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Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our bi-weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Darth_Lazarus asks: If the CBA negotiations go really sideways is there a possibility we see replacement player games next year?
Never say never, but I doubt the owners would want to go this route even if it’s looking like the season is completely lost. Recruiting scab players at this point in the league’s history would be a black eye on ownership and would completely kill any goodwill they could have with the public as these negotiations drag on, as the product on the field will be a clearly inferior copy that wouldn’t draw much interest while also making them look desperate to recoup on the broadcast deals they’ve negotiated. Speaking of those broadcasting rights, while the league is a much more regional product than the NFL or NBA and several teams were having trouble finding an actual partner for their TV audience, it’s my hope that the prospect of future negotiations with broadcasters is one of the pressure points pushing ownership to get to the table sooner rather than later resulting in an actual season being played out in 2027 — perhaps a bit too hopeful, considering the lines in the sand that have been drawn this time around, but a girl can dream.
LocalBlueWhaleRuinsEverything asks:With the Yankees needing some offense, could they consider Arozarena or Suzuki? Theoretically, they could stick one in LF and have Cody move to CF. It’s not something I’d want them to do long term, but for one season I’d be interested. Stanton and Garcia should be gone after next season, so in the future you’d a spare DH spot to rotate them.
Theoretically they could, but that takes a lot of the value that Bellinger provides away by moving his excellent left field defense over to center field, where he has been underwhelming at best since 2021. Arozarena and Suzuki are both quality offensive options that would improve the lineup tremendously, but the defensive setback that adding either would cause problems down the line. That being said, the free agent market for true center fielders is abysmal, so if they’re looking for an upgrade they’re going to have to get creative with trades to find it.
Johnny1944 asks:It seems JD was overhyped for years by Cash. Does he have any real value?
Jasson Domínguez’s career is looking like a relatively unremarkable one, which is what tends to happen to the majority of MLB players — but most players don’t get compared to Mickey Mantle when they were 17 years old. That unfair expectation has felt like a weight on Domínguez’s shoulders the entire time that he’s been in the organization, with every glimpse of a solid run down in the minors being heralded as the turning point where he was going to spark a path straight to the majors. However, Domínguez has now had two full seasons in proximity to the majors, and while he’s still very young entering his age-24 season in 2027 it just doesn’t seem like there’s much to work with in his game.
Our own Andrés tackled the idea of whether the Yankees should move on from Domínguez the other day, and while his conclusion was that there’s no pressure to do so immediately time is running out for the former wonder prospect. He’s got one minor league option remaining meaning he’s likely to start the year in the minors, and while there’s some underlying promise in his peripherals the majority of his Savant page is disappointing. Domínguez’s defense has been atrocious to watch, and he’s alternated from being unable to hit lefties to being unable to hit righties. If there was just some consistency to his game he’d at least be able to stick around as a bench option in the majors, but as is he’s got to get consistent playing time to try and make something of himself and he isn’t going to find that in pinstripes at the moment.
OLDY MOLDY asks:How reliable are Cole, Fried, and Rodón next year considering recent arm problems in the last 3 seasons and age? Any innings projections? Does Schlittler come back to earth in 2027?
I don’t have many concerns about Max Fried at the moment — he’ll probably be good for one short-term IL stint but otherwise give the team 25-30 starts and has been lights out when he has been active. Likewise, while Gerrit Cole has missed significant time over the past couple of seasons the core issue has now been dealt with and he should be fully healthy entering 2027. It’s wild to think that we’re already seven years into the nine-year deal that Cole signed with the team, but there’s just two seasons left of his contract and if you told me back then that he’d have compiled three top five Cy Young finishes with one win up to this point, I’d be pretty content entering the final days of that deal. Carlos Rodón has salvaged his Yankees career quite well following his disastrous first year in pinstripes, but of the three his health still concerns me more going forward — not enough to panic, but enough to keep my eye on how he’s getting through each start even when he’s on. As for Cam Schlittler, the sky is the ceiling for the team’s newfound ace and while it would certainly be unrealistic to expect a 1.95 ERA as the standard going forward I think he’ll remain the team’s best pitcher next year as he comes into his own.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/yankees-mailbag-early-look-outfield-213000645.html
