June 29th, 2021: Boone, Offense, LeMahieu, Dominguez, Garcia, Marlins

I’m starting to think the team that has to scratch and claw and turn triple plays and make dramatic late-inning comebacks to beat the Blue Jays and Royals isn’t all that formidable. The Yankees certainly haven’t looked formidable most of the year, and especially not when they play the teams they’re chasing in the standings. The Yankees are on pace to go 84-78 with 85 games remaining. To today’s thoughts.

1. Weekend observations. The Yankees are 5-14 against the Rays and Red Sox this year and have been outscored 100-54 in the 19 games. Not only did the Yankees never hold a lead this past weekend, the score was tied for only five half-innings. Boston scored early and often, and put each game to bed before the Yankees could even turn the lineup over. An embarrassing series, it was. Some thoughts on the last few days.

Dead manager walking

I hate using this word to describe professional athletes but that was truly a gutless showing by the Yankees this weekend. This team has responded as poorly as possible to every little shred of adversity the last two years, and after the loss Saturday night, they gave the same “we have to come out strong tomorrow” song and dance, only to fall flat Sunday.

“We’ve still got a long season left. Important game tomorrow,” Aaron Judge told Ken Davidoff following Saturday’s loss. “We’ve got to score first early and then we can control the game.”

The Yankees went down 1-2-3 on 13 pitches in the top of the first inning Sunday against a pitcher that went into the game with a 6.07 ERA, then were trailing 4-0 five batters into the bottom of the first. "Our season is on the line," Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch yesterday afternoon, and, once again, the Yankees came out completely flat in the loss to the Angels.

The fish rots from the head and the blame starts with ownership and the front office, but the changes always start at the bottom. In a world where the Yankees feel shame, Boone and his coaches would’ve been let go after the Red Sox series. I don’t think replacing the staff would fix much, honestly, at least not right away, but it would send a message to everyone (including the players) that this is unacceptable and has gone on too long.

The old adage says teams take on the personality of their manager, and sure it seems like the Yankees have taken on Boone’s cool uncle “everything will be fine, man, don’t worry” personality. The careless mistakes and mental errors continue to pile up, and the Yankees look wholly unprepared (in every phase of the game!) compared to contenders. I can’t even call those teams “other contenders” because the Yankees aren’t one right now.

The season is nearly halfway complete and the Yankees are still talking about inconsistency. “Inconsistency has kind of defined us so far," Boone said over the weekend (video link). What is he talking about? This team is incredibly consistent. The baserunning and defense have stunk all season, the offense has been all or nothing for years, and they get pushed around by contenders and hold their own against non-contenders. That has all been very, very consistent. "Inconsistency" is a meaningless boogeyman buzzword like "analytics."

The Yankees have a poorly built roster ripe with vulnerabilities (no offensive diversity, no speed, poor defense, too much injury risk, etc.), and a dugout leadership group that has demonstrated little to no ability to get the most out of its players. Every day Boone remains in charge is a day the Yankees are telling us they’re totally fine with how the season is playing out.

Ottavino’s revenge

Predictably, giving a high-leverage reliever to a division opponent and a historic rival is working out horribly. Adam Ottavino shut the Yankees down Friday and picked up the save Saturday. His 33rd and final pitch Saturday was 97.8 mph. It was his fastest pitch since 2017 even though he was pitching for the third straight day and the fourth time in five days. Think he wanted that out?

The Yankees gave a smart, talented, and motivated reliever to a direct competitor and it has backfired about as spectacularly as possible. Garrett Whitlock is one thing. He was a Rule 5 Draft pick who could have landed anywhere. Intentionally giving Ottavino (and a prospect!) to a direct competitor though? Lordy. Here’s part of what I wrote after the trade:

One, the chances this backfires on the Yankees are extremely high. Ottavino is talented and smart, and I think it’s very likely he gets himself back on track after last season, which wasn’t as bad as everyone remembers. The Yankees were a reliever short after Tommy Kahnle got hurt last year. They’ve yet to replace him, and now Ottavino’s gone too.

Two, the Yankees and their very righty heavy lineup will play 19 games against the Red Sox this year, and they just gave Boston a reliever who struck out 31.1% of the righty batters he faced last year, and 36.7% the last three years. Just gave him to them. Threw in a prospect too, as a treat. And to make it worse, the chances Aaron Boone brain pretzels his way into pinch-hitting Tyler Wade and Mike Tauchman for Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier to get a lefty bat in there against Ottavino are annoyingly high. I dislike this. I dislike everything about it.

Just replace “Tyler Wade and Mike Tauchman” with Rougned Odor and “Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier” with Miguel Andujar, and yeah, pretty much hit the nail on the head. Pinch-hitting the bad player who is on the roster because he has a $0 luxury tax hit against the good reliever you salary dumped is the Yankees operation in a nutshell. The organizational priorities in one at-bat.

The Yankees traded Ottavino to the Red Sox because of their slavish devotion to a nonexistent salary cap. They traded him for the ability to spend money they could have spent anyway. And, to compound the mistake, the three guys they’ve signed with the savings (Darren O’Day, Brett Gardner, Justin Wilson) have been duds. Just piling mistakes on top of mistakes.

It’s not easy to undo the damage done by a blanket policy like the luxury tax plan, but Ottavino shutting the Yankees down should at least prompt some serious organizational introspection. It’s not about Ottavino personally. It’s about the current team building philosophy. It’s too late for the Yankees to spend on free agents, but they can still spend at the trade deadline, and this team needs a lot of help. Righting the luxury tax wrong would go a long way.

