February 26th, 2021: Grapefruit League, Gardner, Wilson, Roster Check-In, Mailbag

In about 51 hours the Yankees will play a real live baseball game. Here's the Spring Training broadcast schedule, though it is incomplete. We’re still waiting on MLB Network and a few teams to release their broadcast plans, so more games could be added. Also, the listings at the official site and MLB.tv’s site don’t match. The official site lists a few YES Network broadcasts that aren’t on the MLB.tv schedule, and that has to be a mistake. I’ll update the spreadsheet as necessary. As things stand, 23 of the Yankees’ 28 Grapefruit League games will be televised live. Hooray for that. Let’s get to today’s thoughts.

1. Grapefruit League things to watch. Grapefruit League play begins this weekend and I think we all know the major Yankees storylines this spring. Are Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon healthy? How’s Gleyber Torres look at shortstop? Is Gary Sanchez still trying to pull everything? Who will win the final bullpen and bench spots? Etc. etc.

Rather than rehash those Spring Training storylines, I’m going to break down a few things I am eager to see these next few weeks. Yes, I want to see a healthy Kluber and Taillon, and I want to see Sanchez wearing out right field. That stuff is pretty obvious. Here are other things I will be paying attention to during Grapefruit League play, in no particular order.

Taillon’s new arm action

Taillon is coming back from his second career Tommy John surgery and that in and of itself is a pretty big deal. Because overcoming two elbow reconstructions isn’t difficult enough, Taillon also reworked his arm action during rehab in an effort to stay healthy. Specifically, he adopted the short chicken wing motion popularized by Lucas Giolito and Joe Kelly in recent years.

There’s not much video of the new Taillon available right now, so here’s the best we have. This is pre-injury Taillon on the left (April 2019) and post-injury Taillon on the right (Sept. 2020) (GIF link):

“One of these throwing motions used to feel really natural (which is scary), and one currently has become really natural through lots of intentional/focused work,” Taillon wrote in November. “Crazy to take a step back and look at every once in a while!”

Giolito and Kelly (and Joe Musgrove, Taijuan Walker, and others) have had success with this new arm action. Jordan Yamamoto, who I highlighted a few weeks ago, and Robbie Ray tried it last year and were a mess, so they’re reminders it’s not guaranteed to work. Imagine Taillon staying healthy and simply being bad because he can’t get a handle on these new mechanics? Oy vey.

“I caught Taillon the other day and he looked really good. I was really impressed. The fastball was jumping out of his hand. The breaking ball looks good,” Kyle Higashioka told Dan Martin last weekend. (Just once I want to hear a catcher, preferably not with the Yankees, come out and say, “This guy sucks. We’re so screwed.” I’d respect the honesty.)

With the new arm action, the questions are a) is his velocity there? b) can he spin his breaking balls and get the same shape?, c) can he locate?, and d) will he stay healthy? Before the second Tommy John surgery Taillon sat mid-90s and had strong spin rates across the board, and he owned a 6.0% career walk rate. He was the total package, essentially, and that’s the guy I want to see with this new arm action. I don’t want him compromised.

By all accounts Taillon looked good in his first live batting practice session the other day. That’s all well and good, but I want to see him and this new arm action in games against players trying to beat him. The thing is, if Taillon struggles or we see less velocity or spin or command, it’ll be impossible to know whether it’s because of the arm action or the second elbow surgery. Just have to hope for the best.

“He started a little slow, but I really liked how he finished,” Boone told Martin about Taillon’s live BP session earlier this week. “His stuff got going as he went on and he got really crisp. It was another good step.”

Chapman’s new-ish splitter

Late last year Aroldis Chapman broke out a splitter and he wasn’t toying around. He threw it infrequently, but he did use it to get outs, and he threw it in the postseason too. You don’t mess around with a new pitch in October. Not when you’re a high-leverage reliever pitching in close games all the time like Chapman. His splitter usage:

• Opening Day 2010 to Sept. 23rd, 2020: 0 splitters in 582 innings
• Sept. 24th, 2020 through postseason: 7 splitters in 6.2 innings

Scouting reports say Chapman threw a splitter during his time as a starter in Cuba, and he threw a few splitters in Spring Training 2013, but it wasn’t until last September that he threw the pitch in a meaningful big league game. Earlier this week Chapman confirmed the splitter is here to stay. It will be part of his arsenal going forward.

