I'd like Correa and Judge both going to the Giants. That means they wouldn't be teammates on the Yankees, they'll be in the national league, and in the same division as the Dodgers.
He should be 80% catcher to maximize his value. You're otherwise swapping a Brantley (potentially) in the lineup for Maldonado. My issue is using him outside of catcher. In a pinch and for depth I'm ok with but he should be more than a platoon. You can keep saying he's a top 50 hitter over and over but that's subjective because you're picking the criteria of measurement. Top 50 hitter should be a #3 or #4 hitter on virtually any team. He wouldn't even be top 4 on our team alone.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...article/Houston-Astros-Jim-Crane-17635612.php “It got to a number that we couldn’t match,” Crane said. “Would have been nice to have him. We had a good relationship. We just couldn’t get to that number.” … “I’ve always said you need three things to win: pitching, pitching and pitching,” Crane said. … When Ed Wade didn’t give him the answers he sought, Crane fired him and hired Jeff Luhnow. When Luhnow said he was out of the loop about the team’s sign-stealing operation, Crane fired him and hired Click. “This isn’t new,” Crane said. “I’m a CEO. I like to know how everything runs and what everybody’s doing. “I kinda know how baseball works. And I try to get the best information before making decisions.” … The Astros have gone to the World Series four times in six years with two victories, but Crane isn’t satisfied. “These past few years showed me how hard it is to win,” he said. “I believe we were the best team in 2019 and didn’t win. We ran short on pitching last year and still got to Game 6 (of the World Series). “A .500 record in the World Series is not bad. But I want more.”
Lee's on base was 60-70 points above his BA which is ok. It isn't great but it's not horrible. Contreras was awful at age 22 in A ball. He dominated AA at age 23. Lee was in AAA the same age Contreras was in AA. If Lee was in AA this year he may very well have looked like Contreras at 23. Develop players or don't... honestly it's like listening to the crowd that wanted trevor story last year.... Pena the better prospect but same concept.
Or they could possibly improve catching WAR to 1-2 with Lee or Diaz and put 18 million on a solid #3 starter or upgrade from a Conforto to a Nimmo in free agency. I would feel differently about Contreras if the other guys went elsewhere and he's the plan c. The idea of blocking Lee and Diaz when you have an opportunity to lock down the position on the cheap for years isn't appealing to me. The flexibility of moving him to DH isn't appealing because there are cheaper comparable guys at other positions who can DH you can get in trade on the cheap. Not saying he has no value, only saying the value per dollar spent to me is less than getting a centerfielder who can get on base and play defense.
They have a lot of holes though. A lot of their infield is unsigned. They have a good system with Ramos, Bailey, and Luciano...
