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Report: Patrick Corbin agrees to six-year deal with Nationals

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(Christian Petersen/Getty)

The Yankees have missed out on the best free agent pitcher on the market. According to multiple reports, left-hander Patrick Corbin has agreed to a six-year contract worth $140M with the Nationals. Billy Witz says the Yankees offered five years and $100M, but wouldn’t tack on the sixth year, so to Washington he goes.

Last week Corbin went on a three-city recruiting tour through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. As is often the case, far too much was made of his hometown (Clay, New York) and the fact he grew up a Yankees fan in a family full of Yankees fans. Money trumps signing with the team you rooted for as a kid, always and forever.

Had the Yankees landed Corbin, they would’ve added a third prime-aged elite bat-misser to the rotation alongside James Paxton and Luis Severino. Instead, they missed out on Corbin over a sixth year — a sixth year beyond the current Collective Bargaining Agreement — after spending the offseason saying they need rotation help. Cool cool.

With Corbin now off the board, I imagine the Yankees will now shift their focus to J.A. Happ, the other free agent starter they’ve been most connected to in recent weeks. They haven’t been connected to Dallas Keuchel at all and are reportedly not among the early suitors for Nathan Eovaldi. Maybe they circle back to Corey Kluber? We’ll see.

Along with another starting pitcher, the Yankees also need to add bullpen help and a Didi Gregorius replacement this offseason, as well as general depth and fringe roster moves. Plus, you know, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are out there. The Yankees should sign them both but I’ll settle for one.

Hot Stove Rumors: Realmuto, Corbin, Miller, Greinke, Gray

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Realmuto. (Mark Brown/Getty)

We’re now into December, traditionally the busiest month of the offseason, and next week the 2018 Winter Meetings begin in Las Vegas. I suspect the Yankees will be among the most active teams at the Winter Meetings. If not transactions-wise, then rumors-wise. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Cashman shoots down Realmuto rumor

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees were among the teams with interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto but “resisted offering other top pieces in a package with (Gary) Sanchez.” Brian Cashman shot that rumor down. “False. Completely false. I saw that somebody had written that we had offered for Realmuto. That is completely false,” said Brian Cashman to George King over the weekend. “(Sanchez) is not for sale,” Cashman added during a YES Network interview (video link), which, to be fair, is what he’d say even if he were open to trading Sanchez.

When I saw the Realmuto rumor my first thought was the Marlins leaked it in an effort to drive up the price for other teams. It doesn’t really pass the sniff test otherwise. I mean, Sanchez and more for Realmuto? Selling low on Gary to buy high on (the very good) Realmuto is a hard pass for me. Sanchez is two years younger, under control two years longer, and almost certainly the more talented player even if he didn’t show it this past season. Their numbers through their age 25 seasons do not compare. Juicy rumor. Fortunately it seems to be nothing more than that.

Corbin meets with Yankees during recruiting trip

Last week Patrick Corbin went on a three-city recruiting trip through Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. The Yankees did the “photoshopped picture on the scoreboard” thing (here’s a photo) and, according to Ken Davidoff, Corbin toured Yankee Stadium and met with Cashman, Aaron Boone, Larry Rothschild, Mike Harkey, and traveling analyst Zac Fieroh. He also ran into CC Sabathia, who was at the park for an offseason workout.

“I wouldn’t call it a recruiting effort as much as an educational effort, where (he’s) getting a chance to see the facilities from the home side (after being here as a visitor),” said Cashman during a recent YES Network interview (video link). “… He’ll get access to all aspects of what we’re about. The brand, our efforts, the people, with Aaron Boone and our coaches and myself and hopefully he’ll walk away getting a better feel for who we are.”

For what it’s worth, Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) reports the Nationals are “seriously focused” on Corbin and are believed to be willing to offer six years to get him. It seems Yu Darvish’s six-year, $126M contract with the Cubs is the benchmark here. Of course, a six-year deal is likely to include an opt-out along the way, which changes the calculus a bit. Well, either way, Corbin visited the Yankees last week, and reports indicate he’s looking to sign soon. I hereby dub this situation: “developing.”

Yankees “badly” want another starter this week

According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees “badly” want another starter before the Winter Meetings. That jibes with what we heard yesterday. Jayson Stark says the Yankees haven’t ruled out adding two “high-profile” starters — Andy Martino again names Corbin and J.A. Happ as the likely targets — though that seems like a stretch. This strikes me as one of those general “we’re open to the idea” offseason rumors. Adding two starters would be kinda cool though.

As for the report that the Yankees “badly” want a starter before the Winter Meetings, I totally buy it. First and foremost, they want to get the rotation locked down, the sooner the better. Secondly, once the rotation is set, the Yankees will know exactly what resources they have available (trade chips, payroll space) to pursue bullpen help and a Didi Gregorius replacement. The longer the search for a starter drags out, the more unpredictable it gets. (Wanting a starter this week presumably takes the Yankees out of the running for Yusei Kikuchi, whose 30-day posting period opens tomorrow and closes in early-January.)

Yankees have Miller on their radar

Miller. (Christian Petersen/Getty)

The Yankees have Andrew Miller on their radar, according to George King. King also reiterates the team’s interest in Adam Ottavino. A few weeks ago we heard the Yankees requested Miller’s medical information, which is a) standard operation procedure (teams request the medical information of lots of players each winter), and b) not a mere formality given his knee trouble the last two years and shoulder trouble this year. Those medicals will be heavily scrutinized.

