March 14th, 2022: Spring Training, Reds, Olson, Gardner

One day later, I’ve decided my least favorite thing about the trade is trying to spell “Rortvedt.” Ben Rortvedt is the Yankees new catcher, not an end table from Ikea, and for some reason I keep trying to sandwich an L between the E and the D. Why? I do not know, but the next time I spell his name correctly on the first try will be the first. Also, Mr. Rortvedt's arms look like this:

BBWAA clubhouse access is back this year, so I will no longer be saying bad things about Benny Biceps. Great trade. I hope he catches the next 10 years. Here are Tuesday morning’s thoughts Monday night because I’m worried I’m going to wake up in the morning to a trade or a free agent signing that renders like half this post moot.

1. Spring Training notes. Things are up and running in Tampa and the Yankees will play their first Grapefruit League game Friday. They’ll be on the road to face the Pirates. Hopefully that game will be available on MLB.tv. Here’s the YES Network spring broadcast schedule. The full MLB.tv broadcast listings should be available soon. Here is the Yankees new Grapefruit League schedule.

A few players have not yet arrived in camp because of visa issues, though it sounds like most of the team is in Tampa or will be shortly. Today was the first full workout day (Sunday was a show up and take your physical day with a light optional workout) and the players have another three workout days to get on the same page as an almost entirely new coaching staff. Let’s dig into the latest from Spring Training.

Cole and Donaldson have “productive” meeting

Gerrit Cole and Josh Donaldson had a “productive” meeting in Aaron Boone’s office this morning. They hashed out the whole “Donaldson called Cole out for using foreign substances” thing, and the two said all the right things when speaking to the media afterward. From Pete Caldera:

“At the end of the day, I’m happy to be on the same team,’’ Donaldson said. “And not have to strike out against him more.’’ (Mike’s note: Donaldson went 0-for-6 with five strikeouts against Cole after making those comments last year.)

…

But on Donaldson’s Day 1 in pinstripes, it was important that “if anything needs to be said, let’s say it,’’ between him and Cole.

A pre-workout summit took place in Aaron Boone’s office, with the manager present.

Boone said it was “a frank dialogue,’’ and “I think it’s going to be a non-issue. I think it already is. Not to say it wasn’t a real issue last year, for us.

“They’re like-minded in certain ways, from a competitive standpoint,’’ said Boone. “Two guys who desperately want to win a world championship.’’

...

“If you’re committed to winning a championship, this kind of stuff doesn’t matter,’’ Cole said of a rift that’s now in his “rearview mirror.’’

There are 26 players and personalities on the roster at any given moment and they don’t all get along. They’re not all best buddies in the clubhouse. They’re on the same team and they’re all pulling in the same direction, but it can be similar to a normal job where players have cordial working relationships with some coworkers/teammates and nothing more.

Cole and Donaldson are pros and they’ll find a way to tolerate each other. They don’t need to do anything more than that. I suspect this will be a non-issue between them, yet it will get talked about regularly on broadcasts. It is what it is.

German behind other pitchers

Players and trainers were unable to communicate during the lockout, and the last few days have been a barrage of players showing up to camp with injuries suffered during the offseason. Zack Wheeler has an achy shoulder and Fernando Tatis Jr. has a broken wrist. Happened over a month ago and he needs surgery, and the Padres didn’t know about it until last week. Crazy.

The Yankees escaped the lockout without any major injuries, though Domingo German is behind the other pitchers after being slowed by a sore shoulder in January. He had shoulder trouble in 2019 and 2021 as well. German is just now starting his throwing program, so he’s weeks behind the other pitchers and will start the season on the injured list.

Boone said Jameson Taillon is doing so well following his ankle surgery that he’ll be ready for Opening Day to replace German and that’s, uh, unexpected. Taillon himself said he was a month behind his usual offseason schedule a few weeks ago, putting him on track to return in May. I hope the Yankees aren’t being reckless and rushing him back. A compromised ankle can lead to an arm issue real quick.

