December 6th, 2023: Soto, Kiner-Falefa, Yamamoto, 2024 Draft

UPDATE (10:07am ET): Jack Curry says Juan Soto talks have continued and "a trade is likely," and mentioned Mike King and Drew Thorpe could headline a package of 4-5 players. He cautions there still need to be medical reviews and all that, but let's be real here, the YES Network's lead insider is not going to say "a trade is likely" unless it's close to the finish line.

ORIGINAL POST (6:00am ET): The Yankees made their first significant move of the offseason late Tuesday night, landing Alex Verdugo in a trade that sent three minor league pitchers to the Red Sox. I’m sure I’ll have more on that trade in the coming days, once we get beyond the Winter Meetings and all that. Also, I heard secondhand the Yankees are getting close on a catcher trade. I don’t know the specifics, just that six catchers on the 40-man roster will soon become five catchers on the 40-man roster. Let’s get to the latest hot stove rumblings as we enter Day 3 of the Winter Meetings.

The latest on Soto

Even after the Verdugo trade, the Yankees are said to remain in the mix for Juan Soto, and Jack Curry says the two sides are talking. Reports of a “stalemate” are overblown. Then again, that was before the Verdugo trade, so who knows where things are at now. Here’s the latest on Soto via Curry and Jon Heyman:

• The Yankees countered the Mike King/Drew Thorpe request with Clarke Schmidt and Chase Hampton. Seems like King is the key. He’s the guy the Padres want.
• “Talks have reignited and intensified between the Yankees and the Padres,” according to Curry. What does that mean, exactly? Beats me.

Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon (nothing special about this, every GM and manager has a press conference during the Winter Meetings) and they praised Soto for being such a great hitter, which is about all they can say without getting hit with a tampering fine. They talked about Soto because they were asked about Soto.

"He's a transformational bat. He's one of the best hitters in the game. He's impact, period,” Cashman told Brendan Kuty. “But currently, he's impact for somebody else. I know A.J. Preller is being open-minded to a lot of different things, as all of us should be as we enter the wintertime and try to figure out how to reconfigure our clubs to be what Texas turned out to be this year. So we'll see. He's certainly a great hitter."

Boone added: “He's as good an offensive player as there is. He is a machine offensively. On-base, power, has accomplished a ton already at a young age. Durable. Has been a central figure in a world championship team. Has come with a lot of fanfare and been one of the rock solid performers in our sport on the offensive side of the ball, year in and year out.”

While speaking generally rather than specifically about a possible Soto trade, Cashman said “after the year we had, there’d be very few untouchables.” It would need to be a pretty great trade to give up Jasson Domínguez or Anthony Volpe, but yeah, looking at this roster, no one should be off-limits. Don’t give guys away, but don’t reflexively dismiss anything either.

That’s the latest on the Soto front. The Yankees are trying but we don’t know if they’re any closer today than they were two days ago. No one seems to know when Shohei Ohtani will sign, which doesn’t help matters. I could see San Diego waiting this out another week or so to see if Ohtani signs and opens up the market for Soto. We’ll see. We’ll see we’ll see we’ll see.

Yankees interested in Kiner-Falefa reunion

About a dozen teams have interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, including the Yankees, according to Heyman. Teams are considering him at third base and shortstop in addition to the utility role he filled with the Yankees this past season. A few months ago Kiner-Falefa said he would like to remain with the Yankees, though he also wants an opportunity to play, regardless of position.

“I love it here and would want to stay for sure,” Kiner-Falefa said in August. “... I’m happy wherever as long as I get an opportunity to play and just be on a winning team. I think that’s the biggest thing. Going through a team that lost 100 games in 2021 (with the Rangers), I don’t really want to be a part of that. I want to be on a winning team.”

Kiner-Falefa, who will turn only 29 in March, slashed .242/.306/.340 (82 wRC+) with six homers in 361 plate plate appearances this past season, and that included a .293/.364/.440 (125 wRC+) heater from May 16th to August 14th. He played every position other than first base and catcher, and he even pitched four times. (Kiner-Falefa hit a home run as a pitcher too!)

My heart says no, turn the page and move onto bigger and better things. My head says there is a place for Kiner-Falefa on a contender’s bench. Part of the problem this season is Kiner-Falefa wasn’t really a bench guy. He started 88 games and batted over 300 times. That’s more like a platoon player than a traditional bench guy who plays maybe once every three games.

Kiner-Falefa is not going to hit much, we know that, but he’s a good bat-to-ball guy who can steal you a base (14 steals this year), and he can play anywhere. You can even stick him behind the plate in an emergency. He never caught with the Yankees but he did it earlier in his career. Also, Kiner-Falefa seems like a swell guy. He plays hard and his teammates like him. It’s not nothing.

The Yankees need a center fielder this offseason, and unless they’re willing to give the job to Estevan Florial, they need a backup center fielder too. Kiner-Falefa can be that guy (in theory), and he can play a bunch of other positions as well. I think if Kiner-Falefa had his exact same 2023 season for, say, the Tigers or Reds, we’d look at him as a possible bench candidate.

