December 26, 2024

226 thoughts on “Yankees.com: Yanks agree to terms with Grisham, Brubaker; two non-tendered”

    1. I honestly don’t believe so. As much as Grisham sucks, a legitimately good hitting outfielder will cost you more than $5 million as a free agent nowadays. While Grisham at least is an excellent defender.

    2. Grisham is a solid piece, 5MM for a reliable backup that plays very good defense is perfectly reasonable.

    3. But I said another outfielder who can’t hit, a Tim LoCastro type who cost less than Grisham. Unless they’re saying he’s insurance against the Martian sucking. And if they’re worried about the Martian a RHB would make more sense as a platoon partner to the Martian.

    4. Given how they’ve handled Volpe, it would be a travesty if they were so worried about Dominguez as to actually keep him on a tight leash. Play him and leave it at that. I mean, damn.

    5. Grisham is valuable because he’s an OK hitter with consistent playing time, so with his defense, he’s a pretty good 4th OF, because in the case of injury, he can step in for a while without requiring a major roster move.

  4. The more I think about this offseason, the more I think the Yankees should trade Gil if they can’t bring back Soto.

    They have 6 starters already, but Gil is the most valuable. Also, I think Gil is what he is, the Yankees and prospect evaluators have been waiting for years for his clean delivery and athleticism to turn into consistent strike throwing ability. IMO, it just isn’t going to happen. Best case scenario is that he’s another Snell, but that seems low probability to me.

    He’s probably the only piece the Yankees have who could bring back a good hitting MLB regular.

    2. I’m not sure I’d want to make that trade. Devers is a really good hitter, but he’s under contract well into his 30s for a pretty big amount and he’s not exactly a great fielder.

      Also, there’s no way Boston trades their biggest star to the Yankees.

    3. If I were trading Gil, I’d be targeting another young player rather than a big contract, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

    4. Agree, for a young player.
      But I’m amazed you’re so down on him. He was magnificent, the main problem was dealing with the tense moments. That should resolve itself – tension lessens with habit.
      I’m also seeing big things for Schmidt. When he was healthy, he had a looong stretch where he was arguable better than Gil (and Gil was on fire).

    5. I don’t think I’m down on Gil, I just think he is what he is. Snell has provided a case for success with a similar skill set, it’s just a bit of a high wire act.

  5. Man, the more I think about it, the more it irks me that Cashman couldn’t acquire India. He would really be SO FUCKING PERFECT as the leadoff hitter here (if they bring Soto back).

    India 2B
    Soto RF
    Judge CF

    That would have also freed up money to sign Walker.

    1. If you loved Torres’ defense you would have been thrilled to see India match that performance.

    3. Think about how insanely lightning-fast India would be without the massive air friction of all the hair they’d have made him shave off.

    2. Ah. Judging by the Natural, I guess he could probably hit even now. Well, okay, then.

  7. Grisham had a horrific start to 2024; going 2 for 39! Maybe he simply was not used to being on the bench?
    From June 1 on he really wasn’t that bad. 300 OBP and 457 SLG. If he can do that for an entire season playing good defense he’s worth the deal.

  8. Codify baseball
    Longest active streak of starts with Game Score >= 50:

    22 Paul Skenes 😮
    —————————
    11 Zack Wheeler
    10 Hunter Greene, Kodai Senga
    9 Bowden Francis, Ryan Walker
    8 Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, Shane Baz

  10. Bob Nightengale per Pinstipe Alley calls the Mets “clear-cut favorites” to sign Juan Soto according to league executives. He also outlines a possible backup plan for the Yankees if they fail to re-sign Soto:

    “Sign either Willy Adames or Alex Bregman to play third, shift Jazz Chisholm to second base, trade for Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, and then use the extra money to sign Burnes, Fried or Snell.”

  12. Passan Left-hander Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a five-year, $182 million contract, pending physical, sources tell me and @jorgecastillo. The World Series champions get the two-time Cy Young winner in the first nine-figure deal of the winter.

    Some deferred money because thats a Dodger prerequisite.