“I think Jamo should be on time. Jamo is in a good spot,” Boone told Brendan Kuty. I gotta say, Boone’s injury updates don’t fill me with confidence. He always downplays things.

Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino, and Nestor Cortes are locked into the top four rotation spots. If Taillon is truly healthy and can begin the season on time, great. If not, then the Yankees could turn to Luis Gil or Clarke Schmidt, or stretch out Mike King. I’ve been pining for the Yankees to add a starter all offseason. With German’s shoulder acting up again and Severino needing to be handled carefully, I hope the Yankees feel the same way and react appropriately.

(One more injury update: Stephen Ridings has what Boone described as a shoulder/back issue and is not throwing. Shoulder/back equals lat, maybe? Injuries are never good, though the Yankees are better positioned to absorb an injury to the bullpen shuttle than to any other part of the roster. Get well soon, Stephen.)

Non-roster invitees

I didn’t get to do my annual “Previewing the Non-Roster Invitees” post this year. It’s one of my favorite posts! It means Spring Training is close and I can begin to turn the page from the hot stove to actual baseball. Stupid lockout. Anyway, here are this year’s non-roster players (as a reminder, all 40-man roster players are in big league camp automatically):

We covered almost all those guys over the winter: Banuelos, Duran, Freitas, McDowell, Weber, Peraza, Nittoli, Inciarte, Cordero, Perkins, and Brantly. Cordero had Tommy John surgery last March and should be in the playing catch/throwing bullpens phase of his rehab, though he might not be quite game ready just yet. We’ll find out pretty soon.

Beltre, Bowman, and McClain were in the system last year. Beltre had a nice season with Double-A Somerset (.256/.344/.470 and 121 wRC+) and McClain is a former minor league Rule 5 Draft pick who did good work out of the Triple-A Scranton bullpen (1.79 ERA and 3.11 FIP). Bowman missed last year after having Tommy John surgery. He’s ready to go now.

The non-roster list is devoid of prospects. The non-40-man roster prospects I would’ve expected to get a non-roster invite in a normal spring include C Josh Breaux, RHP Randy Vasquez, SS Anthony Volpe, LHP Ken Waldichuk, C Austin Wells, and RHP Hayden Wesneski. Maybe OF Jasson Dominguez too, though bringing a 19-year-old to big league camp is rare.

This is not a normal Spring Training though, and even if it were, we’re already at the point where prospects would be getting reassigned to minor league camp. Director of pitching Sam Briend said the Yankees are bringing their minor league arms along slowly this spring so they can soak up innings in Grapefruit League games if needed, so we’ll see prospects play. They’ll just be brought up on a day-by-day basis rather than stay in big league camp full-time.

The Yankees will play only 19 Grapefruit League games this year, about half the typical slate, so the non-roster guys won’t have much time to make an impression. The Yankees have openings on the bench and maybe on the pitching staff. I think Inciarte and Peraza are the only non-roster guys with a chance to make the Opening Day roster, plus Brantly should Kyle Higashioka or Ben Rortvedt get injured.

Yankees sign Guzman

Two years ago the Rangers starting infield was Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, and Ronald Guzman. It was so bad Texas ate a bunch of money to get rid of those players and committed over $500M to free agents to replace them. Somehow three of the four landed with the Yankees. They signed Guzman to a minor league deal earlier this week, according to Junior Matrille. He’ll be added to the non-roster list in the coming days.

You may remember that Guzman, now 27, hit six homers against the Yankees in 2018, including three in one game at Yankee Stadium. Here’s the video. The lefty hitting first baseman (and occasional outfielder) is a career .227/.304/.414 (84 wRC+) hitter. He’ll put up sparkly exit velocities from time to time and is a flashy scooper at first base, which is not to be confused with being a good defender. He just makes it look good.