Actions have consequences and the Yankees are learning the hard way that throwing away your inherent market advantages and giving good players to rivals to make it happen is a great way to turn a 100-win roster into an 85-win roster. Ottavino this weekend is as in your face as the luxury tax mistake is going to get. If that (and this season in general) doesn’t make the Yankees reconsider what the hell they’re doing, I don’t know what will.

The lack of lefties

I have watched it unfold with my own eyes this season and over the last few years, and I still can’t believe the Yankees wound up with such a righty dominant lineup. The fact the Red Sox were comfortable letting Ottavino face Odor and Brett Gardner on Saturday rather than go to lefty Josh Taylor, who was warming up, tells you how little they fear the Yankees’ lefties.

Thursday is the halfway point of the season, so the sample is getting to be significant. Here’s where the Yankees ranked among the 30 teams in left-handed hitter production going into last night’s game:

• AVG: .188 (30th, Cardinals are next at .209)
• OBP: .287 (29th, Marlins are last at .279)
• SLG: .317 (29th, Cardinals are last at .316)
• wRC+: 72 (29th, Marlins are last at 71)
• HR: 15 (29th, Blue Jays are last with 12)

Their 628 plate appearances by lefty hitters are the second fewest in baseball (the Blue Jays have 618 and the Cardinals have the third fewest at 853, so the gap is huge). That’s despite the short porch and the franchise’s success historically being built around lefty bats. Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Paul O’Neill, and, uh, Jay Bruce and Rougned Odor? Something doesn’t fit. This is the lineup the Yankees built? On purpose?

Even with their early June hot streak, the Yankees are 23rd in baseball in runs per game (3.99). Their opponents have a 4.77 DRA, sixth worst in baseball, meaning the Yankees have faced some of the worst pitching in baseball this season. A hard-throwing righty, or a lefty who can backdoor cutters and breaking balls like Eduardo Rodriguez and Jose Suarez the last two days …

… will have a lot of success against this lineup. There’s no need to make any adjustments from batter to batter. Pitchers can settle in and pitch almost everyone the same, one through nine. As talented as their hitters are, the Yankees made it really easy for opposing teams and pitchers to build and execute a game plan.

DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton aren’t going anywhere, and I don’t see any way trading Aaron Judge makes the Yankees better. He is their best player by no small margin and trading him runs counter to the whole “trying to win” thing, so you'll have to forgive me for thinking the New York Yankees should try to win. Plus, look how little Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Manny Machado fetched as rentals. We’d all be disappointed at the return.

But, when the time comes to overhaul the offense this offseason (and all available evidence suggests the offense needs an overhaul), no one else should be safe. Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, Luke Voit, etc. Difficult decisions will be necessary and the change has to happen somewhere. The right-handedness has made the Yankees far too vulnerable.

Britton and Peralta hurt

Amazing how the roster crunches always take care of themselves, isn’t it? Last week I wasted 500 words on making room for O’Day and Wilson, who’ve spent the last week on minor league rehab assignments, only for the Yankees to lose Zack Britton (hamstring) and Wandy Peralta (back) to the injured list over the weekend. Go figure.

"You never want to put a hard yes or no on anything, but after today throwing I don't see why I wouldn't be (ready to return after 10 days),” Britton told Pete Caldera over the weekend. Britton initially resisted an MRI, but did go for one yesterday. We’re still waiting on the results.

Britton and Peralta are on the injured list, Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske were summoned in the interim, and O’Day and Wilson are due back very soon. They each made their third minor league rehab appearance Sunday and Boone said they’ll likely be activated this week. I bet they’re both back today. The Yankees need the pitching reinforcements.

UPDATE: Brooks Kriske was sent down following yesterday's game, so at least one of O'Day and Wilson is returning today.

Peralta hasn’t pitched well lately but I’d rather he be healthy and available than on the injured list. Losing Britton is a blow even if he was still rounding into form following the elbow surgery. Hopefully it’s a little 10-day break and nothing more. The Yankees lean on their bullpen a lot as it is, and having one fewer high-leverage arm to share the workload will be a problem at times.

LeMahieu’s resurgence

It’s not all bad. LeMahieu is starting to look like 2019-20 LeMahieu again. He is 24-for-69 (.348) with seven extra-base hits and more walks (six) than strikeouts (four) in his last 16 games. In his previous 47 games, he had only five extra-base hits. The exit velocity is up …

… and the power is returning. LeMahieu also isn’t pulling the ball on the ground as often as he was earlier this year, when he was a 6-3 and 5-3 groundout machine. He’s at his best when he’s roping the ball back up the middle and to right field, and we’re starting to see that again.

The Yankees have a lot of weak spots toward the bottom of the lineup, and I’m just not sure how they can fix that other than going outside the organization. The top of the lineup shouldn’t be a problem though, yet it was for the first two months or so, when LeMahieu was looking his age (33 next month). His bat has come around lately, and while it’s probably too late to really change the team’s outlook, it’s better than not coming around at all.

Resetting expectations

Until they give me a reason to believe otherwise, this team’s ceiling is going on the road in the Wild Card Game. If they play well enough between now and then, they can line Gerrit Cole up for that game rather than trot out Jordan Montgomery or one of the No. 4-5 starter types who otherwise occupy the rotation.

