September 13th, 2024: Domínguez, Wells, LeMahieu, Judge, Mailbag

Earlier this week Marcus Stroman was named the Yankees’ nominee for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes players for their charitable work and community involvement. Among other things, Stroman launched a program this year that will provide 10 Bronx high schoolers with college scholarships. Here now is my annual rant that it is shameful MLB turned the Roberto Clemente Award into a fan vote to drive clicks to the voting page and generate ad revenue. It is a very prestigious, very meaningful award, and they turned it into a popularity contest – are fans going to vote for the most deserving player? no, they’re gonna vote for their team’s guy – to make money. You don’t have to monetize everything, MLB. I guess that horse has left the barn though. Anyway, here is today’s post.

1. Weekday thoughts. We had a “well, it was a good season” scare Wednesday when Juan Soto fouled that pitch into his foot and crumbled to the ground in pain. He stayed in though and walloped a two-run homer off the excellent Cole Ragans (video). It was the “call an ambulance … but not for me” meme come to life. The man has a flair for the dramatic, does he not? It’s absurd how many games this season have come down to the Yankees having Juan Soto, and the other team not. Here are a few thoughts on the last few days.

El Marciano arrives

At some point between last Friday and this Monday, the Yankees went from “Alex Verdugo gives us the best chance to win” to “it’s time to call up Jasson Domínguez.” That’s not an assumption or an exaggeration. When the Yankees were in Chicago last weekend, Brian Cashman said in no uncertain terms the Yankees believe Verdugo gave them the best chance to win, and that’s why they were sticking with him.

"The evaluations that we're having with our field staff and player development staff and front office staff is just what is going to give us the best chance to win, and as of right now, we're staying pat with what we've got," Cashman told Jay Cohen. "But we're always in the position to change our minds at some point too."

Three days later Domínguez was called up and one day after that he was in the lineup and Verdugo was on the bench. Good teams make adjustments and the Yankees have a tendency to be stubborn. In this case, they called up El Marciano even though Cashman threw his support behind Verdugo three days earlier, and they’re so committed to Domínguez that Verdugo sat Tuesday after hitting a homer Monday.

"He’s gonna come up here, he's gonna play, he's gonna help this team win. And whatever that means, that means," Verdugo told Gary Phillips after Monday’s game. "If I lose a little bit of playing time, I lose a little bit of playing time. At the end of the day, I want to win, and the only thing that matters is getting to the playoffs and winning there."

Verdugo said all the right things, props to him, and Aaron Boone described Verdugo’s situation as “fluid.” I don’t know what that means and maybe Boone doesn’t either. Boone did say Domínguez will play left and Aaron Judge will play center, which is the right move given how shaky Judge has looked in left whenever he’s played there. Otherwise it sounds like Domínguez will get most of the playing time moving forward.

For a minute there Domínguez seemed headed down the Clint Frazier path, where the Yankees say they love him and he’s a big part of their future, but they keep passing over him and going with outfielders who weren’t standouts or long-term pieces. At some point you have to show us you mean it, otherwise you can’t expect people to believe you when you say you believe in him. The time had come.

Now Domínguez has to hit. He went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in his first game Monday and is 2-for-10 with a walk in three games since being called up. The Yankees need Domínguez and a whole bunch of other guys to start hitting. Gleyber Torres and Austin Wells are carrying this team right now. The September numbers entering Thursday’s game (these certainly didn't get any better last night):

• Torres + Wells: .294/.367/.382 (116 wRC+)

• Everyone else: .221/.303/.326 (81 wRC+)

• MLB in Sept.: .239/.307/.381 (94 wRC+) (offense is down this month for some reason)

The Yankees have had black holes at first base, shortstop, and left field pretty much all season. There’s no reason to think things will improve at first and short. It is what it is. In left field though, there was a personnel change to be tried, and maybe Domínguez can contribute in a way Verdugo did not for months. And maybe he’ll flop the way so many rookies have this year. (It’s been a rough season for first year hitters.)

Domínguez has another 15 games to show the Yankees he should be the left fielder in the postseason. If he doesn’t hit, then I assume they’ll go back to Verdugo. It would’ve been nice to give Domínguez a longer runway than 15 games, but it’s too late now. It feels like the Yankees have their best and most talented player at each position on the field for the first time all season. Now it just has to work. 

