Episode 435: The Yankees Trade for Devin Williams. What's Next?

EJ and Tim discuss the Devin Williams trade and what comes next for the New York Yankees.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:15):
The podcast I and d J. Fagan tonight, joined by
Tim Cable. Tim, how are you fine?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
How are you? And Happy holidays everybody.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Happy holidays, everybody. I'm doing great. As a programming note,
I don't know if we'll have an episode a week
from today. We might have like an emergency podcast episode
at some point if the Yankees do something, But with
the holiday season, I'm not sure when the next episode
will be, especially if Yankees don't do anything. If they
don't do anything, probably no episode. If they do something,
it will either be an emergency episode or it will

(00:45):
be a regular scheduled episode. Right around the time of
those deals, Tim, the Yankees made a trade. They traded
Nestor Cortez and Caleb Durban to the Milwaukee Brewers for
Devin Williams. What was your reaction to this trade a
few days ago.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, it's mixed somewhat. I mean, I'm I always liked Nester.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
He was one of my favorites, so I was sorry
to see him go, but I think it was time
for him to go. And I also, you know, I
was looking forward to Durban as the second baseman.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
But when you have a.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Chance to get an actual closer not some reclamation project
guy off the scrap heap like they've been doing.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
I think it's a great.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Move, and not just any closer. I mean we're talking
about the maybe the best relief pitcher in the world. Right,
It's like it's either him or Manuel Class. And I've
been watching a lot of video of Devin Williams and
I am excited like that his changeup is just so good.
It's just so so awesome, and you know, he's they

(01:56):
got him without really taking a lot away from their future.
I mean, kill Dermott ends up being a star. I
think he's probably his best case scenario is probably like
he's okay, and uh Nest Corteza didn't have a spot
on the team, and so like to me, it's like
just such an easy it's it's such a maybe it's
a win win, but such an equivocal, unequiff unequivocal win

(02:17):
for the twenty twenty five Yankees, that they are going
to take what was a weakness their their bullpen, right
other than than Weaver, their their their bullpen was not
looking great. And now by adding the best guy in
the world, they they make it into a strength. I
think that you know, they can basically sit pat on
their on their bullpen at this point. Maybe add a lefty, Yeah, yeah,

(02:40):
there's two guys.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I'd like to see him ad but.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Like a Tim Hill or something.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, Tim Hill.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Yeah, but I if they there's no reason why they
couldn't add a Tanner Scott making an elite bullpen.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
I agree, but they don't need to right, like like
they this is this is a big enough move that
they are not now a better bullpen than they ended
the season with, And I think that's pretty cool. I'm
excited to watch the Airbender. One of the great names
of any like I think. I think in terms of
pitch nicknames, Airbender is pretty good and I think it's

(03:16):
it's only surpassed by Thor's Hammer.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Oh you mean you don't like slow vo or whatever
they call it.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeah, Slambio. No, I mean, look, it's fun. The Slambio
is fun. But like I mean, Thor's Hammer is an
all time great pitch name. But the Airbender, I'm excited
to watch it. I've watched now a ton of deo
of people being like this isn't possible, how does this work?
And a lot of batters looking really dumb I think so.
So that's my my first reaction is like, Okay, they

(03:44):
got the best player in the deal. They got the
best closer in baseball. They've improved the team and to
a weakness about really weakening the major league team or
trading a really good prospect, but they did trade Caleb Durban,
and Caleb Durban was like the plan B. He was
the guy that was gonna play second base if they
couldn't find anybody else for a third base or second
base with Chisen playing the other And now it seems

(04:07):
like they have to find someone right Like to me,
like I saw the Kle Durbin deal as okay. That
means they think that they can get a Bregman or
a a Henio Suarez or Nolan Aeronado or someone to
play second or third base is coming, probably third.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Base, right I think.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
And I don't think it'll be Nolan Ernado because they
were pretty clear that they're really not interested.

