In this news and updates post, there’s not a ton of Yankees related news aside from arbitration hearings, so I figured I’d go through my top 2 Free Agents available — one of which is very surprising to me — as well as discussing the AL East and how it could potentially play out this upcoming season.
Top Free Agents Available for the New York Yankees:
1. Josh Donaldson
Now, Donaldson is, without a doubt, everyone’s consensus top free agent available, but I think the reason he is still on the market is because of his asking price and demands. It’s no secret that Donaldson views himself as this incredible baseball player, as he is, but to be asking for what he’s asking for is absurd. Donaldson recently stated he’s looking for a four-year deal worth around $110 million, which would average out to be $27.5 mil per season.
I believe Donaldson is an outstanding baseball player, but to ask for roughly 30 million, going into his age 34 season, across numerous years, is proving challenging to get. Donaldson is coming off a resurgence of a year in Atlanta, in which he OPS’d .900 across 659 Plate Appearances. He paired that with 37 HR’s, a 132 wRC+, and an fWAR of 4.9. To say Donaldson is ‘washed up’ and not worth the money is false, but to say it’d be smart for a team to shell out that money for him — at the length he wants as well — is also false. I think Donaldson will get close to what he wants, as his super-agent, Scott Boras doesn’t like to take no for an answer. With that, however, I think a three-year deal worth $75-$85 million is more in the cards. ‘The Bringer of Rain’ is one of the best corner infielders in the league and has been since ’13 (worth 40.6 fWAR across that span), but his market is dry right now, due to his asking price.
The teams most likely to bring Donaldson in are the Braves, the Dodgers, and the Nationals. The Braves are the front-runners still, as they believed in him enough to sign him to a one year ‘prove yourself’ deal, and he did just that. However, the question remains how much they’d be willing to pay him for his services. As for the Dodgers, they’ll be linked with every big-name player as they try to get that coveted World Series Championship and bring it back to LA. The Nationals have been active on the market, signing Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, and Eric Thames over the past few weeks as they rush to replace their former star Anthony Rendon as he signed with the Angels.
2. Nicholas Castellanos
Castellanos is one of the more surprising names to still be on the market. I figured his stellar second half with the Cubs would’ve warranted more teams to jump on him early, but here we are in January as he has yet to be signed. After being traded by the Tigers, in the second half with Chicago, he put up these numbers: OPS of 1.002, 16 HR, 21 2Bs, and single-handedly carried a somewhat stagnant offense.
The biggest gripe with Castellanos is that his defense is atrociously bad in RF. Over the last three seasons, he never posted a dWAR over -12, and his career -35 DRS at that position- does not give any reason to believe he’ll suddenly improve. With that, I think his offensive numbers should warrant a more massive crowd than he’s seemingly attracted. Having a wRC+ over 111 since 2016 is no easy feat, and Castellanos is one of baseball’s premier hitters. I expect his market to heat up within the next week or so, as Spring Training is right around the corner.
I am a massive fan of Castellanos’ talents and the skillset he brings to the table, but it seems as if there’s not a huge demand for a lumbering outfielder with no real defensive abilities. With that, I think the most likely suitors are: the Texas Rangers, the Chicago White Sox, and I believe that the Angels are more interested than they’ve seemed. The Rangers explicitly, have stated their interest in Castellanos, and they would likely move him to first-base long-term, which I think would be a fantastic move. If they aren’t able to pry Nolan Arenado from the Rockies, look for them to be the most likely landing spot. The Angels could benefit from the idea of moving him to first, the most, and having an LU with Trout, Rendon, Upton & Castellanos, is scary to think about.
Who knows, maybe the Yankees decide to offer him a three-year deal worth $60,000,000 to toy with everyone? Nah, that’s just unreasonable… or is it?
How the AL East Could Shape Out
1. NYY
2. TBR
3. BOS
4. TOR
5. BAL
As shocking as this is, I think the Yankees have by far the most put-together roster when it comes down to a talent and production perspective. To have not one, not two, not three, but seemingly six guys that can hit 30 HR this season across the entire year is astounding. Even with the juiced ball being likely done away with, I expect the Yankees’ sluggers: Stanton, Judge, Sanchez, Torres, Voit & Andujar — if they are to be given the reps — to all surpass 30 HR’s this upcoming year. Add to that the most talented pitching staff in arguably all of baseball, and the lethal “Pinstripe Pen of Doom” and that right there warrants them as MLB’s number 1 pre-season ranked team.
As for Tampa, I think that they’ve quietly made some stellar offseason moves. While many view the Pham trade in the light that the Rays got worse from it — they received Hunter Renfroe and T100 prospect Xavier Edwards, I think it was an even trade in the long run. TBR hate to shell out the cash, and they didn’t want to for Pham. Plus, they have worked wonders with corner OF’ers in the past, and I think there’s a chance they can do so here as well. Plus, they just added an incredible DH bat in Jose Martinez, and potential stud in Randy Arozarena from St. Louis, even if it came at the loss of one of their top prospects in Matthew Liberatore. That bullpen and front three of Snell, Glasnow, and Morton, is enough to get them to the two spot as well, and that coveted “Wild Card #1 Seed.”
For the 3rd and 4th spots in the division, I think its a toss-up. While Boston will always be a competitive team, especially with how great their offense is, that rotation is very lacking. Not to mention there’s still that chance they offload Mookie Betts to fuel their own ‘mini rebuild,’ and that alone should be some worrying signs for Boston — that if they don’t put together a competitive first half, he is gone. Toronto, on the other hand, is on the up, and that talented young core, Bichette, Guerrero Jr, Gurriel Jr, and others plus the addition of Ryu, make for an interesting 2020 campaign in the works. Look for them to be a sleeper team this season, and potentially challenge Tampa for the two spot.
And finally, the Orioles are the fifth team in the division. Well, I don’t know what to say for them other than that I feel bad for Trey Mancini. Look for Baltimore to shock everyone en route to a 55 win season.
Arbitration Filings
Today is the day that a multitude of young guys on the roster have been waiting for. It is the day that — for the most part — the majority of the players will see a significant bump in their salaries. For the Yankees, the most likely players to see hefty raises are: Aaron Judge, James Paxton, and Gary Sanchez. For other guys, like Kahnle, Green, Urshela, and many others, it seems likely that they’ll also see raises in their 2020 salaries.
Boy, the Yankees front office has been shelling out the cash. After arbitration meetings are concluded today, I wouldn’t be shocked if Cashman is dialing the phones trying to ship off Happ as frantically as possible.
More news on their respected salaries and updates will follow tomorrow, after these hearings.