August 20th, 2021: Velazquez, Gallo, Rizzo, Voit, Abreu, Severino, Mailbag

Self-promotion: I wrote a thing at CBS about the unsung heroes who’ve helped the Yankees get back into the postseason race. You can probably guess who the players are without reading it (I wrote it before Andrew Velazquez started doing great things, hence his omission), but do me a solid and give it a click anyway. Thanks. The Yankees are on pace to go 93-69 with 40 games remaining. Let’s get to today’s thoughts.

1. Weekday observations. I guess all the Yankees needed to turn their season around was a kid from the Bronx and a few Italians. They were 10.5 games behind the Red Sox on July 6th. It took them exactly six weeks to pull even and it is the third largest deficit erased in rivalry history. Boston erased a 12-game deficit in 1949 and the Yankees famously erased a 14-game deficit in 1978.

"We had some tough games against them, really competitive games in a lot of cases," Aaron Boone said following the doubleheader sweep against the Red Sox. "At times, we weren't playing our best baseball. I feel like we're a better and different team now. Now it's on to the next one, and we've got an important one tomorrow."

Last time we spoke, the Yankees were 1.5 games behind the second Wild Card spot. Now they are one game up on the first Wild Card spot. It’s been a helluva week, eh? A postseason odds graph is worth a thousand words:

Now that the Yankees are in a Wild Card spot, we can start thinking about the AL East. It won’t be easy. The Rays never seem to lose (the Yankees are 29-11 in their last 40 games and they have only picked up one game on Tampa) and they have only three head-to-head games left. The Yankees need help. The math says they need other teams to beat Tampa for them.

That said, those last three head-to-head games are at Yankee Stadium, and it’s the final series of the regular season. Get to within three games going into that weekend, and suddenly the Yankees control their own destiny. Pretty great that we can have this conversation now and it’s not silly, no? Some thoughts on the last few days as my cardiologist requests a blowout win.

Finally, some resiliency

For the first time since the injury deluge in 2019, the Yankees are showing some resiliency. This team had a tendency to respond to adversity in the worst possible way last year and earlier this year (i.e. they’d go down without a fight at the first sign of trouble), but they’ve done a 180 the last two months or so. The team’s competitive culture has completely changed.

“We’ve played more than our share of really close ones,” Boone said with a chuckle following the win in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. “The good thing is, I think our guys are really comfortable in those situations.”

It’s easy to craft a narrative around the trade deadline and say the Yankees have been energized by the Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo additions, and I’m sure they have been, but this dates back before that. The Yankees won 12 of 19 games leading into the deadline, including taking two of three from the Astros, Rays, and Red Sox. It’s not just the trade deadline.

Whatever it is, it was there before the All-Star break, and it has been heightened by the trade deadline. There has been a dramatic shift in this team’s confidence. They get punched in the mouth and they punch right back. Last year and earlier this year, teams were straight up not scared of the Yankees. You could see it on the field and in their play. That is no longer the case.

All the close games and nail-biter wins make for torture baseball, but the Cardiac Yankees make it worth it. There’s a joy and excitement to this team that wasn’t there earlier this season. They battle and they’re the aggressor now, and they have the other team on their heels. It was the other way around far too long. The Bronx Bombers are truly back, and not a moment too soon.

“After the trade deadline, when we made some big moves and were moving in the right direction, it was like, ‘Let’s get it rolling,” Aaron Judge told Dan Martin in Kansas City last week. “... This team is resilient. We’re always in the fight. It doesn’t matter who goes down. We’ve seen that over the last couple series.”

The kid from the Bronx

“Andrew Velazquez is from the Bronx” is the new “Todd Frazier is from Toms River.” The pride of Fordham Prep had a whale of a series against the Red Sox. Velazquez drove in four runs in the three games (one fewer run than Boston scored all series), more than doubling his career total (3 RBI in 68 games previously), and he was brilliant in the field (highlight reel).

"It's what you dream about," Velazquez told Bryan Hoch following Wednesday’s win (and before going 2-for-3 with a triple Thursday). "You come here and you want to be a part of something. Not only doing good on the field, but earning the respect of the guys in the locker room."

Like countless Millennials trying to make it in New York, Velazquez is staying with his parents in the Bronx rather than getting a place of his own -- “It's closer than staying in Manhattan. Cheaper, too,” he told Hoch -- and that is very relatable. Nothing turns a player into a folk hero quicker than being an underdog and a hometown kid. It is very, very easy to root for Velazquez.

