Yankees notes: Judge Free Agency, LeMahieu, Kiner-Falefa

Brian Cashman addressed reporters, including Chris Kirchner of Athleticfor the first time since the ALCS defeated the Yankees against the Houston Astros. Cashman’s future It was among the topics discussed, but the GM also took the time to offer some ideas on different areas of the playlist.

Aaron JudgeThe organization’s future will be the biggest question heading into the off-season, and Cashman says the team will get a perfect deal soon if they want to re-sign him. Judge is a solid AL MVP favorite after hitting 62 home runs and posting a .311/.425/.686 slash. The worst-case scenario for the Yankees is that judge misses them after his free agency drags on the off-season, and potential replacements have likely fallen elsewhere since then, so it makes sense that Cashman would prefer the action to be completely fast.

“He’ll dictate the dance steps to his free agency because he’s got the right to get there,” said Cashman. “We’ll see how it goes. It’s the most important. If he comes here today and says, ‘I sign up. Let’s go,’ there is still work to be done.”

Cashman didn’t offer much thought about the process, offering “no comment” when asked if the Yankees and Judge have been involved in the discussion since the end of the season. He also noted that it was a decision related to Yankees team owner Hal Steinbrenner as well. Cashman has clearly stated that he wants Judge back, but the final decision will land Steinbrenner’s foot as to what contract size he’s willing to hand.

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DJ Limaheu He suffered a foot injury late in the regular season and ended up missing it throughout the post season. The Yankees haven’t settled on a path forward to manage that off-season injury, but surgery is still on the table. LeMahieu scored a .261 ./. 357/.377 with 12 home races this season, which is well below the offensive MVP-level production he produced for the Yankees during 2019-20. The Yankees hope that a full recovery from the injury will allow LeMahieu to publish better offensive numbers, but he will also turn 35 in 2023 and it may be unreasonable to expect a major bounceback for the veteran. With four years and $60 million left on his contract, he will surely return in striped streaks, but only where he fits in is up in the air and it may depend on how he plays in the off-season.

LeMahieu played a lot of first base for the Yankees, but that’s gotten less important since then Anthony Rizzo He joined the team last season. it’s a Already reported That Rizzo is expected to turn down his $16 million player option for 2023. It’s not a huge surprise given that Rizzo has had a solid season and is expected to take advantage of turnaround restrictions next year. Cashman has stated that the Yankees will seek to re-sign Rizzo if he chooses. That could come in the form of a qualifying bid, but it seems likely that Rizzo will turn it down in favor of a multi-year deal.

The left side of the field has faced a lot of criticism throughout the season, especially during the playoffs, but Josh Donaldson And the Isaiah Keener Valiva Both are under control for 2023. Donaldson is worth $21.75 million while Kiner-Falefa is in his final year of judging and is expected to make $6.5 million for each MLBTR contributor Matt Schwartz. Donaldson ranked eighth among the three eligible starters in the average Outs Above, but he battled off the bat, coming in at just .222/.308/.374 with 15 points on home. Kiner-Falefa was never expected to be a major offensive contributor, but defensive metrics were mixed in his work on the gauntlets on short stops, ranging from 28 in above-average Outs to seventh in defense saves. While a change in third place could be difficult given Donaldson’s hefty salary, Cashman left the door open for a change in short order, especially given the impressive performances for beginners. Oswaldo Cabrera And the Oswald Peraza Make down the extension. The Yankees also have a high chance Anthony Volpi approach the specialties.

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“I think Keener was in line with what we expected,” Cashman said. “It gave us an opportunity to bridge the gap while the kids continued to develop because everyone in the industry, fans and teams alike, realize we have some very impressive possibilities to develop and need more time.”

In other pieces of information from Cashman’s press conference, he said he wouldn’t discuss commercial players but noted that the Darling player Aaron Hicks He would be back and the team felt it still had something to offer. Turning .216/.330/.313 in his 32-year campaign, Hicks has $30.4 million and at least three years left on his contract. It is worth adding this manager here Aaron Bon Today he said he wanted to take advantage of it Giancarlo Stanton On the field a few times a week next season. Stanton has largely played the designated hitter lately, but placing him in the pitch depth chart more regularly will affect Hicks’ playing time.

The Yankees are also hoping to bring back head coach Matt Blake. Hired from Cleveland after the Yankees split from Larry Rothschild in 2019, Blake’s contract expired. The Yankees ranked third in the majors on the ERA team with a score of 3.30 this year, behind only the Dodgers and Astros.

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