  14. You would certainly HOPE that that puts them out of the running for some of the other guys.

    Snell is such an odd move for them, as they now have a pile of very good pitchers where you can’t rely on any ONE of them. Also, why the heck would Sasaki want to join THAT rotation now as, like, the sixth starter!

    1. Maybe the Dodgers will move to a 6-man rotation as Ohtani returns to pitching off his second TJ surgery.

    1. Yes and no. His pre-closer years pretty much had no chance – he wasn’t a “closer”! Except the year he was totally insane when he made it ((2011).
      His big closer years – 110 saves in 3 years- weren’t that great (ERAs over 3).
      Steve Farr on the other hand….:)

    2. On a year by year basis it makes sense, it’s just kinda crazy that given his overall body of work – a pretty consistently good to great reliever for 15+ years, that it’s only netted him a single All Star.

  20. MLBTR New York Post | Jon Heyman: Heyman is reporting that the Yankees have already increased their initial bid to Juan Soto in an attempt to keep pace in the sweepstakes for the generational free agent. They’ve also reportedly expressed a willingness to include opt-outs, though that’s not expected to be a differentiator. The team also talked with free agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried (as they did with Blake Snell prior to his LA signing), though they haven’t yet made formal offer to either as they remain focused on Soto.

  23. anyone watch Alien Romulus? it feels cheap, stupid, of limited imagination. zero fresh about and the much discussed deepfake, while it actually is the best part, is morally loathsome

    3. jesus christ now there’s some dopey big think bullshit about the big picture

      hope everyone involved never works again

  26. Alien 3 had much more scope and depth, maybe it’s unfair to compare the new one to Scott, Cameron, and Fincher but don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining

    2. Passan:the option for 2030 is worth $13MM and comes with a $3MM buyout. The deal includes a $17MM signing bonus, and approximately a third of the money is deferred. $25MM will be deferred and paid out over a span of ten years, starting five years after the deal is complete.

      Does any other team specialize in deferred contracts?

    5. Brian, the best case scenario is to be the Dodgers AND defer the money.
      Why would they say: we have the advantage of being the Dodgers, let’s NOT do everything else we can to increase the distance between us and everybody else?

  28. Eventually, this will pull the Dodgers down. Seriously, the Erdman deal is likely a bad one. Maybe not the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but this all adds up.

  29. In 2035 or so where their payroll is going to be $200m before they have a single player on the roster it will come back to bite them. But by then $200m will be equal to one bitcoin and we will no longer be playing baseball as we know it but some other form of it that includes running the bases with guns and swinging with pickle ball rackets.

    1. If that were true, then this would be yet another “we’re going to pretend to the fans that we tried, but we never really had interest” situation.
      But I agree, surely it’s an empty rumor.

    1. Montas had a really nice 2nd half with the Brewers, who have a nice history of figuring out pitchers. I don’t hate it.

    3. 4.55 ERA, 1.26 WHIP is good? It’s not miserable, I guess, but if he replicated his performance with the Mets, it doesn’t sound much better than “eh, so what.” He’d have to be significantly better than that for this to look like a good deal.

  35. ‪Pinstripe Alley‬ ‪@pinstripealley.bsky.social‬
    Spencer Jones stock is:
    c r a t e r i ng

    Not making progress on the K issues (even on fastballs), and if that’s an issue at Double-A, that’s bad news

    2. Lots of dudes big or small never do. Hard to wish for much on Jones other than if he makes it, yay. If not, it happens.

  37. Spencer Jones, Volpe’s lack or progress year 2 and Wells September collapse are reasons Soto might stay away. Mets and Boston have more and better prospects. Mets have more money.

    1. I seriously think that there’s essentially zero chance that this is within a light year of being anywhere near Soto’s radar.

  38. Hopefully the Soto show is over soon and real roster construction can begin in earnest.

    Going to be a tough hill to climb without him, but we always knew that. Also, too, signing him creates some question marks as well. I would prefer to not start Judge in CF next season.