Miller, 33, pitched to a 4.24 ERA (3.51 FIP) with 29.2% strikeouts and 10.4% walks in 34 innings around the injuries this past season. Those numbers are far worse than what he did as a full-time reliever from 2014-17. The injuries stink but are not necessarily a dealbreaker. With good health, it’s not all that difficult to envision Miller turning in one or two more dominant seasons before things slip for good. The question is how much are the Yankees willing to bet on that? They supposedly want two relievers and a reunion with Miller could be in the cards.

Yankees on Greinke’s no-trade list

According to Zach Buchanan (subs. req’d), the Yankees are on Zack Greinke’s 15-team no-trade list. Like most no-trade lists, Greinke’s includes big market teams that would theoretically be willing to compensate him for waiving his no-trade cause (Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies) and rebuilding teams he presumably doesn’t want to play for (Orioles, Tigers, Reds). For what it’s worth, Buchanan says there’s “no way” the Diamondbacks would attach Greinke to Paul Goldschmidt in an effort to unload his contract a la Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz.

Greinke, 35, posted a 3.21 ERA (3.71 FIP) with 23.7% strikeouts and 5.1% walks in 207.2 innings this past season — it was the tenth time in the last eleven seasons he threw at least 170 innings and the eighth time he threw at least 200 innings — so he’s still crazy good. He’s also owed $104.5M the next three years. It should noted the Yankees have steered clear of Greinke whenever he’s become available via trade or free agency. They’ve made it pretty clear they don’t think he’d mix well in New York. Oh well. Even if they were open to a trade, Greinke would have to approve it.

Eleven teams in on Gray

There are eleven teams in on Sonny Gray, reports Davidoff. Among them are the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Padres, Rangers, and Twins. “I’ve had a lot of interesting dialogue, whether it’s for prospects, whether it’s for Major League our need for their need, whether it’s part of a complicated larger situation that involves prospects and Major Leaguers going both ways. So I think we’ve had a little bit of experience with all aspects of it,” said Cashman.

I honestly have no preference here. Normally I lean toward MLB ready players in return — the Yankees are a win now team, after all — but, if the best offer for Gray is a Single-A prospect(s), so be it. One way or the other, the inevitable Gray trade will help the Yankees at the MLB level. Either they’ll trade him for a big leaguer or they’ll trade him for a prospect(s) and unload his salary, which can then be used on a free agent. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised Sonny is still a Yankee. I thought he’d be gone by now.

Sorting through possible trade partners for Sonny Gray

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(Presswire)

Once the offseason really gets going in a few weeks, we’ll all focus on who the Yankees will add over the winter. Manny Machado? Bryce Harper? Patrick Corbin? Mystery players? Brian Cashman has said the rotation will be the “focus point” this winter and that is no surprise given the state of the starting staff. The Yankees also need to figure out left field, the infield without Didi Gregorius, and also reinforce the bullpen.

While we understandably spend an unhealthy about of time looking at who the Yankees could acquire this winter, we also have to remember the Yankees are trying to subtract a player as well. That player: Sonny Gray. Gray has been a colossal disappointment in pinstripes (4.51 ERA and 4.40 FIP in 195.2 innings) and Cashman Has made it clear the Yankees will look to trade Gray this winter. He was unusually candid at his end-of-season press conference.

“It hasn’t worked out thus far,” said Cashman at that press conference. “I think he’s extremely talented. We’ll enter the winter, unfortunately, open-minded to a relocation. To maximize his abilities, it would be more likely best somewhere else. If I do find a match, you’re gonna see what we had hoped to see here … Someone, if they trade for him, is gonna get the player we wanted. I fully expect that.”

Cashman made a point of saying he won’t give Gray away — what’s he supposed to say? — but, clearly, the Yankees want to move him. Usually in these cases the GM says it’s up to the team to help the player figure it out. Cashman skipped that entirely. Having listened to Cashman and Aaron Boone and Larry Rothschild all season, I sense a lot of frustration here, and the Yankees are ready to move on. I’m not surprised.

As a 28-year-old starting pitcher with a good track record — even after last season, Sonny has a 3.66 ERA (3.74 FIP) in 900.2 big league innings — and a relatively low salary (projected $9.1M in 2019), I get the feeling the Yankees will have no trouble finding potential trade partners for Gray. And remember, he was great outside Yankee Stadium this year (3.17 ERA and 2.65 FIP). Teams will notice. If Sonny were on any other team, wouldn’t we look at him as a possible buy-low candidate? Sure we would. That’s how other teams see him.

With the caveat that things can be unpredictable in the offseason, I’ve singled out several clubs who appear to be possible trade suitors for Gray. Even though he’ll be a free agent next offseason, I don’t think Gray’s market is limited to contending teams. A rebuilding club could be looking at him as a buy-low candidate they could flip for more at the trade deadline, or sign long-term. The Reds traded for Matt Harvey, right? Same idea. Let’s dive in. (Reminder: My trade proposal sucks.)

Chicago White Sox

Why would they want Gray? The rebuild hit a bump in the road this season. Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson didn’t take that step forward, Lucas Giolito went backwards, and Michael Kopech went down with Tommy John surgery. The ChiSox are always looking to acquire high-end talent though — they reportedly made a run at Machado at the deadline — and Don Cooper is a highly regarded pitching coach with a history of fixing pitchers. Getting Sonny on the cheap and seeing whether he can be a viable long-term rotation piece could interest the White Sox.