“I believe it’s definitely a pitch for me. I feel that I’ve incorporated that pitch into my pitch mix,” Chapman told Martin. “I definitely feel really good with it. (It’s) definitely a weapon that’s going to be used in the future.”

As Chapman’s velocity dipped with age, he started throwing more sliders to compensate, and it allowed him to remain elite. Now he’s added a splitter. I think most people still see Chapman as this fastball-first velocity monster, but he’s a smart pitcher who’s proven he can make adjustments, and the splitter is his latest adjustment. I’m curious to see how much he throws it in Grapefruit League play and then into the regular season.

Stanton in the outfield

Will Giancarlo Stanton play the outfield this year? Stanton didn’t play the outfield at all last year, not even in Spring Training (or Summer Camp). He last played the outfield in the 2019 postseason, when he was the starting left fielder and Cameron Maybin replaced him for defense in the late innings (Edwin Encarnacion was the postseason DH).

“I don’t want to be completely resigned to him just being a full-time DH,” Boone told Bryan Hoch earlier this week. “I think the more he can continue to stay athletic and be an option on defense, I don’t think it’s out of the question. Ultimately it might be something that actually does help him stay more healthy.”

Over the winter Boone said “I see a ton of DH for him,” which doesn’t necessarily conflict with this week’s “I don’t want to be completely resigned to him just being a full-time DH” comment. Brian Cashman has said something very similar as well. Stanton will be the primary DH because the Yankees want to keep him on the field.

The thing is, isn’t it possible being a full-time DH contributes to Stanton’s injuries? It’s a lot of sitting around between at-bats and Stanton’s injuries have mostly been lower body muscle pulls, and those two things could be related. Late last season he started running sprints along the foul line between innings to stay warm and limber.

“If I’m DHing and I don’t run the bases for two at-bats, that’s an hour and a half with no movement. I’ve got to do more in between at-bats,” Stanton told Pete Caldera last September, adding he came up with “new ways of staying loose” between at-bats.

Beyond the health component, it would be nice just to have the option of playing Stanton in the outfield. Can he do it once a week so someone else can DH? The Yankees are set in the corner outfield spots. They don’t need him to play out there three or four times a week. Once in a while would be nice though. I wonder how much we’ll see Stanton in the outfield this spring. I suspect it won’t be more than a game or three.

“That’ll be good in the spring, to get me out there and get me going in order to be out there during the season,” Stanton told Hoch earlier this week. “Whatever the team needs.”

Medina Medina Medina

In theory, Luis Medina should be well ahead of the other pitchers this spring. He made his final winter ball start on Feb. 5th, exactly three weeks ago, and should need less time to ramp up for the season and find midseason form. Medina, my No. 4 prospect, seems to have improved his strike-throwing, though the evidence is 71 innings spread across 18 months.

Regardless, Medina is the highest upside pitcher in the farm system and just an all around fun player, at least when he’s on. I badly want to watch him this spring, mostly to see whether the improved control is real (or real-ish), and also just to see a guy toss 100 mph with a hammer curveball and a sneaky good changeup. Medina is fun and I am pro-fun.

“I wouldn’t put anything past him because the talent is special," Boone told Martin when asked about Medina possibly having a big league role in 2021. “He’s somebody we’re very excited about … You never know what can happen this year. We feel he has a bright future, a Major League future.”

Wells at the plate

The Yankees are working with 2020 first round pick Austin Wells, my No. 6 prospect, to improve his defense, specifically by having him adopt catching coordinator Tanner Swanson’s one-knee catching stance. That’s all well and good, but I’m more interested to see Wells at the plate. He is a bat-first player and always will be a bat-first player. I want to see the kid hit this spring.

“He can hit. I really like his swing,” Boone told Martin. “One of the things that stands out to me, that I didn’t necessarily know, is how strong he is. He’s as strong as anyone in camp, especially when you test him ... This is a guy that came with a really strong offensive reputation and our early eyes on him confirmed that.”

