February 7th, 2023: Most Important Yankees, Severino, Hamilton, Beltrán

It is the final week of the offseason. Pitchers and catchers report next Tuesday, then Grapefruit League games begin 11 days after that. As a reminder, my annual Top 30 Prospects List will go live this Friday, and Friday’s regularly scheduled post will run Thursday. Now let’s get to today’s post.

1. The 20 most important Yankees. Pitchers and catchers report one week from Tuesday and 2023 will be an important year for the franchise. I mean, they’re all important years, but this will be Year 7 of the Aaron Judge era and the Yankees have yet to win a World Series (or even a pennant) with this core. Are they closer to a title now than they were in 2017? I’m not sure, and Judge only has so many peak years remaining.

Way back in March 2009, I looked at the 20 most important Yankees (so did Joe and Ben), and I figure it’s time to do it again. I’m not sure there’s anything to learn from my 2009 list. I had Joba Chamberlain at No. 5. Was I wrong? Joba not working out as a starter did hurt the Yankees in 2010 and beyond. I contend Joba was indeed that important, and his lack of success contributed to (but is not solely to blame for) postseason-less seasons in 2013 and 2014.

Anyway, the goal here is to rank the 20 people most important to the Yankees in both the short and long-term. That includes coaches and front office folks, not just addition to players. Anyone collecting a paycheck from the Yankees, basically. Emphasis will be placed on 2023 (for all we know little green aliens could come down and enslave us all after the World Series), but it is important to keep an eye on the future, so that is a consideration as well.

I thought about going gimmicky with “the 23 most important Yankees for 2023,” but this list isn’t just about 2023, plus 20 names is plenty deep already. With that in mind, here are my 20 most important Yankees heading into 2023.

1. Aaron Judge

I was unsure about putting a player above the people tasked with building the roster and running the organization, but I decided not to overthink this. Judge is the face of the franchise – the first true face of the franchise since Derek Jeter – and he just signed a nine-year contract worth a position player record $40M per year. The Yankees gave him that contract in part because he makes them a lot of money, yes, but also because he’s close to irreplaceable on the field. It is a heck of a lot easier to find new smart front office people than it is to find a player like Judge. Expecting him to repeat 2022 is unreasonable. Expecting him to remain an All-Star caliber player who has more MVP votes coming his way is not. The Yankees need Judge to continue driving the bus and not turn into a 6-foot-7 Jason Heyward. If that happens, it would be a franchise-crippling disaster, and not because of the money. Because replacing a star is almost impossible, and they don't have any others.

2. Brian Cashman

This item covers the entire front office. The “manager” part of general manager gets overlooked. Cashman didn’t personally scout Joey Gallo, pull up his Baseball Reference page, and dig into his Statcast data. The people who work under him did. They do the leg work, make recommendations, and Cashman makes the final call. Because he makes the final call, Cashman gets the credit and the blame, but in no way is it a one-man operation. The GM is only as good as the people he employs, like assistants Jean Afterman and Mike Fishman, new advisors Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean, etc. Bottom line, Cashman just signed a four-year contract and it’s up to him and his people to get the Yankees a) into the postseason, and b) down the Canyon of Heroes, so he has to be high on these rankings.

3. Hal Steinbrenner

This ranking is neither a defense nor endorsement of Hal. It is an acknowledgement that the guy signing the checks is really important. The Yankees have a generous payroll (not commensurate with revenue, but generous) and, for the most part, Hal sets the budget and stays out of the way. He’s not meddlesome like Angels owner Arte Moreno, nor does he actively antagonize fans like Reds president Phil Castellini, though he’s also not willing to put the pedal to the floor like Mets owner Steve Cohen or Padres owner Peter Seidler. My stance is all owners suck, and Hal sucks less than most. The person with veto power over literally everything the Yankees do can’t rank lower any lower than this.

4. Anthony Volpe

Putting a minor leaguer, especially one with limited time above Double-A, this high feels aggressive, though the Yankees have staked so much on Volpe that I don’t see how he can be any lower. With payroll unlikely to go much higher and some core players beginning to age out of their primes, Volpe is the Yankees’ best chance at adding a second star position player to Judge. He profiles as a productive all-around hitter at an up-the-middle position, and those guys are hard to find. It may be unfair to characterize it this way, but the Yankees have put a lot of pressure on Volpe by passing on so many high-end free agent shortstops the last two years. The masses would view him turning into a good player rather than a great player as a disappointment, even if it would be a positive outcome overall.

