June 17th, 2025: Devers Trade, All-Star Festivities

UPDATE: Good timing today. MLB just announced that Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and Joe Torre will be on Aaron Boone's All-Star Game coaching staff. Torre has spent more time around the Yankees in Spring Training in recent years, including in the dugout and going out to the mound to make pitching changes. Pretty cool that he'll be at the All-Star Game in Atlanta, where he has ties (player from 1966-68 and manager from 1982-84).

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ORIGINAL POST: One side benefit of the Rafael Devers trade: Aaron Judge’s path to the Triple Crown got much easier. He and Devers had been trading places atop the RBI leaderboard the last few weeks, and now Devers is in the other league. Even after his bad weekend in Boston, Judge still has a comfortable lead in batting average, and he went into Monday tied in home runs with Cal Raleigh. Still a lot of season to be played, but the Triple Crown is not a fantasy. It is a real possibility. Judge is that good and Devers is no longer around to challenge for the RBI title. Anyway, here’s what I wrote about getting swept by the Red Sox, and here’s the other stuff I had planned for today. (I’ll tackle Giancarlo Stanton’s return and the Angels series later this week.)

1. Holy crap the Red Sox traded Devers. I love this trend of the Red Sox letting their best players go to the NL West. Rafael Devers, just a few hours after hitting a home run against the Yankees on Sunday, joined Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts on the other side of the baseball universe in a stunner of a mid-June trade. Devers to the Giants for four players with no money changing hands:

• Giants get: 3B/DH Rafael Devers

• Red Sox get: RHP Jordan Hicks, LHP Kyle Harrison, OF James Tibbs, RHP Jose Bello

I wish we had a live stream of the Yankees’ charter when the news broke. Gerrit Cole surely sat back and had himself an enjoyable Sunday evening wherever he was. Devers is the greatest Yankees Killer since David Ortiz and the Red Sox traded him as far away as possible. We’ll see him for three regular season games each year and possibly in the World Series. That’s it. The bad man can’t hurt us anymore.

The Giants had to do it. They haven’t been able to land star hitters, instead having to overpay for second tier free agents like Willy Adames and Jung-Hoo Lee. Their contention window is right now. Almost all of their core players (Adames, Matt Chapman, Robbie Ray, Logan Webb, etc.) are in that age 28-33 range, so Devers (28) fits perfectly. A postseason spot is there for the taking. The Giants needed a bat so they got one of the best hitters in the sport, the kinda hitter they've been unable to sign in free agency. A no-brainer for them even though the last few years of the contract will be ugly.

(At the time of the trade, Devers was out-homering all Giants’ left-handed hitters 15-14 this year.)

As for the Red Sox, things must have become toxic behind the scenes, otherwise the timing makes no sense. They had just swept the Yankees, they’d won seven of eight, and the vibes were great. Then they harshed the buzz, definitely among the fan base and possibly in the clubhouse. If things were toxic with Devers, it didn’t show on the field. He’s having a great season and their offense has been fine. Their issue is preventing runs and that’s not on Devers. He’s not even playing the field anymore!

Also, the Red Sox deserve a share of the blame for any behind the scenes trouble. They mishandled the third base/Alex Bregman thing. They didn’t communicate their plans to Devers until Spring Training. Then they told him to put his glove away, he’s a full-time DH, only to ask him to play first. I think Devers should have been willing to play first because that’s what a good teammate should do, but the Red Sox handled this really poorly. Where is Alex Cora in this? Isn’t he supposed to be some great leader?

The Red Sox will talk about financial flexibility and all that, but including Hicks as a salary offset means they save only $16.5M a year the next two years, then $30M or so the next six years after that. They’re probably going to give that to Bregman, right? He’s got an opt out this offseason, he’s been great for them (when healthy), and they need a long-term third baseman. Financial flexibility is a fine idea until you give the money you didn't give Mookie Betts to Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida, you know?

Another great homegrown Red Sox player is out the door and it feels entirely avoidable. If you’re a Red Sox fan, how can you get excited over Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer? You can’t assume they’ll be around for the long haul. Devers was the guy they kept and signed long-term, and he got traded not even two years into his deal. Who cares about the savings when Boston has gradually cut payroll the last few years? They could have added $30M to their Opening Day payroll this year and they still would’ve been outside the top five payroll. I’d be so mad if I were a Red Sox fan.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, this is wonderful news. The Red Sox, who weren’t in a postseason spot even after sweeping the Yankees and winning seven of eight, just traded their best and most clutch hitter, and a guy who torments the Yankees. A division rival just unloaded an in-his-prime star hitter while getting back nothing that will move the needle in the short-term. They weakened the 2025 team to make the 2026 and beyond teams better, at least in theory. I love everything about it.