Forget about the Rays and Red Sox. They have thoroughly depantsed the Yankees this season and the Yankees do not belong in the same conversation as them. This is the race the Yankees are focusing on now:

1. Athletics: 47-33
2. Cleveland: 42-33 (2.5 GB)
3. Blue Jays: 40-36 (5 GB)
4. Mariners: 41-38 (5.5 GB)
5. Yankees: 40-37 (6 GB)
6. Angels: 38-40 (8 GB)

That’s the race for the second Wild Card spot, so yes, this Angels series is a big series. If you’re holding out hope for the AL East title, you’re a better fan than me, though the Yankees have to get to the second Wild Card spot before they can get to the top of the AL East, so this is just step one in that process. We’re scoreboard watching the A’s, Blue Jays, and Cleveland now. (I can't see Seattle hanging around.)

Every team in the second Wild Card race is flawed. The A’s lost one of their best hitters (Mark Canha) to injury and are so thin in the bullpen that they’re currently carrying former Yankees prospect Domingo Acevedo on the roster. Toronto’s bullpen is a disaster and the main reason they’ve underperformed their +65 run differential. Cleveland has little offense outside Jose Ramirez, and their top three starters (Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac) are hurt.

The Yankees have numerous flaws as well and that’s just what the second Wild Card race is most years, a battle between mediocre teams. When the postseason (likely) expands next year, the last spot will come down to bad teams rather than mediocre teams. It is what it is. The A’s, Blue Jays, and Cleveland. That’s the primary competition now.

2. Minor league thoughts. The 2021 Futures Game rosters should be revealed soon. Likely later this week based on previous years. Two weeks before the All-Star break seems standard. My guess is Oswaldo Peraza and/or Anthony Volpe will represent the Yankees. I could see the Yankees holding out the Luises (Gil and Medina) in case they’re needed at the MLB level. Here are a few quick thoughts on the farm system.

Dominguez debuts

Jasson Dominguez is officially in the professional baseball register. He made his long-awaited pro debut in the rookie Florida Complex League yesterday (they renamed the Gulf Coast League like all the other minor leagues) and went 0-for-2 with a walk. He struck out in his first at-bat, popped up to third in his second at-bat, then drew a walk.

Dominguez was removed as part of mass substitutions in the middle innings (Madison Santos replaced Dominguez and stole second, third, and home in the same inning later in the game), so it was a light first day at the office. I wish there was video or more to say about Dominguez’s first game, but that’s baseball and that’s the FCL. For now, he's playing in real games. We’ll check back in a few days.

“I’ve actually got to watch quite a bit of video of him in Extended Spring Training, whether it be live at-bats off our pitchers or watching (Luis Severino) a few weeks ago when he was starting his return, Dominguez was one of the live hitters he’s facing," Aaron Boone told the Associated Press. "A special talent. And from all I can tell and all I hear is a really good kid. So look forward to him starting his career and charting his own path, and hopefully the hype and the pressure doesn’t become too much of a factor or is something that also can fuel a player, too. But he’ll chart his own path and go at his pace and hopefully be impacting us at some point."

Deivi’s disaster season

Deivi Garcia is not an option in anything other than an emergency for the Yankees right now. He has a 8.80 ERA (6.44 FIP) with 23.6% strikeouts and 17.4% walks in 29.2 Triple-A innings this season, and he’s been especially bad this month. In five June starts:

• 20 runs in 14 innings (12.86 ERA)
• 13 walks and 13 strikeouts
• .339/.459/.644 opponent’s batting line

“It’s definitely been a struggle this last month for him,” Boone told Randy Miller over the weekend. “Just really struggling a little bit with his command. Stuff ticks up and down. It’s a couple good pitches, a couple non-competitive pitches. I think he’s struggling a little bit in his delivery, which ultimately is affecting his command, which is really what’s probably getting him in the most trouble from some of the outings that I’ve watched.”

Garcia has a complicated delivery and gets in trouble when he rotates too much. He had problems with it in Spring Training and in May (who knows what happened at the alternate site in April), got back on track briefly, and now it’s fallen apart again. The Triple-A rocket ball probably isn’t helping, ditto being the second youngest pitcher in either Triple-A league, but this goes beyond rocket ball and five-start weirdness. Something is really wrong with Deivi.

Player development is not linear and there are going to be bumps in the road, sometimes very ugly bumps. Garcia turned only 22 last month (he’s only a few months older than most of the top college pitchers in this year’s draft class) and he’s coming off a pandemic season, so it would be silly to give up on him forever. He has things to work on and will work on them. No need to start digging a grave for his career.

That said, the Yankees can’t count on Garcia when he’s pitching like this in Triple-A. Severino and Corey Kluber aren’t coming back anytime soon, so if the Yankees need another starter (it’s inevitable because that’s baseball), they’d almost certainly have to stretch out Nestor Cortes, which will end in sadness. The other options are Nick Nelson and Asher Wojciechowski, who just returned from his Spring Training lat injury. Gil was just promoted to Triple-A and has 10 walks and nine strikeouts in nine innings so far, so he’s out too.

By all accounts Garcia is a smart kid who’s already made a series of adjustments in his career, and he’ll have to make more now. Prospects require patience. The only problem is the Yankees are short on pitching depth and Deivi is not an option for them, and selling low on him in a trade isn’t a great idea either. The first three months of 2021 have gone about as poorly as possible for Garcia and the Yankees in general.

“Not ideal, but you also understand that in Deivi’s case, we’re talking about a very young man who’s kind of rocketed through the system,” Boone told Miller. “So part of this is growing pains and finding your delivery and learning how to deal with certain struggles and adversities that you’ve got to make along the way while also being able to make adjustments and the necessary corrections to get yourself right.”

