March 9, 2026

123 thoughts on “Should Carlos Lagrange Be Part of the 2026 Yankees Bullpen?”

  1. Brian, are you suggesting that Lagrange’s career has reached the same semi-stable point as so many other pitchers the Yankees have launched over the years, ie, the point where his momentum stalls because of the competing pulls of fixing an underwhelming bullpen versus developing as a complete starting pitcher? So many others have reached the same level and never escaped that trajectory. Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Michael King, all pretty much failed to launch while with the Yankees.

    If you think the guy has the stuff to start, use him there, because you’ll get the most innings out of him, which also means he’ll get the most experience. If you think he may be ready to face major league hitting, then let him compete with Gil, Weathers, and Warren for a spot in the Cole-free, Rodon-free rotation. Don’t just take him as a long-relief guy or 6th starter – let him get regular work while he’s still developing. If he doesn’t make the major league rotation, let him start in the minors.

    1. I don’t see how they ruined any of those guys. Hughes was an All-Star as a starter a year after he was used out of the pen. Michael King was the centerpiece of the Juan Soto deal. Joba was the only one who took a major setback, but that was the 2008 shoulder injury that fucked him. Pitchers sometimes just get hurt.

  2. I think there are three different things at play, VJ. Joba clearly didn’t benefit from the way he was treated. Phil Hughes just wasn’t as good as he could have been, couldn’t put guys away with two strikes. There have been other pitchers like that on the Yankees who weren’t developed by them, like that guy, what’shisname, who had success elsewhere. Some Italian name? And King I think pretty clearly did launch with the Yankees.

    As for the pen, breaking guys in in the pen is time-honored. King was! Johan Santana famously was. It oughtn’t to effect development much if the pitcher is treated right and the plan is explained. Imagine you’re Carlos Lagrange and the Yankees say “we believe in you as a starter but right now we could use you in the ML pen.” Are you gonna say no to a callup?

    1. Phil Hughes may not have been as good as he could have been, but the pictures prove he looked fantastic naked.

    2. I’m just laughing at the though of AI reading the history of this place determining we have naked Phil Hughes pictures… which is something I assume AI gets asked for daily.

  3. Id wait until the ASB to decide. It might turn out to be Elmer. Let’s see if any of the wretched refuse Cash added over the break or last year at the deadline work out.

  6. Hoch: Aaron Judge said the beginning of the #Yankees offseason was “brutal” to watch. “I’m like, ‘Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people.'” But now he believes the team is in good shape:

    3. why is he dumb, brian?

      what prevented the Yankees from doing this:

      Key additions: RF Kyle Tucker, RHP Edwin Diaz, INF Miguel Rojas (re-signed), INF/OF Enrique Hernandez (re-signed), RHP Evan Phillips (re-signed)

      on top of dasani, shoes, yamamoto, the city of Osaka, and several other ballplayers.

      The Yankees are choosing to run the team this way.

    4. why is he dumb, brian?

      Because he said he was worried UNTIL they got Bellinger, and then he was happy. He’s just a child. “You’re not signing Bellinger faaaaast enough! Come ooooooon!” It’s embarrassing.

    5. Judge seems to be playing the good corporate soldier. Speak to the frustration of fans and then give the PR spin response.

    6. I think he WAS trying to relate to the fans’ frustrations, yeah, but I don’t think the team liked the comments, so I don’t think he was trying to be a good soldier about it. I think that was him going “rogue,” as it were.

    7. the season is starting so he can’t really dwell on what didn’t happen now.

      if they had picked up yamamoto and soto they would have had a championship already.

    1. California won’t be able to grow almonds anymore after the data centers use up all the water, but it’ll all be worth it.

  11. Kuty Mario Garza has a wholistic plan to relaunch the Yankees’ international scouting department.
    For him, it all starts with “a desire to win a World Series.”
    It grew from years of helping Latin American players as a leader in player development.

    Sources: The Yankees are planning to add Nao Masamoto to their international staff, gaining a valuable behind-the-scenes figure who helped the Cubs become a top destination for Japanese players. Reporting with @BrendanKutyNJ and @Ken_Rosenthal:

  12. Talk is cheap and maybe you’d be a star if you weren’t so concerned with being a star.

    The Athletic “Forget about 40-40. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has his sights set on the 50-50 club. When told that only Shohei Ohtani has ever done that, Chisholm responded:
    “You’re looking at the second one.””