2. The Yankees and the All-Star festivities. The 2025 All-Star Game in Truist Park is, somehow, only four weeks away. We’re (much) closer to the trade deadline than we are to Opening Day. It’s not perfect, but MLB’s All-Star Game is far and away the best among the four major North American sports. It’s not even a debate. Here is this year’s All-Star schedule:

• Saturday, July 12th: Futures Game

• Sunday, July 13th: Day 1 of 2025 draft

• Monday, July 14th: Home Run Derby (and Day 2 of the draft)

• Tuesday, July 15th: All-Star Game

Phase 1 of the fan voting for the All-Star Game starters is underway. The top two vote-getters at each position (six outfielders) from Phase 1 move onto Phase 2, then Phase 2 picks the starter from those two players. The starters will be revealed on Wednesday, July 2nd. The reserves will follow on Sunday, July 6th, then injury replacements will trickle in. The Futures Game and Home Run Derby rosters are a few weeks away.

The Yankees will be represented in two of those on-field events. Not sure about the third. We’re here to figure out who the Yankees could send to Atlanta in a few weeks for the various All-Star events. Let’s go chronologically, starting with the Futures Game. Come with me, won’t you?

Futures Game

Predicting Futures Game players can be difficult because teams can block players from going, so there are often mid-range guys you wouldn’t otherwise expect in a top prospects showcase. Brock Selvidge was selected to the Futures Game last year (but didn’t pitch because he got hurt a few days earlier). Clayton Beeter pitched in the 2023 Futures Game. Go back a ways and Tyler Austin was a Futures Gamer.

This year though, I think the Yankees have one Futures Game lock and two others with a good chance to go (with one of the two being selected). The lock: George Lombard Jr. This one is obvious. He’s the best prospect in the system and he’s emerging as one of the best prospects in baseball. The Yankees love him and will presumably push for his inclusion. I would be stunned if Lombard is not a Futures Gamer.

The other two candidates: Carlos Lagrange and Cam Schlittler. Lagrange is breaking out this year and he is probably the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect right now? I think so. Guys like this tend to find their way to the Futures Game. One potential hangup is his workload. Lagrange has already thrown a career high 51.2 innings this year and there’s still a lot of season to play. The Yankees might hold him out of the Futures Game and use the All-Star break as a rest period. I dunno.

Schlittler has been the top performing pitcher in the system (2.27 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 31.3 K%) and recently got the bump to Triple-A. He’s knocking on the door of the big leagues. And that’s exactly why the Yankees might (probably will) hold Schlittler out of the Futures Game. They might need him in the Bronx soon and won’t risk injury in a showcase game. Near-MLB-ready prospects are held out of the Futures Game for that reason every year. Schlittler’s proximity to the show works against him.

To me, Lagrange and Lombard are the two most obvious Yankees’ Futures Game candidates since Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe were at the peak of their prospectdom. That isn’t to say they will get picked, surprises happen all the time, but they strike me as the extremely obvious candidates. Working in Lagrange’s favor is the lack of top 100 caliber-pitching prospects in the AL. Here are the AL pitchers on the June update of Baseball America’s top 100 list (subs. req’d):

14. LHP Noah Schultz, White Sox
52. LHP Hagen Smith, White Sox (injured)
57. RHP Kumar Rocker, Rangers (in MLB)
75. RHP Ryan Sloan, Mariners
78. LHP Dasan Hill, Twins
84. SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mariners
86. LHP Payton Tolle, Red Sox
87. RHP Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays
88. LHP Brandon Clarke, Red Sox (injured)
90. LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Blue Jays (injured)

One AL pitcher in the top 50 (!) and six healthy AL pitchers in the bottom 50, one of whom is in the big leagues and won’t play in the Futures Game. The Futures Games is only a seven-inning game, but they still find a way to squeeze 8-9 pitchers in there. Lagrange has been very good this year and there are very few high-end pitching prospects in the AL. That doesn’t guarantee he’s in, but the stars are aligned.

Spencer Jones has been to the last two Futures Games. That’s enough. Bryce Cunningham, Chase Hampton, and Henry Lalane are all hurt. Selvidge just came back from an injury. Ben Hess is MIA (hasn’t pitched since May 29th but he’s not on the injured list). Maybe the Yankees will send Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz as a “look, we didn’t give Carlos Narváez away!” move? It wouldn’t be undeserved, he’s been really good. I just think Lagrange is ahead on the Futures Game depth chart.