Speaker 1 (04:35):
Yeah, and I guess Eronado like preemptively waved his no
trade class for a bunch of teams and the Yankees
weren't one of them. Maybe not that he didn't want
to come to the Yankees, but just like they weren't
on the list right Wells really wanted and he might
he might wave it, but he hasn't.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
It would be to me, it would be Josh Donaldson
part two. I don't want to do that.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, I mean I think he's I give him a
little more credit than that, just because he's still such
a great defender and you know what you're getting right,
Like Donaldson, there was this like weird hope that he
would kind of return back to form, and he returned
back to defensive form but ended up being you know,
basically lost in the ability to hit ever again. Aaron Otto,
I think has a better attitude than Donaldson. He's just

(05:17):
a better guy. Like I I the money were right,
Like if the money were right, I would yeah, but
the money's not right. And I don't think you expect
him ever to kind of bounce back into form and
be an above average hitter going forward. Okay, so Durbin

(05:39):
is not on the team, and so they have to
make a trade for somebody. You don't think it's gonna
be Aeronatto either trade for somebody or sign somebody. Who
do you think it's gonna be? Like what if you're
reading the tea leaves right now, who do you who
do you think is going to be.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Well, based on the comments, based on the comments that
Cashman made, and based on everything you're hearing, I think
it's gonna be bregnant.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
It sounds like pursuing him like like that they are.
They are honestly talking about signing Alex Bregman.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
Yeah, and and I know people say, well, how would
he fit in because of the astros cheating scandal and
this and that. I think the only player that's still
on the Yankees from then is Judge.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, I don't think. I think it's problem. Everybody else's
players are going all over the place and no one
seems to care.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, I think it's a good move if they do it,
because it's.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
Not the only move. And you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
It's he would fit in. He's a good right handed bat.
Everybody said he had a down year, but he really
had a down beginning of the year and then came
back pretty strong, kind of like Labor Torres, but maybe better.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
I think he'd be I think he would be the
guy to get.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
He's an outstanding fielder and now that they have Max Fried,
they need, you know, a good, good, strong infield because
he throws ground balls all the time.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
I sort of agree, So I wrote a blog post
yesterday trying to kind of work through this with myself
because I think, like Bregman, you, of course everybody would
love to have Bragman on their team. The question is
for how long, right, like, how much money he's gota cost?
And for how long? What's the what are you giving
up by signing Alex Bregman? And I think my concern

(07:24):
here are two things. So you're right, he didn't have
a down win by like war right, he had a
four win season, which is basically where he's been at
every season since the twenty nineteen. But what he did
do is he had a down OBP season. He had
a slow start. You're right. But even after the slow start,
he was a three I believe, three twenty nine on
base percentage guy, so only slightly above league average, whereas

(07:48):
he had been for most of his career, at least
most of his like most you know his the his twenties,
late twenties. I got three fifty three sixty on base guy.
It's a big difference, because that's when you start being
comfortable putting it in front of judge putting him first
or second or something like that. And he still has
elite contact skills, Like he's great at making contact, but

(08:09):
he's never been a batting average guy because he makes
a lot of weak content. He's not that different from
Verdugo other than he he kind of pulled a lot
of balls down the line, got some home runs more
than that bredth Fordugo didn't get, and then took a
ton of walks. He was like ninety fifth percentile on
walk rate for most of his career and that like
basically was cut in half last year. And like, is

(08:32):
it a blip? Is it him getting old and having
to cheat a little bit? Is it a contract year thing?
Is he like secretly injured? And like we're gonna learn
about that after he signs, Like it feels like there's
something going on there, and it makes me nervous about
a long term deal. And so like I think the
question is not would you like him on your team?

(08:54):
But then the question for you, for me to you,
Tim is how much the Astros offered him sick year
A hundred and fifty six million dollars. That's six years
of twenty six million dollars per year. Would you give
him that deal? He's already turned that deal down, and
so would you give him more than that deal?