In a normal Spring Training a young prospect like Wells wouldn’t see much Grapefruit League action before being reassigned to minor league camp. This spring is different though, and while the priority remains getting the MLB players ready for the season, we could see Wells more than we normally would. That’d be fun. I want to see whether the bat is as good as the hype.

“I’ve been out over a year with remote training,” Wells told Martin when asked about facing big leaguers like Kluber in live batting practice these last few days. “Any at-bat against any pitcher I get is beneficial to me.”

Miscellany

Other things I am looking forward to this spring: Adam Warren’s return, an Oswald Peraza-Ezequiel Duran double play combination in the late innings, Alex Vizcaino’s changeup, Luis Gil’s easy velocity, Josh Breaux and Chris Gittens running into mistake fastballs, a healthy Glenn Otto, and a healthy Anthony Seigler. We lost a lot of prospect watching time to the pandemic last spring and I’m going to soak up as much as possible this year.

2. Gardner and Wilson signed. The Yankees announced the Brett Gardner and Justin Wilson signings earlier this week. To clear 40-man roster space, Luis Severino was placed on the 60-day injured list and Greg Allen was designated for assignment. The Yankees have until Wednesday to trade, release, or waive Allen. I guess it’s good Clarke Schmidt’s elbow hasn’t landed him on the 60-day injured list (yet).

The Gardner and Wilson contract details have finally been reported as well. Let’s start with Gardner (via Mark Feinsand):

• 2021: $1M signing bonus and $1.85M salary
• 2022: $2.3M player option (no buyout) or $7.15M club option ($1.15M buyout) if player option is declined

Gardner gets at least $4M, and because the player option buyout is less than half the player option salary, it counts as a guaranteed year for luxury tax purposes. His luxury tax number is $2.575M ($1M plus $1.85M plus $2.3M divided by two years). The Yankees paid Gardner a $2.5M buyout when they declined his $10M club option in November, though that counted against the 2020 luxury tax payroll. It has no bearing on 2021.

“I’ll obviously be 38 in August, so there’s no guarantees (about next year)," Gardner told Ron Blum. "We’ll see how this season goes and take things not just one year at a time, but one day at a time. And there’s no telling what the future holds. But I’ll definitely try and soak all this in and enjoy it. And if this is it, then it’s it. And if I’ve got one more year in me, then we’ll do that, too."

Now here is Wilson’s contract (via Jon Heyman and the Associated Press):

• 2021: $2.85M salary
• 2022: $2.3M player option (no buyout) or $7.15M club option ($1.15M buyout) if player option is declined
• 2023: If the 2022 player option is exercised, the Yankees get a club option worth the league minimum plus $500,000. Wilson can earn another $100,000 each at 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 appearances.

Almost exactly the same contract as Gardner. Wilson is also guaranteed at least $4M and his luxury tax number is $2.575M this year ($2.85M plus $2.3M divided by two years). The 2023 club option is a neat little wrinkle. If Wilson is hurt or ineffective in 2021 and picks up the player option, then bounces back or gets healthy in 2022, the Yankees would be able to bring him back on the cheap in 2023.

Darren O’Day’s contract includes a similar player option/club option setup and his luxury tax hit is $1.575M. Gardner, O’Day, and Wilson will count as $6.725M against the luxury tax combined in 2021. The Yankees cleared $8.15M in luxury tax payroll with the Adam Ottavino salary dump, so they turned Ottavino into Gardner, O’Day, Wilson, and an extra $1.425M. Nifty work, that is, even if ownership’s mandate to cut payroll is dumb.

Now that we have the numbers on Gardner and Wilson, let’s quickly update the 2021 luxury tax payroll situation:

• Guaranteed contracts (11 players): $141.192M
• Arbitration-eligibles (10 players): $39.555M
• Pre-arbitration-eligibles to fill out 26-man roster (6 players): $3.75M (estimated)
• Rest of 40-man roster (14 players): $2M (estimated)
• Dead money: $1.075M (Ottavino and Ben Heller)
• Player benefits: $15.5M (estimated)

One of those 11 players with a guaranteed contract is Luis Severino, who will open the season on the injured list. That’s why we need six pre-arbitration-eligible players to fill out the 26-man active roster rather than five. Heller’s contract included $225,000 in guaranteed money, according to the Associated Press, which the Yankees still owe him. That plus the $850,000 they’re paying Ottavino equals $1.075M in dead money.

