December 13th, 2024: Loáisiga, Rodriguez-Cruz, Rule 5 Draft, Mailbag

I've made the executive decision to skip the regularly scheduled post on Friday, Dec. 27th. That is two weeks from today. Between the deep postseason run and the Offseason Plan and Juan Soto’s free agency and the Winter Meetings, I feel like I’ve been working overtime for two months straight. I’m gonna skip that post and take a long holiday weekend to recharge. If there’s breaking news, I’ll be all over it, otherwise no post that Friday. Thanks for understanding. Let’s now get to today’s post.

1. Latest roster moves. The Yankees closed out the Winter Meetings with a small signing and a small trade Wednesday evening. They brought back Jonathan Loáisiga and also sent third catcher Carlos Narváez to the Red Sox for a prospect and international bonus money. Also, there was some give and take in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Let’s go through the recent transactions.

Loáisiga returns

I am not surprised in the least that the Yankees re-signed Jonathan Loáisiga. They love him, both his makeup and his stuff, and it is legitimately high-leverage stuff. Or at least it was before he had his UCL repaired in April. How he bounces back from surgery, we’ll just have to wait and see, but Loáisiga can be an MFer when he’s healthy, which he rarely is, unfortunately. I miss this guy, don’t you?

Loáisiga had his UCL repaired in April (specifically, he had the internal brace procedure) and that puts him on track to return in May-ish, though getting healthy is not really his thing, so it’ll probably take a little longer. A few weeks ago it was reported Loáisiga is playing catch and hoping to get back on a mound in January. The Yankees wouldn’t have signed him if his rehab wasn’t going well.

I’m not surprised the Yankees re-signing Loáisiga but I am a little surprised they re-signed him at the Winter Meetings and not later. I thought this might be a Lou Trivino situation where we find out Loaisiga re-signed when the beat reporters walk into the clubhouse on the first day of camp and he has a locker. There was a lot of interest in Loáisiga (Blue Jays, Mets, Padres, Rangers), so I guess the Yankees had to re-sign him now, otherwise he was going elsewhere.

The downside of re-signing Loáisiga now is having to carry him on the 40-man roster the rest of the offseason, rather than putting him directly on the 60-day injured list when he signs in Spring Training. That's a small inconvenience, not something that will massively alter the Yankees’ plans. Once the Loáisiga and Max Fried signings are official, the Yankees will still have four open 40-man spots. That’s plenty.

It’s a one-year contract with a club option and I haven’t seen the money yet. It won’t be much. Loáisiga’s rehabbing from UCL surgery, he has a very long injury history, and he’s thrown 21.2 innings the last two years. No matter how well you throw the ball when healthy, your earning potential is limited with that resume. Trivino’s contract is probably a decent template ($1.5M plus a $5M club option with bonuses tied to games pitches).

Now 30, Loáisiga will (hopefully) factor into the bullpen sometime at midseason and down the stretch and into October. He won’t be ready for Opening Day. If we see Loáisiga before the All-Star break, I’ll call it a win. Who knows? Maybe the UCL surgery fixes what ails him, and we get Terminator Loáisiga next year. That would rule.

The Narváez trade

The Yankees and Red Sox have made four trades since 2021 (Adam Ottavino, Greg Allen, Alex Verdugo, now Carlos Narváez) after making four trades from 1973-2020. Times are changing, eh? Wednesday night the Yankees sent Narváez to the Red Sox for righty Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool money ($250,000 per Chris Cotillo).

Narváez, 26, made his MLB debut this year and went 3-for-15 (.231) with the big league club while Jose Trevino was on the injured list. Narváez hit .254/.370/.412 (108 wRC+) with Triple-A Scranton and waited a long, long time to get to the big leagues. He signed with the Yankees as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela in July 2015. Only Aaron Judge had been in the organization longer. Here are the longest-tenured players in the organization, and when/how they joined the Yankees:

1. Aaron Judge: June 6th, 2013 (2013 draft pick)
2. Oswaldo Cabrera: July 2nd, 2015 (international free agent) (signed same day as Narváez)
3. Jonathan Loáisiga: Feb. 9th, 2016 (minor league free agent)
4. Oswald Peraza: July 2nd, 2016 (international free agent)
5. Yoendrys Gómez: July 2nd, 2016 (international free agent)
6. Clarke Schmidt: June 12th, 2017 (2017 draft pick)
7. Alex Mauricio: June 16th, 2017 (2017 draft pick)
8. Everson Pereira: July 2nd, 2017 (international free agent)
9. Giancarlo Stanton: Dec. 11th, 2017 (trade with Marlins)
10. Luis Gil: March 16th, 2018 (trade with Twins)