Guzman is a quintessential Quad-A type whose swing decisions and plate discipline will never allow him to turn that exit velocity into consistent results (kinda like Odor). He struggles in the big leagues, produces in Triple-A, then rakes in winter ball every year. There was talk about a swing change last spring, but he tore up his knee in April and had season-ending surgery, and didn’t get to build on a good spring (.308/.413/.590 in 46 plate appearances).

The Yankees could use a lefty hitting first baseman, though I have a hard time believing they consider Guzman a candidate for the job. Chris Gittens went to Japan over the winter and it’s much more likely Guzman is penciled in as the Triple-A first baseman. The supposed swing change is a reason to pay attention this spring, I guess. Otherwise, meh.

Locastro returns

Welcome back, Tim Locastro. The Yankees signed him to a one-year deal earlier this week, so the 40-man roster is now full (Zack Britton went on the 60-day injured list after the Twins trade). Locastro was lost on waivers to the Red Sox in a 40-man clean up move in November, then Boston released him at the Rule 5 Draft protection deadline. He’s back now for the third time (the Yankees had him for a few weeks during the 2018-19 offseason).

Locastro, 29, joined the Yankees in a minor trade last July and tore his ACL two weeks later. He’s only eight months out from surgery, yet Sweeny Murti says Locastro is recovered and ready to compete for a roster spot. Huh. Torn ACLs usually come with 9-12 month recoveries. Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL a week before Locastro, and he might not return until May. Weird.

Anyway, the Yankees are obviously comfortable enough with Locastro’s medicals to give him an MLB deal. He has a minor league option remaining, so they can easily send him to Triple-A. He’s not locked into a roster spot and I don’t think this precludes them from bringing Brett Gardner back. It’s more likely Locastro is bad news for Inciarte (and Estevan Florial) than Gardner.

Locastro went 4-for-21 (.190) with two doubles and a homer in nine games with the Yankees last season. He’s a speed and defense fourth outfielder type who a) has led baseball in sprint speed the last four years, and b) can’t really afford to lose a step to the knee injury. His game revolves around his speed, so we’ll have to see how he’s moving once spring games begin. Locastro could get a long look as the fourth outfield. He also could be out of the organization by June. Standard back of the 40-man roster depth signing.

(The Yankees can keep Locastro as an arbitration-eligible player through 2024, if you care about such things.)

Yankees sign Evans

One more signing: Phillips Evans. The former Mets and Pirates utility guy is in camp. The deal hasn’t been reported anywhere and the Yankees haven’t said anything, but Evans is physically with the team and took batting practice today. Safe to assume it’s a minor league contract and he will be officially added to the non-roster list at some point.

The 29-year-old Evans went 14-for-39 (.359) with Pittsburgh during the 60-game 2020 season and then went 13-for-32 (.406) to begin 2021. He finished the year at .206/.312/.299 (73 wRC+) in 247 plate appearances. Evans is a righty bat who’s played every position except shortstop, center field, and catcher in his big league career. I suppose that makes him a bench candidate. Looks like Triple-A Scranton fodder to me more than anything.

Andujar okay after assault

Miguel Andujar is in camp and “ready to go” after being robbed at gunpoint and assaulted at his farm in the Dominican Republic last week. Three gunshots were fired and someone was hit in the finger. Andujar was not shot but he was beaten, and the assailants stole a watch valued at $7,000 as well as Andujar’s father’s truck (which was later found abandoned).

“He was good,” Boone told Kuty on Sunday. “Obviously, very scary, I asked him right away how his (heart) was. Look great and he seemed good. Obviously a scary situation and something that we’ll continue to talk to him (about). Obviously support him as he needs. But this morning he seemed good and ready to go, and looks great.”

I have no idea how Andujar fits the Yankees right now, though the bench is unsettled, and all it takes is one injury for him to become the starter in left field or at third base or DH. At least he’s okay. After getting Wally Pipped in 2019 and yo-yoing between Triple-A and the Bronx the last few years, the last thing Andujar needs is to miss time because he got jumped.