The Rookie of the Year race

The Royals were in town for three days this week and we got a healthy dose of Aaron Judge vs. Bobby Witt Jr. MVP discourse. I have to admit, I’m having a hard time caring about the MVP race. Maybe it’s because Judge won one already? I dunno. Witt is incredible. He’s about as close to a perfect player as there is in the league (seriously, what is his flaw?). If Witt wins MVP, I don’t think it would be egregious.

(When Witt made that diving grab on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s walk-off single Wednesday, I was preemptively mad and amazed he made that play. That would’ve been an incredible, incredible play.)

The Rookie of the Year race though, that I am invested in. Wells whacked a go-ahead three-run homer  Monday (video), was one of the few Yankees to have representative at-bats against Seth Lugo on Tuesday, and had the game-tying sac fly in the tenth inning Wednesday (video). With 15 games remaining in the regular season, Wells is hitting .252/.340/.435 (119 wRC+). The league average for catchers is .235/.300/.382 (91 wRC+).

"I’m not impressed because I knew what he’s capable of,” Domínguez told Max Goodman about Wells, his teammate at several stops in the minors, after Monday’s win. “But obviously he’s doing great. I mean, that homer today? It was insane."

Colton Cowser, ostensibly Wells’ primary competition for Rookie of the Year, is hitting .243/.325/.438 (118 wRC+) in 141 more plate appearances. Wells, a good defensive catcher, is (ever so slightly) outhitting Cowser, a good defensive outfielder who’s played 72% of his innings in the corners. Here is the FanGraphs rookie WAR leaderboard entering play Thursday:

1. Austin Wells: +3.6 fWAR
2. Colton Cowser: +3.6 fWAR
3. Wilyer Abreu: +3.0 fWAR
4. Luis Gil: +2.5 fWAR
5. Cade Smith: +2.4 fWAR (Mason Miller isn’t even the best rookie reliever anymore)

I use FanGraphs WAR here because it includes framing and paints the most complete picture for Wells, but even if you use Baseball Reference WAR, Wells still has the edge over Cowser (2.8 bWAR vs. 2.4 bWAR). Neither leads AL rookies in bWAR though. Gil is atop that leaderboard with +3.4 bWAR. Gil vs. Wells is the September Rookie of the Year race I didn’t know I needed until just now.

Anyway, Wells sat two games (plus an off-day) after taking that pitch to the hand in Texas, then he started five straight days behind the plate. He started five straight days at the end of July too. That made him the first Yankees catcher to start five straight days (days, not games) since Gary Sánchez in 2021. Wells is the first Yankees catcher to start five straight days multiple times in a season since Brian McCann in 2015.

Since Jose Trevino went on the injured list, Wells has started 38 of 50 games, which is a 123 starts per 162 games pace. That’s a starter’s workload. It’s more than that, really. The only catchers to start 120 games behind the plate since 2021 are Sal Perez (2021) and  J.T. Realmuto (2022 and 2023). Trevino’s injury gave Wells the No. 1 job by default and he decided he’s not giving it back.

I feel like I write about how great Wells has been every post but is that a problem? He has been great! He is a long-term piece at the game’s most demanding and hardest to fill position. The Yankees have had some issues developing hitters over the years – Wells is the best hitter to come out of the system since Torres and it’s not close – but they have a good one here. Rookie of the Year awaits.

"He's doing a great job on both sides of the baseball," Trevino, who has been a total pro since it became clear Wells was coming for the starting job last year, told Greg Joyce earlier this week. "I think that's very important, and I think it's underrated what he's doing right now, especially behind the plate. I think it's going very unnoticed, but it should be definitely worth the conversation of Rookie of the Year."

LeMahieu likely done for 2024

With a .204/.269/.259 (51 wRC+) slash line, nearly twice as many GIDPs (13) as extra-base hits (seven), and a near MLB worst -1.7 WAR, DJ LeMahieu had become a man without a role. He was placed on the injured list with a right hip impingement Monday after appearing in only one of the previous nine games. LeMahieu had an MRI the other day and Boone said it was “unclear,” which is a new one for me.

“I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out but I wouldn’t count on it,” Boone told John Flanigan when asked whether LeMahieu would play again earlier this week. “I don’t think there’s more tests planned right now. It’s just what’s the best course of action that him and the training staff will decide on.”