    1. I’m interested in the Statue of Liberty as an interstellar spacecraft. Like Holmes it will both suck and blow.

    2. People will say anything on the internet. Clay Holmes is a starter. No he isn’t. That isn’t true.

  40. Yeah I’m beginning to think they aren’t signing Soto and will instead do stupid things like bellinger and Arenado and claim they improved. Like signing ellsbury after not signing cano.

  41. Seriously? Just say ‘no’.

    Rob Manfred Claims There’s ‘Buzz’ Around ‘Golden At-Bat’ Rule Among MLB Owners

    MLB’s commissioner recently told Puck’s John Ourand that the “Golden At-Bat” rule has been discussed throughout the league.

    “There are a variety of [rule change ideas] that are being talked about out there. One of them—there was a little buzz around it at an owners’ meeting—was the idea of a ‘Golden At-Bat.'” Manfred said on The Varsity podcast.

    Most probably haven’t heard of the proposal for a “Golden At-Bat,” but the basic concept is that a team could choose one at-bat in every game to use its best hitter regardless of where they are in the lineup. So if, say the New York Yankees had the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, they could bring Aaron Judge to the plate even if it wasn’t his turn in the order. It would be a one-time replacement, not a substitution like a pinch hitter.

    There could be variations on it. As The Athletic’s Jayson Stark points out, restricting the rule only to teams trailing at the time could be an interesting constraint. It could also lead to scenarios where a hitter bats one spot before his turn in the lineup, so what would happen if he gets on base? Would the original hitter take his spot on the bases, for the Golden hitter to step back in the batter’s box for a second consecutive at-bat? There is a ton to think through here.

    https://www.si.com/mlb/rob-manfred-buzz-golden-at-bat-rule-baseball

    1. Indeed. You can’t really say the Yankees jerked him around, but he spent a long time underpaid because of the rules around service time. Glad he’s getting that bag.

  43. Just for kicks I looked up the two catchers the Yankees used this year – Wells/trevino and the two they gave away – Higgy and Rortvelt. The yanks got 3.0 WAR while the two who went away got 2.3. In similar at bats.
    Rort was hitting 300 on May 15 and 280 right around the ASB, before remembering who he was and ended the year at 228. (317/303 OBP/SLG). Bottom line is that trade – Sanchez + Gio for Donaldson, IKF and Rort was terrible. They just should have released Sanchez and they would have been much better off.

    Note that it does seem they would have been better off ditching Trevvy and keeping Higgy.

  46. Rosenthal:

    “The floor for Juan Soto is $600 million.

    The bidding for the free-agent MLB outfielder has surpassed that amount, according to two people briefed on the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly.

    Agent Scott Boras said Tuesday at Dodger Stadium that Soto has started the process of eliminating potential landing spots, but did not specify which ones.”

    Decision expected by the end of the winter meetings, if not sooner.

    1. To that end, Rosenthal, Drellich and Kuty write that many people around the game expect that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen will refuse to be outbid.

      That said, there’s been chatter in recent weeks that the Red Sox are making a serious push. Meanwhile, SNY’s Andy Martino and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (X link) each suggested last night that the Blue Jays might come in with the highest bid at the end of the day.

      Where’s San Diego? Why don’t they get involved? I don’t want Soto on the East Coast except the Bronx.

  47. I am categorically not saying that the Yankees won’t be outbid on Soto, but I think it is safe to say that they won’t be outbid by fucking Boston or Toronto. I mean, come on. Steve Cohen? Sure, that’s a distinct possibility, but not Boston or Toronto.

  48. What if they went all-in on pitching? What if they went out and got Burnes?
    A starting rotation of Cole, Burnes, Gil, Schmidt and Rodon would be go a long way toward compensating for Soto if they didn’t get him. Add one more – a Manaea? and you’d have a crazy daunting rotation. A killer bullpen isn’t that far away, either.

    1. I think they’d still need to pick up hitters even if they went to a killer rotation. Soto was, like, 8 bWAR all by himself! It’s very hard to recover from losing that.