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (09:12):
I would because how much he reminds I would go
six years one to eighty. I wouldn't have a problem
with that because it reminds me of when they signed
Wade Bogs. Because if you remember the year before Wait
Bogs came to the Yankees, he hit like two fifty nine,
which is unheard of for Wade Box, and everybody thought

(09:34):
he was washed up and finished and everything else.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
But as it turned out, it was just an off year.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
Maybe it was the pressure of the walk yere I
don't know, but he bounced back and he had, you know,
really good years with the Yankees and they won the
World Series.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
And he's not as old.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
And Bregman has some of that like he's got he's
got some of the intangible stuff that you pay for, right.
So he's have been the leader of an Astros team
that made the Alcs seven years in a row, that
one two World Series. He's got some of that juice
that the Yankees just don't have.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
He's a clutch hitter too.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
He's a clutch hitter. He's got a little bit of
an edge to him, Like I feel like there's there's
there there are like qualities above his war total that
I think are good. And I look at what out
what Willia Domas just got, and he got seven years
twenty six so the Astros contract plus one year, and
Willie Domas just isn't as good as Breckman like he's
been like a three win player, not a four win

(10:32):
player and so like. But he's also two years younger
and so like. If I were like in a perfect world,
I'd offer him a higher average annual value but a
shorter contract than a damis right, I offer him thirty
million a year for four years, but he's not gonna
take that, right that he's turned down one hundred and
fifty six million. He wants more. So what I settled
on when I was trying, I was trying to kind

(10:54):
of game this out when I was running the blog post,
and what I settled on was seven years twenty four
per year, which is more than what the what he
got offered by the Astros in total value, but a
lower average anial value, which is both good for the Yankees.
We saw the Yankees basically give for you NEXTRA year
to lower the average annual value. I also learned during
the free contract that that's what they did with DJ Lamyhew,

(11:16):
that they gave them AHEA the amount of money they
were going to offer him, and they just added two
years to lower the AAV, which is why mayhe's still
on the team. But so like, lower the AAV a
little bit, but still give him more money than the
Astros offered, And I feel like there's a deal there
that that also means that he's on your team for
seven years right to his late thirties. I was trying

(11:38):
to find kind of players to like, similar players to
figure out how they aged, and I I got a
couple of good ones, like Juli Guriel aged really well.
Similar player, right, good back to ball skills, but not
a ton of power, you know, not super athletic. Michael
Brantley is a little more athletic of a player, but
you know, very similar kind of batting average, kind of
back to ball skills. Those guys both hit for average

(12:00):
more than Bregman, but you know, similar ish kind of players.
So I think I think, like if they signed him
to a seven year deal with you know, lower a V,
I think I'd kind of stomach it and be okay,
But it hurts a little bit, right like it it's
a it feels like a risk.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, but it's kind of a risk they have to
take because who else are they going to get?

Speaker 1 (12:25):
You're right, and it solves so many of their problems, right, Like,
it allows you to play Chishom at second, his better position.
It's a third baseman, you need an infielder. It's not
a lot of infielders available out there. He is still
problem now, your second best hitter, you know, even if
I have reservations about him, Like I think he's better
than you know, whatever Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells and

(12:45):
all those guys. So yeah, like I think I think
that he's worth paying a little extra money for, not
just because he's a leader, but because like he just
he's the glove that fits the Yankees' hand right now.
And and I just think that for your free agent,
prices are high, and and so you're gonna have to
overpay for for an improvement unless you want to try

(13:05):
trading for somebody, But then trade prices are going to
be high. We saw the Red Sox got a huge
haul or have to give up a huge hall for
care Crochet. I think that Kyle Tucker will talk about
him in a second, but got a got a really
the Astro's got a ton for Cup for one year
of Kyle Tucker, more than I think the Yankees had
to give up for one Sodo. That's a that's a

(13:28):
I think really telling right now. It's just that there's
not the supplying demand are not really matching up right now,
and so you're gonna have to overpay to fill the team.
And the Yankees got a lot of spots to fill.
Right Let me ask about the Kyle Tucker trade. So
he's he's a Cup, He's not a Yankee. I think
a lot of Yankee. The Yankees were apparently negotiating pretty
late in the process, and the deal we are we're

(13:50):
reporting that the Astros wanted in return for Kyle Tucker
was the Luise Hill and the Yankees prospect George Lombard Junior.
Me just say something quick about Lombard Junior. I thought
he was gonna be a really big, like a really
down prospect. He didn't hit very much this year. But
I've been starting to read the off season scattering reports

(14:10):
are starting to roll In and seems that even though
like he looked like he was not his like numbers
aren't that good, it's statline's not good, that scouts were
actually kind of happy with him. And I think he's
a really good prospect. Yeah, it would be a pretty
solid first round pick prospect. And Louise Hill. Would you
have done that trade for Tucker?