5. Carlos Rodón
6. Gerrit Cole

Both have six years remaining on their contracts. Cole makes quite a bit more than Rodón but Rodón is not exactly being paid in exposure. They’re both expected to pitch at an ace-level. I view them as equally important to the 2023 and beyond Yankees, and I have Rodón ahead of Cole in these rankings for two reasons. One, he’s two years younger and theoretically has more prime years remaining, and two, Cole can opt out in two years. The Yankees can void that opt out by exercising a one-year, $36M club option (i.e. tacking an extra year into his contract), and who knows whether they’ll do that. Rodón has no such escape clause. He’s here for the long haul, Cole might not be, so Rodón is higher in my rankings. This really is a 5A and 5B scenario though.

7. The scouting and player development staff

I’m lumping the scouting and player development wings together because it’s impossible to rank the individuals. Their duties overlap – the player development staff is consulted when the scouting folks line up their draft board, for example – and it takes so many people to keep the machine running. Damon Oppenheimer runs draft scouting and Donny Rowland runs international scouting. Kevin Reese is the senior director of player development, and under him are director of pitching Sam Briend and hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio. Under those five are countless others. You must develop your own players to have long-term success in this sport. You don’t always have to put those homegrown players on your roster, trading them is okay too, but there must be a pipeline of talent. These are the people charged with keeping that pipeline flowing.

8. Giancarlo Stanton

The Yankees acquired Stanton with 10 years remaining on his contract and they’re now entering the back half of those 10 years. Stanton’s first five years in pinstripes were a mixed bag. The 129 wRC+ is great. Playing only 448 of 708  (63%) possible regular season games is bad. Jacoby Ellsbury put up +4.4 WAR in the final five years of his contract. That shows the Yankees can survive five years of an unproductive and oft-injured player carrying a $22M-ish a year luxury tax number. Life would be so much easier if they didn’t have to though. Nelson Cruz is an outlier historically, so expecting Giancarlo to age that well is unrealistic, though coming close to that would help the franchise so much in the coming years. At minimum, the Yankees need Stanton to age more gracefully than Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols. Those two guys – two first ballot Hall of Fame talents – were done as above-average hitters by age 34. Stanton crashing at that age would do a lot of damage to the offense and roster flexibility.

9. DJ LeMahieu

I don’t think it was a total coincidence the offense went in the tank in August, once LeMahieu’s foot became a problem and he was compromised and ineffective. We saw last year he can still be a table-setting force atop the lineup. A difference-maker on a contending team. The four years at $15M a pop remaining on his contract are hefty but not onerous, and LeMahieu’s versatility should allow him to slide into a traditional bench role when the time comes. The Yankees may have to cut back on LeMahieu’s workload to keep him healthy. His contact bat and the diversity it gives the offense, combined with good defense all over, make LeMahieu a really important piece this year and the three years after that.

10. Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo’s importance to the Yankees is tied up entirely in his 2023-24 production. He has a new two-year, $40M contract, and is the team’s only established left-handed bat. His value to the offense transcends his numbers given the balance he provides, plus his defense is important too. Rizzo will be tasked with saving Isiah Kiner-Falefa errors and/or helping a rookie shortstop feel comfortable this season, for example.

11. Nestor Cortes

Cortes is sneaky important! Not only do the Yankees need him to be effective in 2023 to have their best chance at winning the World Series, but he’s also relatively cheap ($3.2M this year) and under team control through 2025. The benefit of cheap, controllable, high-end pitching is obvious. Add in the fact Frankie Montas and Luis Severino will be free agents after the season, and it makes Nestor’s long-term control even more important. Nasty Nestor proving to be a flash in the pan would send the Yankees looking for three (!) starting pitchers next offseason.

12. Gleyber Torres

I feel like Torres is simultaneously ranked too high and too low. Too high because he’s two years away from free agency, and it’s hard to see the Yankees committing to him beyond that. They might even trade him before then. Too low because he’s a productive just turned 26-year-old middle infielder with a chance to get better (he might be the Yankees’ only non-rookie regular with a chance to get better), and those guys don’t grow on trees. And, if the Yankees do trade Gleyber, the return should be significant enough to have a meaningful impact on the franchise moving forward. I’m not saying they’ll get a star prospect in return, but they should get more than two fringy relievers. Torres is what, the Yankees’ third or fourth best player? He is in position to have enough of an impact on their 2023-24 title chances to make up for the lack of long-term control.