Boone admitted LeMahieu played through the hip issue for weeks, which makes the decision to start him 14 times in 26 August games a bit curious, but what’s done is done. Oswaldo Cabrera is now the backup first baseman and Jon Berti will play third base when the Yankees want to sit Chisholm against lefties, and that’s really it. LeMahieu didn’t do anything else. Replacing him isn’t so hard.

What’s next for LeMahieu, I do not know. He has two years at $15M each remaining on his contract and I can see the Yankees saying “we think he’ll bounce back once he’s healthy and has a normal Spring Training” all winter. Whatever. LeMahieu’s future is a conversation for another time. For now, his season is likely over, and the Yankees are better off. The roster spot can be put to better use. 

Miscellany

Aaron Judge hit three balls hard right at defenders Thursday night but the home run drought is up to a career high 16 games. He is 12-for-58 (.207) since his last home run and look at his spray chart during these 16 games. Judge is rolling over on a lot of ground balls to the left side of the infield:

We saw Judge struggle in April only to snap out of it and become maybe the best hitter we’ve ever seen for four months, so I’m not panicking or even worried yet. Just kinda getting antsy for him to contribute again because the offense needs him. Is it possible Judge is worn down after running around in center field all year? Yeah, sure, it’s possible. There’s nothing the Yankees can do though, right? Judge could snap out of it with his next swing and the Yankees are in a tight division race with 15 games remaining. Holding him out of the lineup even one game isn’t really an option. They just have to ride this out and hope things turn soon … To paraphrase Alex Bregman, Lugo shoved it up the Yankees’ ass Tuesday. I think the Yankees have gotten a little too comfortable tipping their cap to the opposing pitcher over the years, but Lugo was dynamite, and that was one of those nights where you just get owned. By Game Score, it was the best performance against the Yankees since Corbin Burnes threw eight no-hit innings at Yankee Stadium one year to the day earlier. Maybe start scheduling off-days for Sept. 10th? … The rotation in 10 games since the start of the Rangers series: 2.52 ERA (2.82 FIP) with 30.1 K% and 7.3 BB%. That includes Marcus Stroman’s five-run, 3.2-inning start in Texas. The rotation is the healthiest it’s been at any point this year and these last 10 games are as good a run as they’ve had at any point this season. Good timing, this is … Ian Hamilton looked capital-N Nasty Thursday night. Retired all five batters he faced, three via strikeout, and got eight whiffs on 11 swings and 21 total pitches. Hamilton rediscovering his 2023 form would be very welcome … Secret weapon Jon Berti pinch-ran and scored the winning run Wednesday and Thursday. I look forward to him crossing the plate with the winning run in the tenth inning of Game 7 on Nov. 2nd … I assumed “remove Clay Holmes from the closer’s role” implied removing him from high leverage situations all together, but I guess not. Wednesday he faced the top of the Kansas City order in the seventh inning and blew a one-run lead on two ground ball singles and two fly balls. Thursday he entered with one out and the automatic runner at second in the tenth inning. Maybe give the guy a soft landing spot so he can rebuild some confidence? Holmes did the job Thursday though. Those were two big outs to set up Soto’s walk-off … And finally, it’s at least a little funny Verdugo has run harder this week than he has basically all season, isn’t it? I guess the Yankees had to take playing time away from him to motivate him. The prospect of tens of millions in free agency after the season didn’t do the trick. (I’m not even big on hustle! But Verdugo really pushes the envelope.)

Injury updates and roster moves

Lou Trivino is up to 10 rehab appearances: 10 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 BB, 9 K, 1 HR. He’s topped out at 1.2 innings and 30 pitches. The last few outings have been rough after a strong start to rehab. His 30-day rehab window expired Thursday, but because Trivino is a Tommy John surgery guy, the Yankees can request up to three 10-day extensions. His velocity is down relative to 2022, his last healthy season …

… so I assume the Yankees will ask for a 10-day extension rather than activate Trivino today. We’ll find out in a few hours … As part of the roster machinations this week, Anthony Misiewicz was DFAed to clear the 40-man spot when Berti came off the 60-day injured list. Phil Bickford, Nick Burdi, and Misiewicz all cleared waivers following their recent DFAs and are still with the Yankees as non-40-man players. I thought Burdi would get claimed. Shows what I know. Bickford and Misiewicz could have elected free agency, but this late in the season, I guess they’d rather stick with Scranton than try to find a new team for the last two weeks.