Gio Urshela is at least a few days away from rejoining the Yankees -- Velazquez cited Urshela’s breakout as a reason for signing with the Yankees (he hoped they could unlock something with his swing too) -- so Velazquez isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Even then, the Yankees can drop the ninth reliever (Brody Koerner) and keep Velazquez when Urshela returns. They should do exactly that.

For now though, Velazquez has been a spark plug and he's given the Yankees a nice little shot in the arm. Expectations for a player with his career and track record are basically zero. To come in and get a few big hits (against the Red Sox!) and play splendid defense is more than anyone could’ve asked. If nothing else, Velazquez will make an amazing random Yankee one day.

“He endeared himself to our room in Spring Training. I think everyone enjoyed getting to know him,” Boone told Ken Davidoff earlier this week. “He can really play short, but he has the defensive versatility to move around. You see the speed that he has, and he can swing the bat a little bit. He’s gotten some big hits for us here the last couple of days and played really well in helping us win games.”

The value of lefty bats

The first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader was the first time this year we really saw how adding a quality left-handed bat to the righty heavy lineup can have on the opposing manager's decisions. This was the top of the lineup that day, as a refresher:

1. RHB DJ LeMahieu
2. LHB Brett Gardner
3. RHB Aaron Judge
4. LHB Joey Gallo
5. RHB Luke Voit
6. LHB Rougned Odor

Garrett Whitlock has been great against righties (.213/.261/.298 and .247 wOBA) and not so great against lefties (.284/.341/.419 and .326 wOBA) this year. Using him against the top of the lineup in a one-run game in the fifth inning of a seven-inning game made perfect sense. Gardner doesn’t scare you at this point in his career, so get Whitlock out there against LeMahieu (leading off the inning) and Judge (could hit one halfway up the bleachers at any moment).

Whitlock walked Gardner and Judge, and because he has issues with lefties and Gallo is a lefty, it forced Red Sox manager Alex Cora to go to lefty Josh Taylor. Gallo is actually better against lefties than righties, but you can’t let him face a righty who is weak against lefties in a big spot, you know? Plus Odor was two spots away, so Taylor had a chance to face two lefties.

The move played right into the Yankees’ hands. Gallo worked a walk to load the bases and Voit had a favorable matchup. Voit is coming around now, though he's mostly struggled this year, and Taylor is a lefty who throws a lot of fastballs. That’s about as good a matchup as it gets for a struggling righty. Voit jumped on the first pitch and dunked the go-ahead single into center. Hooray!

The three-batter minimum meant Taylor had to stay in to face one more batter, and even though Odor had two hits earlier in the game, Boone sent Giancarlo Stanton to the plate. Credit to Boone there. It would’ve been easy to stick with the hot hand, especially since Odor has been fluky great against lefties this season (.250/.341/.500 and 131 wRC+).

Stanton annihilates southpaws though (.287/.388/.554 and 155 wRC+ vs. lefties as a Yankee), and Taylor had to stay in the game. When you get a chance to give Stanton a guaranteed at-bat against a fastball heavy lefty, you take it. One 116.3 mph single later, the Yankees had an important insurance run. Stanton hit the ball so hard the center fielder fumbled the hop.

Gallo’s presence -- just his presence -- made all that possible. It forced Cora to make a decision with Whitlock, a decision he absolutely would not have had to make with the pre-deadline lineup that was basically all righties. And now that Anthony Rizzo is back, those decisions only become tougher and more frequent for the other team. Lineup diversity matters. We saw it Tuesday.

“Now you’ve got some decisions to make as an opponent, especially in a close game,” Boone said after the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. “Because of that balance, there’s a good chance that we will have a favorable matchup at some point. That’s definitely something that has helped us.”

Rizzo returns

Welcome back, Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo missed the minimum 10 days on the COVID-19 list -- “It sucked. Achy and tired. I'd just get up and try to move around and get tired and everything hurt,” he said earlier this week -- and he made an impact in his first game back Wednesday. He had a key two-run single and also made a great scoop on the final play of the game.

“I thought the same thing,” Rizzo told Alex Speier when asked whether he expected to be traded to the Red Sox at the deadline. “There were a lot of rumors. With my experience, I tried to focus mostly on baseball, but I’d have friends texting me, ‘Do we need to dust off our Red Sox stuff?’ That was the biggest rumor out there a couple days before the trade deadline.”