Speaker 3 (14:29):
No, because I think Luise heel is, I mean, he
was working the year. I think he's only going to
get better.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
I think, you know, I would want him. I wouldn't
want to give him up.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
And Lombard from what I've read, you know, they had
Roderick Arius and Lombard and apparently it was originally Arius
was ahead and now it's flipped.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
And I think Lombard's the higher ranked prospect of the two.
And I think eventually he may even pass Spencer.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
Jones, and he did in the Baseball America rankings America,
I have Spencer Jones sixth in the Yankee system. Really
not that good right up. Baseball perspectives had him second
behind him Ingez. Yeah. The way every of those offseason
scotting reports is that like Arias, basically no one likes
right now no one things looked any good, but Lombard
Junior one looked like a gold Glove shortstop basically like

(15:25):
I think. I think Baseball America called him the best
shortstop in the minor leagues right now, right That is
high praise for a nineteen year old. I also didn't
realize that he was basically a year younger than most
people in his draft. He was one of the youngest
players in the draft, which means that which is why
he he One reason why he might have struggled is

(15:47):
that he's essentially a year behind people, but also scouts
kind of thought he looked a little better as the
year went on, so good news under George Lumbard Junior.
I agree with you. I'm not trading Hill for Tucker
like I think at some point you can't make all
these short term rental trades, like the trading for a
guy in a one year deal, unless it's like a
Nestra Cortet situation where you're trading a guy with one

(16:07):
year left for the guy with one year left. I
just think it's gonna come back to bite you. You know,
it didn't really come back to bite them on Sodo
and Michael King had two years left, so he's gonna
be a free agent after this year. They can have
him back if they want. And you know, most of
the pitching prospects there weren't very good. And then you
had like Higashioka, who was a one year guy. You
had Drew Thorpe, who the White Sox managed to flip

(16:30):
for Dylan c So that's something, but does not look
like much of a prospect. So like the Yankees didn't
give up a ton for one Sodo. But eventually, you
just you gotta, you gotta hold on to some future guys,
and so Hill, like, I'm I'm out for trading Hill,
but I don't want him for a rental, Like I
want him for a guy with like three iss years
at least of control left. And I'm just not sure

(16:51):
if that guy's out there right now. Maybe he is,
but you know, if you told me tomorrow that they
trade him for whatever one year of au Heniosuarez, I'm
not crazy about that. Like I'd be okay trading Schmidt
for a one year guy, because Schmid's got fewer years
left on him. He's got three years left, not not five,
which is Hill. But I just I cannot Hills has

(17:14):
such potential, and I get the instinct to trade him
just because I think he's a little risky. He's riskier
than if I say he won Rookie of the Year.
I think that overrates him a little bit. He's not
Paul Skeens. But at the same time, I think like
we saw a version of him which is like really
good and and good enough that you go, you know,
this guy could be the best pitcher on your staff

(17:36):
next year. He was. I mean, we're talking about him
maybe winning a Cy Young at one point during last season.
So I wouldn't be shocked if they end up in him.
He ends up in some trade, but not for a
one year guy. And then the Yankees clearly weren't willing
to trade him for a one year guy. And so
the Cubs got had to give up three years of
Isaac Paradis, which is pretty good, and their top prospect

(17:58):
is a better prospect than than George Lumbard Junior. So
the you know, the Astros, they got a good return
for him. And the other news about that trade is
like it seems like the Astros have a third baseman.
So Bregman is is you know, going elsewhere?