Add it all up and we get $203.072M. Cot’s has the luxury tax payroll at $203.8M and Spotrac has it at $204.1M, so the Yankees have about $6M in wiggle room under the $210M threshold. That money will be used for in-season call-ups* and the trade deadline. There are still a few decent free agents available, but yeah, safe to say the Yankees are done. Re-signing Gardner put a bow on the offseason.

* Jay Bruce ($1.35M) and Robinson Chirinos ($1M) each have seven-figure base salaries in their minor league contracts, so if they get called up at some point (especially early in the season), they’ll take a pretty big bite out of that $6M in payroll space.

3. Roster check-in. The Yankees have 74 players* in camp now that the Brett Gardner and Justin Wilson signings are official. Teams can have up to 75 players in Spring Training this year and my guess is the Yankees will leave the 75th spot open for flexibility. They want to be able to add a prospect to camp later, sign a free agent, make a waiver claim, whatever.

* The 74 includes Greg Allen, who was designated for assignment earlier this week and remains in limbo. Depending what happens with him, the Yankees will have either 74 (Allen clear waivers and remains with the organization as a non-40-man roster player, or is traded for someone they bring to camp) or 73 (Allen is released, claimed on waivers, or traded for someone they don’t bring to camp) players in Spring Training.

Grapefruit League play begins this weekend and, realistically, only about 35 of those 74 players have a chance to break camp with the MLB team in a few weeks. The Yankees have very few big league roster spots up for grabs. Spring Training position battles are kinda dumb but they do happen, and they don’t end on Opening Day. Whoever wins a roster spot better keep performing in the regular season if they want to keep it.

With that in mind, let’s look at the projected 2021 Opening Day roster and see what’s what. Here is where things stand at the moment (asterisk indicates the player is out of minor league options and must go through waivers to be assigned to Triple-A).

Maybe Estrada beats out Wade for the backup infielder’s job. I don’t think it’s likely based on the way the Yankees have treated the two players the last two years (Wade’s been a mainstay while Thairo has shuttled up and down), but maybe. Aside from Wade, the other 22 players listed are MLB roster locks. Those guys are making the team, and Wade probably will as well.

Given that, I see three big league roster spots up for grabs at the moment. There’s still an entire Grapefruit League season to be played, and chances are an injury will open another spot (I say that just because that’s how Spring Training goes, I’m not knocking the Yankees for their recent injury problems), but we’ll worry about that when the time comes. Let’s break down the three open roster spots.

SP5

Schmidt’s injury takes him out of the running, though I don’t think he was the front runner for this spot anyway. I think (Deivi) Garcia and German are the top two candidates, with Chacin the veteran safety net behind them, and the King the “we don’t want to use him as a starter but we will if we have to” emergency option. It would take a lot for Wojciechowski to get serious consideration for the fifth starter’s spot, I think. I’m comfortable omitting him from this race right now.

Give the Yankees a truth serum and I think they’d tell you they want German to win the fifth starter’s spot convincingly in Spring Training, allowing them to send Garcia to Triple-A Scranton for more seasoning, and to more easily control his workload early in the year. I don’t think they’ll just hand the job to German though. If he gets hit around and Garcia impresses during Grapefruit League play, I think Deivi will get it. Current prediction: German.

RP8

Because he is out of minor league options, I think this is Abreu’s job to lose. That doesn’t mean he’ll keep it all year, but being out of options is often a tiebreaker. The Yankees can take Abreu into the regular season and give him an extended look rather than make a permanent decision about a talented young pitcher based on maybe a dozen Grapefruit League innings.

Kriske and Nelson figure to be the primary shuttle relievers this season. Those two are going to rack up a ton of Uber points going back and forth between Scranton the Bronx. (Luis) Garcia throws really hard and gets ground balls and is my bullpen sleeper. I’m not saying he’ll win a job. I’m just saying I can see him pitching well in camp and us having the “this guy should make the team!” conversation in a few weeks.

