Another wild card factor to consider is, how bad is Brantley's injury? The organization is always very quiet about injuries but I worry it could be worse than we think. If so, that makes another bat a very pressing need. As far as "Yankees targets" go, I have heard them linked to Benintendi, and Reynolds (who I REALLY like) is another one they have been connected to. I really wish one of Brantley, Alvarez, Reynolds, or Meyers could play first base. Would open up more possibilities. On another note, going back to 2019, the Yankees were not afraid to make a move earlier than the deadline (see: the Encarnacion trade). I would not be surprised to see a few more moves around the All-Star break, especially if a team wants to get their guy before someone else does.
I think both Josh Bell and Mancini should be added. Bell can play 1B and DH and Pinch hit Mancini 1B and 3B and LF and RF and DH plus Pinch hit. I'd try and add them both with the intentions of signing just one of them to replace Gurriel next year. And this would also give us valuable depth in the OF other then CF. But Dubon can take that role.
Lance McCullers is almost ready for his rehab starts. Now the team needs a BP pitcher. I’m thinking Michael Feirs for this role.
So, Fiers is pitching with a team that has Henderson Alvarez, Reymin Guduan, Starlin Castro AND Brian Goodwin. Add in Fiers and we can have two aces, our lefty shutdown reliever, a replacement for Yuli at 1B that can play all over the infield AND Meyers replacement in CF that can play all over the OF. It's a trade we can't possibly lose!! (I mean, with all the crazy crap I've seen posted here, I'm just trying to fit in )
Oh I understood it wasn't a real thing, as just mentioning Fiers around here is a joke unto itself. I was just having fun with his current team as I recognized a few ex-major leaguers.
I wouldn’t rule them adding a first baseman if it isn’t an over pay. For example Bell can DH, play first and pinch hit. He is an expiring contract and as a hitter fits the Astros profile well.
I would pay the price for Melendez. The Royals need pitching in the worst way. I would offer up Garcia and Abreau for Melendez. It's an overpay but I like Melendez quite a bit.
I wanted Alvarez to go that direction until recently. But his OF play is beginning to make me think his best use is as the Left Fielder. I'm obsessing over Goldschmidt right now though it is almost inconceivable. Last game played by Brantley is June 26 so he's eligible to come off the 10 day IL tomorrow. But who knows how serious it really is. If it's worse than publicized and he goes on 60 day, we would have a very short window to decide on his playoff status vs a new acquisition.
I would agree. But the price for Melendez keeps skyrocketing, so it may not be an overpay at this point. His Performance Value only needs to rise $2M/year to make him a bargain. ~ $11M/yr to $13M/yr. Right now, he's a liability as a receiver and we don't know about intangibles. But he's only 23 and who better to learn those skills from than Maldonado?
They would hang up the phone laughing at you. Or, conversely, they would ask for Peña plus stuff. He isn’t going anywhere.
Trading for Garrett Cooper would be adding another bat on par with Kyle Tucker for both this season and next season, and he can play both 1B and LF (2 positions manned by pending free agents). Also, in what would be a super cold blooded move, optioning him for a few weeks would add another year of control.
Cooper is an interesting target, though, I have looked into him and he really seems to be lacking the power I would expect from a man his size. Although he’s a good hitter, he appears to be more of a singles hitter and not what I would want from a 1B or LF. Maybe the Crawford Boxes would help, but I don’t think they would that much. But if we did land him I’d probably talk myself into liking the move.
The only downside would be his defense and maybe intangibles. But starting him at 1B and moving him to LF or DH and bringing in Gurriel for late inning D helps that. Perhaps a platoon of Brantley/Cooper leading off and moving Altuve to 2nd full time. Bench is immediately stronger for PH opportunities.
His hard hit, exit velocity, and barrel % are all very close to Tucker’s. He hits at a much lower launch angle hence the lack of HR. But to me that’s even more of a reason to add him since if he makes an adjustment there is potential to level up even further. Regardless, the guy has been a wRC+ 130 hitter for 3 seasons so he is an excellent hitter as-is. He’s only making $2.5M and shouldn’t cost more than 2-3 2nd or 3rd tier prospects. Adding him brings in an excellent bench bat for the rest of this season and fills one of the 2 lineup holes for next season at an extremely low salary (Id estimate he will only make $4-5M next year in arbitration). Obviously it depends on the asking price but based on what I’ve seen I’d rather Houston add him than Mancini and if the price for Bell is what I expect then I think Cooper will represent the better value.
I would offer a similar package for Vinnie Pasquantino. I am very high on him not just for his power but also because he has a Bregman-esque eye. I am not exaggerating, he does not swing at stuff outside the zone and he has excellent pitch recognition. If we’re talking fantasies might as well put that out there.