Boone “concerned” about unvaccinated Yankees

Canada is not allowing unvaccinated visitors into the country and Boone said he’s “concerned” because “we still have a few guys at least who are not vaccinated,” according to Bryan Hoch. He did not name names. No Yankees have come out and said they aren’t vaccinated like Chris Sale, though it was strongly implied Aaron Judge was not vaccinated at the time of last year’s outbreaks.

As usual, the Yankees have three series in Toronto this year: May 2-4, June 17-19, and Sept. 26-28. Canada defines “fully vaccinated” as 14 days after the second shot (or the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine) with no additional guidelines for boosters. To be ready for that May series, any Yankees who are not vaccinated would have to get their first shot no later than March 27th. They can push it to April 17th if they get the Johnson & Johnson shot.

During the lockout ZiPS and PECOTA had the Yankees and Blue Jays separated by one game in their projected standings, though you didn’t need the projections to tell you the AL East will be a grind. The Rays and Red Sox are going to be right there too. Losing anyone, particularly Judge, for those Toronto games could be massive. It could change the postseason race completely.

The Blue Jays are going to enjoy the greatest home field advantage in baseball this year. Maybe even in baseball history. Sale, Xander Bogaerts, and other Red Sox players aren’t vaccinated. I don’t know who is and who isn’t with the Rays, but we’ll find out when they make their first trip to Toronto in June. The Blue Jays are going to face potentially depleted rosters at home all year. (Imagine if they host all three games of the Wild Card Series? Yeesh.)

As part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, MLB and the MLBPA agreed players who can not play due to vaccine mandates will go on the restricted list and not be paid or accrue service time for those games. The nine games in Toronto aren’t enough to delay anyone's free agency, so this is just about on-field impact. There’s a free and easy solution to this problem. Hopefully the unvaccinated Yankees opt for it soon. If it takes being shamed by fans (and teammates?) for missing important series, so be it.

(Are we sure unvaccinated Yankees can play in Yankee Stadium this year given the private employer mandate? I feel like we would have heard about it by now if not.)

2. Hot stove notes. The Content Graveyard has been getting worn out the last few weeks. I wrote a thing the other day about all the stopgap shortstops coming off the board, then the Yankees traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa two days after he was traded to the Twins. You’re killing me, guys. That’s in the graveyard now. Here are some Yankees-relevant hot stove happenings.

Reds trade Gray, Suarez, Winker

The Reds are an embarrassment, man. I can think of no bigger middle finger to your fans than locking the players out for 99 days, then immediately tearing your roster apart. Cincinnati won 83 games last season and would have been the No. 6 seed in the new postseason format. Now they’re straight up giving away their best players. I feel bad for Reds fans. I really do.

Over the weekend the Reds traded old pal Sonny Gray (and a prospect!) to the Twins for righty Chase Petty, the No. 26 pick in last summer’s draft. Petty is a Dellin Betances type, and I mean a Betances type circa 2006, when he was coming out of high school. Obvious talent with an outrageously high ceiling, but he’s so far away and has so much work to do to put it together.

Two days later the Reds attached Eugenio Suarez’s contract (three years and $35M) to the sneaky excellent Jesse Winker, and sent them to the Mariners for lefty Brandon Williamson and spare parts. Williamson is a top 100 caliber prospect (No. 83 on Baseball America’s list) and the Reds say they’re excited about the player to be named later they’re getting in the trade, but come on. What are they supposed to say?

"This wasn’t just a payroll move," Reds GM Nick Krall told Bobby Nightengale, possibly with his fingers crossed and his hand behind his back. "This was a move that we looked at from a future standpoint and we also looked at it as a move to bring back some talent right now."

Winker has two years of team control meaning and he’s a career .288/.385/.504 (132 wRC+) hitter, and the Reds traded him for a back of the top 100 prospect and $35M in salary relief. The Yankees were never going to bring Gray back, but the Yankees equivalent to the Winker package is Luis Gil and salary relief. In a vacuum, you do it in a heartbeat, right? Right.

