July 21st, 2022: Second Half Preview, All-Star Game, Mailbag

The All-Star break is over and the Yankees begin the rest of their season Thursday. The trade deadline is less than two weeks ago too. Fun fun fun. Here is my midseason review and here is my 2022 draft recap. Now let’s get to today’s post.

1. Second half preview. Thursday the Yankees open the second half of the 2022 season with a doubleheader against the Astros in Houston. It has a chance to be the most annoying day of the season, but when you’re 13 games up in the division, one annoying day isn’t the end of the world. The All-Star break is over and the dog days of summer are upon us.

“We are keenly aware of how much longer we’ve got to go,” Aaron Boone told Matthew Roberson last weekend. “All we’ve done is put ourself in a great position to do something special.”

When you have the record (64-28), run differential (+199), and lead (13 games) the Yankees have, the second half storylines look a bit different than they do when you’re in a postseason race with 4-5 other teams. The Yankees can’t take their foot off the gas – they’ve clinched nothing – but they’ve earned the right to focus on the big picture.

With that in mind, here are the most important storylines heading into the second half and the final 70 games of the regular season.

The trade deadline

These second half storylines are in no particular order but starting with the trade deadline makes sense seeing how it is only 12 days away. In the past (2019 and 2020, specifically), the Yankees had a tendency to sit on their hands at the deadline when they were assured a postseason spot. I don’t think that will be the case this year. I think they recognize this has a chance to be a special season and will act accordingly.

"No,” Brian Cashman told Max Goodman earlier this month when asked whether the standings would change the way he operates at the deadline. “Ultimately, you stay connected with the 29 other clubs. Me, (assistant GM) Mike Fishman, and our baseball operations staff get as much information, share as much information from our end to the opposing clubs. You receive all the information they're providing, ask about a lot of different players to find out what's real and what's not really available, and then see if you match up."

Joey Gallo is a goner, and while Matt Carpenter might have lessened the need to replace Gallo with another lefty outfield bat, it wouldn’t be a bad idea, right? There are other ways to get Carpenter’s bat in the lineup and the Yankees could cut back on Aaron Hicks’ playing time. Plus Aaron Judge’s legs acted up a few weeks ago. Another center field capable player would be nice.

I’ll have more on the rotation in a second, but Luis Severino’s injury and the recent regression of Jameson Taillon and Nestor Cortes should push the Yankees into the trade market for a starter, and I don’t mean a back-end innings guy. We’ve talked a bunch about Luis Castillo and for good reason. He’s excellent and can start (and dominate) in the postseason should Severino stay hurt and Taillon and Cortes continue to regress.

The bullpen is one of those things that can always be improved, and the Yankees tend to throw numbers at the bullpen rather than invest big these days. Chad Green is done for the year (and likely done as a Yankee) and Miguel Castro will miss a month with a shoulder issue. Albert Abreu’s fared well and we all love Ron Marinaccio and Clarke Schmidt, but I’d like an upgrade there. I’d rather not ask the kids to get big outs in October unless absolutely necessary.

And that’s what separates this trade deadline from last trade deadline. Last year the Yankees had to make moves just to get to the postseason. This year the Yankees will make moves geared toward getting over the hump in the postseason. There’s a difference. The Yankees don’t need another high leverage reliever to get to the postseason. You get that guy to get you big outs in October, and given how much impact a player like that can have in the postseason, it’s worth paying a premium. Do the Cubs regret trading Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Chapman? No. No they do not.

The Juan Soto factor complicates the deadline because when players that good and that young become available, you go all-out to get them. It’s a difficult balance though. You want to put your best foot forward to get Soto, but you also don’t want to miss out on other opportunities, and the prospects you need to trade to get Soto are the prospects you need to trade to get help elsewhere. Trading for Soto and Castillo is basically impossible. The Yankees don’t have the prospects to do both. I don’t envy the front office. Damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

As much as I want him, I think the Yankees are very unlikely to get Soto, either at the deadline or in the offseason. I think he’s going to either the Padres or Cardinals. My guess – I emphasize this is only a guess – is the Yankees dump Gallo, land an outfielder to replace him, and bring in two pitchers (one starter and one reliever) at the deadline. I think there’s a chance they do something significant on the pitching side too, like Castillo or Frankie Montas. Only 12 days until the trade deadline. Not much time to wait around anymore.