You never really know with the Futures Game, but Lagrange and Lombard are obvious picks to me. They’re the guys who deserve to be there and they represent the best the farm system has to offer. Now get ready for Jesus Rodriguez and Kyle Carr, or Rafael Flores and Roc Riggio. The Futures Game can be weird like that. Lagrange and Lombard though. That’s my meaningless prediction.

Home Run Derby

Aaron Judge has already said he’s skipping the Home Run Derby, as he’s done every year since winning it as a rookie in 2017. No Yankee has been in the Home Run Derby since. Do you know who’s second on the Yankees in home runs? It’s still Trent Grisham. Ben Rice is third, Austin Wells is fourth, and no one else has even 10 dingers. MLB won’t turn down a Yankee in a marquee event, but who would it be if not Judge? Giancarlo Stanton’s not gonna do it.

Young players are typically more enthusiastic about the Home Run Derby and guys who aren’t All-Stars have done it in the past. There’s an x-factor too: The Yankees open the second half in Atlanta. To use Rice as an example, he may not be an All-Star, but he has to be in Atlanta that Friday anyway. Would he sign up for the Home Run Derby on Monday, spend the next few days relaxing in the area, then start the second half with the Yankees in Atlanta on Friday?

That could be really appealing for a young player. The league covers your travel to the Home Run Derby, then you meet up with the team later in the week, so your there and back All-Star break vacation travel is entirely on the company’s dime. There’s prize money too. Last year the Home Run Derby winner got $1M. The runner-up got $750,000, and another $750,000 was split up among the remaining six players.

I randomly picked Rice for my example, but you can see how the Home Run Derby could appeal to him, no? It’s a free trip to Atlanta, where you have to be later in the week anyway, and a chance to put some more money in your pocket even if you don’t win the thing. Rice has been hitting so many ground balls lately that maybe the Home Run Derby would do him and his swing some good (I’m only half-joking). My prediction is there won’t be a Yankee in the Home Run Derby yet again.

All-Star Game

We know for certain there will be at least one Yankee at the All-Star Game: Aaron Boone. The Yankees won the pennant last year and Boone’s reward is managing this year’s AL All-Star team (and a two-year extension, apparently). All-Star managers don’t have much power these days. They pick their coaches, pick the starting pitcher, set the starting lineup, and that’s about it. Managers no longer select players. The days of Joe Torre taking 7-8 Yankees are over. Fans pick the starters, player voting picks the reserves, and the commissioner’s office fills in any gaps.

The manager typically selects two other managers to serve as his coaches, and the manager of the host team almost always gets one of those spots. The All-Star Game is in Atlanta, so Boone doesn’t have to worry about that. He is very close with Alex Cora. I would not be surprised if he picks him for his All-Star Game staff despite the Yankees/Red Sox thing. As for the other spot, who knows? I can’t say I care much. As for the players, I think we can split the Yankees into four tiers. 

Locks: Max Fried and Aaron Judge

The first fan voting update was released Monday and, surprise, Judge leads all players with 1,568,527 votes. Shohei Ohtani is second with 1,398,771. There are two phases to the voting, but the leading vote-getter in each league gets to skip Phase 2 and is given an automatic starting spot in the All-Star Game. Judge did that last year. I’m sure he’ll do it again this year. He’ll be an All-Star one way or another.

As for Fried, he ranks first in wins, second in ERA, and second in WAR among AL pitchers as I write this Monday. Fans do not vote for pitchers. They’re selected via the players’ ballot and most players won’t go any deeper than “he has nine wins and a 1.89 ERA, he’s an All-Star” or “he was nasty when I faced him in May, I’ll vote for him.” Fried’s been awesome and clearly deserves an All-Star Game spot. He and Judge will be at the All-Star Game, no doubt about it.

The real question is will Fried start the All-Star Game? Boone is the manager. He can pick his guy, and Boone does have appreciation for baseball history and tradition. Fried starting the All-Star Game in Atlanta after spending all those years with the Braves and winning a World Series there would be a cool baseball thing. Boone will do what’s best for the Yankees, first and foremost, but if there’s a way to give Fried that start, I bet Boone does it. (Sorry, Tarik.)

Next best: Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Rodón 

Player voting happens way earlier than most fans realize. It’s underway right now and will end in about a week. The whole “this player might’ve cost himself a spot because he’s slumping right before the All-Star rosters are announced” talking point you often hear isn’t real. The players’ votes are in long before that. That’s why so many guys who had great Aprils, good Mays, and so-so Junes get in each year.

