During the MLB off-season Yankees Loses Five Key Players But Also Signed Five Megastar………..

admin | February 10, 2024 | new york yankees | No Comments

Taking major chances during the MLB off-season are the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

With several elite free players still available who could swing the balance of power once they sign, the MLB off-season has been a drag this winter. However, as of right now, there appears to be a rising trend among the teams who are either solidly in contention or that hope to be included in the postseason picture come October.

In an attempt to have players on the field when the games mean a little bit more, one trend is adding players with high ceilings but injury worries.

The Atlanta Braves had the best record in baseball last year at 104-58 and this winter they have added a few players that represent incremental upgrades. They also traded Vaughn Grissom to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for starter Chris Sale in what they hope will be a significant upgrade. Grissom was blocked at nearly every position, so moving him makes some sense. Adding a player of Sale’s caliber is also wise, but it does come with some risk.

He has thrown 151 innings in total over the last three seasons, recording a 3.93 ERA. Of course, 2023 was when he pitched 102 2/3 of those innings, with an ERA of 4.30. He placed among the top five in the AL Cy Young voting from 2013 to 2018, with a peak of second place in 2017. 2012 saw him finish in sixth place as well. With 11.1 strikeouts per nine, the towering left-hander also has the greatest strikeout rate ever recorded. He has been one of baseball’s top pitchers when healthy.

Over the past three seasons he has pitched a combined 151 innings and held a 3.93 ERA. Granted, 102 ^2/3 of those innings came in 2023 when he held a 4.30 ERA. From 2013-2018 he finished in the top-5 in AL Cy Young voting, peaking at second in 2017. He also had a sixth-place finish in 2012. The tall left-hander also holds the highest strikeouts per nine rate of all time at 11.1. When healthy, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The entirety of that trade is going to come down to whether or not Sale is healthy when the postseason begins and what kind of starts he gives them. Atlanta had no problem making the postseason without Sale. It’s what happens once they’re in that counts. He has a career 6.35 ERA in 34 postseason innings, including an 8.47 ERA in the Divisional Series, the round the Braves have had a hard time escaping the past two seasons.

Two of the New York Yankees’ (ailing) aces

The New York Yankees are a better team now than they were when the season ended. They also ended up outside of the postseason for the fourth time in the past 11 seasons after finishing 19 games back of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and six back of Toronto for the third and final Wild Card spot. They had to get better.

Yankees star Aaron Judge getting more tests of ailing right shoulder

In order to acquire Juan Soto, a 25-year-old pitcher, the Yankees had to give up a fair bit of depth in their pitching staff. They filled their greatest need last week when they signed Marcus Stroman, a pitcher who has established himself as a reliable starter throughout his career. Despite not being the staff ace, he has made 115 starts since 2019 and has a 3.38 ERA overall. The issue is not with Stroman.

Instead, it’s Carlos Rodón, who agreed to a $162 million, six-year contract with the Yankees prior to the 2023 season. He was on the injured list for the majority of his first season in the Bronx, and in his 14 starts, he had an ERA of 6.85. His walks were up and his strikeouts were down.

But the questions don’t stop there for New York. Nestor Cortes started just 12 games for the Yankees last season while dealing with a rotator cuff issue, and in those starts he held a 4.97 ERA. For New York to have success in the playoffs, they’ll need Cole, Stroman, Rodón and Cortes all able to throw effectively. Their problem is a little trickier, however, because they’re also playing catch up and likely need their starters to all remain healthy during the regular season as well in order to even make the postseason.

The Giants, like the Yankees, finished well back in their division at 21 back of the Dodgers. They also finished five back of a divisional opponent in the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot and fourth overall in their division. The Giants have not made the same upgrades that the Yankees have, but they’ve had an interesting off-season to date.

MLB offseason grades: Dodgers, Braves, Yankees earn highest marks of all 30 teams | FOX Sports

They signed Jung-Hoo Lee, who seems like he could be a great fit in the orange and black and act as their local superstar. He has the personality and the talent, but it will be a matter of how quickly he acclimates to MLB that will determine how quickly fans fall in love with him and how much success the team has this year.

The big question marks for San Francisco are with their additions on the mound. Last week they signed career reliever Jordan Hicks and his blazing fastball to a four year, $44 million deal. They also plan on having him start games. Hey, if it works out he could be a huge signing for the Giants and could give them another starter that can eat up some innings. He may only go five frames, but they could be solid to elite.

One glaring issue is that he hasn’t topped 100 innings in the big leagues in a single season and the closest he came was back in 2018 when he racked up 77 ^2/3. The other issue is that he has been a little injury prone in his five seasons, pitching in just 74 games total in three seasons between 2019-2022 (he sat out 2020). That’s nearly 25 outings as a reliever. If it works out, this is going to be a tremendous signing for the Giants. If it doesn’t, then maybe he slides to the bullpen and works out well there.

The Giants also traded for 2021 AL Cy Young Robbie Ray, who is set to be out for the first half of the season after getting Tommy John last May. Ray is signed through the 2026 season, but has an opt out after 2024. The Giants may be looking more for 2025 and beyond depending on what they do the rest of the winter, but if they go out and sign Blake Snell or Matt Chapman (or both), then they’ll also be banking on Ray coming back healthy in the second half and giving them another solid starter behind Logan Webb and Alex Cobb (if he’s healthy, too).

This off-season, a lot has been written about the Dodgers, primarily because they are the team that is making the most news. Shohei Ohtani was signed by them. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was signed. Tyler Glasnow was acquired through a trade, and he later signed an extension. Alongside young starters Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan and the returning Walker Buehler, they have added several significant players to their rotation.

The issue is that Ohtani is out because he won’t be pitching in 2024. Although Yamamoto hasn’t proven to be a reliable member of the rotation, it is likely that he will flourish in Major League Baseball.

Next up is Tyler Glasnow, who is among baseball’s top starts when he takes the mound. He has made a total of 21 starts in a single season.

The Dodgers are in a position similar to the Braves, where making the playoffs isn’t the issue, it’s what happens once they get in that they’re trying to solve. Only one team can represent the National League, however, which is giving this winter the feeling of an arms race. The determining factor for both teams is going to end up being which of their key additions this winter is healthy once October rolls around.