    2. It’s true, but still – a circular rotation is a special advantage, like a circular line-up. And it takes fewer players to build. I think it adds bonus value not reflected in raw WAR or WAR derivatives.
      Also, “circularizing” the line-up, not at a Soto-level, of course, but at significantly lower costs, is also very realistically doable. I’m not sure it wouldn’t make for a better team than this year’s team.

    3. A great rotation is not as valuable as a great lineup unless you somehow incredibly have like 5 of the 20 pitchers in baseball.

    4. that’s an interesting premise, petrus, one that I agree with. though the modern sp (5-6ip) relies on the pen for 1/3 of the game so a strong staff (5sp + 3rp) would foment that gestalt

    5. Clay, I don’t know that that’s true, or how clearly it’s true. I think there’s something the stats we use to say that miss. Those numbers are “against everybody” numbers. But I suspect top pitchers hold top batters down, so to speak, significantly more effectively/often than top hitters “get to” top pitchers. (Jeff Lee is right, of course, these days the top of the bullpen needs to be added to that.)

    2. Some SNY show last night he said this is the most he has ever felt that the Yankees were in it all offseason.

      And since he’s a Boras plant, that sounds to me like Boras throwing the Yankees a bone for them going to the numbers he wanted.

  52. Sevvy to the A’s for a lot of money. Via Jeff Passan: a “… three-year, $67 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest guarantee in the history of the A’s franchise.”

    1. That’s exactly what it is. They signed Sevy to a contract that is greater than their entire payroll last season, but only a two year commitment. He’ll continue his shenanigans until he gets a new publicly financed stadium and then he’ll sell.

    3. With that in mind, it’s a great signing, as there’s decent enough chance that Sevy will pitch well enough for someone to trade for him, and I bet by the trade deadline, 60% of his salary will still be enough to get them into revenue sharing.

  57. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports that Red Sox’s brass has expressed interest in another meeting at which Soto’s camp would name the price necessary to get a deal done. That’s an effort to avoid being unknowingly outbid at the end.

    It seems the Sox are worried about the Mets in particular. Speier writes that Sox’s brass has heard rumors that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen has promised Boras that he’d beat the best offer made by any other team by $50MM. To be clear, Speier is not reporting on the veracity of that rumor itself.

    3. If more than one team were willing to beat any offer, Soto’s value would be infinite. (I guess Cohen would “win”, being the last to run out of money.)
      _
      Having said that – now, after those statements, just imagine if they just auctioned Soto off to the highest bidder. Publicly.
      I’d watch that.

    4. “I have $800 million in the room, do I have 850…850 from a new bidder, Neptunus Rotterdam of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse”

    6. My God, that’s actually real.
      They should just rename baseball and call it Honkbal just in honor of that fact.
      Also, every place must henceforth have “Hoofdklasse” appended to its name. (Yes, including Honkbal Hoofdklasse.)

  58. I don’t normally believe shit like this, but the fact that he only said what the OFFER was makes me believe it, so Carlos Mendoza’s kid was big timing some other teens and said the Mets are currently at 15 years/$700 million.

    I think Hal can match that.

    1. Should he match it? And then plead poverty when other needs pop up like 1b, 3b, LF, SP, RP..,

    2. He *should* match it – and then *not* shoot himself in the foot. (Figuratively – if he wants to shoot himself in the foot literally, I’m neutral on that.)
      And why would you think that if he *didn’t* get Soto, he *wouldn’t* cry poverty – wouldn’t that cry be the very excuse for NOT getting Soto?

  59. All of these “crazy high” prices for Soto are prices I think Hal could easily match. They’re paying Judge $40 million a year for his 30s, why would it be so crazy to pay Soto $50 million when you get FOUR more years in his 20s and THEN his early 30s? It’s not like his hitting profile looks like one that will age poorly. The guy has a Wade Boggs-like eye. That plays well into your late 30s.

    I really think that this whole thing is Soto wanting to return to the Yankees, but wanting to make sure he gets the most possible money he can from the Yankees, which makes perfect sense, right? Why WOULDN’T you do that?