Who could they send the Yankees? Gray for Carson Fulmer? Eh, that’s one headache for another. Fulmer hasn’t even pitched well in Triple-A. The only thing he has going for him right now is the fading “eighth overall pick in 2015” shine. Unless a deal gets expanded, the return here would most likely be a prospect(s). Not sure there’s a Gray for big leaguer trade that makes sense, not unless the ChiSox are willing to sell super low on Giolito, which kinda defeats the purpose.

Cincinnati Reds

Why would they want Gray? Again, they traded for Harvey, right? The Reds took a flier on a talented pitcher to see whether he could be a long-term option. A no-risk move that didn’t cost them anything. Cincinnati desperately needs pitching help and taking a chance on Gray the same way they took a chance on Harvey could be a worthwhile endeavor. From their perspective, it’s all about cost.

Who could they send the Yankees? One year of Gray for one year of Scooter Gennett? The Yankees would do that in a heartbeat and the Reds would assuredly want more, and hey, maybe that’s a gap the two teams can bridge. The Reds have a lot of young pitchers who’ve stalled out at the MLB level (Cody Reed, Amir Garrett) and the Yankees could try to pry one (or two) of them loose in hopes of adding a long-term piece. Reclamation project for reclamation project, basically.

Houston Astros

Why would they want Gray? The Astros could lose Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton to free agency this offseason, and while they have some in-house rotation options (Josh James, Collin McHugh, Brad Peacock), they could pursue outside help. Sonny still has excellent spin rates across the board and Houston may see him as a good low-cost, high-upside candidate for their pitching lab. Keep in mind the Astros pursued Gray at the 2017 trade deadline as well. They’ve had interest in him before.

Who could they send the Yankees? Despite being a World Series contender, Houston has not been shy about trading players off their MLB roster, though they’ve been spare parts (Joe Musgrove) and out-of-favor guys (Ken Giles). The Yankees could push something like one year of Gray for one year of Peacock or one year of McHugh. Peacock was quite good as a starter last season before shifting to the bullpen this year and eventually being left off the postseason roster. Gray for Peacock? That seems like it could be a potential win-win or a potential lopsided deal for either team.

Los Angeles Angels

Why would they want Gray? Pretty simple, really. Mike Trout is two years from free agency, so the Angels aren’t about to rebuild, and they need rotation help. Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs are a good enough rotation top two. Getting a guy like Gray to slot in behind Heaney and Skaggs and ahead of dudes like Felix Pena, Jaime Barria, and Nick Tropeano makes sense for the Angels. Get Sonny out of New York and into a more pitcher friendly ballpark.

Who could they send the Yankees? Gray for Kole Calhoun? It’s a one-year commitment for each and the money is close to a wash, plus the Angels wouldn’t have much trouble finding a replacement corner outfielder in free agency. Calhoun’s a lefty bat and a very good defender who would slot in nicely in left field. He just stopped hitting though. Calhoun went from a 117 wRC+ in 2016 to a 98 wRC+ in 2017 to a 79 wRC+ in 2018. Eh. Put Gray in a more pitcher friendly ballpark and Calhoun in a more hitter friendly ballpark and maybe it works out for both teams?

Milwaukee Brewers

Why would they want Gray? I still think the Brewers are the best landing spot for Gray. They need rotation help and their pitching coach, Derek Johnson, was Sonny’s pitching coach at Vanderbilt. The two are close. It’s a fit. Milwaukee has done a real nice job accumulating talent under GM David Stearns and Gray seems right up their alley as an upside play.

Who could they send the Yankees? Two names jumped to mind: Chase Anderson and Eric Thames. Anderson was great in 2017 (2.74 ERA and 3.58 FIP) and not so great in 2018 (3.93 ERA and 5.22 FIP), so much so that he was left off the postseason roster. He is guaranteed $6.5M next year with affordable options for 2020 and 2021. I’m not sure the Brewers are ready to give up on him yet. They’re trying to add pitching, not subtract it. Besides, bringing a dude who gave up 30 homers in 158 innings this season into Yankee Stadium might not work out too well.

Dingers. (Dylan Buell/Getty)

As for Thames, remember his huge April last year? Well, his performance has cratered since, and he hit .219/.306/.478 (105 wRC+) this year. Jesus Aguilar jumped him on the first base depth chart. Ryan Braun has also played some first base, so Thames is probably third on their first base depth chart. He wasn’t even on the Brewers postseason roster. Thames has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract ($7M) and Gray for Thames gives the Brewers a starter and the Yankees a lefty power bat they could plug in at first base or DH or, in an emergency, the outfield. Hmmm.

UPDATE: I should’ve mentioned Jonathan Schoop here as well, given that he’s a free agent next winter who is projected to make similar money as Gray. I just assumed the Brewers are not ready to flip him after trading some pretty good prospects to get him at the deadline. Schoop’s someone to keep in mind though.

Oakland Athletics

Why would they want Gray? I’ve heard through the grapevine that the A’s checked in on Gray at this year’s trade deadline. They really need starting pitching — they didn’t have anyone to start in the Wild Card Game! — and they know Sonny as well as anyone. The Athletics do have a history of trading for pricey veteran players one year before free agency (Jim Johnson and Luke Gregerson jump to mind) and again, they know Gray. They showed interest at the deadline and may look to bring him back to Oakland again this winter.