Pitcher workloads

The Yankees started talking about controlling the workloads of their starters weeks ago, and they have begun using off-days to rearrange their rotation and give guys extra rest. Gerrit Cole is the one starter they don’t have to worry about. He’s a horse and the most durable ace in the game other than Sandy Alcantara. You can count on Cole taking the ball every fifth day.

Jordan Montgomery is more than four years removed from Tommy John surgery now and he’s been durable the last few years. The Yankees don’t have to worry about him either. The other three starters, and even the depth starters behind them, must be monitored. Consider the workloads (innings totals include regular season, postseason, minors, etc.):

Teams are so far beyond counting innings now. They track the quality of the pitcher’s stuff and Hawk-Eye gives them access to limb movement data, so they know when a guy’s mechanics are falling apart, when his arm is slowing down, etc. That’s what they use to track workloads. Innings are a decent guide for us outsiders, and they show us a few Yankees are nearing uncharted territory.

“You get to this point and you see that All-Star break in sight, especially with pitchers and sometimes bullpen guys, you want to make sure you’re keeping them as fresh as possible,” Boone told Roberson. “That’s never truly possible, but being mindful of that as you strike the balance between the urgency of the day and the long game, too. The timing of the All-Star break usually tends to be a good thing.”

Severino will be shut down two weeks, which means he’s probably going to miss a month once you include the build up period and a rehab start(s). The Yankees have not confirmed anything, but Boone strongly suggested German will step into Severino’s rotation spot. German has sat in the 91-92 mph range in his rehab games and he’s struck out only 11 of 69 batters faced (15.9%), so I’m not sure how ready he is. I guess we’re going to find out.

Managing workloads while in a postseason race can be difficult and costly. Managing workloads with a double-digit division lead means the Yankees can err on the side of caution. They can be patient with Severino, because the priority is getting him right for the postseason, not rushing him back to win games in August and September. Schmidt and Sears will surely make strategic spot starts in the second half to rest everyone else. Trading for another starter would help too.

Fortunately the Yankees can monitor workloads and do what they need to do to keep guys fresh and healthy without having to keep their foot on the gas to make the postseason. Their play in the first half has afforded them the luxury of taking a big picture view, which could mean doing things that sacrifice a win today for a potential win in October. The Yankees are already giving their starters extra rest. It will only happen more often in the second half.

“We’re hoping to get guys — potentially (Zack) Britton — and more guys back into the mix as we go,” Boone told Roberson. “The good thing is, we’ve had guys like Clarke Schmidt step up, guys like JP Sears step up. They’ve not just filled a role, but impactfully filled a role, and showed the promise they have. We’re excited to get German back in the mix now. All things considered, we’re in a pretty good spot.”

Getting Chapman and Loaisiga right

This is kind of a big deal. Coming into the season Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loaisiga were the closer and the primary setup man. They’ve since been bumped down the pecking order, partly because they both missed about a month with injury, and mostly because they just haven’t been as effective as the Yankees expected. I mean:

• Chapman: 4.74 ERA (5.48 FIP), 23.6 K%, 18.0 BB%, 1.42 HR/9 in 19 IP
• Loaisiga: 7.85 ERA (4.69 FIP), 23.8 K%, 11.9 BB%, 1.47 HR/9 in 18.1 IP

Those two combining to allow 26 runs and put 63 runners on base in 37.2 innings is pretty bad! Considering their projected roles as high leverage relievers, performances like that could have sunk the Yankees in the standings in the first half. Shoutout to the rest of the Yankees for picking these two up, particularly Mike King and Clay Holmes.

Ultimately, the Yankees need Chapman and Loaisiga to right the ship and become reliable late-inning relievers, because the master plan in the postseason is shortening the game with a parade of power arms. Holmes and King have been nails and Wandy Peralta has been good overall. Getting the ball to those guys has been a challenge at times though.

Chapman might be a lost cause. I don’t expect the Yankees to cut bait, but I’m not sure he can turn things around to the point where I’ll be comfortable with him in a big spot. Maybe that’s a me problem? The big division lead means the Yankees can continue running Chapman out there and hoping something clicks, but eh, I don’t feel great about him.

I feel better about Loaisiga righting the ship, though he hasn’t looked like 2021 Loaisiga at any point this season. His stuff is still plenty good, but he’s missing his spot consistently and has had trouble putting hitters away at times. Chapman’s velocity is down a touch and his slider is too hanger-y. Loaisiga’s stuff is fine, right there with last season, he’s just not executing as well.