The Reds are gutting their roster (remember, they gave away Tucker Barnhart and Wade Miley prior to the lockout) and, at this point, the Yankees have to call about Joey Votto and either Luis Castillo or Tyler Mahle. Or hell, maybe both Castillo and Mahle. Why not? That addresses the need for a lefty hitting first baseman and another starting pitcher.

Votto has 10-and-5 no-trade protection and has said repeatedly he doesn’t want to leave Cincinnati, but he’s not oblivious to what’s going on around him. This is Votto’s current situation in meme form (via @stormchasernick):

Votto turned 38 in September and there’s little chance the Reds will contend for a World Series before he retires. The Yankees should approach the Reds about a trade right away and get them to ask Votto about waiving his 10-and-5 rights now, while the emotions are still raw. The team is doing him dirty and he may want out. In a week, he may feel differently.

There are two years and $57M remaining on Votto’s contract and I’m sure the Reds would love to unload that. I answered a mailbag question about Votto in December and the short version of my response is I believe he’s a Hall of Fame level hitting genius who will continue to find ways to be productive as he ages. I would absolutely take Votto’s age 38-39 seasons. He’s special.

Taking on Votto’s contract should lower the prospect cost for Castillo and/or Mahle, both of whom have two years of control remaining. Castillo really struggled early last year (he was tipping his pitches) before figuring it out and finishing strong. He’s the kinda high velocity sinker/changeup pitcher the Yankees are hoarding these days. An obvious trade target for any team.

Mahle is similar to the Pirates version of Joe Musgrove, the one I wanted the Yankees to trade for, in that he’s got an arsenal that checks every box analytically, but hasn’t fully put it together just yet. Musgrove got traded to the Padres last year and things clicked. Maybe things will click for Mahle with a change of scenery? I’d like to find out.

There’s not much to see on Cincinnati’s roster now other than Castillo, Mahle, and Votto (I have no interest in Mike Moustakas and I assume Tyler Stephenson is off-limits), and given how aggressively the Reds are shedding payroll, the Yankees should call and ask about all three. The Reds are taking meager packages for good players to save money. It’s a chance for the Yankees to flex their financial muscles and improve the roster at a low prospect cost. Do it, Yankees.

Olson traded to Braves

One reason the Yankees should ask about Joey Votto: Matt Olson is no longer available. The A’s traded him to the Braves for a four-prospect package. It was a good package but not a package the Athletics couldn’t possibly refuse either. Here are the four players they received:

• OF Cristian Pache: Back of the top 100 prospect who’s struggled as an up and down guy and could use a change of scenery.
• C Shea Langeliers: Another back of the top 100 prospect who should be MLB ready at some point this season.
• RHP Ryan Cusick: No. 24 pick in last year’s draft and an extremely hard thrower who has to get his control in order.
• RHP Joey Estes: Another extremely hard thrower with control issues in the low minors.

Baseball America (subs. req’d) says the A’s received Atlanta's No. 2 (Langeliers), No. 3 (Pache), No. 9 (Cusick), and No. 14 (Estes) prospects in the trade. The Yankees equivalent to this trade is something like Estevan Florial circa Spring Training 2020 (Pache), bizarro Austin Wells who can defend but has a questionable bat (Langeliers), Luis Gil (Cusick), and Randy Vasquez (Estes).

It’s not as simple as “this is the Yankees equivalent and the Yankees should have offered it.” The A’s might like Langeliers or Estes or all four guys more than most. It’s been rumored they asked the Yankees for Anthony Volpe, which a) wasn’t going to happen, and b) of course they should ask for Volpe. You’ll never get Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano if you don’t ask.