Miscellany

Three weeks ago I wrote about Estevan Florial’s struggles in Triple-A, and in 10 games since, he is 15-for-41 (.366) with four doubles, two homers, and eight walks (and 14 strikeouts). Good to know I’ve still got it. Florial’s season batting line is up to .219/.331/.404 (98 wRC+), which isn’t great, but is a lot better than where he was three weeks ago. I don’t consider this hot streak a good reason to call Florial up to try to give the Yankees a spark (it’s 10 games!). Just let the kid catch his breath and play everyday at an developmentally appropriate level … Infielder Diego Castillo, who was a personal favorite once upon a time, is hitting .338/.390/.609 (167 wRC+) with eight home runs in 146 plate appearances with Double-A Somerset. He had eight homers in 1,926 career plate appearances prior to this season. Castillo will play the entire season at age 23 and he’s always had low strikeout and swing and miss rates (13.7% and 6.4% this year, respectively). If he’s added some power to his game, that’s pretty interesting. Between Castillo and Hoy Jun Park, the Yankees have a few longtime minor league infielders finding a new offensive level following the pandemic. Maybe it would’ve happened gradually last year had there been a season, and now we’re just seeing the progress all at once?

3. Potential trade partner: Miami Marlins. The trade deadline is four weeks and three days away and there’s no reason to think the Yankees will be anything but a buyer. Aggressive buyers? Passive buyers? Unclear, but they’re going to buy. Selling is so very unlikely, and the Yankees have clear needs in the rotation and in center field, specifically.

"We’ve had a lot of conversations, but I wouldn’t say there’s any momentum,” Brian Cashman told Bryan Hoch over the weekend. “I don’t get a sense that there’s a feeling of action right now from the industry. That doesn’t mean that people can’t make a deal, or won’t make a deal, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of heavy activity ready to burst.”

The Marlins snuck into the expanded postseason last year, though it was a “weird stuff happens in 60-game samples” thing more than a “this team took a big step forward” thing. Miami went 18-23 in nine-inning games and 13-6 in Manfredball games (seven-inning doubleheader games and the automatic runner in extra innings), then was eliminated in the NLDS.

This season the Marlins are 33-44 and in last place in the NL East. They’ve been hit pretty hard by injuries and have won only nine of their last 28 games, moving them firmly into the “sellers” category. Since the Derek Jeter/Bruce Sherman group took control in Oct. 2017, they’ve tried to turn the Marlins into Yankees South. Just look at their coaching staff:

• Manager: Don Mattingly (Yankees icon)
• Bench coach: James Rowson (former Yankees minor league hitting coordinator)
• Hitting coach: Eric Duncan (former Yankees prospect and minor league coach)
• Pitching coach: Mel Stottlemyre Jr. (son a former Yankees pitcher and coach)
• Third base coach: Trey Hillman (former Yankees minor league coach and manager, and front office executive)

Former Yankees assistant GM Kim Ng is now Miami’s GM, and longtime Yankees front office executive Gary Denbo runs their player development. They also have a former Yankees scout (DJ Svihlik) running their drafts and a former Yankees analyst (Dan Greenlee) running their analytics department. Their minor league rosters are loaded with former Yankees too.

The Yankees and Marlins have made three trades in the Jeter/Sherman era. One was huge (Giancarlo Stanton), one was medium (Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper for Mike King and international bonus money), and one was minor (Stephen Tarpley for James Nelson). All the connections could facilitate a trade, but I don’t think they necessarily make one more likely.

We’ve already looked at the Diamondbacks and Pirates (and some Rockies) as potential trade partners. Now let’s break down the Marlins, who are fading out of the race and have more than a few veteran players to shop to contenders. Let’s dive in.

1B Jesus Aguilar

2021 stats: .260/.320/.453 (113 wRC+) with 12 HR in 291 PA

Contract status: $4.35M in 2021 and arbitration-eligible in 2022

Aguilar turns 31 tomorrow (I would’ve guessed he’s 2-3 years older than that) and he’s had a fine season. He’s been a consistent 115-ish wRC+ hitter the last few years. He’s also a righty hitting first base only guy, so he’d be stuck behind Luke Voit at first and Stanton at DH. And, if Stanton or Voit were to get hurt again, the Yankees should seek out a lefty hitter. The Marlins have first base prospect Lewin Diaz knocking on the door, so surely Aguilar is available. I see him as a “we’ve been hit hard by injuries and desperately need someone” target for the Yankees and not much else.

RHP Sandy Alcantara

2021 stats: 3.12 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 21.7 K% and 53.5 GB% in 106.2 IP

Contract status: $630,000 in 2021 and arbitration-eligible from 2022-24

I think I would stop short of calling him a legitimate ace, but Alcantara is very good, and likely a top 30 starting pitcher in the game. He’s very good and he’s a workhorse, averaging 6.3 innings per start the last three seasons. In 17 starts this season Alcantara has completed six innings 14 times, seven innings six times, and eight innings four times.

Alcantara has consistently run a league average strikeout rate in his career. He succeeds with weak ground balls and he’s been better at suppressing hard contact this year than ever before. Max Greenfield has a good breakdown of how Alcantara does it. Long story short, he works with a big velocity two-seamer/changeup combo, similar to Jonathan Loaisiga. This plays:

There are zero indications the Marlins are willing to trade Alcantara, who is only 25 and is under team control another three years beyond this season. He can be (and should be) a prominent member of the next contending Marlins team. Still, if you’re the Yankees (or any team, really), you have to at least ask, right? Worst that can happen is the Marlins say no.