Narváez is a quality defender and it seemed like he was on the path to replacing Trevino as the big league backup once Trevino became a free agent after next season. The catching depth chart behind Austin Wells and Trevino is now Ben Rice, J.C. Escarra, and I guess Rafael Flores. Escarra is the best defender of the bunch, though he’s not great. The Yankees will probably sign a veteran catcher to stash in Triple-A now (like Luis Torrens this past season).

In return for Narváez, the Yankees landed a pretty good prospect and some last minute international bonus pool money. It is pool money for the 2024 signing period, which ends Sunday. You can only trade for bonus pool money in the current signing period, not for future signing periods. The Yankees didn’t bank an extra $250,000 for their Roki Sasaki push when the 2025 signing period opens on Jan. 15th.

The Red Sox presumably weren’t planning to spend that $250,000 before Sunday, so they traded it, and I assume the Yankees have something lined up for it. They know where it’s going, and it’s possible they will use it to sign a 2025 player now. Someone who was eligible to sign in 2024 but was waiting for the bonus pools to reset in 2025, that kinda thing. Here’s my look at the Yankees’ 2025 signing period plans.

As for the prospect, Rodriguez-Cruz was Boston’s fourth round pick out of a Puerto Rico high school in 2021. The 21-year-old split 2024 between the two Single-A levels and threw 89.2 innings with a 2.91 ERA (3.56 FIP) and strong strikeout (27.2%) and ground ball (50.2%) rates. Eric Longenhagen had an updated scouting report in July (here's video):

For the last two seasons, ERC has been on an upward trajectory in terms of his velocity and innings count. He rather impressively held his own as a teenage starter in full-season ball last year before he was shut down with elbow inflammation. Elmer was sitting 92 and mixing in three secondary offerings. This year, he’s back in [Low-A] and has had a significant velo jump while also adding a cutter. He’s sitting 95, touching 98 (with sink), and maintaining starter-quality walk rates amid his arm strength boost. Rodriguez-Cruz repeats his mechanics with impressive consistency for a young pitcher his size and is one of the higher probability starter prospects in this system even though he’s so young. Basically everything you could have hoped for when ERC was drafted is coming to fruition. He’s parlayed his curveball feel into other good breaking balls (there’s a slider or cutter here, or possibly both) that top out around 89 mph, and he continues to have changeup projection because of his loose, whippy arm action … he’s currently tracking like a mid-rotation starter and an offseason addition to the Top 100 list.

The top 100 list thing won’t happen, though MLB Pipeline had Rodriguez-Cruz as the No. 13 prospect in a stacked Red Sox system before the trade. They slotted him in at No. 12 for the Yankees. Granted, I’ve known about the kid for like five minutes, but Rodriguez-Cruz will warrant top 10 consideration when I begin working on my 2025 Top 30 Prospects List in a few weeks. He’s more than a lottery ticket. That's a really nice starting pitcher prospect.

Rodriguez-Cruz and $250,000 in international bonus pool money is a nice get for Narváez, who was unlikely to ever be anything more than a backup catcher with the Yankees. The Yankees are reliably great at two things: finding relievers and developing catchers. It goes back to the days of Frankie Cervelli. There are always quality catchers in the system, and quality catchers are quality trade chips.

Yankees lose four, add one in minor league Rule 5 Draft

For the first time since 2014, the Yankees did not lose a player in the Major League Rule 5 Draft. They also did not select anyone for the 13th consecutive year. It was a really thin pool of eligible players this offseason. The minors are in rough shape. The pandemic caused a developmental hiccup, and shortening the draft to 20 rounds is pushing athletes to other sports. There are simply fewer standout prospects in the minors. It’s not good for baseball.

Anyway, there was a bunch of Yankees-related movement in the minor phase of the Rule 5 Draft. A reminder on how that works:

• It’s the same group of eligible players as the Major League Rule 5 Draft.

• There’s a 38-man Triple-A reserve list. If you’re not on the 40-man roster or 38-man reserve list, you can be taken in the minor league phase.

• There are no roster rules. Take a player in the minor league phase and he’s yours to keep.