Up next

The last three games of the Red Sox series, then (sigh) a West Coast trip through Seattle and Oakland. It’s the last time the Yankees will ever play in the Oakland Coliseum. In theory, anyway. A’s owner John Fisher doesn’t seem to have his ducks in a row with the Sacramento/Las Vegas thing. Oakland’s a thing for next week though. Here’s what the Yankees have coming up this weekend:

• Friday vs. Red Sox: RHP Clarke Schmidt vs. RHP Tanner Houck (7pm ET on Apple TV+)

• Saturday vs. Red Sox: RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Brayan Bello (1pm ET on YES, MLBN)

• Sunday vs. Red Sox: LHP Carlos Rodón vs. RHP Kutter Crawford (1:30pm ET on YES, MLBN)

• Monday: off-day

Houck is 38.2 innings over his previous career high and Alex Speier says he’d had trouble bouncing back between starts lately. It wasn’t certain he would make tonight’s start. Please hit the worn down pitcher, Yankees. Also, Crawford’s allowed 17 home runs in his last 53 innings. If Judge doesn’t end the home run drought by Sunday, it might be time to DFA him. Sorry, Aaron.

Thinking ahead a little bit, the Yankees have the off-day coming Monday, then a six-game West Coast trip, then another off-day the next Monday. After that is a three-game series with the Orioles and chances are that will be really, really important. That three-game series could very well decide the division. The baseball gods wouldn’t have it any other way.

The two upcoming off-days and the Yankees having six starters means they’ll be able to line up their top three guys for that O’s series. For me that’s Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. And you know what? The rotation is set up in such a way that the Yankees can easily start those three against Baltimore. They don’t have to jump through hoops to rearrange things. Here’s a possible rotation:

Nestor Cortes goes to the bullpen – on merit, Nestor belongs in the rotation over Stroman, though Cortes seems better equipped to pitch in relief – and the Yankees have Cole, Gil, and Schmidt going against the O’s. If Game 162 on Sept. 29th is meaningful, the Yankees can start Gil on normal rest. If everything is clinched and they’re playing out the string, they can go with Cortes or a bullpen game or whatever.

(That schedule also allows the Yankees to easily bump Cole and Rodón up a day for the Orioles series and take Gil or Schmidt out of the rotation, if they want.)

Also, that schedule lines Cole up to start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, Oct. 1st, on normal rest. I want the Yankees to win the AL East and skip the Wild Card Series entirely, but if it doesn’t happen, they can easily have Cole lined up for Game 1. The best laid plans, etc. etc., but that rotation looks pretty good to me. The guys you want to start certain games would start those games.

The magic number to clinch a postseason spot is five, though it may take a little while to whittle that down because the Mariners, Tigers*, and Red Sox are bunched together. I swear, a new team is the first team on the outside of the Wild Cards looking in when I check the standings each morning. Figure the Yankees will clinch sometime next week. The sooner, the better. Get it done and move on to the next thing.

* The surging Tigers have won 20 of their last 29 games. They’re playing the Orioles this weekend. If the Tigers win, it helps the Yankees in the AL East. If the Orioles win, it moves the Yankees a little closer to clinching a postseason berth. Either outcome is good for the Yankees, but yeah, we’re all Tigers fans this weekend. Too bad Tarik Skubal pitched Thursday and will miss the O’s series.

2. A quick note on the minors. I’m not sure when the next prospect update is coming but I want to quickly mention the minor league seasons are coming to an end if not over already. Low-A Tampa’s season ended last Sunday and they did not win either the first half or second half division title, so they did not make the postseason. The Tarpons went 54-74 overall. Rough year at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

High-A Hudson Valley’s season also ended last Sunday and they won the second half division title, so they’re in the postseason. They went 73-58 overall this season. The Renegades split the first two games of their best-of-three Division Series with Greensboro (Pirates). The decisive Game 3 is Friday night. The winner will play Bowling Green (Rays) in the best-of-three Championship Series beginning Sunday.

Double-A Somerset’s season ends this Sunday and they are one game up on Portland (Red Sox) in the loss column for the second half division title. They have to win the division to go to the postseason. The Patriots have won 13 of their last 18 games to climb into first place. They were at least 4.5 games back late last month, and maybe even further back than that at one point. (I don't check the minor league standings every single day. I might've missed a bigger deficit.)