13. Aaron Boone

The manager has to rank somewhere in the top 20, right? I’ve been critical of Boone, though I think he limits his team’s upside more than actively harms them a la Bobby Valentine with the 2012 Red Sox, if that makes sense. The players seem to like Boone and the Yankees go to the postseason every year, so things can’t be bad in the clubhouse, and that’s like 90% of the manager’s job nowadays. Maybe that is pre-Spring Training optimism talking. Ultimately, Boone is the manager and will be for the foreseeable future, so he’s important.

14. Oswald Peraza

Whether the Yankees give Peraza the shortstop job on Opening Day is small beans in the grand scheme of things. He is the future somewhere on the infield. Maybe shortstop, maybe third base, maybe in June or July rather than April, but Peraza will be counted on to take over somewhere and soon. The Yankees need an infusion of youth and athleticism, and Peraza is best positioned to provide it immediately among the team’s prospects (not even top prospects, just prospects in general).

15. Jasson Domínguez

Domínguez is a tough one to rank. On one hand, he is the farm system’s second best chance at producing a bona fide star behind Volpe. On the other hand, Domínguez is a kid with only a handful of Double-A games on his resume. If he flames out, it would suck, but the opportunity cost is only a couple million bucks in international bonus money. The Yankees haven’t passed on high-end free agents in deference to Domínguez the way they did Volpe (and Peraza) the last two offseasons. Domínguez can be an important long-term piece for the Yankees and I hope he is. I don’t think him busting would severely damage the franchise though. It’s not like he’s penciled into the Opening Day lineup or on the cusp of a call up, you know?

16. Matt Blake and Dillon Lawson

It feels like the MLB pitching coach and hitting coach should rank higher, and maybe they should, but the fact of the matter is these jobs have high turnover rates. How confident are you Blake and Lawson will still be in their current positions in, say, 2025? I don’t think it’s especially likely, though Blake did just sign a new contract, so maybe he’s safe. Point is, these two (and their many assistants) are important to the organization, but coaches are not a substitute for talent. For me, they are behind several players and prospects, and other non-playing personnel who have a more direct role in acquiring and cultivating young talent.

17. Austin Wells

The Yankees really, really need another impactful left-handed bat and Wells could provide one soon, and perhaps even do so at the game’s most demanding position. I’m not sure what the Yankees plan to do with Wells defensively. If it were up to me, I’d begin giving him looks at other positions because the bat is way ahead of the glove, and the sooner he can help the win-now MLB team, the better. Either way, the Yankees need a youth infusion and lefty thump, and Wells projects to provide both. He fits their offensive needs extremely well.

18. Oswaldo Cabrera

It’s funny, had I done this list a year ago (or even last July), Cabrera would not have made it. Then he came up in August, mashed some taters, played well defensively all over the field, and now he looks like a fixture. I think he fits best as a super utility guy rather than as an everyday player (particularly if that position comes with a high offensive bar like left field), but super utility guys are important too (Ben Zobrist won a World Series MVP, you know). A young, cheap, versatile, and energetic player will always be useful. Cabrera could be the solution to many roster problems in the coming years.

19. Luis Severino

It’s possible, maybe even likely, Severino is entering his final season with the Yankees. He is in the final year of his contract, and while a reunion after 2023 is possible, we can’t assume it for the purposes of these rankings. Severino is in the top 20 because a full season of him is a game-changer, the kinda player who can swing the balance of power within a division. We haven’t seen a full season of Severino in quite a while though. The one-year of control limits how high I can put him on this list, plus that one-year of control comes with extreme variance. Severino could stay healthy and be the reason the Yankees win the AL East, or get hurt and contribute to them falling short of a division title and settling for a Wild Card Series berth (or missing the postseason entirely).

20. Harrison Bader

The Yankees have three position players entering their contract year and Bader is the only one with a chance to stay long-term. Josh Donaldson can’t become a free agent soon enough and Kiner-Falefa is a stopgap about to be replaced by the kids he was stopgapping for. Bader plays a premium position and plays it very well, and isn’t a total zero at the plate. He’s also a homegrown New York guy who figures to be open to an extension (though not necessarily at a discount). First things first though. The Yankees need Bader to catch everything hit his way and provide some offense in 2023. What happens after that is irrelevant for these rankings because he’s not under contract. This far down the list, I think one year of Bader is worth recognizing.

