The Yankees without Manny Machado
As much sense as Machado makes for the Yankees, the unfortunate reality is that he makes sense for lots of other teams too.
It’s the time of year for reflection, peace among neighbors, and all that crap. We, the baseball consuming public, are far more interested in receiving than giving. Like oversaturated toddlers, we demand that our favorite team gives us MORE, regardless of what presents we’ve already opened.
This isn’t a uniquely prominent attribute of Yankee fans. Other fanbases are similarly demanding, just not as used to getting the item on top of their wish list. If some other team- maybe the Angels or Rockies- traded for James Paxton and signed J.A. Happ, that would constitute a successful offseason.
Whether or not the Yankees are still big-game hunting at this point in the winter, the fans want them to stay on the prowl. The largest beasts in the woods are still Bryce Harper, who is an unlikely target, and Manny Machado. The former Oriole and Dodger is an excellent fit on the left side of the Yankee infield, where shortstop Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery and third baseman Miguel Andújar is a defensive trainwreck.
As much sense as Machado makes for the Yankees, the unfortunate reality is that he makes sense for lots of other teams too. To win his services, they’ll need to outbid the White Sox, Phillies, and the ever present mystery team. Maybe they will, but maybe they won’t. Assuming the unspeakable happens and the Yankees don’t get everything they want, here’s a progress report for their offseason.
Restructuring the rotation
The only major area the Yankees have renovated so far is the starting rotation. However, that renovation has been quite thorough. Entering the offseason, only Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka remained under contract from the 2018 club. That’s a good start, but only the Rays can make a full rotation out of two starters.
They quickly re-signed CC Sabathia to a one year, $8 million deal. Generally, securing a 38-year-old with bad knees who weighs at least 300 lbs. wouldn’t be at the top of any team’s to-do list. Incredibly, Sabathia has been one of the most consistent and durable starters in baseball over the last few years. He started 27-30 games each year since 2015, with a better than average FIP each of the last three seasons. He’ll also surpass 3,000 strikeouts and 250 wins next year, which the marketing department surely appreciates.
Arguably the biggest trade in baseball of the offseason to date was the Paxton acquisition. When healthy, he is one of the absolute best pitchers in the world. He accumulated 8.4 fWAR over the last two years. That’s 13th best in baseball, which is all the more impressive considering he only started 52 games in that span.
Finally, the Yankees filled out their rotation by bringing back J.A. Happ. The veteran excelled down the stretch after the Yankees acquired him from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, but he’s really shown remarkable consistency in his mid-thirties. He approaches his age-36 season on a streak of four striaght season with at least 2.8 fWAR.
Another reunion, and a few goodbyes
In addition to these three lefty starters, the Yankees also brought back veteran outfielder Brett Gardner. With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, and the ghost of Jacoby Ellsbury on the roster as well, Gardner likely takes a backup role in 2019. A team could do worse for a bench outfielder than a guy who runs well, plays excellent defense, and isn’t an automatic out.
Other than the prospects sent to the Mariners in the Paxton trade (most notably Justus Sheffield), the Yankees haven’t lost much. Technically, they lose Andrew McCutchen and Lance Lynn, who were late season trade acquisitions anyway. Neither was more than a temporary rental. Neil Walker is a role player who didn’t hit enough and won’t be re-signed. They’ll miss relievers David Robertson and Andrew Miller though, assuming they don’t bring them back.
What’s next?
Assuming the rotation is finished, the Yankees have a bit more shopping to do. The most glaring need is in the infield, and Machado would be the best case scenario. However, the premise of this article is that he signs elsewhere, which means the Yankees have to find a different solution.
Young star Gleyber Torres primarily plays second base, but he can also handle himself at shortstop. His versatility give the team more options. They could sign a true defensive expert, such as Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglésias. They could also go in a more offensive-minded direction (if you could call it that) with Josh Harrison or someone like Asdrubal Cabrera.
There are a few internal options as well. Hanser Alberto was claimed off waivers from the Rangers. Tyler Wade didn’t impress much in limited major league playing time, but he could warrant a longer look. Prospect Thairo Estrada recently joined the 40-man roster. They also employ Giovanny Urshela in some capacity.
Otherwise, the roster is mostly set. They will likely add at least one established reliever at some point. Their bullpen is perennially among baseball’s best. The relief corps- headlined by Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Chad Green- is still outstanding. They could still reunite with either or both of Robertson and Miller, or bring in a new face such as Adam Ottavino.
There’s also the Sony Gray dilemma. The former Oakland ace was a bust in New York, and they are almost certain to trade him. How much value he has is uncertain, but perhaps the Yankees could get a useful reliever or infielder in return.
Underwhelmed
Frankly, the Hanser Albertos of the world sound less than enthralling. If Machado is Plan A, there really isn’t a good Plan B. Maybe they try to add overall value by investing heavily in the bullpen instead. That still won’t hide the fact that at least one Opening Day infielder is a retread, and another ought to be a DH.
They should probably just sign Manny Machado.
