About the Off-Season: Meanderings Of My Mind
By Tim Kabel
December 2, 2023
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Well, it is Saturday. You know what that means. No, it's not bath day. Those occur much more frequently. It is the day I scatter my thoughts and opinions regarding a variety of topics, most of which are related to the New York Yankees.
* The Yankees made a roster move yesterday. Brace yourself for this one. They claimed Oscar Gonzalez off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians. It might have been better if they claimed Oscar from Sesame Street. Gonzalez's one shining moment in the Major Leagues so far was hitting a 15th inning walk off home run in the Wild Card series in 2022 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He is also well known for using the SpongeBob theme song as his walk-up music. I can't wait until John Sterling has to deal with that. As an interesting aside, the actor who voices Mr. Krabs in the Sponge Bob cartoons, Clancy Brown, also played the sadistic prison guard in The Shawshank Redemption. (Who else gives you these tidbits of information?)
* The winter meetings will take place next week. Really, is there any point in the Yankees going, since they already acquired Oscar Gonzalez? Perhaps he can be helpful in some way but, this is not the type of move the Yankees need to make or that their fans want to read about. Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman promised big changes. They vowed to revamp the team. Picking through the scrapheaps of other teams is not the best way to instill confidence in your fanbase. Gonzalez may be useful, but they need to make other, bigger moves.
* In my opinion, the Yankees need to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto and acquire two of the following three outfielders, Juan Soto, Jung Hoo Lee, and Cody Bellinger. They could also use a late-inning relief pitcher.
* If the Yankees try to placate their fan base by bringing in Oscar Gonzalez, Frankie Montas, and Kevin Kiermaier, it will not go well. I can imagine the entire fan base morphing into Howard Beale from Network, who threw the windows open and screamed, "I'm as mad as Hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."
* The Yankees were always good at finding role players who could support the stars on the roster. Lately, it seems that all they are acquiring is role players and support pieces. It's hard to build a winning team that way.
* If the Yankees do trade Gleyber Torres and shift Oswald Peraza to second base, they will need a third baseman. Perhaps, they will sign Justin Turner. If they did that, John Sterling would hire a bodyguard or wrap himself in bubble wrap before every game.
* There is reportedly a chasm wide enough in the Juan Soto trade talks between the Yankees and the Padres that Evel Knievel would have jumped a motorcycle over it. We have seen this before from Cashman. He expresses interest in a player either through trade or free agency, and then loses out to another team. Afterward, he says that there just wasn't enough traction there or something equally silly. The Yankees need to make moves, not just simply talk about making moves or think about making moves or talk about thinking about making moves. Lately, the Yankees have become all sizzle and no steak. (Or for our vegan friends, all sizzle and no tofu burger.)
* If the Yankees do sign Yamamoto, the only bad thing will be that we will never get to hear the late, great Bob Shepherd announce his name to the crowd.
* Luis Severino offered a very heartfelt and sincere message of gratitude to the Yankees and their fans after he signed with the Mets. It just shows what a class act he is. Best of luck to him.
* One thing that I find slightly irritating is when Yankees' fans complain that the team does not acquire star players but when they do, those same folks complain that they spent too much money. Well, if you want filet mignon, you can't expect to pay hamburger prices for it. If you do, that steak didn't come from a cow.
* It's hard to believe that we are already at the end of another year. It seems like just yesterday i was telling my parents what I wanted for Christmas. All you can do is enjoy the time as it passes by. I'm incredibly lucky now as I don't even have to tell my wife what I want for Christmas. If I happen to glance at something in a catalog or online, it shows up on my doorstep within two days. I may regret looking through that livestock catalog the other day.
* Hopefully, the Yankees will not lose out on the Juan Soto trade because they are reluctant to give up an obscure minor leaguer who will never pan out. We all know that has happened before. I'm not saying they should give up the farm but, if they truly want Soto, they will need to give up quite a bit to get him. There are players whom they can trade without setting the team back.
* There have been reports that the Yankees may bring back Kenyon Middleton and Frankie Montas. That would be fine, as long as those were complementary moves. You can't fill the table on Thanksgiving with all side dishes. Well, you can but your guests won't be too happy about it.
* We set up the Christmas tree, but we have not decorated it yet. My kittens seem to think it is some type of giant cat tower. One or the other of them is frequently perched atop the highest branches, like a mountain lion in a Walt Disney nature film. The only thing missing is Rex Allen as the narrator. I am thinking about taking a picture of the tree and forcing people to find the cats in the picture before they get their presents.
* Whenever Oscar Gonzalez strikes out or makes an error next year , the Yankees should play a recording of Tony Randall as Felix Unger saying, "Oscar, Oscar, Oscar."
* I will say that I would like a Jasson Dominguez jersey for Christmas. If the Yankees do sign Yamamoto, I would like one of those as well. I think I have an inside track with Santa, as we are both portly gentlemen with beards.
* Hopefully by the time I write my next Saturday article, the Yankees will have made at least a move or two. Let me clarify that I am not talking about another Oscar Gonzalez-type move. I mean someone who will actually be able to contribute on a regular basis to victories. If you are reading this article one week from today, and I am talking about the acquisition of Frankie Montas, none of us will be happy, except Frankie Montas, of course.
