Soto or Nowhere: The Official 2024 New York Yankees Off-Season Thread

[tremonthustler1]

What yall don't realize is that true accountability comes from the fans. We're the ones who are ultimately responsible for these guys getting paid, from the bottom to the top. Stop going to/watching games, things would change. But as long as you pop up like

the bullshyt will continue. Yanks and Mets, two highest payrolls in baseball. Both embarrassed by the Dodgers.

look, some nights are emptier than others, but at the end of the day, unless the team bottoms out and plays like crap, the building is gonna get enough people in there to spend on merch and chicken buckets and bobbleheads. It's very Knick-esque in that Yankee Stadium during the summer is a poppin spot to be at. The days of fans being too scared to go to the stadium because of the area surrounding it are damn near over. You'd need 2023 to happen again, just a combo of crap weather and crap baseball.

but the Yankees will never outright blow it up or tank or bottom out.

 

[tremonthustler1]

OK. Hitters.

Wells- he can catch. He flamed out in a major way when the playoffs came, but I’ll give him this: He can call a good game. It’s his rookie year so he gets a bit of a pass. Build on the 2nd half of 24.

Trevino: leave. Replace him with a competent backup on the cheap.

Rizzo: washed. Can’t hit for power. Can’t field outside of scoops. Let Ben Rice hold that spot down, and honestly, it won’t matter if we get Murakami at the end of ’25. $6 mil buyout for ’25. Utilize it.

Ben Rice: he’s hit at every level except the majors. See if another year will give him a shot at keeping the spot.

Torres: redeemed his crap season to an extent with the playoffs even though he still did some dumb stuff. I’m sorry. I don’t want him back, even if the total number is lower than expected. I can’t do this shyt anymore. Let Chisholm play there or Vivas.

Lemahieu: buy him out. He’s cooked.

Chisholm: Sucked during the playoffs. If he’s gonna pop off, he better hit. He didn’t. I’ll give him a pass for the fielding because 3B is not his position. Now he knows what this team needs of him. We’ll see if he plays 2B or 3B.

Oswaldo Cabrera: definition of bench player. He doesn’t need to stick around, but if he does, whatever.

Berti: wasn’t bad. Injury derailed his season. Same as Cabrera.

Volpe: played much better in the playoffs, but dammit next year is make or break because he was trash after May. Put everything together, but he's a 7/8 hitter on this team moving forward anyway.

Stanton: he’ll miss 2 months next season, be ass for a month’s worth of AB’s and swing at pitches on Gerard Ave and he STILL shouldn’t ever be booed again. Off the hook.

Grisham: deserved a bit better than what he had. I don’t mind him as a 4th OF.

Dominguez: LF or CF BETTER be his.

Verdugo: OUT! Was done after May. Had his moments in the playoffs, but not worth it. Judge’s friends have to go.

Soto: If he stays, this team is being built primarily around him. If not, don’t sign anyone worth a damn,

Judge: Nothing he does will impress me going forward. This is on his head. Now until we do win a WS, we shouldn’t trust him at all in a big spot. He can win 5 MVP's and it ain't gonna matter.

 

[tremonthustler1]

Pitching:

Cole: something wasn’t right with him. He’ll probably stay. Give him an offseason of rest. A part of me feels like we’ve seen the best of him, but come back rested and healthy.

Rodon: We’ve DEFINITELY seen the best he can offer. Punk ass bytch, he’ll only be worse going forward. AJ Burnett without the surprising good qualities.

Gil: Should be ROY but won’t win it. Time to build on this. He can easily be the #2 on this team

Schmidt: I wish he gave us more length in the rotation, but he’s another one who can build off this. He should be our Gumby. Nothing more than a #4, but that’s ok. Get healthy.

Cortes: GTFOH. Tired of him running his mouth. The pitch clock rules messed him up. Not the same. He can go to Florida and be ass in obscurity.

Stroman: best I can say is that he had great seats and at times, I woulda rather seen him out there than Rodon. Goal: keep him under 140 IP so his 2026 option doesn't trigger.

Weaver: pick up his option and if he wants to close, I'm with it.

Holmes: see ya. At least he redeemed himself to a degree in the playoffs.

Hill: stay here. Very good and I trusted him in big spots.

Cousins: good job. Should be in our pen next year:

Kahnle: went out sad, but was otherwise solid in the playoffs. Can take him or leave him.

Effross: get healthy.

Hamilton: get healthy.

Leiter: sucked but gotta give him and the bullpen credit: they showed up.

 

[GoPro]

look, some nights are emptier than others, but at the end of the day, unless the team bottoms out and plays like crap, the building is gonna get enough people in there to spend on merch and chicken buckets and bobbleheads. It's very Knick-esque in that Yankee Stadium during the summer is a poppin spot to be at. The days of fans being too scared to go to the stadium because of the area surrounding it are damn near over. You'd need 2023 to happen again, just a combo of crap weather and crap baseball.

but the Yankees will never outright blow it up or tank or bottom out.

Well maybe mon fukkers need an organized boycott .

 

[tremonthustler1]

so early preview of offseason:

if Soto doesn't stay, fukk everything else. Don't pivot. Don't bring anyone else of significance back.

I'm gonna go off the idea of Soto coming back.

