From Bryan Hoch:
If the Yankees could choose any opponent for a get-right series, the Twins might top the list. For more than two decades, they’ve been a familiar source of comfort. Not much has gone right lately in the Bronx, but that history still holds.
Will Warren showcased a fastball that remained lively into the seventh inning and the Yankees launched four solo homers, powering their 6-2 victory on Monday evening at Yankee Stadium.
“I think we’ve been needing that spark,” Warren said. “We’ve been playing flat, I feel like. We got a spark of energy. The past month hasn’t been how we’re supposed to play baseball. We’ve had a gut punch lately, and it was nice to get out there and play baseball the way we’re supposed to.”
Warren allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings, nicked only by a pair of solo shots as the rookie right-hander became the first Yankees starter to complete six innings since he did it himself on July 30 against the Rays.
It’s pathetic that Will Warren might be the most consistent Yankee starting pitcher right now.
But man, if you look at the Yankee rotation, it legit SHOULD be good! Fried and Rodon were both All-Stars THIS SEASON! Warren has been very good, Luis Gil is coming off a Rookie of the Year season, and Cam Schlittler obviously has dynamite stuff (and somehow has a battling ability that Max Fried has lost). This rotation SHOULD be good.
And yet, it is to the point where Will Warren is the best starter. Not good!
The offense did JUST enough, and even added (GASP!) tack-on runs! Giancarlo Stanton needs to keep playing right field. Need his bat in the lineup. He even went first to third on a bobbled single in the outfield! Spry Stanton!
I think there’s something to be said for re-signing Cody Bellinger instead of spending $40 million a year on Kyle Tucker, which should give them room to bring Luke Weaver back. I really like Luke Weaver, and a bullpen next season of:
Bednar as the closer
Weaver as the 8th inning guy
Doval, Lo, Leiter, Cruz, De Los Santos, and Hill as the 6th-7th inning guys
could be quite good. Plus they’ll have all of Spring Training to fix Jake Bird (I am totally down with sending Bird to the minors, but it’s funny how that means he won’t have Blake to work with, so “shockingly,” he sucks in the minors, too).
Featured image is Will Warren getting a standing ovation as he exits the game.
I like the idea of re-signing Bellinger, but his underlying metrics give me pause. His batted ball data from StatCast isn’t very representative of a great hitter. He’s mostly middle of the road, but has found a way to get the most out of them. Whereas Tucker is top of the charts. But another $40m guy is tough to squeeze into the payroll.
I love Tucker, and I think Tucker fits PERFECTLY batting either right in front or right behind Judge (probably right in front, I imagine), but man, $40 million a year is a fucking LOT.
That’s why the Ryan McMahon trade was iffy for me. If they’re going to be ROUGHLY at this payroll next season, adding McMahon’s $15 million AAV makes it so much harder to fit in a $40 million salary.
An interesting move would be to actually add a first baseman next year, so that Rice could become the primary catcher.
You figure the locks for next season’s lineup are as follows:
RF Judge
DH Stanton
2B Chisholm
SS Volpe
3B McMahon
1B or C Rice
So you need a CF, a LF, and either a 1B or a C. If Rice is 1B, then Wells is the catcher. If Rice is the catcher, then is there a 1B out there? Heck, could Rumfield possibly have a role on this team? He’s a lefty, though, so THAT doesn’t help.
Dominguez presumably has a role on the 2025 team, and MAYBE Spencer Jones does, too.
So unimpressed with Dominguez’s season. They only needed a few of the young guys to pan out, and the panning out has pretty much been restricted to Rice.
I think it’s fine that he has the same bWAR this season that he did in just eight games in 2022.
So well put.
Also, if Ohtani ends up with MORE home runs than Judge, that would be a big (bad) deal. Honestly didn’t even occur to me to worry about that possibility before the season started, major injury aside.
You mean lifetime? Judge didn’t even really debut until he was 25, so lifetime home runs isn’t that significant for him, I don’t think.
Actually, I mean this season.
Stanton will be in right field tonight, the first time he’s been in the field for back-to-back games since August 2023. Good for him. He seriously looks a bit spry out there. There’s honestly not a ton of 35-year-old outfielders out there PERIOD.
There’s McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Starling Marte (who can BARELY play the outfield anymore himself), Mark Canha (mostly a DH), Jose Altuve (who only plays left because he’s too old to play second anymore), Jason Heyward, and George Springer (mostly a DH).
Let’s hope he doesn’t pull a hammy which will end his season.
Judge probably will be in the outfield next road trip
At least they can still beat the Twins.
You just had to say it, didn’t you.