Who could they send the Yankees? Reverse the trade! Gray for James Kaprielian, Jorge Mateo, and Dustin Fowler! Nah, not happening. This trade has no winners right now. Mateo stunk this year, Kaprielian still hasn’t returned to game action following Tommy John surgery in April 2017, and Fowler struggled in MLB this year and was passed by Ramon Laureano on the center field depth chart. I don’t see an obvious big leaguer for big leaguer trade match here. It would have to be a prospect(s) that come back to New York.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Why would they want Gray? This is a long shot, I think. The Pirates traded Gerrit Cole last year because they were worried they couldn’t sign him long-term. Would they then turn around and trade for Gray when he could leave next year? I mean, sure, it’s possible, and they do need someone to slot alongside Chris Archer, Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova, and Trevor Williams in the rotation. Money might be the issue here. Pittsburgh operates on a strict budget and Gray may not fit.

Who could they send the Yankees? Hey, if Gray signs at his MLBTR projected salary, he and Nova would be a wash financially. The Pirates aren’t doing that though. Besides, I’ve seen enough Ivan Nova for one lifetime. He’s been the same old Ivan Nova the last two years (98 ERA+ and 4.51 FIP) after his stellar eleven-start cameo with Pittsburgh in 2016. Would the Pirates do Gray for Corey Dickerson? The Yankees could slot Dickerson in at left field and DH and he’d give them a good lefty bat. Seems unlikely. I don’t see a good big leaguer for big leaguer trade. A prospect(s) trade it would have to be.

San Diego Padres

Why would they want Gray? The Padres are my sleeper team. They have no money on the books long-term other than Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer, and their farm system is incredible. One of the best I’ve ever seen. They are very well-positioned to take a chance on Gray, see what he does next season, then pay to keep him if he’s a fit. San Diego reportedly tried to land Noah Syndergaard at the deadline. They’re looking for pitching. Gray’s no Syndergaard, but he could be really good, and the Padres are the perfect team to roll the dice.

Who could they send the Yankees? I thought about Cory Spangenberg. He’ll never live up to hype associated with being the tenth overall pick in 2011, but he’s a lefty bat who can play the three non-first base infield positions and also left field. The downside is Spangenberg has only hit .252/.318/.385 (88 wRC+) with a 29.0% strikeout rate in 815 plate appearances the last two years. He has two years of control remaining and perhaps the Yankees will see him as a poor man’s Didi Gregorius/Aaron Hicks. The talented player who hasn’t put together yet. I dunno. Aside from prospects, there’s no much on San Diego’s roster that excites me.

San Francisco Giants

Why would they want Gray? San Francisco’s interest in Gray depends entirely on their long-term plan. They’re hiring a new baseball operations head this winter and, if they decide to rebuild, forget it. No reason to bring in Gray. If they decide to go for it next year while Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey (and Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt) are in their primes, then the Giants could definitely be a team to watch for Gray. Their rotation is pretty sketchy with Jeff Samardzija crashing and Johnny Cueto having Tommy John surgery.

Who could they send the Yankees? In last week’s mailbag I looked at Joe Panik and Tony Watson. I can’t see the Giants trading Watson for Gray for two reasons. One, they could get more for him elsewhere. And two, if they trade for Gray, it’s because they want to win in 2019, and trading Watson hurts that cause. As for Panik, that seems more reasonable. Both he and Gray are reclamation projects at this point and San Francisco has some others they could plug in at second base. The Yankees have liked Panik in the past and they could bring him aboard as their second baseman (with Gleyber Torres shifting to shortstop) until Gregorius returns. Other than Panik and Watson, I don’t see another fit with the Giants. Their big league roster is thin and their farm system is weak.

Seattle Mariners

Why would they want Gray? Depending who you ask, the Mariners have either seven viable big league starters (Roenis Elias, Marco Gonzales, Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake, Wade LeBlanc, James Paxton, Erasmo Ramirez) or three viable big league starters (Gonzales, Leake, Paxton). Felix has crashed hard the last few years and Elias, LeBlanc, and Ramirez are journeymen. If Gray leaves New York and pitches like he did earlier in his career, he’d be the second best starter in Seattle’s rotation, hands down. The window is closing and GM Jerry Dipoto has made it clear he’s going to do all he can to win before it slams shut.

Who could they send the Yankees? Geez, I have no idea. Their farm system is barren and their best big leaguers with short-term control are Felix (nope), Denard Span (eh), Juan Nicasio (nope), and Nick Vincent (nope). I’m sure we could cobble together an acceptable trade package if we tried hard enough. Nothing jumps out to me though.

Washington Nationals

Why would they want Gray? As bad as they were this year (82-80), the Nationals remain a win-now team. They still have Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, and Victor Robles even if Bryce Harper leaves. Pretty good core! The Nationals could absolutely contend next season in the blob of mediocrity that is the National League. Washington has Scherzer, Strasburg, Tanner Roark, and maybe Joe Ross in their rotation. There is definitely room for Gray.

Who could they send the Yankees? Gray for Adam Eaton? The money is close to a wash and the Nationals could still move forward with a Soto-Robles-Michael Taylor/free agent outfield should Harper not return. Knee and ankle injuries have limited Eaton to 118 games the last two seasons, but, when healthy, he’s hit .300/.394/.422 (123 wRC+). That’s really good! The downside is the leg injuries have sapped his defensive and baserunning value. As a stopgap left fielder, Eaton could work real nice. Would the Nationals really trade such a high on-base leadoff hitter if they’re trying to win though? I don’t see any other players on their big league roster that make sense.