Goldschmidt had an incredible start to the season and is a popular, well-liked, and respected veteran. That is a good recipe for racking up votes on the players’ ballot if Goldschmidt doesn’t win the fan voting, which he might given Monday’s update:

1. Paul Goldschmidt: 667,258
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 614,726
3. Jonathan Aranda: 483,290

The AL first base crop is surprisingly strong. Aranda has been the best performer (162 wRC+) and Ryan O’Hearn (156 wRC+) isn’t too far behind. Vlad Jr. is the most famous AL first baseman and sometimes famous wins out during the All-Star Game selection process. Only 2-3 first basemen will make it. At least one of Aranda, Goldschmidt, Guerrero, and O’Hearn will stay home.

Goldschmidt is 37 and a seven-time All-Star. It would not be surprised if he’s secretly hoping he doesn’t make it so he can instead spend the week relaxing with the family. He’s been there, done that. They may not be the sexiest names, but first base is pretty stacked in the AL. I think Goldschmidt has a real chance because of his great start. The first fan voting update went his way and he’ll do well on the players’ ballot.

As for Rodón, it’s going to come down to the numbers crunch. He’s in that tier below the league’s elites (Fried, Hunter Brown, Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal) and once you’re into the second tier pitchers, it’s anyone’s guess. Kris Bubic, Jacob deGrom, Yusei Kikuchi, Drew Rasmussen, Tomoyuki Sugano, Framber Valdez, Bryan Woo … those guys all have team bloggers pushing their All-Star worthiness right now.

Between the initial wave of selections and replacements, 10-12 starting pitchers make the All-Star Game each year. I think that’s enough spots for Rodón to make it. He’s among the league leaders in strikeouts, wins, WAR, so on and so forth. If Fried and Rodón make it, it will be the first time the Yankees send two starters to the All-Star Game since … Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes in 2022. Not that long ago. But before that it was 2010 (Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia).

Better chance than you think: Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham

The AL outfield crop is shockingly weak. Judge is 3 WAR ahead of anyone else! Furthermore, the Rafael Devers trade and Yordan Alvarez’s injury mean this is a good year for the AL to go with just one DH rather than the usual two. I think Brent Rooker is the obvious DH choice post-Devers trade. More importantly, the AL might just have one DH, which could open an extra outfield spot.

Bellinger and Grisham have had opposite seasons. Bellinger started slow and has been really good the last few weeks. Grisham started great and has been down lately. Grisham’s offensive numbers are still better than Bellinger’s (numbers going into Monday’s game) …

• Bellinger: .252/.325/.437 (112 wRC+) with 9 HR and +1.6 WAR

• Grisham: .244/.348/.468 (132 wRC+) with 13 HR and +1.4 WAR

… though this is a popularity contest. Assuming neither Bellinger nor Grisham wins the fan voting and their All-Star Game chances get kicked down to the players’ ballot, we’re talking about a former MVP vs. a guy who was a fourth outfielder last season, and wasn’t great as an everyday player earlier in his career. Guys like Grisham (relative unknown who had a great start to the year) usually don’t do well in All-Star voting.

This isn’t so much a Bellinger vs. Grisham question though. It’s whether either guy can make it into the All-Star Game given the AL outfield picture. Here is the WAR leaderboard among AL outfielders:

1. Aaron Judge: +5.8 WAR
2. Julio Rodríguez: +2.5 WAR
3. Byron Buxton: +2.3 WAR
4. Steven Kwan: +1.9 WAR
5. Lawrence Butler: +1.9 WAR
6. Riley Greene: +1.8 WAR
7. Jake Meyers: +1.8 WAR
8. Ceddanne Rafaela: +1.7 WAR
9. Cody Bellinger: +1.6 WAR
10. Trent Grisham: +1.4 WAR

WAR doesn’t exactly drive the players’ ballot. If we go by home runs among AL outfielders, it’s Judge one, Greene two, and Grisham three. (Yes, Grisham is third among AL outfielders in homers.) By RBI it’s Judge, Greene, Taylor Ward, Buxton, Bellinger in that order. No matter the leaderboard, Bellinger and Grisham show up among the top 10 AL outfielders.

Given the state of AL outfields, I don’t think you have to try too hard to see Bellinger or Grisham making it over, say, Butler and Meyers and Rafaela. Bellinger in particular given his credentials and name recognition. Add in possibly an extra outfield spot given the league’s DH situation, and I think Bellinger or Grisham have a better chance to be an All-Star than casual fans (not necessarily you at RAB) may realize.

(Bellinger was in the sixth and in the final spot on the fan voting update. If the voting ended today, he’d advance to Phase 2.)