Now that Rizzo is back, the playing time carousel begins. Boone said the Yankees are likely to ease Rizzo back into action -- “I think that’s the one thing we’ll probably have to watch is the stamina part of things,” he told Mark Fitzpatrick (I bet Rizzo sits against the lefty Charlie Barnes tonight after playing the last two days) -- so Voit will get at-bats that way, at least initially. Voit has been very vocal about wanting to play and Boone did talk with him earlier this week.

“Luke and I have talked. The bottom line is, hopefully we continue to get guys back and remain healthy. Luke is gonna play a big role on this team moving forward,” Boone told Martin. “I want all our guys to want to play every day. I don’t want guys happy they’re out of the lineup. I’ll also say, ‘Let this thing play out.’ I think (Voit’s) gonna play a big role for us down the stretch.”

Voit’s comments are unbecoming -- “I was top 10 in the MVP last year and I’ve been a great player for this organization for the last three years … I deserve to play just as much as (Rizzo) does,” he said Tuesday -- but he’s not wrong. He should play, and so should Rizzo. The best version of the Yankees has both in the lineup because they can both carry an offense at their best.

The easiest (and best) solution is still putting Stanton in the outfield and Voit at DH (with Rizzo at first and Judge and Gallo in the other two outfield spots). Dream with me:

1. 2B DJ LeMahieu
2. 1B Anthony Rizzo
3. CF Aaron Judge
4. LF Joey Gallo
5. RF Giancarlo Stanton
6. DH Luke Voit
7. 3B Rougned Odor
8. C Gary Sanchez
9. SS Tyler Wade or Andrew Velazquez

That’s the Death Star lineup sans Gio Urshela and Gleyber Torres, who are still at least a few days (likely more in Gleyber’s case) away from rejoining the team, and I think that is the master plan. That’s the lineup the Yankees envision in big games and in the postseason (plus Urshela and Torres, of course). It just makes too much sense. It has to happen.

“The team is in a better spot, in my opinion, if I’m out there with our offensive flexibility,” Stanton told Martin about playing the outfield more regularly (nine outfield starts in the last 20 games). “(Playing the field) has gone better than I thought.”

The thing is, there are 40 games remaining and the Yankees are obsessive about rest. They are not a team that runs the same nine players out there day after day. Going forward, I could see a scenario in which Stanton and Rizzo get one day off a week, Voit gets two days off a week, and Judge and Gallo get one day off every two weeks. That opens playing time for everyone.

I know he’s unhappy, but it would be best for Voit to shut up a bit, just for the optics. He doesn’t want to come off as a whiner or a clubhouse cancer, and the Yankees don’t want to give off the impression that things are uncomfortable behind the scenes. Boone has been billed as a master communicator and clubhouse leader. It’s time to put a lid on this.

Hopefully everyone stays healthy (odds: low) and distributing playing time is an ongoing problem (“problem”) Boone has to navigate. Keeping everyone involved and engaged (that also includes Brett Gardner, who’s played well the last few weeks) is important, because it takes a village. I’m glad Rizzo and Voit are back. Now find a way to optimize the lineup.

(Defensively, I think the best outfield has Gallo in left and Judge in center when Stanton is in right because left field at Yankee Stadium is huge, and you want a good defender there. Judge has never played left in the big leagues. Health-wise, Gallo running around center is probably better than Judge.)

Abreu’s sinker

Albert Abreu is ascending into the Circle of Trust™ and he’s also joined Team Sinker out in the bullpen. Perhaps those two things are related. Abreu got blasted by the Rays on July 29th (six runs, zero outs), and immediately after that, he scaled back on his four-seamer and began using a sinker as his primary fastball. Look:

Abreu’s ground ball rate hasn’t ticked up since adopting the sinker. He had a 47.4% ground ball rate from April through July. In August, it’s 47.8%. But! But Abreu’s strikeout and walk rates have improved. He had a 21.3% strikeout rate and a 14.8% walk rate from April through July. Those numbers are 31.6% and 5.3% in August, respectively.

Although the sinker moves more than the four-seamer, it’s possible Abreu has better feel for the pitch and is more comfortable with it in general. It’s also possible Abreu’s recent success is a 10-inning fluke and nothing more than small sample noise. I don’t think that’s the case, I think Abreu is more confident (the deer in the headlights look is gone) and taking legitimate steps forward, but we can’t rule it out either.