Speaker 2 (18:13):
I wouldn't be surprised if Bregman's a Yankee by Wednesday.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
It just makes so much sense, Like if they don't
sign Bregman, like the options get thin pretty quickly, right,
Like you have to whatever, Kyperractrus. I'm not looking forward
to that.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
No, they won't do that.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
You got to trade so so like Nico Horner from
the Cubs was apparently on the on the on the
table at one point, but now they don't want to
trade him because they want to go for it this year. Again,
a Suarez from the Diamondbacks is possibility. So there are
guys out there, but no one that really fits the
team like Bragman does, and and they don't really have
an in house option. They don't have a fall back.

(18:50):
They couldn't like spend their money in an outfielder and
then you know, start Durban. I think I think they
have to get they have to get an outfielder, they
have to get a first baseman, they have to get
an infielder, and we'll see that. We don't really have
any real rumors about first base. There's a tweet from
John Haymon which is basically saying the Cubs are interested
in everybody so the Cubs are talking about the Yankees

(19:12):
are talking about Bellinger, but also they're interested in Alonzo, Walker, Santana,
and Naylor Low probably others, right, So like that doesn't
tell us anything. I don't know if I've gotten your
temperature on Bellinger. Let's say the Yankees trade for Bellinger.
It's mostly a salary dump on the part of the Cubs.
The Yankees don't give up much. Let's say they don't

(19:32):
dump any other salary. So this doesn't mean they get
rid of like Stroman or someone. They just take on
the twenty seven million dollars that Bellinger's ode. How would
you feel about that trade.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
I'd like it. I think I've wanted them for a while,
I think.

Speaker 3 (19:47):
And one rumor that I read was that the Yankees
were going to send DJ Lemayhew.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
I would drive them to the airport if they could
do that.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
I'm skeptical of that though.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
No I know that's what I read.

Speaker 3 (19:58):
But I think I would love to see Bellinger here
because he's not Soto. I'm not saying that, but he's
a good left handed bat, and now that SODA's going,
you need another left hander. And let's say you do
get Bragmann. You do get Bellinger, that gives you a
pretty good lineup, and then Bellinger gives you a flexibility.

(20:23):
Do you play him at first? Do you play him
in the outfield? Do you play him in the outfield
and see what ben Rice has or do you acquire
one of those other guys for first.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
Or do you acquire Santander for the outfield. It gives
you a lot of options.

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Yeah, And I think I think if you don't acquire Bellinger,
then your outfield starts to get very righty heavy right.
You would have Chisholm as a lefty, you have Wells
a lefty, and I guess Dominguez as a switch hitter,
but really much better as a lefty. And I just

(21:00):
feel like you need one more guy kind of near
the top of the lineup as a lefty in that
because I watch his own batting like second or something,
and and so I think Bellinger fits there, Like I
think he's got like a poll swing at Fitzs Yankee Stadium.
I think he fits as an outfielder. I just I
would if if the option is like bell if you
get let's say you got Bellinger tomorrow, but you didn't
have a lot of money, Like I'd prefer them go

(21:20):
sign Carlos Santana or trade for Nathaniel Lowe or someone
over starting Bellinger at first, And like I don't know,
I mean Santander, I mean, if he's cheap enough, we
can talk about it. I just I'm just skeptical that
you're gonna get it nick him or Kaoskar or someone
at a reasonable price. Like those guys are expensive.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
Yeah, but they also do have money because they saved
on Soto and you know, uh Ridugo's go on, his
money's gone, Torres has gone, Clay Holmes has gone, So
they they have money that they could allocate if they
want to.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
I mean, you know, they were ready to.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
You don't know if there's gonna be a buyer for
especially Santander, for all that cheap, you know, Like I
I think I think there's a world where Santander has
to Like I think he right now wants like a
whatever one hundred and fifty million dollars deal because he
just hit forty four home runs. But like I just
like I don't think that any team's out there gonna
that's gonna give it to him. He's a bad defender.
You know, he's a two to three win player, and

(22:26):
probably he's not gonna age all that great. He's thirty,
He's gonna be thirty one next year. He's not Willie Domas.
But you know, I look at his his spray shirt,
and I go like, i'd like to I'd like to
see that in Yankee Stadium. You know, I look at
you know, I I I think that if if we
weren't talking about money, I would say I think he's
a fine enough option. I I I'm a little scared

(22:49):
of what he looks like in Yankee Stadium left field.
But besides that, I think he's a fine enough option.
But I just worry that it's gonna be like a
you know, the like the cost difference between him and
like Bregman isn't going to be that much, and that
that scares me. But I also could imagine the Yankees
looking for somebody in March and Stander not having a job,

(23:10):
and then you could get him on as a real
bargain and that could be really nice.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
That's true.