All the fifth starter candidates will be considered for the final bullpen spot -- I’m guessing the Yankees would rather send Deivi to Triple-A than the bullpen, but I don’t think they’ll close the door on the bullpen entirely -- and Warren has an outside chance at making the Opening Day. Maybe even better than an outside chance. That’d be neat.

“I don’t want anything handed to me,” Warren told Dan Martin earlier this week. “I don’t feel like I deserve anything. My mindset is I’ve got to prove myself all over again and prove I’m the guy I was a few years ago.” Current prediction: Abreu.

BN4

Even with Gardner back, Tauchman has to be considered the favorite for the final bench spot. He’s out of minor league options and has been the incumbent the last few years, and the Yankees clearly like something about him. His defense, his potential to use the short porch, whatever. Tauchman’s inability to handle velocity is a major weakness, but he does enough other things that carrying him as the fourth guy on a four-man bench is justifiable.

As with German, I don’t think the Yankees are just going to handle this job over to Tauchman though. They already had legitimate competition in-house (Andujar and Ford), and brought in even more competition in recent weeks (Bruce and Dietrich). Having guys like Brito, LaMarre, and Velazquez stashed at Triple-A Scranton (and Gardner on the bench) allows the Yankees to cut Tauchman without fretting about their outfield depth. His spot is vulnerable.

Bruce has been working out at first base in the early days of camp and Andujar has worked out at third base and the outfield. I’m not sure where Dietrich has focused but I assume it’s all over the place. I’d prefer Andujar on the bench to Bruce, Dietrich, or Tauchman, but that’s just me. Bruce and Dietrich are Proven Veterans™ who hit left-handed and fit the roster better, particularly Dietrich given his versatility. I just think Andujar is the best player of the bunch.

Carrying three catchers on the Opening Day roster would surprise me. I could see it if they were going to use a 28-man roster again, but with a 26-man roster? Nah. Three catchers is overkill, especially because they’re three true catchers who can’t play other positions. Chirinos can opt out of his contract at the end of camp and is already indicating he doesn’t want to go to the minors (who does?), so this is a situation to monitor the next few weeks.

“(Going to Triple-A is) not what I have on my mind right now,” Chirinos told Randy Miller. “I know (Sanchez and Higashioka) are really good. They’ve been here a long time. I’m coming into spring to show everybody I’m healthy. I’m good to help this team and let them choose and make a decision.”

The 13-pitcher and 13-position player split will not be enforced this year, so the Yankees could carry three bench players and nine relievers. Aaron Boone has said he’d prefer 13 and 13, though it’s not really up to him, and there are going to be times the Yankees roll with a nine-man bullpen. For now, I’m assuming they break camp with a four-man bench. Current prediction: Tauchman.

I mentioned this last week and it’s worth repeating: I could see the Yankees breaking camp with only four starting pitchers, buying them an extra roster spot until they need a fifth starter (sixth game of the season). They did something similar last year, remember. As we get closer to Opening Day and get a better feel for which way the Yankees are leaning, we’ll adjust the roster projection. Right now, I have them with five starters, four bench players, and eight relievers.

Mailbag Questions of the Week

Mike asks: With the recent moves that the Yankees have made to spread money to keep under the $210 luxury tax this year, it appears to me that they are going to have no choice but to go over the tax next year. As far as I can tell, only Kluber comes off the books and all the younger players will only get more expensive in arbitration. This could all be a moot point depending on the CBA, but I wanted to get your thoughts on how you think this will play out next year.

Yeah, I don’t see how the Yankees could not raise payroll in 2022. Corey Kluber is the only player coming off the books making real money -- those Brett Gardner, Darren O’Day, and Justin Wilson player/club option things add up but are still a relative drop in the bucket -- and guys like Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Luke Voit are going to get considerable arbitration raises even with merely good seasons given their careers to date.

If the Yankees simply stand pat in 2022 and don’t make any significant additions, the roster is going to get a lot more expensive. The Yankees ducked under the luxury tax threshold in 2018, then went over in 2019 and 2020 (they went way over in 2020, before the pandemic), and I think (hope) they do something similar after resetting their tax rate this year. There’s no point in going only $1M or even $5M over the threshold. If you’re going to go over, might as well go way over and really strengthen your roster.