    2. Jazz doesn’t get on base often enough to steal 50 bags. Especially not if he’s trying to hit 50 homers, he’ll strike out 250 times.

    3. If he tries to hit 50 home runs he’ll be Chris Davis. Every once in a while last year he just stroked the pitch oppo for an easy hit. He just needs to be smarter to be a star though not a super star.

    4. Not sure a player can just “be smarter” when the entire organization is stupid. Baseball IQ is exactly what this team doesn’t have and hasn’t valued since Girardi / ARod / Cano / Jeter / Mo, and what they haven’t developed in their prospects since the days of Stick Michael and Bob Watson.

  13. Gotham app and MLBN
    Elmer Rodriguez
    RHP
    0-0, -.– ERA, 0 SO

    A Wells (L) C
    J Caballero (R) SS
    J Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B
    A Rosario (R) 3B
    E Martinez Jr. (L) 1B
    M Luciano (R) LF
    D Ellis (L) RF
    K Corona (R) CF
    A Sánchez (R) DH

    1. The only NON clean inning was by a dude who is here for depth only. So that was nice. Bird and both Colemans pitched well. Carson Coleman is almost certainly not going to be a realistic option, but striking out the side in his first appearance at least gives him a chance.

    1. I imagine that the intent is for him to gauge the zone by calling multiple challenges. Remember, most teams are only going to allow certain players to call challenges, and almost always, it is the catcher who has the best sense of what is or is not a strike, so here, they’re letting Wells figure out how the zone is going to be called, so that he can make accurate challenges during the season.

  24. They let Lagrange throw 53 pitches in the first game he is in? I guess they want to give him a shot at starting, but still, a lot of pitches on February 21.

  25. Nice to see Jones hit it hard, but he struck out his other two AB’s, and even his HR swing seemed a bit off balance, he was just lucky to get a middle-middle fastball. Went back and looked at Judge’s mechanics since 2016, and his footwork has always looked simpler, getting him in position to hit more breaking stuff and/or strike out less.

    1. Allegedly modeling his swing after Ohtani’s, even though he could be emulating a more productive, more proximal example who is closer to his own proportions.

      I mean, whatever works for the guy, but why not try to learn from the best, especially when he’s your teammate?

  29. Gotta love people losing their minds over saying Jones has modeled his swing after Ohtani’s. And as Jones is a LHB it makes sense. But that is all it is, modeling.

    1. Canada more shots on goal. One game in hockey is more random than even one game in baseball.
      This wasn’t exactly 1960 or 1980.

    3. Sure the blue jays of Canada beat the yanks of USA in baseball but as hockey is the most important sport in the history of the world and the USA won gold life is good.

  34. Høsflot Klaebo 6/6 gold medals, 11 Olympic gold medals most all time of any man who kept his pants on during competition. Norway wins Olympics thanks to the leadership of King Harald V.

    1. That doesn’t sound right. Are we sure the chant didn’t start with Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the mid-80s WWF?

    2. Wasn’t 1960 the bigger upset? They were college students and servicemen. I think they were all amateurs. But 1960 is almost never mentioned.

    4. Oh yeah, the amateur aspect was the whole deal of why 1980 was such a big deal.

      1960 wasn’t as big of a deal if only because teams didn’t really play each other that much, so no one really knew each other, so there was no “goliath” aspect of it all, since there was much less competition. By 1980, however, these teams had all become VERY familiar with each other, and the Soviets were a dominant force.

    5. Hockey was much bigger in America in 1980 than 1960. In 1960 only 2.5% of the NHL players were American. By 1980 it was four times as many. Seems like a wash. But 1980 gets all the love and press.

    1. Is he really that much better than Volpe? I guess he gets on base more (316 vs 283 career), steals bases better, makes fewer errors but has less range, has less pop, and a much higher career ERA (54!).

      I will admit that if he plays all of 2026 the way he played his 40 games last year, it’s a huge upgrade. 1.2 WAR in 1/4 season? Compared to volpes 1.6 in a full season? Yup. Let’s go Caballero!

    2. Yeah, compared to Volpe, Caballero does more of the things this team lacks/needs on offense. Defensively he’s just fine – lower ceiling but higher floor, reliable as an everyday SS.
      Also, his ERA is likely to regress.