“I think Lo’s a stud and that’s my expectation of what he’s going to be,” Boone told Greg Joyce last week. “I think he’s going to be a critical part of our bullpen. Last year he put together one of the best years of any reliever in the game and that’s who we think he is. That’s what I’m looking forward to getting back and that’s where I think he’s at physically and that’s my expectation.”

Green’s (and Castro’s) injury and Chapman’s and Loaisiga’s ineffectiveness should be enough to push the Yankees into the trade market for a high leverage reliever. You don’t want to get stuck waiting for these guys to turn things around only to have them never do it before the postseason. Again, the big lead means the Yankees can be patient with Chapman and Loaisiga. Getting them right is a big deal though. They’re important pieces of the postseason puzzle.

Finding a more balanced offense

The Yankees are second in OBP (.333) and they lead baseball in SLG (.445), wRC+ (121 wRC+), and runs per game (5.40). And yet there’s an imbalance to the offense. The lineup is top heavy and there are a few too many positions performing below expectations:

• Catcher: .216/.264/.374 (79 wRC+) (MLB average at C: 86 wRC+)
• Shortstop: .257/.307/.321 (80 wRC+) (MLB average at SS: 96 wRC+)
• Left field: .229/.339/.398 (106 wRC+) (MLB average at LF: 104 wRC+)

Left field is better than I expected and it’s because Hicks was playing center field when he had his terrible start. He shifted to left field in late May and his bat came alive in June, boosting the position’s numbers. That said, average production from left field is nothing to celebrate, and isn’t something that should stop the Yankees from looking for upgrades.

We all love Jose Trevino, but outside of his occasional 4-5 game hot streaks, the Yankees get nothing from the catcher position offensively. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hits for a decent average and doesn’t strike out and I appreciate that, but he’s a low impact hitter who puts the ball on the ground so much. This is who’s been his entire career and who he will continue to be.

The Yankees are all-in on catcher defense and are happy with their catching situation, so I don’t see them making a change behind the plate even though Willson Contreras is very available and would be a huge upgrade over Kyle Higashioka. Shortstop? Even if the Yankees wanted a new shortstop, who’s available? Amed Rosario? Joey Wendle? Meh.

So the question becomes can the Yankees get more offensive consistency from catcher and shortstop? Rather than these extreme ups and downs (Kiner-Falefa has had several very hot and very cold streaks) can they find a happy medium and produce on the regular? Probably not, consistent production is a myth in this sport, but maybe it happens down the stretch, and most importantly in October. Left field is a spot that can obviously be upgraded at the deadline.

Know who else the Yankees need to get going to make the lineup the most dangerous lineup it can possibly be? Giancarlo Stanton. I love the guy, and he did just win All-Star Game MVP, but he’s hit .180/.295/.508 (126 wRC+) in 150 plate appearances since coming off the injured list. The power is there (13 homers in 36 games) but he’s missing about 60 points of AVG and OBP.

I’m not worried about Stanton. I’m just pointing out he hasn’t been at his best since returning from that calf injury. Judge went through a slump recently too. Those two are awesome and at some point they’ll go on a run and carry the Yankees by themselves, but it’s okay to say they’ve had a sluggish few weeks. The offense has been great overall. The lineup is top heavy though, and the Yankees are prone to be stifled for long stretches. I’d like to see that corrected in the second half, either with a trade(s) and/or improvement by the guys on the roster.

The most important remaining games

It’s entirely possible Thursday’s doubleheader in Houston will be the two most important games the Yankees play in the second half. They’re 13 games up in the division but only 4.5 games up on the Astros for the league’s best record, and thus home field advantage in the postseason. (The Yankees are three games up on the Dodgers for MLB’s best record, it should be noted.)

The Astros lead the season series 3-2. Here are the three possible outcomes of Thursday’s doubleheader:

• Yankees sweep: Yankees clinch tiebreaker over Astros and open 6.5-game lead
• Split: Yankees lose tiebreaker and maintain 4.5-game lead
• Astros sweep: Yankees lose tiebreaker and lead shrinks to 2.5 games

The home field advantage tiebreaker came into play just last year. The Yankees lost the season series to the Red Sox (10-9), so when they finished with identical 92-70 records, the Yankees had to go to Fenway Park for the Wild Card Game. Home field advantage tiebreakers don’t come into play all that often, but when they do, they make a world of difference.

