base prospect Caleb Durbin. Losing Durbin was hard to take since he has long been rumored to be free agent Gleyber Torres replacement at second but ya gotta give up something to get something and Williams is one of, if not the best, closers in the game.

And finally Cashman went out and signed Paul Goldschmidt for first base. Yeah, he is 37 and just had a down year offensively, but his down year with the bat was far better than what was, I believe at least four different players they had start at first for the 2024 season… plus he provides Gold Glove defense at first. The move to get Goldschmidt for first keeps N Bellinger in center… where his Gold Glove level defense belongs…and Judge in right… where he belongs.  

Losing Soto was tough but the way they’ve responded since, the Yanks get a tentative grade of a B-plus to an A-minus.

Their final grade depends on how they fill in who plays third and/or second and they still need to resolve who plays left.

Can they trust minor leaguer Jasson Domínguez at left for 2025?

Trade for Nolan Arenado, or sign free agent Alex Bergman, for third? Which would move Jazz Chisholm over to second which is where he has had the most experience playing at the MLB level.

So at this point for the Yanks off-season…

So far; so good but they could use at least one more major to semi-major move to solidify their probable starting 2025 lineup.

Make that final move right and thy get an A. Do it wrong and maybe a B which would not be the worst they could have achieved since they didn’t win the Juan Soto Sweepstakes.  .

2) Right now… 

Who is the best manager in MLB? Why?  

Joe

Bruce Bochy

For me this comes down to picking one of these guys… Bruce Bochy, Terry Francona and Kevin Cash.

And I like Bochy by a smidgen over Francona.

In 2023 Bochy won his fourth World Series title in his managerial career. In doing it he orchestrated a complete turnaround in Texas with a 22-win improvement during the regular season from the previous one. Additionally,  Bochy has advanced to the World Series with three different organizations, showing a masterful feel for players, bullpens, and in-game strategy.

Bochy may have a sub-.500 during the regular season in his 26 years, but he’s managed some bad awful teams that needed some damn good work done before becoming competitive… and he has done it very successfully ,as noted above, with three different franchises.

3) On Saturday (12/21) MLB announced that Ricky Henderson had died.

How will you remember Ricky Henderson and his MLB career? Why?

Joe

Ricky Henderson

What is there to say about Rickey?

That by itself says it all… with certain MLB ball players just say their first name and most MLB fans know who you are talking about. Rickey Henderson is in a class with Willie, Mickey, Babe and Hank.  

He was that damn good throughout the time he spent playing in the major leagues.

And during his great career he achieved stats that few future payers will ever be able to approach forget about surpassing, especially when it comes to the stolen base records he set while being in MLB.

Ricky Henderson was a player for his times and is deservedly a Hall of Famer for being that player during his time in MLB.

4) It’s nowhere near the Mets signing Soto, or the Dodgers Snell or the Yankees Fried but so far this off-season the Athletics have signed 30-year-old right-hander Luis Severino to a 3-year, $67 million deal, followed by a trade Jeffrey Springs from Tampa for another starting pitcher and then just recently added everyday third baseman Gio Urshela. Added to these transactions is the Athletics making it publicly known that the team has every intention of  holding onto their young star closer Mason Miller and in extending the contract of Brent Rooker, who is seen as their best offensive player.

What’s going for the Las Vegas/Sacramento Athletics? After years of essentially tanking every season and watching their best players leave for other franchises, are the Athletics becoming a team that intends to compete for a spot in AL playoffs for the 2025 season? Why or why not?

Joe

Athletics sign Luis Severino

The Athletics are playing in a minor league ball park for the next few years at least prior to their  moving to Las Vegas, so they need every edge the team can get  to entice the Sacramento fans to come out and spend their hard earned cash to supposedly see MLB players.

Also, and maybe more importantly, the Athletics will receive $70 million or thereabouts in revenue sharing from MLB which they get due to the team’s low attendance figures and their return to a 100% share of revenue sharing. 

To avoid any bitching, as well as a formal grievance, from the players’ union, if the A’s gets say $70 million then they must spend at least $105 million on their roster for the upcoming season. If they were to actually do that, and it is beginning to look as if they intend to, that would be over a 60% increase on what they normally spend on their rosters.

In short, this may be the A’s are looking to increase their payroll to show the other owners… MLB… that they will be operating differently now that they’re out of Oakland. 

Still even if that is true, the major part of their payroll, regardless of where it winds up, will be paid by the other owners and not directly from the pockets of the A’s owners.

5) Considering all the various media reports regarding the St. Louis Cardinals desire to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado… including Arenado’s blocking  of a deal that was agreed to between the Astros and Cardinals and the Cardinals declining of an offer the Yankees made for his services…  For which team do you see Arenado playing for in the 2025 season? Why?

Joe

Nolan Arenado

Arenado, who turns 34 in April, still has three years remaining in his contract worth $74 million. The Colorado Rockies, his former team, are responsible for $10 million as part of their 2021 trade with the Cardinals. But with the Cardinals plan to ‘reset’ before the 2025 season, Arenado is not likely in their plans.

Now…

He recently turned down a deal… which by his contact terms is his right… to the Astros.

But in my opinion he did that so he could see where Alex Bregman (a third baseman also) winds up because that in a sense will determine which teams would still be in the running for a third baseman and be on his acceptable teams list.

And right now I think it comes down to two teams he most probably gets traded to assuming it does wind up occurring… Astros and Yanks.

And in the end… I think he actually does go to the Astros.

 Extra Innings… 

Merry Christmas!

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