Speaker 3 (23:14):
Or they could put Bellinger in the outfield and get
Christian Walker.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
That's true.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Thing, right, Yeah, yeah, Because I think I think i'd
rather have Walker than Santander.

Speaker 3 (23:26):
Yeah, I would too, And I think and I was
kind of lukewarm on Walker, but the more I've read
about him, I think he especially if they really want
an elite defensive infield. If you put Bregman at third,
him at first, and Chisholm and Vulpe, that's a pretty
good infield.

Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah. I agree, I think Walker. I think I think
that's a great I think that's the best infield of baseball.

Speaker 3 (23:50):
And you may Walker probably wouldn't meet you probably wouldn't
have to give him.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
More than three years.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Yeah, I mean maybe it's the question, right, like what's
the contract? Is it? Is it a four year contract?
You're employing a first basement until he's thirty seven. Is
it a twenty million dollar contract? Is it sixteen? You know,
like there's different versions of this that I'd say yes
and no too, But I just think he, Like I
think every single person who's a Yankee fan thinking about

(24:17):
the off season like looked to Krishna Walker two months
ago and said, yeah, like that's the guy and I
and if I had to choose between him and Bellinger,
I think I choose Walker just because the Yankees like
the Yankees can find an outfielder, like, they can't find
a first basement like that, Like they need to sign.

Speaker 2 (24:33):
Somebody unless they go with Ben.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
Rice exactly right. Like that to me, that that that's
the risk and you risk basically having a negative first basement. Again,
the Yankees were the worst first base team in baseball
last year, and I just you can't, like when you
lose Sodo, you can't afford to give away any spots
like that. So if you can't get Christian Walker, like

(24:56):
priority number one has to be trading for someone to
see Naylor's names, Nathanieloa's names, like who the hell knows
like which of these guys, but.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
Like Scared Nailor, I don't like nail I mean, well,
and I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (25:10):
This, I'm saying this is a large man. But every
time I look at Nailor, he's bigger.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
I agree. And also he's a terrible defender.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
He reminds me of Pablo Sandoval.

Speaker 1 (25:23):
Yeah, and you know something, all was good for a while.
He's like he's like, I had a longer career than
he would have expected. But when he went, he went
like he was just over on that. Nailor. You know,
you're not talking about a long term deal, so I
don't know what it would cost, so you know, tell
me what it costs. He's a lefty that helps. Right,
We're talking about some right handed first base bats here,
so the lefty bat might help. He's a contact bat. Like,
there's things to like about Naylor, but I'm with you,

(25:45):
like I don't want any part of long term nailer
at all.

Speaker 3 (25:47):
No, And to me, when they were talking about all,
you know, uh, Bregman has that negative baggage, Naylor has.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
More negative baggage. Yeah, I agree, I wouldn't want him.
I mean, I think he's a dangerous hitter, but for
how long? You know?

Speaker 1 (26:04):
I agree? And I think like if you give me
a choice between Naylor and like Nathaniel Lowe, give me
low He's a little bit worse of a hitter, but
like he's just a more stable player in general. Like
he's he doesn't didn't do the stupid rock the baby thing.
He's been a consistent two and a half win players,
a little better on defense. His body's a little bit

(26:25):
more traditional, right like I to me, that is that
makes much more sense to me. But like I just
need someone right like I, there is no Caleb Durban
for the Yankees to play first, it's Ben Rice. And
the last we saw Ben Rice, he was playing terrible
defense and was hitting like one eighty.

Speaker 2 (26:43):
And again he's young, so that could you know what
I mean?