Sweeping Thursday’s doubleheader would go a very long way toward securing home field advantage over the Astros in the postseason. Splitting helps, but means the Yankees would have to finish ahead of Houston to host a postseason series. Getting swept? Oof. The Astros have a baby soft schedule the rest of the way (so much Angels and Athletics). That works in their favor.

As for the AL East, I don’t want to say the division title in the bag yet, but keep in mind the Blue Jays, Rays, and Red Sox will cannibalize each other down the stretch. One of those teams will have to get crazy hot and bury the other two for the Yankees to be challenged. Otherwise those three clubs will just take wins away from each other and spin their wheels in the standings. Here are the number of remaining head-to-head games:

The Yankees have baseball’s best record and thus control their own destiny. The most important race right now is finishing ahead of the Astros and Dodgers and securing home field advantage throughout the postseason. The AL East race isn’t over until it’s over, but it’s kinda over. We’re not in meaningless game territory yet, but the Yankees have put themselves in a great spot.

2. Yankees at the All-Star Game. The American League has won nine straight All-Star Games and 21 of the last 25 All-Star Games*, and overall, I’d say this year’s All-Star Game was a 2/10. All the offense was confined to two separate four-batter stretches, there was no grand Albert Pujols or Miguel Cabrera moment, etc. It was a dud of an All-Star Game this year. So it goes.

* The National League dominated the All-Star Game from the 1950s through the mid 1980s. Because of that, the AL only leads the all-time series 47-43-2 despite winning so much lately.

For the Yankees though, it was a 10/10, wasn’t it? Even with Aaron Judge striking out twice, it was rad. Giancarlo Stanton was mic’d up in the outfield and said he used to sit in the Dodger Stadium left field bleachers with his dad as a kid, right behind where he was playing, then he smashed a 457-foot game-tying home run into those same left field bleachers (video). It earned him All-Star Game MVP. I like this photo of Stanton with the MVP trophy and the left field bleachers behind him:

“I can't really explain how special this is. It's hard to put into words that this is reality right now. It's really cool. I'm soaking it all in,” Stanton told Mark Feinsand, calling it a "full circle" moment to hit a ball into his old section in the All-Star Game. “... It's very special to me, so I think it's right up there with anything personally. I have some goals in terms of winning a championship and going all the way, but personally, for the road I've gone to get to where I am now, this is very special.”

Stanton is the first Yankee to go deep in the All-Star Game since Judge took Max Scherzer deep in 2018 (and Luis Severino caught the ball in the bullpen). Giancarlo joins Mariano Rivera (2013) and Derek Jeter (2000) as the only Yankees to win All-Star Game MVP, and let’s be real, Rivera was given MVP that year basically as a lifetime achievement award.

Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino, the unlikeliest Yankees’ All-Stars in years (decades?), teamed up as a battery in the sixth inning. FOX mic’d them up too, so we got to hear them talk through pitch selection, and Trevino give Nestor feedback (“too horizontal”). It was an All-Star Game, so they didn’t exactly drill down on strategy, but it was fun. Here’s their inning together.

Trevino also got a hit in the game (video). A ton of his Yankees teammates were in the dugout, so a) they gave him a hard time for stopping at first on a possible double, and b) he made the circle gesture:

“The pinstripes make you come out every night wanting to be a part of something great … This is a pretty special thing we’ve got going on,” Trevino said while mic’d up at first base (video). How can you not love this guy? This has been really fun season and Cortes and Trevino playing their way to the All-Star Game is about as fun as it gets. Those two rule.

Judge struck out twice, Gerrit Cole didn’t pitch, and I honestly completely forgot Clay Holmes pitched until I looked at the box score again. For the Yankees, the stars of the show were Stanton doing his thing, and Cortes and Trevino together. Bit of a lame All-Star Game overall, but it was an awesome night for everyone pulling for the guys in pinstripes.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Alessandro asks: Can you break down the 40-man situation heading into the trade deadline? Who needs to be added this offseason and who's likely to get shipped out?

The Yankees used last year’s trade deadline to clear out the 40-man roster logjam and get value out of players they were otherwise likely to lose for nothing in the offseason. Here are the notable prospects who will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season:

• Catchers: Josh Breaux, Antonio Gomez, Anthony Seigler
• Infielders: Alex Vargas
• Outfielders: Anthony Garcia, Ryder Green, Brandon Lockridge
• Righties: Juan Carela, Jhony Brito, Matt Sauer, Randy Vasquez, Hayden Wesneski, Tyrone Yulie
• Lefties: Edgar Barclay, Matt Krook, T.J. Sikkema, Ken Waldichuk

Vasquez, Waldichuk, and Wesneski are the only stone cold locks to be added to the 40-man this offseason. Garcia, Gomez, Green, and Vargas aren’t performing well enough and are too far away from the big leagues to be added to the 40-man. Even if they get picked in the Rule 5 Draft, they’ll be returned. Gomez, as an inexperienced catcher, has very little chance to stick in 2023.