The Olson trade means Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo are the best available lefty hitting first baseman (other than possibly Votto). A Rizzo reunion feels inevitable, doesn’t it? There have been a bunch of “the Blue Jays are interested in Freeman” rumors the last few hours and I think those are Freeman’s representatives trying to squeeze every last penny out of the Dodgers before saying yes. Rizzo back in the Bronx and Freeman in Los Angeles seems right.

I will save my thoughts on a Rizzo re-signing for when it happens. For now, I’m bummed the Yankees didn’t get Olson, even though I never really expected it to happen. The Yankees were likely going to have to give up one of their very best prospects to get it done, and they rarely deal prospects at that level. Alas. Olson would’ve been a great Yankee.

“Maybe I can run into some more things that give us even more flexibility, more options, and more chances,” Brian Cashman told Greg Joyce. “So I’m not closed out to pursuing options that might exist at first base. At the same time, we have some pretty good candidates in-house.”

Bassitt traded to Mets

Well, the A’s are definitely selling. They were expected to sell coming into the offseason and they didn’t do it before the lockout, but they’re making up for the lost time now. Over the weekend the Athletics sent righty Chris Bassitt, who I acquired as part of my Offseason Plan, to the Mets for pitching prospects J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller. Bassitt will add stability to a rotation that carries some age and injury risk.

Ginn and Oller were ranked the No. 6 and 20 prospects in the Mets system by Baseball America (subs. req’d), respectively. They’re unique prospects with no obvious Yankees equivalent. Ginn was a projected first rounder in 2020 who fell to the second round because he had Tommy John surgery prior to the draft, and when he returned last season his velocity was down and he didn’t miss bats. Baseball America says he “projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter.”

Oller is already 27 and is a former independent league guy who made himself into a big league depth option. He’s a nearly MLB ready swingman type who I could see having success in that big ballpark. The Yankees equivalent to that is what, T.J. Sikkema (Ginn) and Randy Vasquez (Oller)? Tough one to nail down. The A’s believe they’re buying low on Ginn and getting the pre-Tommy John surgery version, plus getting a cheap rotation option in Oller.

The Yankees could have used Bassitt (which team couldn’t?), though the big picture news here is Oakland is indeed selling. They’re not shamelessly giving guys away like the Reds, they’re getting legitimate talent in return, but they are selling. Matt Chapman no longer makes sense for the Yankees with Josh Donaldson aboard, though Sean Manaea or Frankie Montas sure would.

Domingo German’s achy shoulder will hopefully spook the Yankees into getting more pitching depth, and guys like Manaea and Montas are more than depth. They’re above-average big league starters who wouldn’t be out of place in a contender’s rotation. Manaea is a rental like Bassitt, so can the Yankees and Athletics find common ground on a Bassitt-like package? Montas has two years of control remaining and would require a greater return, but ask about him too.

Also, take note of the Olson and Bassitt packages. They’re all prospects. I said this in my Offseason Plan post and I’ll say it again: Oakland never ever ever takes money back when they trade their best players. This goes back to the days of Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. When they trade their top guys, they take prospects and league minimum players in return, and nothing else. They want no part of Gleyber Torres or Luke Voit at their projected arbitration salaries.

Anyway, the point is the Reds and Athletics are both selling and selling aggressively. The Reds moreso than the Athletics, but Oakland is open for business too. Manaea and Montas are the most obvious targets. I’m a Tony Kemp fan and he’d have a place on the bench. The Yankees rarely seem to jump into the mix on these all-out fire sales and they’re lost opportunities. Teams want to give you their good players to clear money! Take them up on it.

Door not closed on Gardner

For the first time since 2007, Brett Gardner was not among the Yankees position players to report to Tampa at the start of Spring Training. He is unsigned and wants to play in 2022 – “Yes, but would obviously prefer to stay with the (Yankees) the entirety of his career,” Gardner’s agent told Joel Sherman when asked whether Gardner plans to continue playing last month – and Aaron Boone didn’t rule out a reunion, adding he hasn’t spoken to Brett since before the lockout.