Three and a half years (four postseason runs) of a pitcher like Alcantara is going to cost an arm and a leg in a trade. You’re not getting this guy for Clint Frazier and those two prospects you don’t like. Two potential trade benchmarks:

• Jose Quintana: Global top 10 prospect (Eloy Jimenez), global top 75 prospect (Dylan Cease), and two non-top-30 organizational prospects (Bryant Flete and Matt Rose).
• Blake Snell: Four years of a post-hype MLB player (Francisco Mejia), global top 25 prospect (Luis Patino), top 10 team prospect (Cole Wilcox), and top 25 team prospect (Blake Hunt)

Quintana was on a long-term deal with multiple club options that gave the Cubs three and a half years of control, so he came with the kind of cost certainty Alcantara does not. Alcantara’s salary could explode through arbitration. Snell was traded with three years remaining on his deal, so that’s one fewer postseason run than Alcantara. It helps get us in the ballpark though.

You never know when another team loves one of your prospects more than everyone else, but it’s hard for me to think the Yankees could swing an Alcantara trade without Jasson Dominguez. That’s who I’d want if I were Miami, and it’s not an unreasonable ask. Try to sell them on Deivi Garcia and Oswald Peraza instead, but I dunno. Gotta expect them to demand Dominguez.

The other issue is there would undoubtedly be a bidding war for Alcantara. We could look at what comparable pitchers fetched in trades all day. Ultimately, it would come down to the best offer on the table, and that offer could be massive if another team really likes Alcantara, and the GM is willing to gut the system because he’ll lose his job if he doesn’t make the postseason.

I don’t think the Marlins will (or should!) trade Alcantara, so this is probably all a moot point. Ng will listen to offers because she wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t, and the Yankees have to call just to see what’s what. Guys like this are always worth a call. Gerrit Cole and Alcantara would be an incredible 1-2 punch through 2024.

UTIL Jon Berti

2021 stats: .230/.327/.353 (98 wRC+) with 4 HR in 218 PA

Contract status: $607,500 in 2021 and arbitration-eligible from 2022-25

From 2019-20, Berti hit .269/.362/.388 (108 wRC+) in over 400 plate appearances while playing every position other than first base, pitcher, and catcher. Injuries pushed him into everyday duty this year and he’s been exposed a bit. In a reserve role though, Berti can help a contender with his versatility, high walk rate (career 11.1%), and elite sprint speed (29.9 ft/s).

Berti, 31, is a righty hitter and the Yankees don’t really need another righty hitter, but I wouldn’t sweat handedness too much with a utility guy. You’re not expecting him to contribute much at the plate. Run fast, play good defense all over the field, don’t be a total zero at the plate. That’s all I ask. Berti would be an upgrade over Tyler Wade or Rougned Odor on the bench.

Does it make sense for the Yankees to use resources (trade chips and luxury tax payroll space) on a bench guy? I mean, sure. Upgrades are upgrades, and every little bit helps. The Padres wanted Berti over the winter and they’re a smart (and aggressive) team, which tells me there’s something here. Will the Yankees pay up for a utility guy? Unclear, but I’m certain he’s available.

OF Corey Dickerson

2021 stats: .263/.324/.380 (101 wRC+) with 2 HR in 225 PA

Contract status: $8.5M in 2021 ($8.75M luxury tax hit)

I’m mentioning Dickerson here because a) he’s a bit of a personal favorite, and b) he’s a rental on a rebuilding team, so he’s surely available. Dickerson was placed on the injured list last week with a left foot contusion that sounds more serious than a contusion. Craig Mish says he’ll be in a walking boot for at least three weeks, so yeah.

Two years ago Dickerson, then an impending free agent, landed on the injured list right before the trade deadline with a groin injury. The Pirates took whatever they could get (international bonus money) and sent him to the Phillies at the deadline. Given the foot injury, the Marlins could do something similar, and take whatever they can get to get out of the money.

The Yankees really need a lefty hitter and the good version of Dickerson (the 2014-19 version) would fit the lineup nicely. The 2021 version? Eh. He’s hurt and he hasn’t really hit the last two years, and getting the Marlins to eat money isn’t a thing that will happen. I’m sure they’d give him away at this point. I would strongly bet against the Yankees pursuing him.

UPDATE: The Marlins traded Dickerson and righty reliever to the Blue Jays for Joe Panik and a pitching prospect this morning. Panik seems like a salary offset, so the pitching prospect is the real get for Miami. The Blue Jays are the only team in baseball with fewer plate appearances from lefty hitters than the Yankees this season, so Dickerson will help there (once healthy). Cimber is an exit velocity suppressing submarine righty who will give Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, et al fits the rest of the season.

OF Adam Duvall

2021 stats: .216/.265/.452 (99 wRC+) with 16 HR in 260 PA

Contract status: $2M in 2021 and $7M mutual option ($3M buyout) for 2022 ($2.5M luxury tax hit)

Duvall made the mistake of playing too well last year. He hit 16 homers with a 116 wRC+ in the 60-game season, which put him in line for a nice arbitration payday, so the Braves non-tendered him. Now Atlanta is playing Abraham Almonte and Guillermo Heredia in their outfield full-time. There’s a lesson there. Don’t cheap out on depth when you’re a contender.

Anyway, Duvall has a career .290 OBP, but the power is real (his top end exit velocity is in the 115 mph range) and he’s consistently rated as an above-average defensive left fielder. Do the Yankees need another high strikeout righty hitter though? That’s pretty much the last thing they need. Duvall is better than Frazier, but he’s such an imperfect for the roster.