I can’t get a read on how the Yankees truly feel about Seigler. He’s finally healthy and he’s having a very good year, hitting .254/.432/.430 (148 wRC+) with more walks (22.6%) than strikeouts (19.1%) at the two Single-A levels. Sikkema missed 2020-21 with the pandemic and injuries, and has gotten better and better each time out this season. My guess is the Yankees would (or would like to) put both on the 40-man after the season.

Barclay, Breaux, Brito, Carela, Krook, Lockridge, and Sauer are the 40-man roster bubble guys the Yankees are most likely to trade at the deadline. Breaux, Brito, Krook, Lockridge, and Sauer were all left exposed to the Rule 5 Draft this past offseason, though teams have now had another year to evaluate them, and could have more interest this winter (in Brito, particularly).

I think the Yankees would trade any and all of these players, even Waldichuk and Wesneski, but of course some are more available than others. Vasquez was involved in early iterations of the Joey Gallo trade last year, which could indicate the Yankees don’t want to commit a 40-man spot and would like to move him. Barclay, Brito, and Carela are “good but not Yankees good,” if that makes sense. They’re like Janson Junk, who was part of the Andrew Heaney trade last year. He’s Angels good, but not Yankees good.

Also, Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Deivi Garcia, and Luis Medina are all in their final minor league option year, which means it’s MLB or waivers next year. Deivi might be beyond repair, but if another team wants him at the deadline, great. Andujar definitely isn’t off-limits but is probably worth more to the Yankees as a depth bat than anything he can fetch in a trade.

Everyone mentioned above are players the Yankees are likely to push in trade talks these next 12 days. Even if they don’t make a big blockbuster deal, the Yankees have enough players they need to move (to avoid losing them for nothing in the offseason) that something will be done at the deadline. Maybe it’ll just be a Heaney-esque depth arm, but something will happen.

(Next offseason will be a big Rule 5 Draft protection offseason. Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and Austin Wells all have to be added to the 40-man roster after 2023.)

Chris asks: There were rumors that some contenders were considering drafting a near-MLB-ready college pitcher to contribute in relief to their 2022 postseason bullpen. Did that happen at all? Are there any recent graduates that could steal the October spotlight this year?

There were rumblings several teams (the Padres and Phillies, most notably) were looking at Kumar Rocker with an eye on putting him in their bullpen in the second half. He went to the Rangers with the No. 3 pick, so that won’t happen. Ben Joyce, the 105 mph throwing reliever, went to the Angels in the third round. I don’t think they’ll rush him into their MLB bullpen given the year they’re having.

The best candidate to jump to the big leagues in the second half is probably lefty Cooper Hjerpe (pronounced “Jerpy”), who went No. 22 overall to the Cardinals. St. Louis needs pitching help and Hjerpe could probably out-stuff big league hitters right now. I don’t think the Cardinals will do it but Hjerpe is probably the best, most realistic candidate to see MLB time this spring.

The last two players to make their MLB debut the same year they were drafted are both White Sox: Garrett Crochet in 2020 and Chris Sale in 2010. It doesn’t happen often. Rocker only threw 20 innings in his independent league this spring and, in theory, has plenty of gas in the tank. With Texas so far out of the race, I don’t see why they’d rush him to MLB though. Too bad.

Brian asks: If Donaldson's second half mirrors his first half performance, do you think he will be benched in the playoffs (assuming a trade for an outfielder -- pushing Stanton to DH). Donaldson now has 259 ABs, not exactly a tiny sample, and 3/4 months he has had an OPS below .700. I know he's had a few tiny hot steaks but maybe he's just washed?

The Yankees benched Brett Gardner in favor of Andrew McCutchen in the 2018 postseason. If they benched Gardner, they’ll bench Josh Donaldson. As noted earlier this week, Donaldson is hitting .216/.269/.388 (83 wRC+) since coming back from the injured list, including .183/.241/.308 (55 wRC+) with a 34.5% strikeout rate against righties. That’s unplayable. You can’t send that guy out there against Nathan Eovaldi or Alek Manoah or Justin Verlander in October.