Honorable mentions

I had Spencer Jones in my first pass at these rankings, but at the end of the day, he is too far away from the big leagues. His upside is significant and Jones booming rather than busting would change the long-term franchise outlook considerably. I think being so far away from MLB means we shouldn’t count on Jones for anything at this point. If we revisit this list in a year or two, then we can talk. Otherwise I think ranking an A-ball kid is on the crazy side.

What about relievers? They’re obviously important, but the position is volatile, and not many of them have long-term control. As much as I love them, I have a hard time buying Jonathan Loáisiga or Mike King as one of the 20 most important people in the organization. Jose Trevino has a better case for a spot on the list seeing how he’s the starting catcher and has three years of team control. I think the Yankees having two other defense-first catchers (Kyle Higashioka and Ben Rortvedt) lessens Trevino’s importance a tad, as does the looming extinction of pitch-framing thanks to the automatic strike zone.

* * *

An exercise like this is ripe for “I missed someone obvious, didn’t I?” vibes and yeah, I feel like I missed someone obvious. What can you do other than hit publish and hope no one notices? Anyway, I think the 1-3 spots and 4-6 spots are clearly defined tiers. We could rank them in a different order than I have within those tiers, but I think those are the right names. After that, things get muddled in a hurry. Cortes over Rizzo? Sure! Domínguez above Torres? I can buy that. I don’t think there’s a right answer here because we’ll all prioritize 2023 vs. 2024 and beyond differently. These are my rankings. I hope they make sense.

2. Mining the news. Spring Training is a week away and yet the Yankees still – still! – have not announced their non-roster invitees. Maybe they just forgot to do it and no one will show up next week. Here’s my preview of this year’s non-roster players, since it’s still relevant. Now here are some bits of miscellaneous news.

Yankees block Severino from WBC

The Yankees will not allow Luis Severino to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, Brian Cashman confirmed during an interview with 670 The Score this past weekend. As you’d expect, Cashman cited Severino’s injury history as the reason they’re keeping him away from the WBC. Severino was on the Dominican Republic’s 50-man preliminary roster.

“We support our players going, but when you have a player like Luis Severino who has had an injury history the last few years – of course he wanted to play and represent his country – but that’s not in our best interest given the last few years,” Cashman said. “Having him pitch in a competitive, championship-pending World Baseball Classic vs. preparation innings in March for your long haul season, that was a decision I had to make.”

MLB teams can block players from the WBC only under certain injury conditions. I don’t know what the 2023 rules are, but these were the injury conditions for the 2017 WBC. The first and fourth bullet points apply to Severino:

• Spent 60 total days on the injured list during the most recent MLB season, including at least 15 of the final 60 days of the season.
• Was physically unable to play in two of his team's last three games in the most recent season (regular season or postseason games).
• Had surgery since last Opening Day or is scheduled to have surgery in the future.
• Was on the injured list on the last day of August of the most recent MLB season.

I’m sure Severino is disappointed. He may never get another chance to pitch in the WBC, plus Latin American players typically take international tournaments very seriously. They take great pride in representing their country in best-on-best events.

That all said, the Yankees are 100% right to block Severino. His injury history is very long and he’s too important to their 2023 World Series hopes to risk injury while he is away from the team, particularly with Frankie Montas already hurt. Severino’s intense. You don’t have to try hard to envision him pushing himself to get an important out in the WBC, and getting hurt.

As much as I’m sure Severino wants to pitch in the WBC, the Yankees pay his salary, and he has to understand they’re the priority. If he gets hurt during a Grapefruit League game, then it is what it is. Spring Training injuries happen. But, if Severino were to get hurt at the WBC, it would be really easy to second guess and regret the decision. If nothing else, the Yankees (and fans) will be able to sleep a little easier knowing Severino is still in camp and under their watch.

“This is a commissioner’s office partnership with the Players Association and ownership to help grow the game. It’s an incredible tournament. It certainly captivates everybody while it’s going on,” Cashman said. “I respect he wanted to play, but I gotta protect the Yankees first. He’s too important to us. His injury history the last few years, it’s better to get him out of the gate nice and slow.”