The maybe pile: Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells

Volpe faces an uphill battle at shortstop. Bobby Witt Jr. will probably win the fan voting and Jeremy Peña and Jacob Wilson both deserve to go to the All-Star Game ahead of Volpe. Zach Neto could be the token Angels player too. Rice’s hot start didn’t last long enough and I don’t get the sense he’s well known enough around the league to clean up in the player voting. His only real shot at the All-Star Game might be Yankees fans stuffing the ballot post-Devers trade.

Cal Raleigh and Alejandro Kirk are locks. That leaves the third catcher spot to Wells, Dillon Dingler, or Carlos Narváez. Maybe Shea Langeliers if he returns from his oblique strain in time, though that seems unlikely. Narváez deserves it most out of those three (four if you count Langeliers). Who deserves it and who gets it aren’t always the same thing. I’m sure Wells wants to be an All-Star, but I am totally fine with him missing it and resting that week. It wouldn’t be an egregious omission anyway. 

(Rice is second to O’Hearn in the first fan voting update. MLB says Devers was leading at DH before the trade, then O’Hearn and Rice moved up a spot. Know who's third in the voting behind Rice? Mike Tauchman! Rice would advance to Phase 2 if the voting ended today.)

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There aren’t any other Yankees who will get serious All-Star Game consideration. Luke Weaver’s injury takes him out of the running. Devin Williams hasn’t had a typical Devin Williams season. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez ain’t making it. Middle relievers like Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill almost never get All-Star Game nods. Judge and Fried are locks. I think Goldschmidt and Rodón make it too. I’m not sure about Bellinger or Grisham. I lean no, but I don’t think it’s completely impossible.

3. 2025 draft prospect: Arkansas RHP Gage Wood. The 2025 MLB Draft will take place during the All-Star break and the Yankees hold the No. 39 pick. Here are the draft prospects I’ve already profiled. Some are players the Yankees are reported to have interest in, some are players who fit the team’s M.O., and some are players I like for whatever reason. We’re covering a little of everything.

Wood, 21, is the “it” pitcher this draft season. The guy with a poor college ERA (5.02 this year) and an injury history (missed two months with a shoulder impingement this spring), but also great underlying numbers (41.0 K% and 5.7%) and pitch data that jumps off the page. Here’s where Wood places in the latest draft prospect rankings. A few of these are weeks old and do not accurately reflect his current stock:

• Baseball America (subs. req’d): No. 94

• ESPN (subs. req’d): No. 21

• FanGraphs: Unranked

• MLB Pipeline: No. 50

• Keith Law (subs. req’d): No. 38

Wood spent his first two seasons with the Razorbacks as a high leverage reliever and he overwhelmed top competition in the Cape Cod League last summer (36.7 K%). I wrote this over the weekend and the timing worked out well: Wood threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in his College World Series start Monday. Here’s video and here is a chunk of MLB Pipeline’s free scouting report:

Wood has one of the best fastballs in the Draft, sitting at 94-96 mph and reaching 98. Its combination of velocity and carry, along with his low release height and flat approach angle, produce elite rates of chases, as well as overall and in-zone swing and misses. He relies heavily on his heater and a power 82-85 mph curveball that shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch … Wood's upper-80s slider isn't nearly as effective as his curve and he barely uses a changeup with similar velocity and decent fade … He has the ingredients to succeed as a starter, though he has also had shoulder issues in high school and will have to prove he can handle the workload.

Law (subs. req’d) says Wood showed “easy first-round stuff” after returning from the shoulder issue and MLB Pipeline’s scouting report doesn’t give enough credit to his curveball, which is a hammer and one of the better breaking balls in the draft class. It’s an elite fastball, a great curveball, two other pitches, and control. It’s also a scary injury history, a small-ish frame (6-foot-0), and a limited track record.

This is the Spencer Strider profile. Strider was this guy at Clemson (poor performance, injuries, insane stuff, etc.) and the Braves hit big when they took him in the fourth round in 2020. Teams became more open to this profile because of Strider’s success. Cade Horton had a similar rise in 2022 and was taken with the No. 7 pick. The Cubs called him up last month and he’s one of the game’s top prospects.

Ben Hess, last year’s first rounder, was a similar projection over performance draft prospect, and he too had injuries in college. The Yankees have gone for this archetype. Wood might have the highest upside in the draft class. You’ll have to assume a ton of injury risk to get that upside, but it’s crazy high upside. I’m not sure Wood will still be around for the No. 39 pick, but I bet he’s on the Yankees’ radar.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)