C Wells/Narvaez or Carson Kelly
1B Rice
2B Jorbit Vivas OR see if we can sign Jorge Polanco to 1 year prove it deal.
3B Chisholm (honestly, I'm not seeing much at 3B outside of Bregman who I'd rather not want)
SS Volpe
LF Dominguez
CF Judge
RF Soto
DH Stanton

so the lineup next year

LF Dominguez
RF Soto
CF Judge
DH Stanton
3B Chisholm
2B Polanco
C Wells
SS Volpe
1B Rice

pitching: do your best to get Sasaki. Besides that, add some depth that makes it easy to not pitch Stroman so much. Maybe Beeter or Warren progress. Shane Bieber on a 1 year make good deal?

SP Cole
SP Gil
SP Rodon
SP Schmidt
SP Stroman or Sasaki

Closer: Weaver
Cousins
Hill
Effross
Hamilton
Leiter
Poteet
give Gomez a shot. Kid's got electric stuff

maybe add another guy Matt Blake can fix

obviously there's trades out there possibly. Maybe revisit Paredes. Luis Garcia from Washington, but that would cost us Jones or Hampton. Brandon Lowe for 2B maybe. The pitcher I'd kick the tires on is Doval from SF and see if Blake can fix him.

 

[ineedsleep212]

Calling it a gentleman's sweep is perfect

 

[tremonthustler1]

if Soto walks, start the rebuild on the fly and don't pivot. Still pursue Sasaki because he's 22 and cheap. Replace internally unless there's no option. No trades unless we're getting young players in the system. Almost 100% certain Verdugo returns if Soto leaves. Then you keep Jones and focus on him, Vivas, etc.

I'd probably just give the job to Oscar Gonzalez or Everson Pereira instead of Verdugo

2B Chisholm
RF Judge
CF Dominguez
DH Stanton
C Wells
SS Volpe
1B Rice
3B Peraza
LF Verdugo

 

[MenacingMonk]

Not coming here to start shyt, but it must be a fukkin emotional wreck to be a Yankees fan right now. This is one of those games where a team beat themselves. That 5th inning is going down in the opposite end of Yankees history.

 

[Ron Mexico]

That 5th inning was a disgrace. Gave the game away not doing the most basic shyt baseball players at any level should do.

Only this team could make a World Series and still the end season being a total embarrassment.

 

[MenacingMonk]

Looking at the 5th inning again and Judge took his eye off the ball to cause the first error. That shyt is gonna haunt him.

 

[BlueHeffner]

Reading Juans comments after the game…



Hes gone

 

[The War Report]

Such fukking awful at bats in the end. Trynna hit HRs instead of getting on base. fukking Verdugo.

 

[Grifter]

Reading Juans comments after the game…



Hes gone

Cashman would have to offer him stock options and ownership points. at this point.

 

[Remote]

There are too many thoughts in my mind to form a detailed write-up of what should and what will happen this winter.

Broadly speaking, what I think should happen is the Yankees should clean house. I'm talking about firing Boone, firing Cashman, and not bringing back a single free agent (that means moving on from Torres, Kahnle, Holmes, Verdugo, Loaisiga, Trevino, and Hill -- Soto, would go elsewhere because he knows this team is weak). Stanton earned a ton of respect this postseason but that doesn't change the fact that he's wildly overpaid. Unfortunately he's not really movable unless they eat most or all of his remaining money. Rizzo gets bought out. LeMahieu is released? I'm not even sure if that's possible.

From a floor perspective, the pitching is fairly solid. Cole, Rodon, Schmidt and Gil are good enough.

This won't happen though because baseball is a business and the Yankees cannot afford a fan exodus in 2025. They will need those season ticket sales to hold up.

So I expect them to make a strong run at Soto and maybe a Japanese player or two.
Then Brian Cashman will do Brian Cashman things -- which is to say he will try to outsmart himself and bring in a couple of mediocre players that could "exceed value". After all, this is the guy who in the past year traded for Jon Berti, Jazz Chisholm and JD Davis. Real difference makers.

It's to be noted that this free agent class, Soto aside, is weak.

Who wants to throw big money to Willy Adames, Alex Bregman, Christian Walker, or Tyler O'Neill? I'm not even interested in Pete Alonso or Teoscar Hernandez. Not at their ages.

I think you guys have to open yourselves to the likelihood that this team is going to be treading water for a while...if they're lucky.
And if the Yankees DO remain division-winning contenders, it's going to require a ton of money, and a ton of reliance on veteran players past their prime.

 

[ExodusNirvana]

I have a homie who is still defending Judge after last night

I'm not going in the group chat for a few days because I said we overpaid that man, I said it was absurd to name him Captain having not won anything, I said he disappears in the post season, and I said what I said and I stand on it and now even though the WHOLE WORLD seen it on the biggest stage.... I'M A HATER

@tremonthustler1 I thought about what you said and you're right. He'd literally have to rattle off a 98 to 2000 dynasty to ever remove the filth of what we saw this post season and last night.

Congratulations on your AL MVP though

Cause that's all the Yankees have been doing in the Number 99 era... winning the Annual Aaron Judge Championship.

I mean it's not the World Series but it's something right? The Judge Cup?

He got AL MVP! We won The Judge Cup!

He hit 60 HRs! We won The Judge Cup!

Hey he resigned! We won The Judge Cup!