Switching to a sinker right as the Yankees start to emphasize ground ball ability in the bullpen is not a coincidence. No chance. It's also unlikely it's a coincidence that this happened immediately after the ugly game in Tampa. Jameson Taillon remade himself after getting beat up by the Phillies. Abreu and the Yankees going back to the drawing board after the Rays game would track.

We’ll see where this goes. For now, I just wanted to highlight Abreu’s new pitch mix and the fact it coincides with the best stretch of his MLB career. I’m not yet ready to call it a eureka moment, when everything clicked and Abreu became an impact big leaguer. This is something to watch, something to enjoy, and something to hope is the key to unlocking Abreu’s potential.

The Green Light Yankees

Time to update some baserunning stats. In the first half, the Yankees stole 20 bases (last in MLB) in 25 attempts (last in MLB), and were worth -11.7 runs on the bases (last in MLB). In the second half, they have 30 steals (first in MLB) in 35 attempts (first in MLB) and have been worth +2.8 runs on the bases overall (fourth in MLB). Who is this team?

“It’s definitely a different dynamic,” Boone told David Smale about the baserunning during the Kansas City series last week. “It’s a different element at times we haven’t had. We try to take advantage.”

The 30 second half steals are inflated a bit because 17 belong to Tyler Wade (8), Greg Allen (5), Velazquez (2), Estevan Florial (1), and Ryan LaMarre (1). None of those guys were expected to play as much as they have the last few weeks. Only Starling Marte (18) and Whit Merrifield (10) have more stolen bases than Wade since the All-Star break. Who saw that coming?

That said, those guys have played, and they have stolen a bunch of bases. Stolen bases are not and never will be the focal point of this offense (long live dingers), but it is an element the Yankees lacked earlier in the year. They didn’t just lack good baserunning, they were actively hurting themselves with their baserunning. It was a negative. That is no longer the case.

I do think the Yankees have gotten a little too cute at times with the stolen bases. LeMahieu was thrown out trying to steal third (as part of a double steal) for the first out of the eighth inning with a one-run lead Monday. Two on with no outs in a one-run game with Gallo, Stanton, and Voit coming up? Eh, I thought it was unnecessary. Just let them hit with two guys on.

Also, Wednesday night Judge stole second base against Adam Ottavino with a three-run lead and two outs in the seventh inning. We know Ottavino is susceptible to stolen bases (runners are 62-for-67 stealing bases against him since 2018). We also know he is susceptible to left-handed batters …

• vs. RHB: .177/.291/.212 (.241 wOBA) in 2021
• vs. LHB: .317/.431/.450 (.385 wOBA) in 2021

… and the stolen base allowed the Red Sox to intentionally walk Gallo, and give Ottavino a more favorable matchup against Stanton (Stanton grounded out to end the inning). I’d rather Judge stay put and let Gallo hit against Ottavino. First base is scoring position when Gallo is at the plate, and he’s not the kinda guy who will punch a single* the other way to get that runner in front second, you know?

* Fun fact: Gallo has five doubles, four homers, and three singles as a Yankees, and none of the three singles left the infield. Two were bunts against the shift (this one and this one), and the other was a half-swing grounder that hit second base (this one). We’re still waiting for Gallo’s first single to the outfield. I weirdly hope he never gets it and just keeps ripping extra-base hits and infield singles.

Stolen bases are fun and useful and I’m glad the Yankees have been able to incorporate them into their game more in the second half (and improve their baserunning overall). I also think they need to do a little better job picking their spots. Those LeMahieu and Judge steal attempts earlier this week seemed ill-advised. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

New-look defense

The Yankees did something in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader that I don’t think I’ve ever seen outside Spring Training or the September roster expansion period. In the seventh inning, they completely rearranged their defense and had a new player at every position except catcher. Here’s a recap of the defensive changes:

• DJ LeMahieu: 2B to 1B
• Rougned Odor: 3B to 2B
• Andrew Velazquez: Entered to play SS (replaced Luke Voit, who was at 1B)
• Tyler Wade: SS to 3B
• Brett Gardner: CF to LF
• Jonathan Davis: Entered to play CF (replaced Giancarlo Stanton, who was in RF)
• Joey Gallo: LF to RF

Davis can’t hit, not even a little bit I don’t think, but he just glides to the ball in center field. He tracks the ball so effortlessly. Gallo is a substantial defensive upgrade over Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier in left, and Velazquez brings a sweet glove too. And then there’s Judge and Rizzo. They’re great defensively as well (Judge was at DH in the night game Tuesday).