* * *

Cashman is not an idiot. He was so open about trading Gray because he knows there’s interest and he won’t have any trouble drumming up potential trade partners. If he were worried at all about his trade leverage, he would’ve said the Yankees plan to keep Gray and get him right. That’s not what happened. In all likelihood multiple teams will be involved and the Yankees will benefit from a bidding war.

That doesn’t mean they’re going to walk away with a great package, of course. At the end of the day, Sonny is still coming off a terrible season and he’s still only under control one more season. His trade value is not sky high. It’s not nil though. I get the feeling we’re in for a lot of Sonny Gray rumors this winter, and, when it’s all said and done, the Yankees are going to end up with more than you’d expect for a dude coming off a replacement level season.

2018 Trade Deadline Rumors: Tuesday

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A lefty bat worth squeezing between Judge and Stanton. (Rob Carr/Getty)

The 2018 non-waiver trade deadline is 4pm ET today and wow have the Yankees been busy. The busiest team in baseball over the last week or so, right? Feels like it. The Yankees have completed six trades in the last six days, some more impactful than others. A recap:

  • Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers, and Cody Carroll for Zach Britton. (RAB post)
  • Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney for J.A. Happ. (RAB post)
  • Chasen Shreve and Gio Gallegos for Luke Voit and $1M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Caleb Frare for $1.5M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Adam Warren for $1.25M in international bonus money. (RAB post)
  • Tyler Austin and Luis Rijo for Lance Lynn. (RAB post)

Eleven players out, four players and $3.75M worth of international bonus money in. Know what the crazy thing is? I am not at all convinced the Yankees are done. They could still use another outfielder (because Aaron Judge is hurt) as well as a catcher (because Gary Sanchez is hurt). Plus more pitching. I’d rather have too much than not enough.

We’re once again going to keep track of the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here, so make sure you check back for updates. The Yankees have made so many moves already that I can’t promise many rumors today, they might in fact be done, but I am open to being surprised. Chat about all the day’s trade deadline rumors and activity here.

  • 2:28pm ET: The Yankees will not be getting Cameron Maybin. He’s been traded to the Mariners. The Yankees reportedly remain in the hunt for a right-handed outfield bat, however.
  • 11:10am ET: The Yankees want a right-handed outfield bat to help cover for Judge, though they were not in on Tommy Pham, who was traded to the Rays. They want someone comfortable with a bench role. [Joel Sherman]
  • 10:49am ET: The Yankees have “zero interest” in Matt Harvey, and that was even before the Happ and Lynn trades. Not surprised. I couldn’t see the Yankees bringing him back to New York, especially since there’s little reason to believe he can pitch well in Yankee Stadium. [Andy Martino]
  • 10:36am ET: You can stop fantasizing about Harper now. “Bryce is not going anywhere. I believe in this team,” said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo this morning. [Chelsea Janes]
  • 10:21am ET: The Yankees have discussed Brad Ziegler with the Marlins. Unless there would be another deal coming a la Warren/Lynn, I’m not sure where he fits. Maybe they’re trying to drive up the price for the Red Sox, who have been connected to Ziegler. [Feinsand]
  • 10:20am ET: The Yankees are expected to add an outfielder today. Expecting to add an outfielder and actually adding an outfielder are two different things though. [Ken Rosenthal, Feinsand]
  • 10:09am ET: The Yankees have spoken to the Mets about Jose Bautista. The Mets don’t want to give him away though, plus the chances of a Yankees-Mets trade are always small. [Heyman]
  • 9:30am ET: In case you missed it last night, the Nationals have made Bryce Harper available. The Yankees haven’t checked in as far as we know, but still, this is pretty noteworthy. [Mark Feinsand]
  • 9:30am ET: The Yankees are among the teams with interest in impending free agent Andrew McCutchen. The Giants insist they’re not ready to sell even though they’ve fallen out of the race. McCutchen is definitely someone who could be on the move in August. [Jon Morosi]
  • 9:30am ET: The Yankees have also checked in on Curtis Granderson and Cameron Maybin, so they’re casting a wide net for an outfielder in the wake of Judge’s injury. I’d be all for a Granderson reunion. The R2C2 podcast episode alone would make it worth it. [Morosi, Jon Heyman]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.

Yankeemetrics: Dinger derby, Yankees split (June 12-13)

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(Newsday)

#DidiDingers
Two days after suffering their first shutout loss of the season against the Mets, the Yankees bounced back on Tuesday night with a 3-0 victory over the Nationals in the Bronx. It was their fourth shutout win of 2018, more than halfway to their total in 2017 (seven).

The win also guaranteed that they’d keep their “haven’t-lost-three-games-in-a-row streak” alive for at least a few more days. It is the Yankees’ longest such streak to start a season since 1954, when they didn’t lose back-to-back-to-back games until August 22 in their 124th game on the schedule.

(AP)

CC Sabathia produced a second straight superb outing, pitching into the sixth inning without giving up a run. He put a lot of traffic on the bases (four hits, three walks, hit batter) but was tough-as-nails when the pressure was greatest, pitching out of jams in nearly every inning to keep the Nats off the scoreboard.

This type of gutty performance is nothing new for Sabathia, who has limited batters to a .439 OPS with runners in scoring position this season, the second-best mark among AL pitchers and sixth-best in MLB (min. 50 batters faced).