    1. Don – the prices of good seats at DNYS. Too much.
      Whatever they play for players – not too much, and not our problem. And – not enough… if it doesn’t make for ba better team. And before you answer with words about budget constraints – the Dodgers. Cohen. The Yankees in the past. Golden toilet seats. If Hal wants to build a better team, it won’t be Soto that stops him.

    3. They’re all making money. Hal can – could – spend with the Mets and the Dodgers, they way they’re spending.
      Convincing Don to actually feel sorry for him is a feat I thought well beyond Hal’s rhetorical abilities.

    4. I don’t feel sorry for Hal. Hal is the problem, by keeping Cashman as GM and Boone as manager.

    1. I think that was for the Pat Kelly who never was a yankee and who passed away 20 years ago, and not the 57 year old Pat Kelly who I had such higher hopes for.

      I never had any sons but if I had, I would have been pushing for Robert as a name and Abreu as a middle name.

  62. time to follow the cubs grift – sign reasonable-to-slightly-unreasonable short term deals w upside players and trade them at opportune times for prospects and/or int draft money

    3. Draft Kings The Yankees and Mets are duking it out behind the scenes to snag the star outfielder, as the -120 odds each presume a 54.55 percent chance that either team lands Soto.

      The Red Sox come in at third place with a 28.57 percent chance implied.

    4. I think if Soto were returning he would’ve returned already.

      The way he is currently handling it is adding, like, a HUNDRED MILLION dollars to the Yankees’ initial offer, so why WOULDN’T he handle it this way even if he wants to return?

    6. What was the move and at what book and in which markets? Actual futures or just those “Team to land soto” markets?

      If it’s the latter … not a lot of liquidity there. Small amounts of money will have outsize effects on the odds. Without knowing which books made the move hard to say if the people doing the moving know who’s truly sharp/respected.

      Betting markets are usually pretty predictive, but only when there’s decent liquidity in the pool. And then only when the bookmakers know and trust the money coming in enough to move the number.

    1. slight overpay as a reliever, but a steal of a viable sp. he has to build up ip as well so even if he’s a viable sp he’ll likely transition to the pen which muddles his opt out decision. also decent montas hedge

    2. I mean, if Holmes can ride his sinker into a starting role, that would be HUGE. I doubt it, but why not try?

    5. Lol, the Mets got a very good reliever for very good reliever money and are going to try to let him start. seems like a low downside move. I probably wouldn’t try to convert Holmes, but I don’t absolutely hate it.

    1. He’s already shown 3 pitches, it’s just about making those work across 5+ innings. I think it could work.

    2. It’s THEORETICALLY possible, and I guess the Mets have the deep pockets to just eat the mistake if it doesn’t work.

      Good for Holmes, I liked him, even though I didn’t want any part of him returning due to all of the, you know, sucking.

    2. Maybe they should just swoop in and sign all of Adames, Burnes and so forth while their key competitors aren’t ready to come off Soto yet.

    2. Why wouldn’t they have been interested in him?
      What ARE their plans beyond Soto?

    4. I don’t get that. If he can play short, he should be better at second and comparable at third. And then, on a long-term contract, that IS his position, and he’s not out of position. It’s not like when he was born, the doctor said: Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Adames, it’s a beautiful baby shortstop!

      They could use a good infielder on both sides of the ball. They could use at least one good hitter who’s not insanely streaky and doesn’t turn into a gaping chasm in the lineup for a month or more at a time.

    5. Him BEING a shortstop is what makes his bat seem so impressive. It really isn’t all that great as a third baseman, certainly not for THAT money. 118 OPS+ is definitely good, but not THAT good for a guy playing out of position as a third baseman making $26 million a year.

      His previous two seasons his OPS+ were 94 and 110.

      If they’re going to sign someone, I imagine they’d prefer Bregman, who ALSO had a 118 OPS+ last season, but as a Gold Glove level third baseman, coming off 122 and 134 OPS+ seasons.