RHP Pablo Lopez

2021 stats: 2.87 ERA (3.26 FIP) with 25.8 K% and 6.1 BB%

Contract status: $595,000 in 2021 and arbitration-eligible from 2022-24

In Alcantara and Lopez, the Marlins have two legitimately above-average young starters with long-term control. Add in the currently injured Trevor Rogers and Sixto Sanchez, and Miami has the makings of a dynamite rotation in the near future. It’s a pitching core worth keeping together, but since the Marlins could sell, I’m going to mention Lopez here.

Alcantara overwhelms hitters with bowling balls to get weak contact. Lopez is a finesse pitcher by comparison, though he sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, so he’s not lacking velocity. He’s a true five-pitch pitcher with three fastballs (four-seamer, cutter, sinker), a breaking ball that looks more like a slider than a curveball, and a Tommy Kahnle changeup (video link).

Lopez throws strikes and he throws five pitches at least 10% of the time each. That makes him very unpredictable. As a result, he gets a healthy amount of strikeouts and ground balls (career 49.1%), and is an elite exit velocity suppressor. The exit velocity leaderboard among the 89 pitchers with at least 300 batted balls the last two years:

1. Ryan Yarbrough, Rays: 82.5 mph
2. Max Fried, Braves: 83.5 mph
3. Zach Wheeler, Phillies: 84.6 mph
4. Josh Fleming, Rays: 85.6 mph
5. Pablo Lopez, Marlins: 85.8 mph

For what it’s worth, Lopez is very intelligent (he speaks four languages and was accepted to med school before turning pro) and he’s been billed a dogged competitor. A righty who cuts and sinks his fastball, has a knockout offspeed pitch, throws strikes, gets weak contact, and is a top of the line makeup guy? Sounds an awful lot like Hiroki Kuroda to me.

Like Alcantara, Lopez comes with three and a half years of team control. His track record is not as good as Alcantara’s and he doesn’t have the sexy power stuff teams crave, but he is a rock solid Major League pitcher. There isn’t a team in baseball that couldn’t benefit from adding this guy to their rotation, the Yankees included. You have to see whether he’s available.

The Marlins acquired these two in rebuild trades (Alcantara was part of the Marcell Ozuna trade and Lopez was part of the David Phelps trade with the Mariners), and they’re both so young and so good and under control so long that I have to think they’re going to keep them and build around them. Call and ask, absolutely, but I don’t think either Alcantara or Lopez is realistically available.

CF Starling Marte

2021 stats: .294/.402/.473 (148 wRC+) with 6 HR in 179 PA

Contract status: $12.5M in 2021 ($11.5M luxury tax hit)

Assuming Ketel Marte stays put, Starling Marte (no relation) will be by far the best available center fielder on the trade market these next few weeks, and I think he’s the most likely Marlin to be traded. He’s an impending free agent, and although he’s said he wants to finish his career in Miami, Ng recently confirmed there have been no contract extension talks.

Marte, 32, is having his best offensive season by a mile, and expecting this guy may not be realistic. That said, get the 2018-20 version of Marte (.285/.336/.471 and 114 wRC+), and you’re still getting a really good player. The Yankees badly need a center fielder, and while Marte would be another righty hitter in a righty heavy lineup, they may not have any other options.

The Marlins can make Marte the qualifying offer and take the draft pick, giving them leverage in trade talks. Rental Nick Castellanos netted two top 15 team prospects (Alex Lange and Paul Richan) two years ago, which seems like a reasonable reference point for a Marte trade. The threat of a qualifying offer may get them a stud prospect rather than two good prospects though.

For what it’s worth, the Marlins have sought upside in their recent sellers trades (Nick Anderson for Jesus Sanchez, Zac Gallen for Jazz Chisholm, etc.), which could push them to a guy like, say, Kevin Alcantara or Luis Medina rather than a “safer” prospect like Josh Smith or Yoendrys Gomez. I dunno. Just figured I’d mention that. Marte would clearly help the Yankees. There is zero doubt about that.

SS Miguel Rojas

2021 stats: .256/.328/.406 (109 wRC+) with 4 HR in 229 PA

Contract status: $5M in 2021 and $5.5M club option ($500,000 buyout) for 2022 ($5.125M luxury tax hit)

Remember the J.T. Realmuto/Noah Syndergaard three-team trade rumor a few years ago? Ken Rosenthal (subs. req’d) said the general framework was Realmuto to the Mets, Syndergaard to the Yankees, and Miguel Andujar and Gary Sanchez to the Marlins. Rosenthal also says the Marlins offered Rojas to the Yankees as a sweetener, but the Yankees weren’t impressed.

The 32-year-old has made himself into a pesky little hitter, and he’s always rated as an excellent defensive shortstop. Given the season Gleyber Torres is having, Rojas would be an upgrade on both sides of the ball. Would the Yankees actually cut bait on Torres at this point though? That seems unlikely to me.

Rojas would also be a bench upgrade over Wade, even if he is a righty hitter and can’t play the outfield. Will the Yankees surrender the prospect package necessary to get a starting caliber shortstop, absorb the luxury tax hit, and move that player into a bench role? No. No they won’t. If there’s an infield injury, yes, Rojas would make sense. Short of that, nah.

OF Magneuris Sierra

2021 stats: .232/.303/.363 (57 wRC+) in 109 PA

Contract status: $571,375M in 2021 and arbitration-eligible from 2022-25

Sierra came over with Alcantara in the Ozuna trade and is a lefty hitting speed and defense type who has never hit in anything more than a 50-ish plate appearance sample during his cups of coffee. He can run and he won’t strike out excessively, but it’s bottom of the barrel exit velocity. There’s just no punch in his bat at all. It’s the Mike Tauchman profile, basically. Sierra is out of minor league options like Tauchman too, limiting roster flexibility. The Yankees need a center fielder and a lefty hitter would be nice, but Sierra is basically a younger Brett Gardner at this point. They need someone better.

