About the All-Star Break: Meanderings of My Mind

About the All-Star Break: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

July 18, 2025

***

Tonight, the Yankees will resume play after the All-Star break. They are in the midst of their annual Boone-Swoon. This one seems to be a bit worse than usual. The Yankees have fallen from leading the American League East by seven games to now being in second place, two games behind the Blue Jays. Worse, they are only one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who are in third place. The Yankees are 23-18 in their last 41 games, which works out to about a quarter of the season.  But as the fearless leader of the team points out on a daily basis, “it's right there in front of us.” I might add that if the Yankees were at the Grand Canyon, a precipitous drop would be right there in front of them. I hope that is not the case with this year's team. Because it is extremely unlikely that the Yankees will jettison their manager during the season, we simply have to hope for the best. Since there is no game to recap today, I will now dash from topic to topic like Oswaldo Cabrera in his walking boot at his wedding buffet. Congratulations to him. 

·       I believe the release of DJ LeMahieu was a shot across the bow of Aaron Boone. We all know that LeMahieu was a favorite of Boone’s and that he would have continued to find a way to play LeMahieu if he remained on the roster. I believe the Yankees will soon acquire someone to play third base but in the interim, they are a far superior team defensively with Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas at third base and Jazz Chisholm, Jr. at second base. The Yankees have a similar situation with Giancarlo Stanton. However, he has a knack for hitting a home run every once in a while, which creates just enough hope for him to preserve his spots on the roster and in the lineup. He is like an aging boxer who loses fights on decisions, but every now and then throws punches that wobble his opponents. He never knocks them out anymore, but some people believe that he might, so they keep watching.

·       One of my dear friends came to visit for brunch last Sunday. I don't see her often anymore but whenever I do, it is as if we saw each other the day before. It made me remember how precious that friendship is to me. As I'm getting older, I realize that there are certain people I need to hold close because they make my life richer, deeper, and much more interesting. I hope that these folks feel the same way about me. When that happens, you truly have something special.

·       The Yankees have not played since Sunday. Tonight, they will play in Atlanta, facing a right-handed pitcher. Here's the big question: will Jasson Dominguez be in the lineup? My guess is that he will not be. Because as we all know, it's important to rest those 22-year-olds as much as possible. I'm even more confident that Aaron Boone will offer one of his usual brilliant explanations for not having Dominguez in the lineup.

·       I have never liked the heat very much. My sister on the other hand, loves it. She will bask in the sun for hours like an iguana. Even though I have central air conditioning in my apartment, as a result of my crusade against the property management company last year, there is only one vent leading into the kitchen. Naturally, it gets hotter there than anywhere else in the apartment. What makes it worse is that my younger son is on a very high protein diet. He eats white rice, mixed vegetables, and either cooked ground beef which has been strained of any scintilla of fat, liquid, or flavor, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Because he is working now, I cook for him. As a result, I spend a portion of every day hunkered over the stove looking like Vic Tayback on an episode of Alice.

·       We have about two weeks left until the trade deadline. I believe the Yankees will make at least one move and probably more. They need to make trades. That is obvious. They must improve at third base, in the in the bullpen, and possibly in the starting rotation. However, what amazes me is the number of absolutely ridiculous trade proposals I am reading. Perhaps I am wrong. Isn't the point of making a trade to improve your team? For example, I just read an article stating that the Yankees should be interested in Yoan Moncada. Why? The article suggested that he would be an upgrade at third base. He is a brutal fielder and is considered almost unplayable at the position by some scouts. In addition, he is not a very solid offensive player, particularly from the right side. Even worse, he is constantly injured. The article suggested that on the bright side, Moncada would not cost much in either salary or trade capital. That's great. That would be like buying a ticket to see the movie Cats because it was discounted. It would still be a waste of money and time.  I don't know that I would sign Moncada if he were released. That's just one example. The other maddening part to this is that I will read articles saying that not only should the Yankees acquire a marginal player or a washed up, faded veteran but they should also send at least two or three of their top prospects to the other team in exchange for this person. Harrison Bader was also identified as a potential target for the Yankees. He was released by the Yankees two years ago. Why would they trade for him?

Spencer Jones apparently has worked very hard and is now really beginning to take off offensively in Scranton. He did very well at AA earlier in the year, which led to the promotion. At this point, I don't think I would trade him. I certainly wouldn't trade him for someone like Yohan Moncada. I think the best thing to do when you read these articles is take a deep breath before and after and don't get too worked up about them.

·       My kitten, Clancy, has been with us six months now. He is enormous and is continuing to grow. He has just about perfected the art of fetching. He has a beanie baby, which is a black bear. When I throw it, he sprints after it at full speed and most of the time, he brings it back. Unlike many cats, he is not aloof at all. He is very friendly and affectionate and makes it known that he loves being a member of the family. Having him here makes my retirement much more enjoyable.

·        When it comes to trades, I believe the Yankees will acquire a third baseman, and at least one relief pitcher, if not two. They may also bring in another starting pitcher but with the imminent return of Luis Gil, that may not be as pressing an issue. It is possible that the Yankees could shock us with an unexpected trade. They could even trade away a veteran such as Marcus Stroman or even Trent Grisham. They could really shock us and make an upgrade at shortstop. I don't know that it is a possibility but considering Anthony Volpe’s regression, Brian Cashman may consider it. Did anybody really expect the Red Sox to trade Rafael Devers?

·       For those of you who are new to the site, I can sometimes be just a little sarcastic. When I say just a little sarcastic, I want you to conjure up images of Bob Uecker saying, “Just a bit outside.” When I respond to someone there are a few levels of sarcasm that I use. The first is none, which I don't use often. The second is mild, which is my baseline. Moderate is the next most common level for me and generally elicits laughs or other types of jovial responses. Severe is what I use when lines have been crossed. The highest level is the one I refer to as “Release the Kraken.” I try to avoid that level because it can be dangerous to all concerned. Since I retired, I use it much less frequently. One day when there is no game to recap or perhaps during the off-season, I will share an episode of a time when I went to “Release the Kraken.” 

·       Another note on prospective trades by the Yankees. I realize that in order to get something, you have to give something. However, I would prefer that the Yankees not trade George Lombard, Jr., Spencer Jones, Cam Schlittler, and Carlos Lagrange. I think they have multiple other prospects they could use in a trade. I especially don't want to see the Yankees trade these players for someone who is about to be a free agent. Part of my reluctance to trade the above-named players is my overriding belief that the Yankees will never win a World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager. Because of that, I don't want to see the Yankees send away young players who could very well help their new teams when the Yankees will not reap the benefit of it. I'm not saying the Yankees shouldn't make trades. They should. I just think those players I mentioned should not be included.

·      My wonderful wife bought me a candle to burn in my office. It has the scent of freshly baked bread. It's wonderful. I feel as if I'm in a bakery. It also helps to curb my appetite.