Speaker 1 (26:48):
I remember we guy to have a triple A as
an injury replacement, right.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
Because I remember when twenty sixteen Judge hit one eighty
six and everybody said he'll never be anything.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
And and I'm not saying Ben Rice is going to
be judged. It's not what I'm saying. But we have
to give these guys a chance.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
But if you have an opportunity to get Walker, I
would do it.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
To me, Like the problem is is like what is planning?
What is planned? B Right? Like I think you get
you can give Ben put Rice a chance as a
bench player. You can give him a chance as a
guy triple A who gets called up. You can give
him a chance as a guy who's a trade piece, right.
But I just I don't think that you. I don't
think you can go in to next season and say

(27:32):
our key offensive position, first base is going to be
somebody that big of a question mark. I frankly wasn't
super comfortable with with Caleb Durban as a second baseman,
unless it was a way to get Sodo, right, like
you cheap out on a position because you're paying Sodo
fifty million dollars. Now that you're not paying Soda fifty
million dollars, like you have the resources to go get
a professional, classically trained first baseman, and to me, like

(27:56):
that's the priority. Like even if it's again like Carlo Santana,
low ceiling guy, right, a guy who you hope is
a two win player, but you know it is probably
not going to be a negative player.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
I'd go with.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
Although like any of those guys, I'm a y and
Daz is nice because he would be a leadoff hitter
like that you desperately need, whereas I don't think Carlo
Santana's that guy, you know saying with Bregman's you know,
like like you you still kind of need someone to
go in front of judge, Like I think, like the
problem it becomes a problem when I don't think it's
a problem that the Yankees need to replace Soto's offense.

(28:32):
They're not going to do that, and they can replace
him with pitching a defense, which they're in the middle
of doing right now with Freed and Devin Williams are
basically the two best pitchers in baseball. Like Freed as
the best era in the last four years, Devin Williams
has been the best reliever of the last four years.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
And they're still in on Sasaki.

Speaker 1 (28:48):
They're still in on Sasaki. Like that would be cool,
Like you could imagine them like pulling a rabbit out
of their hat and bringing in some pitcher, Like I
don't think that part is set, but I think there's
a Like I think you're under utilizing Aaron Judge. If
the gradient between Judge and the hitter hitters around him
is too steep, you get int a situation where you

(29:10):
can easily pitch around him, right and and you know
Sodo got on base in front of Judge and that
that made it difficult to pitch around him, or you
can put somebody behind Judge, like either way, Like, I
still think you need one of those guys on either
side of Judge just to be a little bit of
insurance so that he can go be as good as
he was, you know, maybe not as goods he was
last year. It's not gonna be Soto is his protection,

(29:32):
but pretty good and Kyle Tucker could have been that guy,
but that's that that ship has sailed. I think Bregman
is the one guy we've talked about that could be
that guy, like I Christian Walker, Nathaniel Lowe, maybe maybe
Josh Naylor. But like all all the other guys that
we've talked about, I think are just like they're just
a little bit like they're eight hundred ohps guys.

Speaker 2 (29:53):
But what if they not?

Speaker 1 (29:54):
They're not stars, But what if.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
They get Bregman, Bellinger and Walker.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
Well, yeah, that'd be great.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
And they can't do that.

Speaker 1 (30:02):
They can't And and like another problem the Yankees have
had has been Judge gets on bass and like three
guys behind him aren't good enough to punish it. And
you know, I don't think that anyone's like afraid of Bellinger,
Walker and Bregman, but I think those three guys are
gonna could get a lot of RBIs if judges the
base for forty five percent of the time.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
And the thing is, you may not be afraid of
any one of them, but if you've got three of
them and then throw in Chisholm and Wells and have
Stanton pretend it's the off season, you know then it's
pretty dangerous.

Speaker 1 (30:39):
Yeah, I agree, and like you know, we're it's weird
to say that, like I just want a guy who
can hit twenty five home runs and all those guys
can do that, whereas you know, except for some time,
stant like no one that they put behind Judge was
really that kind of threat for a while. And you know,
you start talking about very long line up even if

(31:01):
again you don't have like that like top of the
lineup that was so good last.