The Yankees have turned their season around because all the other aspects of their game have caught up to the pitching. The pitching has been so good (team 118 ERA+)! Now the offense has picked it up (I wouldn’t say it’s firing on all cylinders yet though), the baserunning has improved, and the defense is better too. This is a very different team than the one we saw in April, May, and June.

“That’s a different team than early in the season,” Cora said after the doubleheader sweep Tuesday. “They’re more agile, more versatile, more athletic. One thing they’ve done throughout the season is that they can pitch. They have done it throughout.”

2. Severino’s setback. Luis Severino was scratched from his scheduled rehab start last Friday because his shoulder was tight during warmups, and it wasn’t until yesterday that the Yankees provided an update. The good news: Severino has no structural damage in his shoulder. Phew. The bad news: there is no timetable for Severino to resume throwing.

“We heard back on the second opinion, which agreed with the first opinion which said there was no structural damage there. It looked pretty good overall,” Aaron Boone told Kristie Ackert. “... I don’t know when he’s throwing the ball. And I don’t know when he’s back on the mound and things like that, and where we’re starting from. It would probably be silly for me to speculate on that. I mean, if he’s throwing the ball by Monday and ramping up by then we’ll just see.”

Severino received first and second opinions on his shoulder, and it sounds like he will join the Yankees on their West Coast trip next week so he could visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles for an in-person evaluation. Tommy John surgery is a very significant procedure, though it is fairly routine. Elbows are pretty simple. Shoulders are much, much trickier. No structural damage is excellent news.

At this point, we probably shouldn’t count on Severino returning this season. He’s coming off a shoulder problem and has had his Tommy John surgery rehab interrupted twice. The Yankees will be very careful whenever he gets back on a mound. Definitely forget about him as a starter this year. There are only six weeks remaining in the regular season and there’s not enough time to stretch him out. If Severino returns this year, it will be as a reliever.

And that’s okay! It’s potentially very good, really. The Yankees could use help in the bullpen and Severino could be a difference-maker out there, even if they have to watch his workload closely. First things first, Severino has to get healthy, something he hasn’t been able to do most of the last three seasons now. If we don’t see him until next year, so be it. At least there’s no major damage in his shoulder.

“It’s been a long road for Sevy and he’s worked so hard physically to get his body in position to be ready to do this,” Boone told Ackert. “And I feel like in a lot of ways, he’s physically in the best condition he’s ever been in. So I know he’s been frustrated, understandably by the setback he had first with the leg and then now this.”

3. Sept. call ups coming. In 12 days teams will be able to add two additional players to their roster during the September roster expansion period. The MLBPA agreed to only two additional September roster spots in exchange for a 26th roster spot the other five months. Why not push for 30-32 roster spots in September rather than cut it all the way down to 28 on the first pass? Blah.

(I wrote a defense of Sept. call ups at CBS years ago. It holds up well, I think.)

The Yankees will soon be at a point where they have more good players than roster spots. Here are the players currently in Triple-A and on the injured list (and expected to return this year) who would almost certainly be September call ups under the old rules:

• In Triple-A: Jonathan Davis, Luis Gil, Brooks Kriske, Nick Nelson, Clarke Schmidt, Rob Brantly (not on 40-man roster)
• On injured list: Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, Clay Holmes (COVID list), Mike King (60-day injured list), Corey Kluber (60-day injured list)

We could also include Chris Gittens and Stephen Ridings, though the Yankees don’t need another first base only guy, and Ridings would require opening another 40-man roster spot. Maybe getting Holmes, German, King, and Kluber back means the Yankees wouldn’t bother calling up Nelson or Schmidt, but hey, if you have 40 active roster spots, why not?

Now the Yankees (and every other team) has to pick and choose who they call up. The 27th and 28th roster spots in September will be revolving doors, and players will be shuttled in and out all month. The Yankees don’t have much fat they can trim from the MLB roster right now (Brody Koerner and that’s really it). How do they fit Urshela and Torres and Holmes and Kluber?

Those are “worry about it when the time comes” problems. There will be injuries between now and then that will answer these questions for the Yankees. But still, it stinks the Yankees won’t be able to carry all these players on the active roster in September, like they could have in the good old days. Other teams have the same problem too. Deserving and useful players won’t be in MLB.