DJ LeMahieu is available to take over third, so it’s not like the Yankees would replace Donaldson with Jayson Nix or someone like that. And Donaldson still hits lefties, so I don’t think he would be benched outright in October. He would be platooned, if anything. Given the current roster and what we know right now, this is the best lineup the Yankees can field against righties:

1. 3B DJ LeMahieu
2. CF Aaron Judge
3. 1B Anthony Rizzo
4. RF Giancarlo Stanton
5. DH Matt Carpenter
6. 2B Gleyber Torres
7. LF Aaron Hicks
8. C Jose Trevino
9. SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa

We can argue about the exact batting order from now until October, but those are the nine names, right? Against lefties, I’d say Hicks goes to the bench, Carpenter goes to right, Stanton goes to left, and Donaldson and LeMahieu share third base and DH.

At 36, there’s a chance Donaldson is cooked. Alfonso Soriano rejoined the Yankees at 37, had an amazing half-season, then was so bad the next year he got released in July. When it goes, it can go quick. I’m not ready to say Donaldson is toast, but the fact is he’s not competitive against righties right now. The Yankees have a big lead and can let him work through it. If it doesn’t come together before the postseason though, Donaldson has to sit against righties.

Dan asks: What happened to Patrick Corbin? Is there anything there to suggest that he is salvageable? Will be part of a Juan Soto deal?

At his best, Corbin had arguably the best slider in the game, a low-80s sweeper with a whiff rate north of 50%. He relied on chases – he throws the slider in the zone only 30% of the time – and as his fastball, which was never great to begin with, has backed up, hitters aren’t being enticed by the slider. Corbin is only 33, but he kinda got old. His stuff declined like an aging pitcher’s.

Without spending too much time digging into him (because I don’t think the Yankees would seriously consider taking on even part of the $70M Corbin still has coming to him to get Soto), there are two reasons to believe Corbin is salvageable. First, his slider is still good. Not the best in the game like it once was, but the pitch still has a 38.1% whiff rate this year. The MLB average for sliders is 34.2%.

And second, Corbin is most effective the first time through the lineup. Granted, he’s not good the first time through the lineup, but that’s when he’s at his best. His 2022 numbers:

• First time through lineup: .277/.318/.415 (.320 wOBA) with 25.1 K%
• Thereafter: .335/.397/.550 (.408 wOBA) with 16.2 K%

Maybe you just put Corbin in the bullpen and tell him to spam hitters with the slider? Matt Wisler throws 91.6% sliders with the Rays. Is there a reason Corbin can't do that? Maybe he would even gain a tick or two on his fastball in short relief. But yeah, those are about the only reasons to think Corbin is salvageable. The slider is still good and hitters don’t absolutely destroy him the first time they see him.

To me, attaching Corbin’s contract to Soto would be crazy for the Nationals. If you’re resigned to trading Soto, then you have to get the best possible return, and not lessen your haul by dumping money. Corbin only (“only”) has two years left on his deal. The Nationals are not going to contend those two years, and they’re going to need someone to eat innings during the rebuild. Get as much as possible for Soto and count the days until Corbin’s contract is up. That’s what I’d do.

(The funniest possible outcome is taking on Corbin to get Soto at a discount, using Soto for a postseason run this year, then trading him without Corbin in the offseason for a larger prospect package than you gave up. You’d essentially take on Corbin’s contract to get a postseason run of Soto and more prospects than you started with.)

Bill asks: If the Yanks do in fact try and make a trade for Soto this year the end goal is to win the World Series this year, say the Yankees wanted to include Gleyber instead of a prospect like Volpe or Dominguez. Could the Yankees designate Gleyber as a potential PTBNL and keep him for 2022 understanding that he’ll be picked after the season is over?

They could do that, yes. There’s nothing in the rules preventing it. I don’t think the Nationals would do it because they wouldn’t want to risk Gleyber Torres suffering a catastrophic injury on another team’s watch, and because Gleyber’s not what they want right now anyway. He has the same team control as Juan Soto (2.5 years), so they’d just have to turn around and trade Torres as part of the rebuild.

More likely, the Yankees would trade Torres to a third team (Angels? Mariners? White Sox?), and flip the prospects they receive for Gleyber to the Nationals as part of the Soto trade package. Technically, yes, Torres could be a player to be named later who doesn’t get named until after the Yankees make their postseason run (players to be named have to be named within six months). I'm just not sure Washington would go for that.

(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.)