Triple-A Scranton’s season ends next Sunday and they are currently two games behind Worcester (Red Sox) in the loss column. They finished three games out in the first half and need to win the second half division title to go to the postseason. Like Somerset, the RailRiders have surged to make this a race, winning 12 of their last 18 games. Meaningful baseball late in the year at three of the four levels.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Anonymous asks: Will it take 12 years and $600 million to sign Soto? Should the Yankees do it? Will the Yankees do it? If the Yankees don't get Soto is Vladimir Guerrero a logical alternative?

The last few years have shown me that superstar free agents – actual superstars, not the Blake Snell and Dansby Swanson types – will get way more than a) I expect, and b) the various contract projections. No one had Shohei Ohtani getting $700M or Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting 12 years or Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole getting nine years. Special players get special contracts and Juan Soto is a special player.

The Padres gave Manny Machado 10 years and $300M at age 26, then with his opt out looming in 2023, they ripped up the last six years of the contract and gave him an 11-year extension worth $350M. All told, it’s 15 years and $470M. That to me is the minimum for Soto. Soto now is better than Machado then, he’s the same age, he has no injury history (Machado did), and there are no clubhouse/off-the-field issues. 

I think 12 years and $600M is reasonable for Soto, which means it might really be 13 years and $650M, or maybe 13 years and $624M, something like that. Should the Yankees do it? Absolutely. They can afford it. Will they? Eh, I’m not sold. These are Hal Steinbrenner’s Yankees and they have a limit. Will the Mets or Nationals or Cubs or Giants go there for Soto? All it takes is one team to put $600M+ on the table.

As for Guerrero, my guess is the Blue Jays find a way to lock him up long-term. Vlad Jr. has not been shy about saying he wants to stay in Toronto and the Blue Jays have money. They heavily pursued Ohtani and Yamamoto last offseason, and when they missed out, they didn’t spend that money on anything. Chris Bassitt (after 2025) and Kevin Gausman and George Springer (both after 2026) will be off the books soon too. They can spend.

I prefer Soto to Vlad Jr. because he’s a better player – Guerrero has been great this season and it wouldn’t shock me if the difference between the two is small from, say, 2026-30 – but Guerrero is really good too, and if the Yankees miss out on Soto, then yeah, Vlad Jr. after 2025 is a logical alternative. He plays a position of need and will hit free agency at 26. Please just sign Soto though. He rules.

Jason asks: Luke Weaver is signed through next season. Would it be worth exploring an extension?

Weaver is technically not signed through next season. His contract includes a $2.5M club option for 2025, and obviously that will get picked up barring a major injury between now and the end of the season. As for an extension, if Weaver’s open to a sweetheart deal (two years and $10M? I dunno), then sure, go for it, otherwise I don’t see a reason to jump into anything. Even the best relievers are volatile and difficult to predict year to year. I think the Yankees should pick up the option, let Weaver play out 2025, then make a decision about his future after that. They can afford to re-sign him to a market rate deal if one is warranted after next season.

Neil asks: Was there any indication from when Gleyber was in the minors that he would become the defensive liability that he is today? How much of how it is turning out is based on him and his capabilities/attitude versus coaching/Boone?

Like his bat, Gleyber Torres’ defense has taken a tumble this year. He was mostly league average from 2021-23 (+3 DRS and -4 OAA), albeit still prone to dumb mistakes, now this year he’s down to -11 DRS and -7 OAA. There was no indication this is who he was defensively when he was coming up through the minors. It was the opposite, in fact. Here’s Baseball America (subs. req’d) in 2018, the last year Torres was prospect-eligible:

Defensively, there's no reason Torres can't stick at shortstop, but the emergence of Didi Gregorius in New York necessitated that Torres learn other positions quickly. He shuffled around during his brief season, playing 15 games at third base and 10 more at second base before (Tommy John surgery). He has the above-average range and arm to play those positions or shortstop.

And here’s Baseball America (subs. req’d) in 2017:

He's an excellent bet to stay at shortstop because of his soft, quick hands and smooth actions around the bag. He's also got range to both sides, and an accurate arm with enough strength to handle third base if he switches positions. He also played a little second base in the Arizona Fall League (because there are other players who need time at shortstop) and showed the same smooth actions and instincts at the keystone. Moreover, he looked comfortable turning the double play from that position. Evaluators in the FSL compared his defensive chops with the Reds' Zack Cozart. 