There have been several minor league phase success stories in recent years now that we’re in the pitch design era, and also because you can properly develop a minor league Rule 5 Draft pick in the minors rather than force him into a big league roster spot like a Major League Rule 5 Draft pick. Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter the year after being a minor league Rule 5 Draft pick!

The Yankees selected one player and lost four in the minor league phase. The player they selected: OF Luis Durango (Guardians). His father, Luis Sr., had some big league time with the Padres and Astros from 2009-11. Luis Jr., 21, hit .250/.344/.311 (103 wRC+) and went 21-for-22 stealing bases in 41 Low-A games around an injury in 2024. He’s a no power speedster who can go get it in the outfield.

The four players the Yankees lost: RHP Blane Abeyta (Braves), OF Joel Mendez (Pirates), LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (Cardinals), and LHP Joel Valdez (Reds). Valdez is the most notable prospect of the bunch. The Yankees got him in the Nick Nelson/TJ Rumfield trade with the Phillies and I had him as a Not Top 30 Prospect in 2023. The 24-year-old moved to the bullpen this year and still doesn’t throw enough strikes.

I didn’t realize Mosqueda was still in the organization. The Yankees signed him as a minor league free agent last offseason and he had a 4.39 ERA (4.50 FIP) with 29.7 K% in 67.2 Triple-A innings this summer. I thought he was a minor league free agent again, but nope. Mosqueda does it with deception, not stuff (91.8 mph average fastball in 2024), and might’ve been an up/down option. Now he’s with St. Louis.

Abeyta, 26, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and has been an organizational innings guy the last few years. He had a 4.95 ERA (4.93 FIP) in 111 innings between High-A and Double-A in 2024. Mendez turns 22 next month and has yet to get out of rookie ball. He hit .292/.405/.569 (155 wRC+) in the Florida Complex League this year, but a 21-year-old with a 26.6 K% in rookie ball is not exactly a top prospect. Not sure what the Pirates see there.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, this year’s Rule 5 Draft came and went without anything interesting happening. The Rule 5 Draft is overhyped – I am 100% guilty of this – relative to how much impact these players provide (minimal), but it is still a date on the offseason calendar, and it requires roster decisions. Not much to see this year. Even less than usual for the Yankees.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Andrew asks: I know most trade proposals suck, but I think a Tucker acquisition with a Walker signing could make the offseason just as good last year. The Yankees trade Luis Gil, Ben Rice, and Spencer Jones. The Astros trade Kyle Tucker. Let me know your thoughts! 

Tucker is not Juan Soto but he’s the next best thing, and would really soften the blow of losing Soto. I would do Gil, Rice, and Jones for Tucker. I think the Astros would want another piece, perhaps an upper level guy like Will Warren. The Yankees would give up significant upside in Gil and Jones, but also a ton of risk. Gil has an injury history and his control is poor, and Jones just had a 33% in-zone whiff rate in Double-A (MLB average is 17%). Rice’s power and plate discipline is legit, and his pull heavy approach is perfect for Yankee Stadium. He’s a poor defender though, and you have to give up something good to get Tucker. Four years of Gil is very valuable and a lot to give up. I also feel like that package would be selling high on Gil, cashing in on Jones before the wheels potentially come all the way off, and giving up some good depth pieces. Gil’s run this summer was a lot of fun and I greatly appreciate what he did during Gerrit Cole’s absence. At the end of the day though, he’s extremely volatile, and Tucker is a legit needle-mover. Sorry, Luis, but I’m sending you to Houston. Make sure you try Gatlin’s. 

Colin asks: The Red Sox just traded for Crochet but a big Sox friend of mine mentioned they might still be looking to move Casas or Mayer for another cost controlled pitcher with more years of control. Well, the Yankees happen to have a ROY starting pitcher. Do you think these teams would trade and if so would a deal around Casas and Gil make sense? What would need to be added?