“I certainly believe he can still play at a high level. I would never say (the door) is closed. I know the front office still values him as a player and a person,” Boone told Dan Martin and Mark Didtler earlier this week. “... There’s so many other things going on as well right now and trying to explore different options, deals, we’ll see how it all plays out. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Tim Locastro, Ender Inciarte, and Florial are the current fourth outfielder candidates. I want Florial to spend his final minor league option year in Triple-A and I think he’ll start the year with Scranton. Is Gardner better than Locastro and Inciarte? I think so. Re-sign him and he’ll do what he always does, which is look completely toast for a few weeks, then play so well the Yankees can’t take him out of the lineup. How many years have we done this now?

This is a weird year because of the lockout, though I am still surprised Gardner is not in camp yet. If it was going to happen, I would have guessed it would happen by now. Could this really be the end? Would be a bummer. Other than Robbie Cano in Queens, Gardner is the last real tie to the 2009 Yankees. An era is ending.

3. Remembering a random Yankee: Ronald Herrera. This week’s random Yankee is another 2017 Yankee like Chris Carter, last week’s random Yankee. Given the recent requests and my mood, we might go on a little run of 2017 Yankees the next few weeks. Here’s the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

Herrera grew up in Venezuela and he signed with the Athletics as an unheralded 16-year-old in Dec. 2011. He received a $20,000 signing bonus. Four years later, Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him the No. 17 prospect in Oakland’s system, saying he had “exceptional control for his age” and the “makings of a solid big league starter.”

A few weeks after that ranking the A’s sent Herrera to the Padres as the player to be named later in the Kyle Blanks trade. He spent a year and half in San Diego’s system and reached Double-A. On Nov. 11th, 2015, the Padres sent the then-20-year-old Herrera to the Yankees for Jose Pirela. It was a one-for-one trade as part of the Yankees’ 40-man roster cleanup efforts.

“Keep an eye on him, we think he has a chance,” Brian Cashman told Joel Sherman in April 2016, soon after Herrera threw the first eight innings of a combined no-hitter with Jonathan Holder for Double-A Trenton.

Herrera spent just about the entire season with the Thunder, throwing 132 innings with a 3.75 ERA (3.27 FIP) and a meager 6.4 % walk rate. The Yankees put Herrera on the 40-man roster after the season, and Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him the No. 27 prospect in what was a stacked farm system heading into 2017. A piece of their scouting report:

Herrera's fastball sits in the low-90s and touched 94 mph during the season. He also throws a slider and changeup that get swings-and-misses, but he fell in love with the changeup and had to be coaxed into a more equal division of his offspeed pitches when his fastball got hit. Mechanically, Herrera's delivery is mostly sound but it has a small stab in the back and he can throw a little across his body at times. He commands his arsenal well and walked just 2.4 hitters per nine innings.

A minor shoulder issue kept Herrera out of action in Spring Training and early in the season. He returned to the mound in April, reported back to Double-A Trenton, and was dynamite. Six earned runs allowed in eight starts and 50.1 innings. On June 14th, Herrera earned his first MLB call up. He replaced CC Sabathia, who went on the injured list with a hamstring issue.

That night Herrera made his big league debut in Anaheim. He entered into the seventh inning of a 2-2 tie because the bullpen was short following Sabathia’s short start in an 11-inning game the night before. The first batter Herrera faced: Albert Pujols. Welcome to the show, kid. The fourth batter Herrera faced: Andrelton Simmons. Simmons hit a go-ahead two-run homer. Here’s the video.

“Our bullpen is pretty fried,” Joe Girardi told Billy Witz about going to Herrera in an important spot in his MLB debut. “That’s really what I had. Obviously, we’ll get some guys back tomorrow, but that was what it was today. We knew the kid was going to pitch at some point today, but we didn’t know exactly when.”