4. 2021 draft prospect: East Carolina RHP Gavin Williams. The 2021 MLB Draft will take place during the All-Star break and J.J. Cooper (subs. req’d) reports MLB has informed teams the draft will be 20 rounds, the minimum number allowed under last year’s March agreement. The Yankees hold the No. 20 pick. Here is our 2021 draft prospect coverage archive.

Williams, 22 next month, turned down the Rays as a 30th round pick out of high school in 2017. He broke a finger in a freak accident during a rundown drill last year and took a medical redshirt even before the pandemic. Because of the injury, Williams was not selected in the five-round draft last summer even though Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked him the No. 88 prospect in the class.

With a healthy finger this spring, Williams posted a 1.88 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 21 walks in 81.1 innings. Earlier this month he matched up against Kumar Rocker in the Super Regionals, and struck out 13 in 7.1 innings. Here are the highlights and here’s some more video. Baseball America (subs. req’d) and MLB.com rank Williams the No. 30 and No. 31 prospect in the draft class, respectively. Here’s a snippet of MLB.com’s scouting report:

Williams still offers plenty of fastball velocity and can approach triple digits while holding 94-97 mph for several innings as a starter. His upper-70s curveball suddenly has more power and more consistent shape with some eye-popping metrics, and his previously lackluster slider is now an average mid-80s offering that shows flashes of becoming solid. He has continued to display aptitude for a mid-80s changeup, giving him a deep mix of pitches.

Strong and athletic, Williams has cleaned up his delivery during his time in college but didn't provide consistent strikes until this year … His breakthrough has come a year later and he's making a convincing argument that he could be a mid-rotation starter.

The impressive outing against Rocker has moved Williams up draft boards and he’s consistently mentioned as a late round first pick in mock drafts. Jim Callis recently said the Yankees are mostly connected to pitchers these days, including Williams. The Yankees get connected to every player type (hitter, pitcher, college, high school, etc.) each year and this year is no different.

Williams is a big guy (listed at 6-foot-6 and 238 lbs.) with good velocity and a high spin breaking ball, and there’s not much the Yankees like more than a physically huge pitcher with power stuff. The track record is pretty short though (this was Williams’ only year as a top tier college starter), and he has an injury history that extends beyond the fluke broken finger, so there’s risk.

Beyond Rocker and Jack Leiter, the crop of college pitchers isn’t overly exciting this draft, and I think the Yankees would go with a higher schooler with more upside over Williams, or even just play it a little safer with a hitter. The size and power arsenal could tempt them, sure, but they’ve been pretty good at finding quality arms in later rounds. Feels like Williams would be weak value at No. 20, but what do I know.

5. Remembering a random Yankee: Curtis Pride. Going to take a break from requests this week and instead cover a player I felt like writing about. Keep sending your requests in and I’ll add them to the queue. Here’s the random Yankee archive. You can find links back to everyone we've covered there.

Pride was born with only 5% hearing in both ears as a result of his mother having rubella while she was pregnant. He grew up in Washington DC and became a proficient lip-reader, and learned to speak at a young age because his parents wanted him to have “its advantages in the hearing world,” he told David Laurila.

“I felt it helped me a lot and not let the noise bother me,” Pride told Michael Lewis about being a high-level athlete while deaf. “It has given me like a sixth sense and to be able to anticipate better. It also gives you motivation to prove to others that I can do it just as well.”

Pride was a top soccer player who represented the United States in the FIFA under-16 World Championship in China in 1985. At the time, the soccer scene in the United States was bleak (the US hadn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1950, the North American Soccer League folded in 1984, and Major League Soccer didn’t arrive until 1996), so baseball it was.

“There was no future in soccer,” Pride said at the time, according to Lewis. ”It was the money. Soccer is not popular and is declining in America.”

The Mets selected Pride in the tenth round of the 1986 draft, though he was never considered a top prospect. He played three years in rookie ball and another three years in Single-A ball, then signed with the Expos as a minor league free agent in Dec. 1992. In 1993, Pride authored a .324/.394/.536 line with 21 homers in 119 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.

With Montreal making a run at a postseason spot, they summoned Pride in mid September to strengthen the bench. At age 24, he made his MLB debut as a pinch-hitter against the Cardinals on Sept. 14th, and became the first deaf player to reach the big leagues since Dick Sipek in 1945. Three days later he laced a pinch-hit two-run double for his first MLB hit.

“The way they kept cheering, it’s as if the crowd wanted to break a barrier. They wanted him to know how they felt, to get beyond the wall. That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen,” Expos then-third base coach Jerry Manuel said, according to Norm King. Pride couldn’t hear the ovation and Manuel had to motion for him to tip his helmet. Here’s the video.

"It was probably the most special moment of my entire life," Pride told Brad Snyder in 1996. "It's something I'll never forget. I get very emotional about it. I felt the crowd cheering for me."

Pride made 10 pinch-hitting appearances with the Expos that September and went 4-for-9 with a single, a double, a triple, and a homer. The pinch-hit cycle. The work stoppage meant he did not receive another Sept. call-up in 1994, and in 1995, Pride hit .175/.235/.190 in 69 plate appearances as an up-and-down outfielder. He hit .279/.339/.448 in Triple-A that year.