(Under the 2017 WBC rules, the Yankees could also block Nestor Cortes because he was on the injured list the last day of August. They have not done that as far as we know. Cashman said the Yankees “support our players going” and letting Cortes go kinda confirms it. I know it’s a minor groin injury vs. a series of arm injuries, but still, they could’ve blocked Nestor and didn’t.)

Yankees sign Hamilton

Yet another reliever on a minor league contract. The Yankees have signed righty Ian Hamilton to a minor league deal, according to the MiLB transactions log. He‘s allowed nine runs in 14.2 career big league innings spread across 2018-22, and he was traded at last year’s deadline. The Twins sent Hamilton to the Guardians for journeyman catcher Sandy Leon.

Hamilton, 27, has been in Triple-A since 2018 and he had a 3.61 ERA (3.95 FIP) with a few too many walks (9.7%) in 47.1 Triple-A innings last year, though the strikeout (30.6%) and ground ball (50.9%) rates were good. The fastball sits 92-95 mph and Hamilton has a low spin slider that is basically a gravity ball. It averages around 1,600 rpm (MLB average for sliders is 2,431 rpm) and doesn’t have much induced break. Kinda weird. Here’s video.

I’m sure the Yankees and their pitching folks have something in mind for Hamilton. Or maybe he’s just an inventory arm to fill a minor league roster spot. Either way, the Yankees have yet another non-roster pitcher who would project to begin the season in Triple-A. Look how many of these dudes the Yankees have:

MLB experience (8)
RHP Matt Bowman
RHP Tyler Danish
RHP Demarcus Evans
RHP Ian Hamilton
RHP James Norwood
LHP Nick Ramirez
LHP Tanner Tully
RHP Ryan Weber

Triple-A experience (5)
RHP Sean Boyle
RHP Michael Gomez
RHP Zac Houston
LHP Matt Minnick
RHP Mitch Spence

No Triple-A experience but success in Double-A (4)
RHP Clayton Beeter
RHP Carson Coleman
RHP Indigo Diaz
RHP Will Warren

That’s only the non-40-man roster guys. Jhony Brito, Matt Krook, and Greg Weissert are on the 40-man roster and are likely to open the season in Scranton. So that’s what, 20 Triple-A caliber pitchers? Maybe I’m making too much of this. There will be injuries in camp, guys will get released, Warren could go back to Double-A, etc. It’ll work itself out. Still, the Yankees have brought in more Triple-A caliber arms than usual this offseason. Wonder what that’s about.

Beltrán leaves YES Network

Carlos Beltrán is leaving the YES Network to take a special assistant job with the Mets, reports Jon Heyman. Beltrán was hired to be the Mets manager on Nov. 1st, 2019, but had to resign on Jan. 16th, 2020, given his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal. It was pretty obvious he was using the YES Network gig to get back into the game, and now he has.

A few things about this. One, a few weeks ago it was reported YES was moving Beltrán from the booth to the studio for pre- and postgame work, and that is generally viewed as a demotion in the announcer world. I’m sure Beltrán was unhappy about that, though I suspect he was leaving to take a front office job no matter what, even if YES kept him in the booth.

Two, did the Yankees consider hiring Beltrán? Beltrán spent 2019 as a special assistant to Brian Cashman, and the Yankees brought in Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean last month. The Yankees forfeited the sign-stealing scandal excuse when they put the guy on television. Beltrán has a say in this too and maybe he preferred the Mets, but I wonder if the Yankees considered bringing him back as a special assistant.

And three, what’s going with the YES Network booth this year? Beltrán’s out, Cameron Maybin is out, and there’s been no word on other changes. Supposedly YES wants Paul O’Neill in the booth rather than in his basement, and Jeff Nelson might get more time, but there’s no official word. Spring Training is coming up. An announcement should come soon.

It’s nothing personal, but I know I’m not alone in saying I won’t miss Beltrán in the booth, and I’m curious to know whether YES is bringing in any new analysts. These people almost become part of your lives given the everyday nature of this sport. I imagine it’ll be the same crew as the last few years, but I’d like to know who will be the soundtrack to my summer soon.