The Red Sox are said to still be in the hunt for a top starter (just give Corbin Burnes a big pile of cash you cheapskates) and, I don’t know if there’s legit interest, but a Red Sox hitter for a Mariners starter makes a lot of sense for both teams. They’re talking about moving Rafael Devers to first base, which is going to happen eventually anyway, and that frees up Triston Casas for a trade. Marcelo Mayer is a top prospect but also kinda on the verge of seeing his stock take a hit because he’s had trouble staying healthy and has some weird swing stuff evaluators aren’t convinced will work at the next well. Casas is a poor defender but he’s a lefty who can really hit (career .250/.357/.473 and 125 wRC+ with 31 homers per 162 games), and has four years of team control remaining. Four years of Luis Gil for four years of Casas? The Red Sox will want more to account for the injury risk associated with pitchers, but that framework seems doable? It’s at least a good starting point for talks, I think. The Yankees and Red Sox have weirdly become trade buddies the last few years, though they haven’t done anything nearly as significant as Gil for Casas. That has the potential to hurt for a long time, and I’m not sure either side has the stomach for it (moreso at the ownership level than at the GM level).

John asks: Would you have been interested in Andres Gimenez at that price? Gold-Glove lefty-hitting second basemen in his mid-20s seems like a good fit but he doesn't really solve the Yankees offensive woes. 

I would not have wanted Giménez at that price or any price. He is a terrific defender, probably the best defensive second baseman in the sport, but the guy’s hit .252/.306/.368 (90 wRC+) in his last 1,200 plate appearances and the underlying numbers are very bad (.299 xwOBA!). And Giménez has five years and $96.5M remaining on his contract. That’s madness. Defense does not pay in arbitration and Giménez would still have two arbitration years remaining had he not signed his deal. The Yankees already have this player, right? What is Giménez if not second base Anthony Volpe, but left-handed? I understand I may be the low man on Giménez, but the all glove/no bat/making almost $20M a year profile does nothing for me.

Tyler asks: What about Ha-Seong Kim as an infield option? May not be ready to start the season, but brings strong infield defense at multiple positions, contact hitting, and speed. Seems like he could be a decent fit. What do you think?

See? Why would you trade for Andrés Giménez and take on his near-$100M contract when an extremely similar player in Kim will be available for just cash, and nowhere near $100M? Kim had shoulder surgery in October and it sounds like he won’t be ready until a few weeks into next season, and possibly not until the All-Star break. After a rough first year in MLB, Kim has settled in as a league average-ish hitter with some power and a lot of speed the last three years, and a great glove capable of manning the three non-first base infield positions. He’s a very high-end complementary player. Also supposedly a top tier clubhouse guy. The shoulder surgery and unclear timeline complicates things, but if the Yankees can get Kim on a short-term prove yourself contract (one year, $18M with a player option in case it goes south? I'm probably way low), then I’m all for it. The Yankees could then more reasonably start the year with Caleb Durbin at second base knowing that, if it does go south, Kim is on the way. Kim’s a very good and fun player. Overrated by WAR, I think, but good and fun.

A different John asks: Nothing against the Max Fried signing, but isn't a pitching-heavy Plan B after Soto a potential recipe for disaster and repeating 2021-23? In the several seasons prior to Soto, it was the fable offense that repeatedly doomed the Yankees, not their pitching.

Yes, definitely. There’s nothing wrong with improving a strength like the Yankees did with their rotation and Fried, but you can’t ignore your weaknesses either. The lineup was very top heavy last season and now the Yankees don’t have Juan Soto to carry so much of the load. I mean:

• Soto + Judge: .305/.439/.634 (199 wRC+) and 99 HR

• Everyone Else: .233/.302/.375 (92 wRC+) and 138 HR

Everyone Else needs a lot of help. The Yankees will have a full season of Jazz Chisholm Jr., and we can expect/hope for some natural growth from Jasson Domínguez, Anthony Volpe, and Austin Wells, but the Yankees need to add more offense than that. First base, a big outfield bat, etc. Fortunately, it seems like they are committed to improving the team. Fried will almost certainly be their big move into terms of money spent, but he won’t be the move. For sure though, it can’t all be run prevention. When you play in Yankee Stadium and in the AL East, you gotta score runs. Pitching and defense is for the NL Central.

Isaac asks: Thoughts on a Correa/Stanton trade? My expensive, injury prone bat for yours? Correa is obviously better and younger than Big G, but he's owed a lot more money, and for more years. Would this be a way for the Yanks to get younger and more versatile?