Montreal non-tendered Pride in Dec. 1995 and he signed with the Tigers in Spring Training 1996. He was excellent as a lefty platoon bat that season, hitting .300/.372/.513 with 10 homers in 301 plate appearances. The following year did not go well and Detroit released Pride in August with his batting line sitting at .210/.314/.321 in 190 plate appearances.

Pride signed with the Red Sox shortly thereafter and bounced from Boston to the Braves to an independent league to the Royals to the Mets to the Red Sox to the Dodgers to the Expos to the Pirates from 1997-2002. He opened 2003 with the independent Nashua Pride, went 21-for-61 (.344) in 16 games, then had his contract purchased by the Yankees on May 23rd.

The Yankees initially sent Pride, then 34, to Triple-A Columbus, and they called him up in early July when Raul Mondesi (hip) and Bernie Williams (knee) were injured. He drew his first start as a Yankee on July 6th, and hit a home run against John Burkett and the Red Sox in a blowout win. It was his first MLB hit since June 2001. Here’s the video.

''It was an emotional experience for me. I had teary eyes,” Pride told Tyler Kepner after the game. Then-manager Joe Torre and bench coach Don Zimmer had to push him out of the dugout for a curtain call to acknowledge the cheering fans.

Pride started again the next day and went 0-for-4, though he provided the walk-off win with a ground ball to Red Sox second baseman Todd Walker. Walker bobbled the ball and threw home wildly, allowing Hideki Matsui to score the game-winning run. Here’s the video.

“It's a great story,” George Steinbrenner told Gloria Rodriguez. Mike Mussina, the day’s starting pitcher, added: “He's come in and played solid baseball. He played well for us and made a couple of things happen”

Despite the heroics, Pride appeared in only two more games as a Yankee, going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in Cleveland on July 10th, and 0-for-3 in a spot start in Toronto on July 13th. The Yankees designated him for assignment on July 22nd, when they acquired Jesse Orosco in a cash trade with the Padres and needed a 25-man and 40-man roster spot.

Pride spent the rest of 2003 with Triple-A Columbus, where he hit .289/.357/.467 with seven home runs in 55 games. He went 1-for-12 with the homer in four games with the big league team. Pride and Bobby Ramos, briefly a backup catcher with the 1982 Yankees, are the only players in franchise history whose only hit as a Yankee is a home run.

''It was a great feeling, coming out on the field and seeing all those fans,” Pride told Bill Finley when he was first called up by the Yankees. “There were 55,000 people. That's something I never thought I'd see again. I never could have imagined this. It was like a dream. To be in Yankee Stadium in a Yankee uniform, I'm just glad I got the opportunity.''

From 2004-07, Pride got into 68 games as an up-and-down outfielder with the Angels, and he wrapped up his career with the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2008. Despite being hearing impaired, Pride played in parts of 11 big league seasons, and retired as a career .250/.327/.405 hitter with 20 home runs in 421 games and 898 plate appearances.

“Well, I always believed in my ability and I was very determined, and tried to stay in the game for as long as I could because I knew I could play in the Majors,” Pride told Lewis. “It was a matter of a team giving me an opportunity. I enjoyed the camaraderie and being able to experience different cities and traveling and meeting a lot of people.”

Soon after his playing career ended, Pride joined Gallaudet University, a private university for students with hearing disabilities in Washington DC, as their head baseball coach. He still holds the position to this day.

6. Rapid fire thoughts. Corey Kluber (shoulder) is still playing catch on flat ground and there is no firm timetable for him to throw off a mound. A second (and third opinion) brought good news and Kluber was able to start throwing sooner than expected (this would have been week five of the initial two-month shutdown), but it’s still slow going. “I’ll say September because I’d rather be late than early. I know he feels good,” Brian Cashman told Ken Davidoff when asked when Kluber could return. What an absolute stinker of an offseason the Yankees had. Good grief … Over the weekend MLB announced the three finalists at each position in the All-Star Game fan voting. Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu advanced to Phase 2 and are the only Yankees in the top three at their positions. Here’s where everyone else finished:

• Gary Sanchez: 179,684 votes behind the third catcher spot
• Luke Voit: 295,161 votes behind the third first base spot
• Gleyber Torres: 548,494 votes behind the third shortstop spot
• Gio Urshela: 229,253 votes behind the third shortstop spot
• Giancarlo Stanton: 419,650 votes behind the third DH spot
• No other outfielders in the top 20 of the voting

I can’t imagine LeMahieu will beat out Jose Altuve at second base. Mike Trout and Byron Buxton are injured and not expected back in time for the All-Star Game, so Judge is really only up against six other outfield finalists: Michael Brantley, Adolis Garcia, Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, Cedric Mullins, and Alex Verdugo. Blue Jays fans stuffed the ballot pretty well in Phase 1, so Grichuk and Hernandez have a real shot. I still think Judge is popular enough to get a starting spot over at least two of the Blue Jays guys, Brantley, and Verdugo. Phase 2 of the voting is open now and will remain open until Thursday. Here’s the ballot … And finally, a Max Scherzer long shot trade target update: Scott Boras told Gordon Wittenmyer that Scherzer won’t waive his no-trade clause without a contract extension, which is his right and perfectly reasonable. Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $66M extension two years ago, when he was the same age Scherzer is now. There’s the contract benchmark. If that’s what it takes to get it done, the Yankees should do it. Scherzer remains excellent and they need the pitching this year and beyond. Alas, the Nationals have won 12 of their last 15 games and they’re only three games back in the NL East. Everything in GM Mike Rizzo’s track record tells us he’s going to add pieces and try to make a run rather than sell away a guy like Scherzer. Join me in rooting for a Nationals collapse the next few weeks.

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