3. Remembering a random Yankee: Adeiny Hechavarria. Spring Training is just a week away, yet we’re still in the lull of the offseason, so let’s get back on the random Yankee horse one more time to cover a recent utility infielder who prompted an elite John Sterling home run call. Here’s the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

Hechavarria grew up in Santiago de Cuba and hit .248/.307/.339 in the Cuban National Series from 2006-08, his age 17-19 seasons. He made the decision to defect as a 17-year-old in 2006, after playing in the Pan American tournament in Mexico and seeing the difference in quality of life. Hechavarria eventually defected in 2009. Shi Davidi has the story:

"There are undercover people (in Cuba) that ask you to do that just to see if you want to leave, and if you say yes, then they put you under arrest," says Hechavarria. "I had to be very careful to know who to trust. I figured out who was the right guy by looking around and asking questions. And I decided it was time for me to leave.

"I was lucky I only had to do it once. A lot of people have to try it more than once."

The plan for Hechavarria was to get on a boat bound for Mexico and figure things out from there. But he couldn't be seen making his way from Santiago De Cuba - a city at the southeastern end of the island, nearly 900 kilometres from Havana - to the shore alone through the backwoods.

Sometimes simple bystanders can be paid informants, he says, and if he was recognized, his plan would have fallen apart.

Carefully, he found his way to a boat with a capacity for about 30 people. He and 11 others made the trip through choppy waters to Mexico.

Fear overwhelmed him.

"I'm not afraid of the water because I grew up near the water, but when I was in the middle of the ocean and there was only water, that's when I was really scared," he says. "For the first few days in Mexico I felt terrible, I felt like I was lost.

"I was in the middle of nowhere and I didn't know what to do."

Hechavarria established residency and latch on with an agent, who set up workouts for MLB teams. The Blue Jays signed Hechavarria to a four-year Major League contract worth $10M in April 2010, a few days before his 21st birthday. That contract would not be allowed now. Hechavarria was under 25 and would be subject to the international bonus pools.

Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked Hechavarria the No. 13 prospect in Toronto’s system the following year and said he “stands out more now as a defender, though he also has potential at the plate.” He broke out with a .312/.363/.424 line in 102 games at Triple-A in 2012, though at the time the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate was in Las Vegas, an extreme hitters’ environment.

The MLB contract meant Hechavarria was on the 40-man roster, so the Blue Jays called him up in August 2012 and gave him regular playing time at the three non-first base infield positions. He didn’t hit (.254/.280/.365 in 134 plate appearances) but the defense passed the eye test. After the season, Toronto sent Hechavarria to the Marlins in the José Reyes/Mark Buehrle blockbuster:

• Blue Jays get: UTIL Emilio Bonifácio, C John Buck, LHP Mark Buehrle, RHP Josh Johnson, SS José Reyes, and $4M
• Marlins get: RHP Henderson Alvarez, SS Adeiny Hechavarria, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, IF Yunel Escobar, OF Jake Marisnick, C Jeff Mathis, LHP Justin Nicolino

“If we were going to have to be giving up some of our better young players, we better try to go big here and really impact the club,” Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Brendan Kennedy after the trade. “Let’s make sure we really get some value back and some impact back. Let’s expand this. Obviously, from that standpoint it just developed.”

Hechavarria replaced Reyes as Miami’s starting shortstop in 2013. He hit .255/.292/.336 in parts of five seasons with the Marlins, though the glove made him a +3.6 WAR player, so it wasn’t a total loss. The Marlins traded Hechavarria to the Rays in a minor deal in June 2016, then the Rays traded him to the Pirates in an even more minor (minorer?) deal on Aug. 6th, 2018.

Jordy Mercer had become a defensive liability at shortstop and Pittsburgh was only five games behind the second Wild Card spot on the day of the Hechavarria trade, so they made a small move to upgrade the defense. It didn’t help. They went 9-13 in their next 22 games and fell 9.5 games behind the second Wild Card spot. At that point they cut their losses.

On Aug. 31st, not long before the 11:59pm ET postseason roster eligibility deadline, the Pirates sent Hechavarria to the Yankees in a cash trade. The Yankees absorbed the prorated league minimum (about $88,000) while the Pirates and Rays paid the rest of Hechavarria’s $5.9M salary. That’s all that was in it for Pittsburgh. About $88,000 in savings.

“Just a premium defender at shortstop,” Aaron Boone said after the trade. “I just feel like we really add to our strength up the middle. We just really like his defensive capabilities and that element that he gives us while Didi’s down and even after that, potentially just having some defensive flexibility, even late in games.”

Didi Gregorius was on the injured list with a heel injury at the time. Gleyber Torres was filling in at short with Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes behind him. Also, the Yankees regularly pulled third baseman Miguel Andújar for defense in the late innings, and Neil Walker was playing right field while Aaron Judge was out with his broken wrist. An infielder was needed.