I can not possibly imagine the Twins would do that, nor could I imagine Giancarlo Stanton waiving his no-trade clause to go to Minnesota. Even if Stanton would okay the trade, the Yankees would have to kick in more, right? Potentially a lot more. Carlos Correa’s good! He’s had some injuries the last few years, but how many shortstops can hit .310/.388/.517 (155 wRC+) like he did in 2024? Correa out-WAR-ed Anthony Volpe in almost half as many games (+3.7 WAR in 86 games vs. +3.4 WAR in 160 games). Correa’s got four years and $128M remaining on his contract, plus four (!) club options. The Yankees owe Stanton $66M over the next three years. I don’t think the $62M gap is enough to even this out for the Twins. If Stanton for Correa is possible, the Yankees should jump all over it.

Alessandro asks: How about one stop shopping with the Cubs? Bellinger, Hoerner and Suzuki? Suzuki takes over LF, run Judge/Bellinger in CF, Bellinger at 1B, and Hoerner at 2B

There are these one-stop shop trade partners every offseason and every trade deadline, and they never come together with a big one-stop shop trade. There’s just too many moving parts. I’m not sure the Cubs will trade Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, at least not without adding Kyle Tucker to the outfield along the way. Nico Hoerner is available though, for sure. Suzuki’s a poor defender but he can really, really hit:

Suzuki has two years at $18M apiece remaining on his contract and, based on the last three years, I guess we should expect a 148 wRC+ in 2025 and a 158 wRC+ in 2026. He’s on the cusp of stardom! Bellinger fits the Yankees' roster better as a lefty hitter who can play first base and center field, but Suzuki can mash. You just have to live with another righty bat and poor defense. I don’t think the Yankees have the horses to get this all done, but man, trading for Tucker and then trading for Bellinger and Hoerner would be incredible. About as good as a Juan Soto-less offseason could possibly be.

Mike asks: Thoughts on Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer?

Those two have “sign with the Braves and end the Mets’ NL East hopes with a sweep in September” written all over them. For real though, there would be some merit to signing one of those guys to a low cost one-year deal if the Yankees do something chaotic like, say, trade Luis Gil for Kyle Tucker and Clarke Schmidt for Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner. Verlander was in rough shape at the end of 2024, so much so that the Astros left him off their Wild Card Series roster. He came off the injured list in August and got 54 swings and misses in his last 33.1 innings and 154 batters faced. That’s a Marcus Stroman whiff rate. Scherzer had a bunch of injuries but was at least a competent league average starter when he was on the mound. I’d go with Scherzer over Verlander in 2025. I’m not racing to sign either guy, but if you’re looking for a veteran to be a No. 5 depth option, there are worse gambles. There is something to be said for knowing what it takes to be great, and Scherzer and Verlander certainly do.

Adam asks: Do you think the Yanks should/would include a promise to use a 6-man rotation in their pitch to Sasaki? Is there reason to believe that starters could go longer if we gave them more rest? Starters averaged 86 pitches per start last year. If we got an extra 20ish pitches out of each starter, we'd get similar usage out of them over the course of the year, and just use our bullpen less. What am I missing?

We are inching closer and closer to the six-man rotation era. A few weeks ago James Smyth noted that almost two-thirds of all starts were made with extra rest in 2024. Teams are building more rest into their rotation than ever by using spot starters, not skipping the No. 5 on an off-day, etc. It’s only a matter of time until six starters become the norm, which of course leads to the question of whether there are enough starters for every team to use a six-man rotation. I mean, there are barely enough starters for five-man rotations. As for Roki Sasaki, I’m not sure the six-man rotation thing is something you can include in your pitch for him, but it is something you can broach and maybe gauge his interest. Pitchers would train differently if they're preparing for a six-man rotation. You can't just spring it on them. You'd have to either commit to it with or without Sasaki, or stick with the status quo.

James asks: Hi Mike, we've heard way too much about how the Mets offered Juan Soto a free suite and the Yankees wouldn't. I don't pay any mind to it as a meaningful piece of why Soto chose the Mets, but I do wonder about the luxury tax implications. Those suites, from what I understand, are worth $500k-$1M per year. Chump change compared to Soto's total contract but definitely not nothing and theoretically a way for Steve Cohen to avoid paying an extra million in luxury tax. How does MLB determine what's considered salary and what's considered untaxed perks (and what's considered punishable luxury tax circumvention)?