Herrera allowed the two-run homer in two otherwise uneventful innings to spare the bullpen and take the loss in his MLB debut. As is often the case these days, Herrera was sent back down the very next day in favor of a fresh arm (Domingo German, who made his MLB debut earlier that month). He rejoined the Double-A rotation and allowed one run in 5.1 innings five days later.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was feeling pretty good when I got the (ground out). That was a good feeling,” Herrera told Kyle Franko about his MLB debut and retiring Pujols. “... The next inning I felt much better with more confidence (after the home run) . I was able to get the three outs. I know I can do this. Now, I’m going to work even harder to get there again.”

Herrera did not have to wait long for his second MLB opportunity. Five days after the Double-A start, he was called back up to replace lefty Tyler Webb as the long man du jour. He made his second MLB appearance on June 29th, getting three outs in the middle innings of a loss to the White Sox. He took a hard-hit grounder to the leg that night, but avoided an injury.

The Yankees sent Herrera down the next day to make room on the roster for Miguel Andujar, who was making his MLB debut. Herrera went to Scranton this time, not Trenton, and he surrendered five runs in six innings in his Triple-A debut. He then went on the injured list with more shoulder trouble. Unfortunate timing, huh? Had Herrera’s shoulder acted up a few days earlier, he could have gone on the big league injured list and collected big league pay. Alas.

Herrera returned very late in the year and was part of Triple-A Scranton’s postseason rotation, though the Yankees did not give him a September call up. He made 14 minor league starts that season (1.91 ERA in 75.1 innings) and two big league relief appearances (3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR). Here’s his first career MLB strikeout.

Soon after the season the Yankees traded Herrera to the Rangers for lefty Reiver Sanmartin (who later went to the Reds in the Sonny Gray trade, and made his MLB debut last season) in a 40-man roster clean up move. He missed the entire 2018 season with shoulder trouble, allowed 74 runs in 80.1 minor league innings in 2019, did not pitch during the 2020 pandemic season, then allowed 18 runs in 32.2 innings with the independent New Jersey Jackals in 2021.

Somehow still only 26, the Nationals signed Herrera to a minor league deal in February, and their pitching staff is so thin right now that he could conceivably return to the big leagues. And who knows, maybe he’ll return to the Yankees one day. Herrera spent that entire 2018 season on the big league 60-day injured list, so that’s a year of big league pay and service time. To date, Herrera’s earned about $600,000 in the show.

4. Rapid fire thoughts. According to Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d), MLB got its way and the new pre-arbitration bonus pool will count against the luxury tax payroll. It’s only $1.67M per team, but still. Between that and the player benefits charge (estimated at $16M this year), the $230M luxury tax threshold is functionally a $212.33M threshold for player contracts this season. It won’t matter much for the Yankees in 2022. Going forward though, that’s $1.67M less the Yankees can spend on players in years Hal Steinbrenner orders the front office to stay under the threshold … Michael Kay & Co. are going back out on the road. Andrew Marchand reports the YES Network is planning to send its broadcast team to all road games this season. They worked road games remotely the last two years because of the pandemic, and there was some thought remote broadcasts would be made permanent to cut costs. I’m glad that’s not the case. The announcers did their best the last two years, though the broadcast definitely suffers when they’re watching on a monitor rather than watching the game unfold in front of them. Good news and another step toward normalcy … And finally, there will be a different soundtrack when the Yankees win the World Series this year. Joe Buck is leaving FOX to take over as ESPN’s new Monday Night Football announcer, according to Marchand. Joe Davis, the Dodgers primary play-by-play announcer and FOX’s No. 2 baseball guy behind Buck the last few years, is expected to take over as FOX’s lead baseball voice. Buck is overhated and I think he got better when he stopped caring and decided to just let it ride a few years ago. Davis is fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. I’ve never felt he meaningfully adds or takes away from a broadcast. Whatever. It’s the end of an era though. Gonna be weird without Buck calling the World Series.

(Send your requests for Tuesday's random Yankee series and questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com.)