The Yankees added Hechavarria to the active roster when rosters expanded on Sept. 1st. He came off the bench that night to replace Andújar defensively (Hechavarria played short, Torres moved from short to second, and Wade moved from second to third) then started four of the next six games at shortstop. Gregorius returned on Sept. 8th and resumed starting shortstop duties.

On Sept. 4th, Hechavarria again replaced Andújar defensively, and he swatted a late insurance solo homer in Oakland (video). Sterling did not have a home run call ready – “The next time he hits one, I’ll have one. I was unprepared. I never gave it a thought,” Sterling told Andrew Marchand – and it was far from certain he’d get a second chance. Hechavarria hit four homers before joining the Yankees that year, and he didn’t figure to play much in September.

Fortunately, Hechavarria went deep once more on Sept. 25th. His solo shot was technically the go-ahead run in an eventual blowout win against the Rays (video). Sterling was ready this time: “Hechavarria, Mamma Mia!” An all-time great Sterlingism. I contend it would’ve been better in reverse (“Mamma Mia Hechavarria!”) but it’s still elite. Way, way better than most Sterling calls.

All told, the then 29-year-old Hechavarria went 7-for-36 (.194) with the two homers in 18 games with the Yankees that year. He started 11 games, including five of the final six games after the Yankees clinched a Wild Card spot, and came off the bench defensively seven times. The Yankees carried Hechavarria on the postseason roster so he could continue to serve as Andújar’s defensive caddy.

Judge hit a two-run homer off Liam Hendriks in the first inning of the AL Wild Card Game and the Yankees nursed the 2-0 lead into the middle innings. Andújar led off the bottom of the fifth with an infield single but didn’t come around to score. Hechavarria went out to play third base in the top of the sixth. It was the first postseason action of his career. More importantly, Andújar, that year’s AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, was out of the game. It was only a two-run lead in a win or go home game, and Andújar’s spot was assured another at-bat.

“I was pretty convicted with it,” Boone told George King about the decision to remove Andújar so early. “Once he hit (in the fifth inning), felt it was the right thing to do.”

Fortunately the decision to replace Andújar so early didn’t come back to bite the Yankees. They broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning and all four runs scored before Hechavarria got an at-bat (he had two at-bats that night, a ground out in the sixth and a line out in the ninth). As for the defense, Hechavarria made two plays that game and both were important.

Top of the 7th: Marcus Semien lines out (video). It was a 104.0 mph bullet ticketed for the left field corner and extra bases, but Hechavarria made the catch at the apex of his leap. It’s unlikely Andújar makes that play, and if that ball falls in, Semien is on second base to begin the inning. Even with a 6-0 lead, who knows what happens after a leadoff double?

Top of the 8th: Jed Lowrie grounds into a fielder’s choice (video). Simple play and Hechavarria made a clean throw to second to begin the 5-4-3 double play attempt (the Athletics challenged the call at first and Lowrie was ruled safe). Andújar has that unusual sidearm throwing motion. Does he make the same stress-free throw to second to get the lead runner? The next batter, Khris Davis, hit a two-run homer. It would’ve been a three-run homer without the out at second.

Hechavarria appeared in three of the four ALDS games even though the Yankees got thumped pretty good by the Red Sox. He replaced Andújar in the sixth inning of the Game 2 win, pinch-hit for Gregorius and drew a walk in the Game 3 blowout loss (unbeknownst to us Sir Didi was playing with a torn elbow ligament), then he pinch-ran for Luke Voit in the ninth inning of season-ending Game 4 loss. Hechavarria appeared in four of five postseason games.

The Yankees were ousted in the ALDS and Hechavarria became a free agent after the season. There was no attempt to re-sign him even though Gregorius had Tommy John surgery soon after the Yankees were sent home. Hechavarria’s signature play in pinstripes is the leaping catch in the Wild Card Game, clearly, though I’ll remember Sterling’s call as well. It’s a gem.

From 2019-22, Hechavarria bounced from the Mets to the Braves to the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan (.213/.238/.307 his two years in Japan). With Dansby Swanson gone, the Braves brought Hechavarria, now 33, back on a minor league deal last month. He’s still active, so I suppose he could make his way back to the Yankees at some point and add to this story.

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