What’s an appropriate contract? I really have no idea. The Athletics gave Aledmys Díaz, another versatile bench type, two years and $14.5M last offseason, though they did that in part because the MLBPA was breathing down their neck about payroll being so low. The White Sox gave Leury García three years and $16.5M two years ago (and released him in Year 2). That about right?

It really depends on the money and what else the Yankees do this offseason, but yeah, you can see how Kiner-Falefa could fit on the bench. I just worry Boone wouldn’t be able to help himself and would play Kiner-Falefa entirely too much, especially at third base if the Yankees don’t bring in a permanent solution. Kiner-Falefa is best enjoyed in moderation. We saw that in 2023.

Matsui involved in Yamamoto pitch

According to Bob Klapisch, the Yankees have involved Hideki Matsui in their pitch to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees will meet with Yamamoto face-to-face after the Winter Meetings. He reportedly held Zoom calls last week, then narrowed down his list. I guess Matsui was on the call. He’s a legend in Japan. Of course you involve a guy like this when he’s available to you.

Klapisch says Matsui is involved mostly to speak about his transition and the warm welcome he received in New York rather than to wax poetic about the organization. These teams will all sell themselves as great places to play. Matsui can talk firsthand about what it's like moving halfway around the world and immersing yourself in the New York fishbowl. It’s important stuff.

Now 49, Matsui was with the Yankees as a special advisor from 2015 until 2021 or 2022, when he stepped away to spend more time with his family and just be a retired guy. He still lives in the area and has been back to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers’ Day (including this year) and other ceremonies. Matsui’s still involved with the Yankees, just no longer in an official capacity.

I don’t know whether Matsui will make the trip to Southern California* for the face-to-face meeting with Yamamoto. If he can, great. If he doesn’t want to because he’s retired, that’s okay too. He’s under no obligation to do any of this and just taking part in the Zoom call is good for the Yankees. Matsui is so, so revered in Japan. The Yankees will take whatever help he can give them.

* Since these meetings are taking place in Southern California, maybe Gerrit Cole will attend? I’m pretty sure he still lives out there in the offseason. Couldn’t hurt to have the reigning Cy Young winner and a team leader (and a symbol of how much you're willing to spend) on hand.

Yankees have No. 26 pick in 2024 draft

The draft lottery was held Tuesday evening and alas and alack, and the Yankees did not win the No. 1 pick. Or a top six pick, even. The Guardians, with their 2% odds, moved up from No. 10 to No. 1. It’s the first time Cleveland has held the No. 1 pick. They’ve picked No. 2 a few times, most recently when they took Paul Shuey four picks before the Yankees took Derek Jeter in 1992, but this is their first ever No. 1 selection. I’m jealous.

(J.J. Cooper says the Nationals actually won the No. 1 pick, not Cleveland, but because teams that pay revenue sharing can not pick in the lottery in back-to-back years, Washington got bumped back to No. 10. The Nationals had the No. 2 pick this year. Womp womp.)

The first six picks are decided by the lottery and picks 7-18 are the remaining 12 non-postseason teams in reverse order of this year’s standings. The Yankees were lined up for the No. 16 pick, and then that pick got pushed back 10 spots to No. 26 by the luxury tax penalty. That was the most likely outcome going into the lottery. The Reds finished with the same 82-80 record as the Yankees and moved all the way up to No. 2. Lucky them. Here’s the full draft order.

Next year’s draft class is considered weak (still plenty of time for that to change), so much so that Baseball America’s top four draft prospects (subs. req’d) are two first basemen and two second basemen. Yeesh. First and second basemen usually aren’t hot draft commodities (first base is first base, and most second basemen are failed shortstops). We’ll get into draft stuff in a few months. For now, the Yankees have the No. 26 pick again (they had No. 26 this year) even though they’re coming off their worst season in three decades.

Miscellany

Gary Phillips asked Matt Blake about all the non-Yamamoto international pitchers (Shōta Imanaga, Yuki Matsui, etc.) and the pitching coach said, “I know we’re canvassing the market for all of them.” So there you go … Cashman said he does not consider third base an area of need, but also said things could change in the coming weeks. Here’s the video. Watching that, he gives more of a non-answer than a definitive “we have our third baseman.” DJ LeMahieu was great in the second half and Oswald Peraza has nowhere else to play, so they’re the answer at third base. I want the Yankees to bring in a third baseman to continue improving the offense, but I can’t say I’m surprised it’s not a priority this winter … And finally, Boone confirmed assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes will return, though Brad Wilkerson is still up in the air. Boone also said all the injured guys (Nestor Cortes, Jasson Domínguez, Anthony Rizzo, etc.) are doing well, and he casually mentioned he has previously met Yamamoto. They were in the same place at the same time, and someone introduced them. Here’s the transcript of Boone’s press conference, if you care to read through it all.

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