      Obviously, though, the main hope is to just sign Soto and not get either one of them.

    6. Well, that does make some sense.
      Also:
      I can’t stop them, but there’s no way I’m every going to not root against Bregman.

  70. While they sit around bickering on Soto everyone else good will come off the board and the only guy left with be Jacoby Ellsbury who they will sign for big bucks to prove they are in it to win.
    Cashmans time has passed.

  71. MLBTR Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this evening that both the Yankees and Mets have recently pushed their offers to the $710-730MM range as the slugger’s free agency nears its conclusion. Heyman suggests that while it’s “believed” that the Mets have placed the higher bid of the two New York clubs, the deals appear to be within the same range. He goes on to add that there’s been no indication of the Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Dodgers being eliminated.

    1. I don’t really believe the Dodgers are involved, as Boras has been pretty firm on no deferred money.

    2. If the offers are close, it seems hard to believe he’d seriously leave the Yankees. The Mets’ only real chance is to blow away the Yankees’ offer.

    3. I hope you’re right but I don’t agree. New York is NY. He doesn’t seem impressed with Yankee mystique.

      I was reading some so so book on the Yankees in the 50s, those complementary players Skowron, Bauer, McDougald were good. Trivia question longest consecutive World Series hitting streak.

    1. If that’s their big move and they’re losing Burnes, I don’t think we will have to worry about them in 2025.

    2. The O’s are definitely in a rough spot, losing Burnes, but there’s a pretty decent high end SP selection out there this year, they’ll get someone, I’m sure.

      I do like replacing Santander (not a fan long term) with O’Neil.

    1. (That reputable source was Tyler Austin’s dad, who in the same breath noted that NPB is superior to the Mexican League, and by the way, his son actually competed this year.)

    2. And according to Feinsand The Yankees are also among the teams with interest in Thairo Estrada, per source. Estrada played for New York in 2019-20 before spending the past four seasons in San Francisco.

      Could The Summer of Thairo be upon us again?

    5. Estrada of the -0.5 WAR, 590 OPS and 68 OPS+ in 2024?
      We’re not talking about a major league deal, are we?
      Even on the bench… why would you not go with all thelow-cost in-house options with some potential? Why put THIS in the way of the Oswald+s?

  75. Heyman Yankees’ edge in Soto derby all things being equal* is Aaron Judge: 1) Judge said from the start he didn’t mind/care if Soto makes more $ (Soto may get double Judge!), and 2) word is Soto loves Judge behind him in lineup and as leader in clubhouse. (*bidding may not be over)

    1. If the money’s close, how does he NOT choose the Yankees? He gets to bat in front of Aaron Judge for the next X years (X standing for however many years batting in front of Aaron Judge is actually a good thing) AND he gets to play in the weaker League, with an easier path back to the World Series.

      If he signs with the Mets, they’ll have to win the NL East with the Phillies and Braves still putting up good teams AND they’d have to beat the Dodgers.

      The question just is – will the money be close? And how do you define “close” when everyone is over $700 million?

  79. If reports are true, that Hal Steinbrenner put over $700M on the table for Soto, and dude says “No thanks. I need every last cent”…

    Then Hal’s good w me. And Soto’s priorities different than mine.

    If he bounces for Queens though, w $700M there for him in the BX, then he’s basically saying. “F all the love and support you fans gave me last yr”.

    Then dude can go on his way anyways.

    https://x.com/Mann_O_Steel17/status/1865827039628214285

    1. He’s a borderline guy, agreed. I imagine that’s why he took so long to get in.

      Lou Whitaker really should be in, that’s my guy! SEVENTY-FIVE FUCKING bWAR!!

  89. Why didn’t they just have an auction like at Sotheby’s? Could’ve done it all on a Saturday afternoon on Pay Per View. LeBron could’ve been the auctioneer.

  92. On the bright side Yankees only have 4 spots to fill in the lineup. Even brighter Hal can cut salary.

    If Volpe and Wells don’t progress this team could be bad next year.

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