The suite thing is so overplayed. It’s like no one will accept “Soto took the biggest offer” even though everyone expected him to take the biggest offer the entire time. Does anyone really think Soto drew a line in the sand over a suite? Give me a break. As for the luxury tax implications, yes, perks like a luxury suite count against the luxury tax. From Article XXIII(E)(1) of the CBA, which defines “salary” for luxury tax payroll purposes (emphasis mine):

“Salary” shall mean the value of the total compensation (cash or otherwise) paid to a Player pursuant to the terms of a Uniform Player’s Contract, including any guarantee by the Club of payments by third parties, for a particular championship season. Salary shall include, without limitation, the value of non-cash compensation such as the provision of personal translators, personal massage therapists, and airfare and tickets exceeding normal Club allotments.

The “normal Club allotment” is four tickets per game. We sometimes hear stories about a player bugging teammates for their tickets when they play in their hometown and have 50 family and friends or whatever in the stands. A luxury suite is above the normal four-ticket allotment, and the difference between the normal allotment and the suite counts against the luxury tax. What that number is, I have no idea, but it counts.

Asher asks: The discussion around Soto's defense in the short and long term during his free agency and since the signing has me wondering how the universal DH has affected free agency. Does Soto get that deal with the Mets if they have to play him in the field into his 40's? Do you think Shohei gets that deal from LA if they can't DH him when he's not pitching?

The universal DH has definitely been a boon for free agency. I think Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani are special enough players that they would have gotten paid anyway (the Dodgers probably would have come up with a plan to put Shohei in the outfield or at first base, and presented it to him during the recruiting process), ditto Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Someone like Marcell Ozuna doesn’t get four years from an NL team without the universal DH though. Ditto NL players with 4-5 year contracts like Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, etc. The stars are always going to get theirs. The second and third tier free agents are the guys getting a nice bump from the universal DH. It has definitely moved the salary bar up for position players while having zero negative impact on pitchers (no one was paying pitchers for their hitting prowess). 

Jonas asks: Is Soto the best one year rental season by a player ever? Where does it rank historically?

Juan Soto is certainly the best one-year rental in Yankees history. One year, put up +7.9 WAR, and helped them win the pennant. Bobby Bonds was a +5.1 WAR player in 1975, his lone season as a Yankee, though they won 83 games that year and missed the postseason. By WAR, Bonds was the previous “greatest one-year Yankee,” and now it’s Soto. Even ignoring WAR, Soto is pretty clearly the pick over Bonds.

As for the best one-year rental of all-time, Soto is in that conversation, though he has competition and this is kinda hard to suss out. Ivan Rodriguez signed a one-year deal with the Marlins, gave them a +4.5 WAR season, and helped them beat the Yankees in the 2003 World Series. Soto was a more productive player than Rodriguez, but Rodriguez helped Miami win a ring. What matters more? 

Here are a few other notable one-year rentals, in no particular order:

• Jack Morris finished fourth in the Cy Young voting with the 1991 Twins and had a legendary 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the World Series.

• Adrian Beltré had a +7.8 WAR season with the Red Sox in 2010. How many one-year rentals had an eight-win season? 

• Alfonso Soriano went 40/40 during his one season with the Nationals. At +6.1 WAR, it was the best season of his career.

• Kevin Brown threw 257 innings with a 2.38 ERA (2.23 FIP) with the 1998 Padres. That’s +8.6 WAR and a pennant.

• Dave Winfield finished fifth in the MVP voting and won the World Series with the 1992 Blue Jays.

• Go back in time and Rogers Hornsby was a monster with the 1927 Giants and 1928 Red Sox.

I appreciate what Soto did for the Yankees, he was great and entertaining, and I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve moved on. Like, alright, he’s gone, and now I’ll focus on the players who are Yankees and the players the Yankees might acquire. I look forward to Soto getting booed when he returns to Yankee Stadium. Sorry Juan, but the game is the game.

Brian asks: This question is inspired by Volpe’s appearance on the Roommates pod, would you be in favor of MLB trying an NBA style in-season tournament?

Yes, absolutely. The NBA Cup is so fun! The players take it seriously (because there’s prize money) and it spices up otherwise uninteresting November and December games. It seems like, almost universally, the sentiment was “this is a dumb gimmick” at first, and now it’s “this is awesome, these games are great.” Here’s a quick primer on how it works. The NBA has more schedule flexibility than baseball, but MLB could make it work with an intradivision series every other week or something, then maybe crown the champion during the All-Star break. I’m not saying it would be easy to put together, but I would be for it. The games are a lot of fun and an MLB in-season tournament would liven up the dog days of summer.

(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.)