The x-factor is the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement. The best the MLBPA can do is raise the luxury tax threshold considerably (there’s no chance the luxury tax is going away), and I’m skeptical even that happens. The threshold went from $189M in the final year of the last CBA to $195M in the first year of the current CBA. I could see the MLBPA caving on the luxury tax threshold to get something else. We’ll see.

Given the contracts on the books right now, the Yankees will have to increase payroll and presumably exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2022. What happens in 2023? Unclear. Judge, Zack Britton, Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, and Gary Sanchez are all coming off the books after 2022. Possibly Luis Severino too ($15M club option for 2023). That looks to be the next time the Yankees could realistically cut payroll.

If the Yankees don’t win the World Series in 2021 and they know 2022 is potentially their final year with Britton, Chapman, Judge, et al, I’d hope they see that as a reason to go bonkers in free agency and make one last effort to win a title with this core before it comes apart. Want to avoid long-term deals? Fine. Guys like Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander will be free agents next winter and are prime candidates for huge dollar one-year deals.

Chris asks: What effect (if any) do you think the luxury tax cap is having on the lack of extensions for our core? My fear is that when some of our guys begin to hit free agency, we will either a) lose them, or b) give back the tax savings by having to pay a market rate. Is this fair to expect? It just makes saving the pennies now seem even dumber to me.

I don’t think the luxury tax has anything to do with extensions, or lack thereof. The Yankees are extension averse in general and I think it’s because they’d rather pay market value later (which they can afford to do because they’re the Yankees) than assume short-term risk of, say, paying a broken down Chien-Ming Wang or Greg Bird. It runs counter to the “obsess over the luxury tax threshold” strategy, in which every penny matters, but it’s what they’ve decided to do.

Here are the last five extensions the Yankees have handed out (not counting Aroldis Chapman or CC Sabathia, who were special cases because they leveraged opt-outs into extensions):

• Feb. 2019: 7 years and $70M for Aaron Hicks (one year from free agency)
• Feb. 2019: 4 years and $40M for Luis Severino (four years from free agency)
• Feb. 2014: 4 years and $52M for Brett Gardner (one year from free agency)
• Feb. 2008: 4 years and $30M for Robinson Cano (four years from free agency)
• Jan. 2004: 4 years and $45M for Javy Vazquez (one year from free agency)

Five extensions in the last 15 years and three went to players who were only a year away from free agency, so it was pretty much now or never. Cano’s extension was a grand slam while Severino’s immediately became a dud. He signed his extension Feb. 15th and was shut down with his shoulder injury March 5th, and we’ve barely seen him since. It happened quick.

Is Severino's extension going bad a reason to avoid extensions going forward? Of course not. You make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time, and hope for the best. Cano's extension being a smashing success isn't a reason to extend everyone the same way Severino's extension isn't a reason to avoid extensions.

The Yankees could sign Aaron Judge or Gleyber Torres to an extension now without impacting the 2021 luxury tax payroll. The extension would have to kick in next year and not change their 2021 salary, which is very doable. I don’t expect it to happen because again, the Yankees have been extension averse, but there are ways around the short-term luxury tax impact.

Next offseason will be fascinating because Judge will be a year away from free agency, and the Yankees will extend players at that point (as Gardner and Hicks have shown). As great as Judge is, I have no idea how to value him long-term. He’s had trouble staying on the field as it is and he turns 30 next April. How’s he going to age at that size?

“Nothing on our end, nothing from the Yankees,” Judge told Pete Caldera earlier this week when asked whether he’s had extension talks with the Yankees. “I think they had more important things to focus on this offseason. Our time is coming down the road. It’s something I don’t really want to focus on right now. I’m focused on trying to win and that’s all.”

If the Yankees are going to approach anyone about an extension anytime soon, it should be Torres. He’s so young and already so good. Judge’s age and injury history (and size) make me a little hesitant to sign him long-term, Gary Sanchez just had a disaster season, and Luke Voit turned 30 earlier this month and is under team control through 2024. No reason to lock him up.

Eric asks: A crazy thought for you. We know Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia will be on a pretty strict innings limit. I know the Yankees bullpen is still good but it feels less deep than it used to be. I get there may be developmental reasons not to do this but wouldn't Garcia and Schmidt using those innings out of the pen be something to consider?