Speaker 2 (31:04):
Year, all right, and you also have Dominguez in there.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, and to me, like that's the big question mark here,
like there's a world where Dominguez is your leadoff guy.
Like the word Tomingez is that guy? I just I
don't again, he's that guy I want to count on.
I I love Damagas. I think Deminga is gonna be great,
Like I I have so much more confidence in him
than I have and say like Volby and I also
have a lot of confidence in Austin Wells. But I
I still want I still want to rock, right, I

(31:32):
want some I want something that is like as close
as you can get in baseball to a guarantee and
then all that other stuff on top. That's just that's
just bonus and I that's that's building the dominant team.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
I have read that the Padres are gonna make Uh
what's Luis Aarrez?

Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, how do you feel about him?

Speaker 3 (31:53):
I'd like him if it depends if you get him,
then I don't know where you'd play him.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
He could play second, we can play first.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
I mean first is that is where he's been playing lately,
and he's kind of bad at it. He's bad everywhere.
I also think he's a bit of an overrated hitter,
like he he was a seven forty four ops last year,
rather like he hit an empty three eighteen and like
there there's there's a situation where that's useful. But I
think it's less useful at the top of the lineup
than people kind of give him credit for it. Like

(32:22):
I think he's I think he's a guy that that
you want. You want like a vulty in front of him,
someone who can steal bases or jash chism in front
of him, right you do the hit and run move
a guy, look that that's useful. I feel like if
you put him, say behind Aaron Judge, it's gonna be
a million groundouts, and if you put him in front

(32:44):
of Aaron Judge, well then you're just talking about a
guy with a three forty six on base and no power,
right like you're you're I mean, maybe you get the
twenty twenty three version of him and then this is
you know, that's great, like you know, like he was
an MVP candidate that year. But I just I'm a
little bit hesitant on him. I think he's a little
bit overrated. And in part of that's just the defense.

(33:05):
Like his defense is just so bad. Like this is
a guy who was a one win player last year
because he had awful defensive numbers. So like, like I
think they could do worse than him. And he's fun
and he's certainly different. He is a four percent strikeout
rate last year. Maybe he's a guy he could learn

(33:26):
to turn on something in Niaggy Stadium. I don't know,
but I'm I just I feel like it's gonna feel
like labora toor is on defense.

Speaker 3 (33:35):
Yeah, that could be, but again that's he's sort of
on the fringe of a possibility.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
Yeah, we haven't had a real strong rumors, just that
the Potters are trying to get rid of him.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
And I did read that the Blue Jays are willing
to trade Vladimir.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
That sure would be fun that that that okay, how
about we're gonna end up on this. Blue Jays call
you up and they say, we want to trade Vladgerrero Junior.
I know you just turned down Kyle Tucker as a rental?
Will you trade him for George Lumbar Junior and Louise Hill.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
No, I'd give him something else, but.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
I'll give him Spencer Jones. I'll give him George Lumbar Junior.
But yeah, it's the same. I mean I think Tucker's
I wouldn't trade Hill.

Speaker 3 (34:19):
I give him Spencer Jones, Ben Rice and uh, well,
who's that guy Hampton in the minors?

Speaker 1 (34:26):
Yeah? Like I agree with you there, Like I would
trade prospects for him, but I'm not trading my top
tier talent for him.

Speaker 3 (34:33):
And and I'd say I want a seventy two hour
to sign him.

Speaker 1 (34:37):
Yeah, it's not gonna happen.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
Though, Well they do it sometimes. But and is he
represented by Boris?

Speaker 1 (34:43):
I don't know if he's is or isn't. But he
just saw so to get seven million dollars right, Like
I think he wants he wants five hundred or something. Right,
he's gonna be a big contract.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Yeah, all right, he'd be a an acquisition.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
Tim we've gone thirty four minutes longer than I expected.
I got a baby to take care of. Everybody. Thank
you for listening. We'll be back with an emergency podcast
if anything happens. If nothing happens, we'll see for Sunday.
I haven't decided yet, and there will be a holiday
break in there as well. So happy holidays everybody. Hope
you are all doing well. This has been your Bronx
Beat podcast.