And he did it in typical re-invented Sabathia form, by generating weak contact. As you can see below, only two balls in play against Sabathia were hit with solid contact (the pink/red zone in the chart):

The big lefty also notched a few milestones on Tuesday night. With his 124th regular season win as a Yankee, he broke a tie with Mike Mussina for 12th place on the all-time franchise list. And his fourth-inning strikeout of Michael Taylor was the 1,500th of his Yankee career, the fifth pitcher in team history to reach that mark and the fastest to do so.

*Number of games to reach 1,500 K
Strikeouts Games*
Andy Pettitte 2,020 338
Whitey Ford 1,956 381
Ron Guidry 1,778 303
Red Ruffing 1,526 560
CC Sabathia 1,500 267

Didi Gregorius, slowly emerging from his miserable May slump, snapped his power drought in style. He launched two home runs in his first four plate appearances, after going deep just once (on May 23) in his previous 143 plate appearances dating back to the last week of April.

It was his third multi-homer game in 2018, the most by any shortstop in a single season in franchise history, and his fourth as a Yankee. He’s already tied with Frankie Crosetti for the second-most career multi-homer games by a shortstop; only Derek Jeter, with 10 in his 20 pinstriped seasons, has more.

(Getty)

Teenage kryptonite
The Comeback Kids came up just short on Wednesday night, losing 5-4 in a wild, back-and-forth game. The loss also dropped them to 8-8 all-time at home versus the Nationals/Expos franchise. The only other franchise that has a .500 or better regular-season record in the Bronx against the Yankees is the Braves (10-7).

Despite my best efforts to fix/reverse-jinx him, Sonny Gray’s struggles at Yankee Stadium continued. He entered the game with a 7.22 ERA in six starts in the Bronx this season, the second-worst home ERA in the AL (min. 25 IP), and exited with the same 7.22 ERA after giving up four runs in five innings. Looking ahead … the highest single-season ERA at either version of Yankee Stadium by a Yankee pitcher (min. 10 starts) is 6.32 by Phil Hughes in 2013.

(New York Post)

Three of the four runs allowed by Gray came via a home run by Juan Soto, who hit a 338-foot wallscraper to left field in the fourth, and also launched a tie-breaking solo shot in the seventh off Chasen Shreve. Amazingly, this was Yankees first loss this season when tied at the start of the seventh inning; they were a perfect 8-0 in that situation before Wednesday.

At 19 years and 231 days old, Soto became the youngest player to homer against the Yankees since Andruw Jones (19 years, 180 days) in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series, and the youngest to do it in the regular season since Ken Griffey Jr. (19 years, 190 days) on May 30, 1989. All three of those guys — Soto, Jones, Griffey — hit two homers in their historic games.

Gleyber Torres did his best to match the teenage phenom, flexing his clutch gene with a career-long 435-foot blast in the fifth inning that briefly tied the game 4-4. It was his 12th homer, a new single-season Yankees record for a No. 9 hitter. Seven of the 12 have either tied the game or given the Yankees a lead — and those seven game-tying/go-ahead homers are two more than any other Yankee has hit since his debut on April 22.

With 19-year-old Soto and 21-year-old Torres both going deep in the game, STATS dug up this gem:

The Yankees had plenty of chances to put this game away with 10 baserunners (eight hits, two walks), but their slumping bats again failed in key scoring situations. After going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, they are 1-for-28 (.036) with RISP over their last six games, and 3-for-47 (.081) with RISP in their last eight games dating back to the second game of the June 4 doubleheader versus the Tigers.

6/12 to 6/13 Series Preview: Washington Nationals

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The young phenom … and Bryce Harper (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Back in the Bronx! The Bombers begin a nine-game homestand that features a 1.5-game stint in Washington D.C. in the middle. Before they can get to the District, the Yankees will host the Nationals for two games on River Avenue.

The Last Time They Met

The Yanks and Nats played half a game last month, but the last time they completed a series was back on June 9-10, 2015 at Yankee Stadium. Nearly three years ago to the date.

  • Masahiro Tanaka outdueled Max Scherzer in the opening game as the Yankees won, 6-1. Stephen Drew hit a pair of solo home runs and the Bombers extended the lead off the Washington bullpen.
  • Game 2 pitching matchup was Gio Gonzalez and Nathan Eovaldi. Pretty funny that the two starters for the Nationals in the series were the two probable starters for the two-game set the Nationals had last month.
  • The Yankees gained a two-run advantage late, but a shorthanded bullpen forced Jacob Lindgren into a high leverage eighth inning and he gave up a tying homer to Michael A. Taylor. The Nats would win in extras of Chris Capuano.

For more information, check out Katie’s Yankeemetrics post on that series.

Injury Report

A lot of big names on the disabled list. 2B Daniel Murphy could make his season debut this series while RHPs Stephen Strasburg, Jeremy Hellickson and Brandon Kintzler were recently placed on the 10-day DL. Ryan Zimmerman could be back soon from back soreness but likely needs a rehab stint first.

Relievers Joaquin Benoit and Koda Glover, as well as catchers Matt Wieters and Jhonatan Solano, will miss this series and Yankee killer Howie Kendrick is done for the season with a ruptured right Achilles.

Their Story So Far

The Nationals are tied for the National League East division lead at 36-27 despite getting off to a slow start to the season. They’ve been especially strong away from Nationals Park, going 21-11 on the road. However, they’ve cooled off a bit recently after losing five of their last nine.