Eric sent this question before Schmidt’s injury and before the Yankees signed Justin Wilson. I feel pretty good about the bullpen depth now, though I would not hesitate to use Garcia (or a healthy Schmidt) in relief. My preference would be to develop them as starters, but if there’s a need in the bullpen and they can help you win games, get them in the bullpen.

David Cone talks about this often during YES Network broadcasts and I buy into it completely: there’s a lot of value in learning how to get outs at the MLB level, regardless of role. Working out of the bullpen may not be the best way to build up a guy’s workload, but it may help him become a more effective pitcher than not being challenged all that often in Triple-A.

In my perfect world the Yankees would send Garcia to Triple-A to begin the season so they can more easily control his workload, and be in position to really turn him loose in the second half and in the postseason. I don’t want him getting fatigued or bumping up against his innings limit in, say, August, and becoming a non-factor late in the year. I’d be totally cool with Deivi in the bullpen though. He can help you win games now and you can always start him next year.

Brian asks: What is the most likely scenario (his level of play, injuries, etc.) that we see Miguel Andujar as an everyday starter?  Please don’t say trade deadline deal for a pitcher.

There’s basically no scenario in which Andujar doesn’t play and is able to headline a trade for a pitcher at the deadline, right? He needs to rebuild value to be a viable trade chip and he’s not going to do that beating up on Triple-A pitching. I see four scenarios in which Andujar winds up a full-time player for the Yankees in 2021:

1. Giancarlo Stanton gets hurt and Andujar plays DH.
2. Gio Urshela gets hurt and Andujar plays third base.
3. Luke Voit gets hurt and Andujar plays first base.
4. Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner get hurt and Andujar plays left field.

Andujar hasn’t spent much time working out at first base the last year or so (he’s spent way more time in left field), so I’m not sure whether No. 3 is realistic with Mike Ford and Jay Bruce around. It’s possible though. Stanton or Urshela getting hurt would equal a much clearer path to playing time for Miggy Missiles.

As for production, I’d expect 2018 Andujar as long as he’s healthy. That season wasn’t a fluke, and heck, Andujar might even be better now because he’s older and closer to what should be his prime. I believe in the bat and it irked me to no end that the Yankees sent Andujar down right as he started hitting last September.

Clearly, a trade would be the best thing for Andujar. He turns 26 next week and is coming off two lost years, and doesn’t have a spot in this lineup. A fresh start elsewhere would be the best thing for him and his career. The Yankees are under no obligation to trade Andujar though. They can keep him as depth and stash him in Triple-A, and I expect them to do exactly that this year.

Peter asks: How long has it been since the Yankees didn't have any Japanese players on their team - not even the 40 man? Seems like almost 20 years?!

It wasn’t that long ago. Here is the complete history of Japanese-born players on the Yankees:

• 2015-20: Masahiro Tanaka
• 2014: Tanaka, Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda
• 2013: Ichiro, Kuroda
• 2012: Kuroda, Ichiro (trade deadline addition), Ryota Igarashi (cup of coffee)
• 2010-11: None!
• 2009: Hideki Matsui
• 2007-08: Matsui, Kei Igawa
• 2003-07: Matsui
• 2000-02: None!
• 1997-99: Hideki Irabu (first Japanese-born player in franchise history)

Igawa spent 2009-11 with Triple-A Scranton but was not on the 40-man roster. Unless the Yankees trade for, say, Yusei Kikuchi*, this will be only the sixth season in the 24 years since Irabu’s debut that the Yankees do not have a Japanese player on their roster.

I wonder how long it’ll be until the Yankees roster another Japanese player? Or another Korean player, for that matter? Chan-Ho Park (2010) and Ji-Man Choi (2017) are the only Korean-born players to appear in a game with the Yankees. Triple-A infielder Hoy Jun Park would be the third with a call-up.

* There are eight Japanese-born players on MLB rosters right now and they range from not getting him (Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, Shohei Ohtani) to I don’t really want him (Kikuchi, Shogo Akiyama, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo) to recently signed (Kohei Arihara, Hirokazu Sawamura). Kikuchi is the only one of the eight who hits the “he might actually be available and I can kinda sorta see how it would make sense” sweet spot, so I listed him.

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