Anyway, that’s what will probably become my annual September call up mini-rant. I hate the new roster limit (only two extra roster spots? really???) and I think MLB is harming itself by a) making it more difficult for teams to protect pitchers late in the year, and b) potentially forcing talented young players to stay in the minors. Make it easier for teams to showcase their talent, not harder. It's good for the game.

Maybe the league will come to its senses and change the September call up rules on the fly, like they did last year when they stuck with 28-man rosters rather than cut back to 26 as initially planned, or like they did this year with the foreign substance crackdown. I’m not counting on it though. Giving teams extra roster spots means spending more money on payroll, and that ain’t happening. Alas.

3. Rapid fire thoughts. MLB proposed a $100M salary floor with a $180M luxury tax threshold during the latest round of Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, report Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d). Furthermore, any luxury tax paid would be used to subsidize teams that can’t reach the salary floor. Pretty transparent attempt to discourage spending by the top teams and limit potential salary growth. Proposing a $30M decrease to the upper payroll limit is an aggressively insulting proposal. The current CBA expires Dec. 1st. The two sides have less than four months to hammer something out and avoid a work stoppage (I’ve heard a one-year extension of the current CBA is a possibility should things get too hectic with the pandemic again) … Earlier this week MLB announced the 2022 Spring Training schedule. Here is the Yankees’ schedule (full-size image) (schedule link):

No word on reporting dates yet, though the past few years pitchers and catchers reported 10-12 days before the first Grapefruit League game, so figure somewhere in the Feb. 14th to 16th range. Also, they’re going back to a full schedule next year rather than the mini-bubbles they used this year. The Yankees only played the Blue Jays, Orioles, Phillies, and Tigers this spring. Next year they will play the other 14 Grapefruit League teams, including the Mets and Red Sox … And finally, the Yankees debuted a new two-strike siren and graphic at Yankee Stadium during the Red Sox series. You can see it here. Apparently that siren has something to do with the Death Star? I don’t think I like it. It’s new and weird and we’re conditioned to hate new and weird things, so maybe it’ll grow on me. Right now it feels tacky. (Also, I get leaning into the Evil Empire thing, but someone should really tell the Yankees the Death Star blew up.)

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Alessandro asks: Do you think the Yankees could look to trade Zack Britton in the offseason? Just has 1 year left on his deal, and his salary will be $13 million against the all-powerful CBT. He's on the wrong side of 30, and has had struggles this year. Do you think they could look to replace him with someone else, or is this just an Adam Ottavino 2.0?

Cot’s tells me Britton will count as $14M against the luxury tax next year, not $13M. Not a big difference but it is a difference. Anyway, Britton has been really bad this year, and we did just see the Yankees salary dump two relievers (Luis Cessa and Adam Ottavino) who were making quite a bit less than Britton (especially so in Cessa’s case), so a trade is possible.

I think there are two key differences between Britton’s situation and Ottavino’s situation. First, the Yankees love Britton. That isn’t to say they didn’t like Ottavino, just that they really love Britton. They love him in the clubhouse and Aaron Boone clearly trusts him, much more than he ever did Ottavino. That may buy Britton more leash.

And two, the Yankees are unlikely to stay under the luxury tax threshold next season. They have very little money coming off the books (just Corey Kluber) and several big arbitration raises on the horizon. Unless the new Collective Bargaining Agreement raises the luxury tax threshold to, say, $250M or so, it’s hard to see how they can stay under next year. If you’re definitely going over the threshold, you might as well keep Britton. No need to dump that salary.

Britton does not have a no-trade clause (he gets a $1M bonus if traded), so he has no say in the matter. Maybe the Yankees look to make a bad contract for bad contract trade? The Phillies are in perpetual need of bullpen help and Britton is a big name ex-closer. Britton for Didi Gregorius? Britton and Sir Didi each have one year remaining on their deals at identical money. Hmmm.

The Yankees could use a stopgap shortstop and they know Gregorius well. He fits. He’s having a horrible season (.218/.273/.397 and 77 wRC+), but so is Britton, so it would be a classic change of scenery trade. I think Britton is more likely to be great (or even good) next year than Didi because a) he’s been great more recently, and b) he’s had a weird injury year, and he could get back to normal with good health.

You can never rule out a trade out with any player, though my hunch is the Yankees plan to keep Britton next season, and hope he gets back on track with good health, a normal offseason, and a normal Spring Training. It’s not unreasonable. If they do want to move him, I think there would be a good deal of interest given his track record.