Contrary to the last few seasons, this isn’t a top-notch offensive team, batting .236/.315/.400 (92 wRC+) as a team. Their starting rotation has remained stout and they have an improved bullpen headlined by Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. In their lineup, Zimmerman and Murphy have missed significant time while Bryce Harper is in a bit of a slump.

Lineup We Might See

A lot of lefties on Dave Martinez’s squad, so there will a different mix that faces CC Sabathia compared with the one that faces Sonny Gray. Here’s a lineup with all their best healthy hitters even though Taylor or Wilmer Difo may get a start.

1. RF Adam Eaton (.333/.421/.606, 179 wRC+)
2. SS Trea Turner (.254/.339/.387, 99 wRC+)
3. CF/RF Bryce Harper (.228/.360/.509, 127 wRC+)
4. 3B Anthony Rendon (.262/.342/.452, 112 wRC+)
5. 1B Matt Adams (.265/.345/.578, wRC+)
6. 2B Daniel Murphy (.322/.384/.543, 136 wRC+ in 2017)
7. DH Mark Reynolds (.290/.343/.597, 152 wRC+)
8. LF Juan Soto (.328/.431/.541, 163 wRC+)
9. C Pedro Severino (.197/.303/.254, 50 wRC+)

Fun Fact: A.J. Cole, with a home run in three ABs, leads the Nationals with a 344 wRC+.

He’s not Scherzer, but Roark isn’t an easy customer. (Daniel Shirey/Getty)

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Tuesday (7:05 PM ET): LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Tanner Roark
Tanner Roark is really good in even-numbered seasons and slightly below average in odd years. This season has been a slight departure as he’s been good (3.56 ERA/113 ERA+ in 78 1/3 innings) but not outstanding as he was in 2016 (2.83 ERA/151 ERA+ in 210 innings).

Part of why he fluctuates season to season is that he allows a lot of balls in play. In his career, only about 25 percent of his PAs end in strikeouts or walks.

The 31-year-old has lost one mph off his fastball/sinker but still has gotten solid results overall, though his groundball rate has declined a bit. He lives in the low 90s with a lot of sinkers and mixes in mid-80s sliders and changeups as well as a mid-70s curveball, with equal rates among the off-speed offerings.

Last Outing (vs. TB on June 6) – 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

Wednesday (7:05 PM ET): RHP Sonny Gray vs. TBA
This is Strasburg’s spot in the rotation, but he left his last start early and is on the DL. The likely replacement is Erick Fedde, who has produced middling results in Triple-A. Formerly a top prospect, he’s lost a bit of his luster after three poor starts in 2017 and average results in Triple-A. He had a solid spot start last month. As for his repertoire, he lives in the low-to-mid 90s with his fastball, using a slider as his go-to offspeed offering and a changeup that is hit or miss.

The other starters on the Nationals’ 40-man roster that could make the starter are Austin Voth and Jefry Rodriguez, each of whom has been called up at least once this year. Edwin Jackson opted out just before the Nationals’ rash of injuries and former starter A.J. Cole is in the Yankees bullpen. Not a lot of options.

The Bullpen

Acquiring Doolittle and Mason from Oakland last season has helped the Nationals turn their bullpen into a strength, even as Blake Treinen has excelled with the Athletics. Justin Miller has gotten off to a solid start in middle relief and southpaw Sammy Solis continues to get reps there as well.

Shawn Kelley hasn’t been nearly as bad as last season’s 7.27 ERA, but he hasn’t been great. Lefties Tim Collins and Matt Grace have been fine in small samples while righties Trevor Gott and Wander Suero are typically low leverage guys.

With a Monday day off and Scherzer’s start Sunday, the Nationals’ pen should be pretty well rested.

Yankees Connection

You may remember Kelley from his 105 innings in middle relief for the Bombers from 2013-14 before he was traded for Johnny Barbato. Reynolds spent 36 games with the Yankees in late 2013 at first and third base while former Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long is now the Nats’ hitting coach.

Who (Or What) to Watch?

  • Phew! No Scherzer! The Yankees dodge a bullet there, yet there’s still a ton of star power. I’m always down to watch Harper and Rendon/Turner/Eaton are pretty exciting as well.
  • However, the most exciting thing might be 19-year-old wunderkind Juan Soto. The youngest player in the majors has done nothing but hit at every level with his 72 PAs with the big league club no exception. Perhaps most impressive is his 11 walks vs. 11 strikeouts.

5/15 to 5/16 Series Preview: Washington Nationals

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Future Yankee Bryce Harper. (Patrick McDermott/Getty)

For the first time this season, the Yankees are heading to the so-called Senior Circuit for interleague play. They’ll play the next two days without the DH (boo hiss).

The Last Time They Met

The Yankees and Nationals had a pair of two-game sets back in 2015, with one coming in May and the other in June. The Yankee dropped three of those four games, despite outscoring the Nationals 18 to 17 (which is what happens when you drop two one-run games and a two-run game). Some notes:

  • Didi Gregorius started just two of the four games, sitting in favor of Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan once apiece.
  • There are several candidates for most forgettable Yankee from this series, including Jose Pirela, Garrett Jones, David Carpenter, and Esmil Rogers. And that’s excluding Yankees that we’d like to forget, such as Chris Capuano and the aforementioned Stephen Drew.
  • Dellin Betances was at peak dominance at that point in time, tossing 3 hitless innings and striking out 4 in two appearances. By the time the second set was over he had a 0.28 ERA (not a typo) and 54 strikeouts in 32.1 IP.
  • Bryce Harper was in the midst of his MVP season, and he wasn’t fooled by Yankees pitching. He went 4-for-13 with a double, two home runs, and two walks in those four games.

