New York Yankees News/Rumors: Masahiro Tanaka to the Mets? All the weekend news in one place

New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka

Some say the New York Yankees may lose Masahiro Tanaka to the Mets

The New York Yankees this offseason did not offer pitcher Masahiro Tanaka a qualifying offer, along with James Paxton and J.A. Happ. Tanaka is the only one of the three that many believe the Yankees might want to negotiate with to have him return to the Stadium. This past postseason Tanaka did not pitch well in the postseason but still was a durable pitcher during the shortened regular season.

Tanaka in the last year of his seven-year contract with the Yankees earned $23 million. Tanaka is not the pitcher any longer that can command that kind of salary. If the Yankees talk with the “Tanaka,” they might want to give him a shortened contract at half the amount, or even less.  Enter the New York Mets. New Mets owner Steve Cohen that in his opening news conference after becoming owner, seemed to suggest that the billionaire might be spending and spending big to improve the Mets.

The Mets starting rotation is not in as bad shape behind star Jacob deGrom as the Yankees, but they need a solid mid-rotation guy. Many believe that Tanaka could be the guy, as he will have no adjustment pitching in the big spotlight of New York City. The New York Yankees may find they have competition for Tanaka should they decide to try to get him back in pinstripes.

Toronto Blue Jays to make a move on the Yankees this season?

The Toronto Blue Jays are a young team full of promise. The talented and innovative East winning Tampa Bay Rays will be looking to repeat their play of this past season. It appears the Blue Jays would like to come in second to the Rays at the least this upcoming season and are already making a move to improve the team. This could lead the New York Yankees to fall even further back in the East division, with their pitching situation presently in disarray.

The Yankees have a bevy of free-agent positions to fill, Tanaka, Paxton, and Happ are off the payroll, and the Yankees must fill those slots. DJ LeMahieu rejected his qualifying offer of $18.9 million for one year with the Yankees. Multiple sources say that the Blue Jays are definitely in the conversation to obtain LeMahieu. They have already resigned pitcher Robbie Ray.

The Blue Jays are aggressive early, and that should scare the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman, as they are targeting some of the same players, the Yankees may target. Along with LeMahieu, they are also looking at George Springer and Andrelton Simmons. Cashman is often slow to make moves, and if the Jays get in early, some of the best targets could be gone by the time he makes his moves.

According to a report from Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, general manager Ross Atkins said:

“What we’re focusing on is the impact being larger earlier in the market at this point. If we were to move earlier, that the impact would be significant and that doesn’t take us out of significant impact later.

Former New York Yankee player to be Joe Girardi’s new pitching coach?

Caleb Cotham was a righty pitcher with the New York Yankees during the 2015 season. During that year, Cotham pitched in twelve games, finishing four of them, before moving on to the Cincinnati Reds in the National League. He pitched for the during the 2016 season. The 33-year-old Cotham signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2017 but later retired from pitching.

At the beginning of the 2019 season, he was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as assistant pitching coach and director of pitching. After holding that position for two years, he is now the clear frontrunner to be the new pitching coach for Joe Girardi’s Philadelphia Phillies. Girardi is noted for his excellent ability to recognize pitching talent and bullpen management.

Frazier from flop to Yankee star is no longer trade bait

After Clint Frazier’s excellent 2020 season with the New York Yankees, the Yankees has come to the realization that Frazier will be impactful in the Yankees’ future success and the Yankees will no longer consider him in any trades the club might make. The Yankees always knew that Frazier had talent, his hitting ability was never in question, but from his lousy play in the field and concussion in 2018 his future stardom was delayed.

This year a new Frazier appeared on the field, making play after a diving catch. He also hit well, and midseason Yankee manager Aaron Boone made him an everyday player in the lineup. Frazier blossomed and shined. He ended the season playing in 39 games with a .267 batting average and hitting eight home runs. His fielding improved to .981 in right field and a perfect 1.000 in left field. The Yankees are not going to let that talent not be a part of future teams. The young man is just 26 and entering the prime of his baseball career.

Gary Sanchez could be non-tender in just two weeks

After years of the Yankee front office touting the Gary Sanchez was their catcher for the future. Sanchez’s amour finally has cracked. Sanchez has had a couple of bad years catching for the Yankees and managing to get on base. This past year was a nightmare when he hit an all-time batting low, garnering just a .147 batting average, and losing his starting catcher position to backup catcher Kyle Higashioka late in the season during the postseason.

In arbitration, Sanchez is due for a raise this year. Sanchez will be 28 years old going into the next season. The Yankees have just two weeks to give Sanchez that raise. Any player who isn’t tendered, and there are many industry types who believe Sanchez won’t be, is a free agent. If the Yankees decide they want Sanchez back, possibly as a backup catcher, they will undoubtedly compete for him with the New York Mets who have expressed an interest. One thing is for sure, Sanchez has fallen from New York Yankee’s grace. Sanchez’s future with the Yankees will focus on if the Yankees make a move in the free-agent market to acquire a new catcher.

 

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