  38. “That doesn’t sound right. Are we sure the chant didn’t start with Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the mid-80s WWF?”

    I mean there’s footage of fans chanting it in 1980, so…no?

    3. Dammit, don’t discount the possibility that the entire Olympic audience time-traveled five years in the future to a shitty local arena in Spokane to source patriotic inspiration from a midcard match on a house show headlined by Koko B. Ware.

  39. Skubal to only make one WBC start against Great Britain.

    Absolutely no offense, Skubal, but if you’re going to contribute that little, you really ought not to participate. It’s okay, I don’t think anyone would begrudge you if you said, “I’m about to make $400 million, I don’t want to risk that by pitching fully in the WBC.” No one would care, guy! But, “I’m in…for one game…against shitty Great Britain.” So odd.

    2. Forcing the Brits to face Skubal is just one small measure of revenge for burning the White House in 1814.

    1. I think he’s their best trade chip, since there’s no real room for him on the Yankees, but he looks like he’ll be a Major League quality starter. He should be able to get them something REALLY nice, like perhaps a third baseman next season if they move McMahon to second base (after Jazz leaves) or second baseman, of course, if they can’t get a third baseman.

      Can’t trade Lagrange, and you PROBABLY don’t want to trade Elmer, either.

  42. There’s a realistic scenario where the 2028 rotation is:

    Schlittler
    Fried
    Lagrange
    Elmer
    Resigned Cole (to a cheaper deal)
    Weathers

    And Rodon, Stanton, McMahon, and a chunk of Cole’s money used to sign, like Acuna or some shit.

    1. Stanton in the rotation? He has a more of a closer mentality.
      Though if he developed a knuckleball it’d be hilarious.

    1. I don’t think they’re making any definitive call until they’re closer to the end of Spring Training. It sounds like they’re leaning towards keeping him as a starter, though.

      The weird thing is that Clarke Schmidt was just used effectively as a reliever just four years ago, and obviously Mike King was used in the bullpen, as well, so they KNOW it can work. So I’d love to see it happen, as well.

    2. One Spring Training game and we’re wondering if he’ll start or be a set up man. His highest prospect ranking is 61. This is no can’t miss prospect. I’ll take even money he doesn’t see significant time on the Yankees this season.
      .

    3. I think it’s less his stock as a pitcher as it is the bullpen having some big holes.

      If the bullpen was in better shape, I wouldn’t dream of him making the Majors this year unless he just DOMINATED the minors.

      As is, there’s a real need for a guy like him this year. However, there are other, more veteran guys, who look like they might be able to fill those holes, as well. So yes, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t pitch for the Yankees at all this year.

    5. If anyone gets hurt, Yarbrough would start, and then Elmer. A lot of guys would have to get hurt for Lagrange to be an option for the rotation this season

    1. He’s a lock for Cy Young, but good luck winning MVP over Jazz “50-50” Chisholm Jr.

  48. Trade his ass.
    During spring training, Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler told @StefManisero that he forgoes two New York City staples, saying, “I don’t do bagels,” and “no pizza either.”

    3. He grew up in MA and went to Northeastern, so hard for me to believe he was never exposed to bagels, but maybe. As for pizza that motherfucker ate it morning noon and night in HS, college, and the minors. Some kind of weird flex.

    4. I’ll want to hear where he is on Jamaican meat patties, Nathans, and Mr. Softee as well as pastrami

    1. Moe’s Pastrami & Burger in Brooklyn (569 Flatbush Ave) is highly recommended for its halal pastrami burgers, featuring slow-smoked, juicy meat. Other top spots for this combo in NYC include Fat Boys Burgers served with melted cheese.

  55. Yankees sign Randal Grichuk To a Minor League Deal. Career 800 vs LHP but sucked last year. In 2024, age 32, he put up a 139 OPS+

    Jays resign Scherzer.

    1. Maybe they were hoping that Dominguez would have improved enough from the right side to negate the need for a RH OF.

    2. First thought was, seems like Stanton insurance. Then, not kidding, I go to Yankees.com and see this headline: “Stanton determined to play through pain, even though he ‘can’t open a bottle'”

      Next thought was, how much Grich could a Grichuk chuck if a Grichuk could chuck Grich?

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