You can find Katie’s Yankeemetrics posts for the two sets here and here.

Injury Report

Health has not been the Nationals strong suit in 2018, as their disabled list is littered with notable players. Relievers Joaquin Benoit and Koda Glover are out with forearm and shoulder soreness, respectively, and starter Joe Ross is still recovering from 2017 Tommy John Surgery. Catcher Matt Wieters was put on the disabled list on Friday, and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman followed on Saturday; they joined second baseman Daniel Murphy (yet to play in 2018) and outfielder Adam Eaton (out since April 9) … and you get the point.

Their Story So Far

The Nationals are 24-18 with a +35 run differential, and trail the first-place Braves – the Braves! – by two games. They’ve been red hot for the last weeks to, going on a 13-2 tear since dropping to a season-worst 11-16 on April 28. Their most recent series came against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, where they swept the AL West leaders in a four-game set.

Injuries have hurt the Nationals quite a bit, as most of their regular position players and starting pitchers have been playing up to their baseline, if not surpassing it. Several of their replacements have struggled mightily, though, and the bullpen has wasted many great outings by their starters. More on that to come.

The Lineup We Might See

First-year manager Dave Martinez has mixed and matched with his lineup quite a bit over the first two months, with every spot in the lineup turning over regularly – and that includes pitchers batting eighth or ninth, depending on the match-up. Even Bryce Harper has moved around, batting first, second, and third. Over the last few games, however, Martinez seems to have settled on this:

  1. Trea Turner, SS – .275/.386/.425, 5 HR, 13 SB
  2. Bryce Harper, RF – .236/.400/.543, 13 HR, 4 SB
  3. Anthony Rendon, 3B – .271/.361/.447, 3 HR, 0 SB
  4. Matt Adams, 1B – .274/.389/.642, 10 HR, 0 SB
  5. Howie Kendrick, 2B – .299/.329/.469, 4 HR, 1 SB
  6. Michael Taylor, CF – .186/.253/.310, 3 HR, 10 SB
  7. Pedro Severino, C – .268/.384/.338, 0 HR, 1 SB
  8. [Pitcher]
  9. Andrew Stevenson, LF – .263/.302/.316, 0 HR, 0 SB
(Jennifer Stewart/Getty)

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Tuesday (7:05 PM EST): RHP Masahiro Tanaka vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez

To give you an idea of how good the Nationals starting pitching has been this year, consider the following: Gonzalez has a 2.22 ERA (181 ERA+) in 44.2 IP, and he might be their third-best starter right now. Gonzalez has somewhat quietly put together a terrific career, with a 3.60 ERA (113 ERA+) in 1687.2 IP, and he’s seventeenth among active pitchers in WAR. He’ll be 33 in September, and this is his walk year, so this may be his last chance to make his case for a big-time contract – and so far so good.

Gonzalez is a four-pitch guy, with a low-90s four-seamer, a low-90s sinker, a low-80s change-up, and a loopy curveball in the high-70s. He throws all four regularly, too, so he’s a bit difficult to predict from at-bat to at-bat.

Last outing (vs. SDP on 5/9) – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Wednesday (7:05 PM EST): LHP CC Sabathia vs. RHP Max Scherzer

There’s no beating around the bush here: Scherzer is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and has been for about half a dozen years now. Take a look at his line through 9 starts – 58.2 IP, 35 H, 13 BB, 91 K, 1.69 ERA (237 ERA+), 1.75 FIP. He’s basically an older version of Luis Severino and, experience and resume aside, I don’t think that’s an insult to either. And way back when he was involved in a three-way trade that saw the Yankees land Curtis Granderson, the Tigers land Scherzer, and the Diamondbacks end up with … Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy.

Scherzer utilizes five pitches – a mid-90s four-seamer (which he throws about 50% 0f the time), a high-80s cutter, a mid-80s change-up, a mid-80s slider, and a high-80s curve.

Last outing (vs. ARI on 5/11) – 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 11 K

The Bullpen

The Nationals bullpen has been a point of weakness throughout the young season, with closer Sean Doolittle (1.45 ERA and 28 strikeouts against 1 walk in 18.2 IP) representing the only sure thing out there – the group as a whole is 23rd in the majors in HR/9 and 24th in ERA+. Set-up man Ryan Madson (4.19 ERA) has blown two saves, and the unit’s innings leader (Brandon Kintzler) has a 4.64 ERA and -0.17 WPA. There’s talent here, to be sure, but this has to be a bit disconcerting for an organization that has had a yearly struggle with fielding a strong bullpen.

Yankees Connection

Former Yankee Shawn Kelley. (AP)

Shawn Kelley spent two uninspiring seasons in the Bronx, pitching to a 4.46 ERA (88 ERA+) in 105 IP between 2013 and 2014. He has been solid since leaving, though, with a 3.48 ERA (118 ERA+) in 142.1 IP over the last three-plus seasons.

And the recently-signed Mark Reynolds spent part of 2013 with the Yankees, slashing .236/.300/.455 with 6 home runs in 120 PA.

Who (Or What) To Watch

Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Max Scherzer are must-see TV. And I’m interested to see how the Crafty Lefty incarnation of Sabathia attacks Harper, too.