Cozart was a +47 DRS shortstop during his career! Baseball America is just one site, but they are the public authority on prospects, and their sourcing as Gleyber approached the big leagues said he was a good defensive shortstop. Now he’s a poor defensive second baseman (though I do think the dopey mistakes get an inordinate amount of attention and he’s better than the eye test).

Ultimately, I think the blame for anything has to start with the player. Coaching does not matter if the player doesn’t put that coaching into practice. The Yankees deserve some blame too though, right? They are a sloppy team and have been for some time. I don’t think it’s unfair to say they’re not on the ball with defensive coaching. This has gone on long enough to say the Yankees deserve some blame, but it is the player who is on the field performing. I’d attribute most of the blame to Torres.

George asks: I've been following George Lombard and he's been lighting it up in high A. I know he's very young, but do you think he starts off 2025 in AA or returns to A ball to start the year? Also, does he have a higher ceiling than Arias?

To start with the second question, no, Roderick Arias has a higher ceiling, and I think almost every prospect watcher would agree. Arias is an athleticism and tools freak. There is a comp for a switch-hitting shortstop with this much power, this much speed, this much arm strength, and this much swing-and-miss: Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz was better and more refined at the same age as Arias …

• Arias at 19 (2024): .233/.335/.393 (111 wRC+), 31.0 K%, 12.3 BB% (552 PA in A-)

• Elly at 19 (2021): .296/.336/.538 (126 wRC+), 30.2 K%, 5.3 BB% (265 PA in Rk, A-)

… so at his peak, Arias might only be 80% of De La Cruz, but it’s a very similar skill set. Outrageous tools and very high upside, and hey, 80% of De La Cruz right now is 18 homers, 51 steals, and +3.8 WAR.

As for George Lombard Jr., he’s been much better since his 1-for-28 introduction to High-A: .287/.369/.379 (119 wRC+) with 19.4 K% and 10.2 BB% in 21 games after the 1-for-28. He has five homers in 555 career plate appearances, though his exit velocities with Low-A Tampa were sneaky good, especially for his age (88th percentile max EV and his 90th percentile EV was in the 64th percentile).

Once Lombard learns to elevate more (career 47.4 GB%), those exit velocities will become consistent production. He’s only 19 – a young 19 too, he has a June birthday – so give him time. It’ll come. Baseball America (subs. req’d) called Lombard a “well-rounded player who has five tools that all grade as at least average” and said he “doesn’t show any obvious flaws” in their midseason rankings update.

I don’t claim to be a plugged-in insider, but I do know a few folks in the game (more with other teams than the Yankees these days), and I’ve yet to hear anyone do anything but praise Lombard. He has a lot of fans and the consensus is Lombard is a high probability big leaguer, someone who could spend 10 years in the league even though he may not go to All-Star Games and put up +6 WAR seasons.

I’m a Lombard fan and, depending how you feel about Spencer Jones’ strikeout rate, there’s an argument he’s the second best prospect in the organization behind Jasson Domínguez. Given his age and the fact he only played 29 High-A games after his promotion, I’m sure he’ll go back there to begin 2025, and probably spend most of the season there. A second half promotion to Double-A could happen if things go well.

(Lombard went 3-for-5 with three doubles in Game 1 of the South Atlantic League Division Series on Monday. Here’s the video. The outfielder played the first two poorly, but a) that’s High-A for you, and b) Lombard still made really good contact there.)

Max asks: Should fWAR be calculated by year-to-year scarcity rather than historical? In 2024, the league-average CF had 97 wRC+, 93.2 BsR, 0.2 Off, and 67.5 Def. The league-average SS had 101 wRC+, 63.8 BsR, 88.2 Off, and 203.9 Def. Is the fWAR positional adjustment of +2.5 for CF and +7.5 for SS really fair for 2024?

The positional adjustments are how WAR accounts for the difficulty of the position (a 100 wRC+ catcher is more valuable than a 100 wRC+ first baseman, etc.) and yes, they definitely need an update. At some point Statcast WAR is coming out and I really hope it has dynamic positional adjustments that update based on the state of each position each year. I prefer FanGraphs WAR for hitters because the defensive component is more fine-tuned, and I prefer Baseball Reference WAR for pitchers because fWAR is FIP based, and we know there’s more to life than FIP. I don’t know when Statcast WAR is coming (they keep saying “soon,” whatever that means), though I assume it’ll factor in exit velocity, defensive positioning, and all that other fancy stuff they measure. To answer the question, yeah, the positional adjustments need an update. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet, honestly.

(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.)