Ari asks: With all the starters coming back and Britton turning into hot garbage, what are the chances Luis Gill gets converted into Chapman's set up man in September? We saw the Yanks do it with Hughes with great success in the past.  Would seem like a perfect fit assuming Cole, Sevy/Kluber, Monty, Taillon are available.

This question was sent in before Luis Severino’s latest setback, and each time a starting pitcher gets hurt, it becomes more likely the Yankees will need Gil in the rotation. If the rotation allows, the Yankees should absolutely consider Gil a bullpen option. It’s all hands on deck time and the bullpen is a bit of a mess. His power stuff should play really (really) well in short bursts.

What are the chances it happens? I’ll go with 49.695%. Basically 50/50. The question isn’t so much will the Yankees put Gil in the bullpen -- I definitely think they would (again, as long as the rotation allows) -- but will Aaron Boone trust Gil in high leverage spots? I guess it depends how he performs, right? Is there enough time to earn a spot in the Circle of Trust™? There are only 40 games remaining.

As long as the Yankees have enough starters, I am totally cool with putting Gil in the bullpen in September, and letting him help that way. His control is spotty and his secondary pitches come and go, so I’m not sure whether he’s a starter long-term, but Gil is definitely a big leaguer. It’s an elite fastball and give me guys who can throw the ball by hitters in the late innings.

(This applies to Clarke Schmidt too. He’s healthy now and in Triple-A, and if the Yankees think he can help in the bullpen, then put him in the bullpen. Schmidt hasn’t had the sort of MLB success Gil has had, so he’s behind him on the depth chart. That’s the idea though. Put your best arms in position to help you anyway they can. Gil in relief must be a consideration.)

El asks: By my count, as of the Yanks sweep of Boston, their last seven wins have been saved by: Britton (KC), Abreu (CWS), Peralta (CWS), Green (LAA), Loisiaga (BOS), Green (BOS), Luetge (BOS). Seven wins, six different guys getting a save. There's got to be some record and/or great stat in there, right?

It’s a fun stat but it’s not a record. Sarah Langs says this is the second time the Yankees have had a five different pitchers record a save in five straight save situations since saves became an official stat in 1969. The other instance was pretty recent: Aug. 14th to 25th in 2018. That was a six-save streak. The six pitchers: Aroldis Chapman, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Luis Cessa, Zack Britton, and Dellin Betances.

Unlike the 2021 streak, the 2018 streak was not consecutive wins. There were two blowout wins sandwiched in there. It was consecutive save opportunities rather than consecutive wins. Also, the 2021 stretch was the result of an unreliable bullpen and having to cobble things together. Here are the circumstances behind the 2018 stretch:

Chapman on Aug. 14th: Regular old save. (4-1 win over Rays) (RAB recap)

Robertson on Aug. 17th: He was on the mound when the game was called due to rain after seven innings. (7-5 win over Blue Jays) (RAB recap)

Kahnle on Aug. 21st: Got the save in the 12th inning after Britton, Betances, and Chapman all pitched earlier in the game. Robertson was unavailable because of a minor shoulder issue. (2-1 win over Marlins) (RAB recap)

Britton on Aug. 24th: Chapman was placed on the injured list on Aug. 22nd with a knee issue and the Yankees used Britton as their fill-in closer. (7-5 win over Orioles) (RAB recap)

Cessa on Aug. 25th: Threw the final three innings in a blowout win in the first game of a doubleheader. Throw the last three innings of a win and you get a save regardless of score. (10-3 win over Orioles) (RAB recap)

Betances on Aug. 25th: Kahnle loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning with a four-run lead and Dellin had to bail him out in the second game of the doubleheader. I’m not sure why Betances got the ball over Britton. Britton pitched the day before, though he should have been available back-to-back days. (5-1 win over Orioles) (RAB recap)

Chad Green getting two saves spoils the current streak a bit (Green was on the roster during the 2018 streak too, though he was used as a middle innings fireman), but still, six different pitchers getting a save in the span of seven wins is pretty wild. It’s not unprecedented, but it is wild. Whatever it takes for these 2021 Yankees.

(The Yankees are one of six teams in history with a save in seven straight games. They'll try to become the first team ever with a save in eight straight games tonight. Cool history and all, but I'd rather a blowout win. Pretty please?)

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